Fred Flintstone

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Fred Flintstone
Fred Flintstone.png
Species Human
Gender Male
Affiliation Barney Rubble
Betty Rubble
Dino
Mr. Slate
Great Gazoo
Occupation Quarry worker
Police officer[Note 1]
Works for Slate Rock and Gravel Company
Bedrock Police Department[Note 2]
Goals Supporting his family
Father Ed Flintstone
Mother Edna Flintstone
Sister(s) Freida[1]
Grandfather(s) Rocky Flintstone or Stoney Flintstone
Aunt(s) Hilda
Other relative(s) Ferd, nephew[1]
Bamm-Bamm Rubble, son-in-law[Note 3][Note 4][Note 5]
Marital status Husband to Wilma Flintstone
Son(s) Fred Flintstone, Jr.[Note 6]
Daughter(s) Pebbles Flintstone
Grandchildren Roxy and Chip Rubble[Note 7][Note 8]
First appearance TF: "The Flintstone Flyer" (1960)
Played by Daws Butler (1960, pilot pitch)
Alan Reed (1960-1977)
Henry Corden (1966-2005)
Lennie Weinrib (1986-1987)
Scott Menville (1987-1988)
John Goodman (1994)
Jeff Bergman (since 1994)
Mark Addy (2000)
James Arnold Taylor (since 2005)
TFK Freddy.png
The Flintstone Kids
90s Fred Flintstone.png
I Yabba-Dabba Do!
Goodman Fred.png
The Flintstones
Addy Fred.png
The Flintstones in Viva Rock Vegas
DC Fred Flintstone.png
The Flintstones
YDD Fred.png
Yabba Dabba Dinosaurs

Frederick "Fred/Freddy" Flintstone is a caveman and one of the main characters and the protagonist of the Flintstones animated franchise. He is a working-class quarry worker living the life of a dinosaur crane operator in his hometown of Bedrock. His voice was originated by Alan Reed (not counting Daws Butler in the pilot pitch).

While Fred is away at work, he has a stay-at-home wife in Wilma, the adoring pet dinosaur he's stuck caring for, Dino (Hanna-Barbera later retconned Dino to be the childhood pet of Fred); and the later addition of the family's baby daughter, Pebbles. His best friend and next-door neighbor is Barney Rubble.

Character description

Fred is a caveman with fair skin, beard stubble, black hair, and a large nose. He wears a ragged, green-blue necktie, and a orange and black-spotted loincloth.

Fred tends to be both loud-mouthed and ambitious, constantly scheming for ways to improve his family's lot in life. However, whether it be related to money or fame, his actions often end in unintended results. In fact, some of his schemes, even with the most innocent and mundane intent, tend to be very complicated at times.

Fred is prone to being short-tempered, aggressive, impatient, naive, and grouchy. He constantly yells and gets into fits of rage or sadness whenever things don't go in his way. Despite his impulsive and childish behavior, Fred is usually free of any malice. He proves to be very friendly, often helping and showing some affection to others — including both his family and the Rubbles. While he does complain to Wilma about his outrageous demands, or over some of her requests or actions, he is also a loving, caring husband and father at the same time. He is also prove to be a good friend of Barney, who despite following his plans with barely a passing thought, is devoted to their friendship. Fred would usually go to great lengths to please his family or owe somebody, especially in moments when he notices that his actions had gone too far. Fred's catchphrase is "Yabba-dabba-doo!", which he often yells to express his excitement and astonishment.

Due to his short temper, Fred seems to be accident-prone. Even his most innocent and mundane actions often cause widespread confusion. At the end of the closing credits, Fred puts the housecat Baby Puss at the doorstep, only to let him lock the door and leave Fred outside; this causes Fred to bang the door loudly and call Wilma for help, and in the case for the closing credits of the show's first two seasons, brings attention to the awaken masses at Bedrock when they turn on the lights of their homes.

An average blue-collar worker, Fred works as a crane operator (or "bronto crane operator") at the Slate Rock and Gravel Company. His boss is Mr. Slate, whom he sometimes has trouble with due to having made some mistakes working here. Fred's job title was once given as "geological engineer".[2]

He is also a member of the Water Buffalo Lodge, a private club in which he and Barney hang out. The two are rather popular among the lounge's members, and even have some degree of influence over its events.

Fred's interests include bowling, golf, poker, and playing pool. In the case of bowling he is exceptionally good at it; even winning numerous championships for his skills. He was given the bowling nickname "Twinkletoes", referring to the way he tiptoes before rolling the ball; he got the name when he became eligible to join a football team in college.[3] Fred also had a gambling problem in one episode, to the point where a single utterance of the word "bet" causes him to stammer it (like a chicken) and go on a gambling streak. [4]

Appearances

TV series

Movies

Specials

Shorts

Comics

Books

Video games

Theme park rides

Biography

Straight to the moon, Wilma!

Fred and Barney on the Laff-a-Lympics

Celebrating another 50 years! 50 years of fun!

Fred Sells Out

In the Captain Planet and the Planeteers episode "Who's Running the Show?," to get in Fred Lerner's TV studio unnoticed by the Eco-Villains, the Planeteers dress like mucky versions of the Flintstones and Rubbles. When they are revealed to be in costume, an instrumental version of "(Meet) The Flintstones" plays, and Wheeler, dressed in Fred's loincloth and tie, leads the other Planeteers into the mission by announcing "Okay, Planeteers, time to do our yabba-dabba-duty." When seen by Duke Nukem, he doesn't notice who they are despite the thinly veiled costumes, and when he asks about them, Wheeler says they are the Filfthstones. His love interest, Linka, is Wilma, and his the Planeteers' leader, Kwame, is Dino.

Fred appears alongside Barney in pirate form in the Duck Dodgers episode "Shiver Me Dodgers."

In The Grim Adventures of Billy & Mandy episode "Modern Primitives," Fred is unfrozen in the present day and Billy keeps him as a pet named "Jake Steele". Depicted as primitive and hostile, Fred goes on a rampage after being overwhelmed by all the modern technology and customs due to future shock.

In the Adult Swim short Come and Learn with Pibby!, Fred greets Pibby to Bedrock and slides down a dinosaur's back right into the corruption below that swallows him whole.

Fred in the Funny Books

Development

When The Flinstones was developed under the working title of "The Flagstones", Fred and Wilma were originally going to have a son named Fred, Jr. After the series title was changed to "The Gladstones" and then into its final name, the idea of the Flintstones having a child was written off and initially made Fred and Wilma a childless couple. However, some early merchandise of the show, such as a 1961 Little Golden Book, featured "Junior".[5]

The personality of Fred is largely based on Jackie Gleason's character of Ralph Kramden in the 1950s sitcom The Honeymooners. Like his animated counterpart, Ralph is an ambitious yet ill tempered and brash man who lives at home with his patient wife. The similarities between the two have also extended to their physical appearance, as both Fred and Ralph are overweight men with black hair.

When Alan Reed began to play as Fred Flintstone, he was insistent on using a relatively natural speaking voice, rather than a broad, "cartoony" style, since animated short cartoons rarely used this method of voice acting back then—with the exception of experimental studios like UPA and feature films with more realistic characters.[6]

Gallery

Main article: Fred Flintstone/Gallery

Toys and merchandise

Main article: Fred Flintstone/Toys

Behind the scenes

  • According to Hal Smith, Bill Thompson was the first actor to audition for the role of Fred Flintstone, but dropped out because he was told by Joseph Barbera that his voice didn't sound gravelly enough, and had his lines re-recorded by Alan Reed for the first five episodes.[7][8]
  • George O'Hanlon also auditioned for the role of Fred, but lost out to Alan Reed.[9] Aside from being later cast as George Jetson, O'Hanlon ended up writing two episodes of The Flintstones.
  • Jackie Gleason, who both played Ralph Kramden and created The Honeymooners, mentioned in an interview that he once considered suing Hanna-Barbera for copying the show with The Flintstones, but decided to not let it pass.[10]
    • In the same interview, Gleason also mentioned that Alan Reed was the actor who dubbed in his movie roles whenever he could not make a session.[10]

Legacy

  • In the letters section of Droopy Issue #1, cartoonist Scott Shaw draws an affectionate caricature of Tex Avery standing outside of his office at Hanna-Barbera, telling the other employees to call him by his real name Fred (as he did in real life), while dressed as Fred Flintstone.

In popular culture

WARNING: The following section contains content that may be seen as mature or offensive to some readers. Reader discretion is advised.
Main article: List of pop culture references to Flintstones
  • In the movie Rage!, it begins with Cal being woken up by his daughter leaving the TV on which is playing the episode "The House Guest," with the theme song and the opening scene of Fred telling Barney he is driving them to the Quicky Car Wash.
  • In the Open All Night episode "Buckaroo Buddies," Bud sings along with a shortened version of "(Meet) the Flintstones," which also includes a redubbed voice of a man saying, "Yabba-dabba-doo!"
  • In the September 2, 1983 one panel comic strip of The Far Side, there were two saber-tooth tigers walk away from eating somebody, which is implied to be Fred, as one of them comments, "I've heard all kinds of sounds from these things, but 'yabba-dabba-doo' was a new one to me."
  • In the movie Police Academy 2, Mahoney says the Scullions' hideout in the abandoned Griffith Park Zoo has a "cave-like atmosphere," and asks where Fred and Wilma are.
  • In the film Better Off Dead, as Lane finds a parcel for a DIY space shuttle and reads the front page of a newspaper about a suicidal New Yorker, dialogue from The Flintstones episode "Little Bamm-Bamm" plays in the background, specifically when Fred says goodnight to Barney and Betty, leaving them to wish on a shooting star, but when Lane looks at the TV, when Barney is supposed to tell the audience that he can bet that they know what the couple wished for, Lane imagines Barney talking directly to him, asking Lane awkwardly if he would mind if he took out Beth for Lane, instead, followed by his signature laugh.
  • In the TV special The Joe Piscopo New Jersey Special, in a nightclub that is supposed to be in Hollyrock, California, Joe Piscopo plays Fred presenting The Flintstones: The Lost Episodes, with Danny DeVito as his co-host, Barney. They show a clip from one of their favorite never-before-seen episodes, which involves Fred and Barney discussing Fred's anger over 18-year-old Pebbles dating a Neanderthal. Back in the present, Fred and Barney say, "Yabba-dabba-doo," and get the audience to sing along with them a very truncated version of the theme song, which includes Fred shouting, "Wilma!"
  • In the movie Planes, Trains & Automobiles, Del sings "(Meet) The Flintstones" on the bus with a crowd, even adding "Wilma!" at the end.
  • In Watchmen Issue #6, Gerald Anthony Grice has two German Shepherds called Fred and Barney.
  • In the April 2, 1989 comic strip of Garfield, the opening panel spoofs The Flintstones, with Garfield and Arlene dressed like Fred and Wilma, respectively, as Garfield complains to Arlene that her dogasaurus (Odie) ate his car.
  • In the Married with... Children episode "Married... with Prom Queen: Part 1," when Peg ignores Al after he puts his foot down about going to the class reunion, Al questions his role as the father of the house, listing Robert Young, Fred McMurray, and even Fred Flintstone, having his day once or twice, and asks Peg if she doesn't think he is the man that Fred Flintstone is. A little later, Steve tries to make Al feel better by saying that a school reunion is for others to make fun of their classmates for not amounting to anything, before realising his mistake. Al tells Steve off by saying that Barney Rubble wasn't much but at least he was supportive.
  • In the Adventures of Superman #441, Mr. Mxyzptlk brings to life a billboard advertising Saturday morning cartoons before turning Superman into a cartoony version of himself to battle a pastiche of Fred called Frankie Fieldstone, star of the Saturday morning cartoon Cavestones, who he defeats by dumping him into the Le Vine Tar Pits. Before Superman does this, Frankie shouts, "Yabba-dabba don't!!"
  • In The Golden Girls episode "Melodrama," Dorothy reminded Blanche about how she once described Mel as looking like Fred Flintstone but with a better car.
  • In the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles episode "Beneath These Streets," Michelangelo gets bored of shouting "Cowabunga" as his catchphrase, so he tries to use "Yabba-Dabba-Doo!" instead, except when he does it, he gets stopped mid-sentence by Donatello.
  • In The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air episode "Did the Earth Move for You?," while stuck in traffic after an earthquake, Ashley passes the time by singing "(Meet) The Flintstones," although we only hear her sing the last line, not forgetting to conclude with yelling "Wilma!"
  • In the In Living Color episode "Krishna Cop," Kim Wayans sings a parody of Crystal Waters's "Gypsy Woman (She's Homeless)" called "My Songs Are Mindless," in which Wayans changes the lyrics "La da dee la da da" to "Yabba-dabba-doo, yabba-dabba-dee," while pointing at Fred of The Flintstones on TV. She also mentions Scooby on TV.
  • In the Tiny Toon Adventures episode "The Acme Bowl," the Acme Loo football team lost against the Santa Ana Barbarians (a play on Hanna-Barbera), who resemble cavemen dressed in Fred's orange loincloth.
  • In the Step by Step episode "A Day in the Life," Dana is derogatory against the family her mother married into by calling the Lamberts cavemen and calling Frank Fred Flintstone, with Frank retaliating by calling her Bamm-Bamm.
  • In the Salute Your Shorts episode "Sponge's Night Out," when Z.Z. sees Sponge sneaking out at night for his date, she calls him Orville Redenbacher, and when she sees Budnick and Donkeylips following, she calls them Fred and Barney.
  • In the NY Undercover episode "Sins of the Father," an ad for Flintstones Push Ups (with Fred) is on the window of an ice cream truck.
  • In the Mighty Max episode "Tar Wars," Max starts a conversation with the caveman Gor, by asking him how Betty Rubble keeps her shapely figure. After his mother criticizes his cave paintings, Max says, "Not to worry, Fred."
  • In the movie Casper (starring Casper, the Friendly Ghost), a kid dresses up as Fred for the Halloween party at Whipstaff Manor. This movie came out in 1995, a year after the live-action Flintstones movie, both of which were produced by Steven Spielberg's Amblin Entertainment and released by Universal Pictures.
  • In the Animaniacs episode "Yabba Dabba Boo," the episode title is a play on "Yabba dabba doo," Fred's catchphrase. In the episode, the writing staff of Amblin gets a script doctor (Chicken Boo in disguise) to help with their movie scripts, which includes one for Flintstones. They need help with what happens to Fred will say after a boulder comes crashing down on him after he gets in his car. Suggestions are "Let's rock and roll" and "The boulder and the beautiful," which are turned down in favor of the hilarious idea that the script doctor gives which is just clucking. It happens again when another scene depicts Fred at a golf course and picks up a stork instead of a club, with the suggestions of what the stork says next being, "It's a living" and "It's my job," but whatever the script doctor clucks about is approved. The final scene that will get the script finished, is of Fred standing on what he thinks is a boulder, but really a dinosaur head. Deanna Oliver, the one writer not impressed, starts clucking, but it just confuses the other writers. The script doctor does his own clucking, which sends the other writers into uproarious laughter.
  • In the Sister, Sister episode "Kid-Napped," Ray is attracted to Lisa in her tight dress, saying playfully "Yabba-dabba-doo" after Lisa says that it wants to make him go "cave-man."
  • In 101 Dalmatians episode "Jurassic Bark," P.D. de Vil wears a shirt and tie similar to Fred's, at the museum's unveiling of the world's first cavedog.
  • In Chris Rice's song "Cartoons," Rice questions if Fred and Wilma are religious and would say "Yabba-dabba-do-lu-yah" in place of "Hallelujah."
  • In the Pinky, Elmyra & the Brain episode "Patty Ann," after Brain says to Pinky he should be on his side instead of the oaf Elmyra, he asks Pinky if he has any questions. Pinky proves his own worth by only asking Brain why Fred would knowingly order a giant stack of ribs that would knock over the side of his car every week.
  • In the August 9, 1999 comic strip of Peanuts, Charlie Brown has just got a call from Emily to go dancing because he dances like Fred Astaire, but his sister, Sally, asks if she meant Fred Flintstone.
  • In The Parkers episode "The Boomerang Effect," the sight of seeing Nate naked, makes Stevie cry in shock, "Yabba-dabba-doo!"
  • In the Clerks: The Animated Series episode "The Clipshow Wherein Dante and Randal Are Locked in the Freezer and Remember Some of the Great Moments in Their Lives," Liam Neeson is mentioned to have a starring role as Fred Flintstone in Flintstone's List, a parody of Schindler's List, in which Neeson played Oskar Schindler.
  • In the Sabrina the Teenage Witch episode "The Competition," Hilda taught Amanda an incantation by saying "Double, double, boil and trouble. Dress the cat like Barney Rubble." A generic cloth then proceeded to magically appear around Salem, who then remarked that he looked better than John Goodman, who actually played Fred, not Barney, as Barney was played by Rick Moranis.
  • In the film Mr. Deeds, Longfellow offers Emilio some Cocoa Pebbles (with Fred and Barney on the box) for breakfast, but he turns them down.
  • In the film Just Married, Sarah tells Tom to floor it, but according to him, he already is and that if he pushed any further, they would be "Flintstoning" to their destination.
  • In the Time Squad episode "Child's Play," Tuddrussel tries out "Yabba-dabba-doo" while eating from dozens of tuna cans, but Larry shoots him down.
  • In the Duck Dodgers episode "Shiver Me Dodgers," two pirates who resemble Fred and Barney are in a line to audition to be a member of Long John Silver XXIII's crew.
  • In The Fairly OddParents TV movie Channel Chasers, Timmy zaps himself and his fairies into the world of The Meatflints, where Cosmo is dressed like Fred, only with Cosmo's signature green.
  • In the ¡Mucha Lucha!: The Return of El Maléfico TV movie, Fred's loincloth and tie hang inside Abuelito's closet.
  • In the film Son of the Mask, baby Alvey switches the TV to The Flintstones episode "The Most Beautiful Baby in Bedrock," with a couple of scenes included. The first one is when Fred is knocked in the stomach with an extended plunger while he and Barney hold signs of their kids.
  • In the The Wire episode "Know Your Place," at a fancy restaurant, when Darnell puts a napkin over his front, Zenobia chastises him for his bad etiquette, asking him, "You see anybody else up in here looking all Fred Flintstone and shit?"
  • In the Drawn Together episode "Lost in Parking Space Part Two," Fred is being brutally tortured at Hot Topic. He cries out for Barney to help. Fred is voiced by James Arnold Taylor, who was his current voice actor at the time.
  • In The Office episode "Beach Games," the staff of Dunder Mifflin sings "(Meet) the Flintstones" while on a bus trip, while their boss Michael Scott improvises the background music and shouts "Wilma!" at the end.
  • In the film Land of the Lost, when Rick is standing on Grumpy the T-rex's tail, Tom hopes that he will slide down the same way Fred Flintstone would do.
  • In the film Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs, Ellie screams "Yabba-dabba-doo!" while sliding down a dinosaur. When Manny lands next to her, he tells her to "never yabba-dabba-do that again!"
  • In The Ricky Gervais Show episode "Monkey News," Karl Pilkington goes on a tangent about how there had to be a crossover point between humans and dinosaurs to humans and dogs, which baffles cohosts, Ricky Gervais and Steve Merchant, with the latter believing he was simply influenced by watching The Flintstones, with a cartoon illustration of Pilkington dressed like Fred and doing things in Bedrock like driving the Flintmobile, letting out Baby Puss, and pouring cement into a pelican.
  • In the Big Bang Theory episode "The Wildebeest Implementation," after a rough start to double date, Howard says to Leonard how it's nice to see the gals getting along now, but Leonard questions his use of the word "gals," by asking, "Who are you, Fred Flintstone?"
  • In the film The Amazing Spider-Man, Dr. Connors's lab rats are called Fred and Wilma.
  • In "Episode 18" (series 7) of the UK BBC One quiz show Pointless, the first round of questions that fell into the "Cartoon" category is Hanna-Barbera cartoon characters, with host Alexander Armstrong showing an image of several of them together. The contestants have to be able to pick out all the obscure characters that 100 anonymous public people had been able to guess. Nobody chose Fred, who was a popular one with 79 of the anonymous public having also known who he was.
  • In The Cleveland Show episode, "A General Thanksgiving Episode," Holt introduces himself to an attractive woman as Fred Flintstone because "[he] can make [her] bed rock."
  • In the Workaholics episode "Snackers," Bill eats from a box of Fruity Pebbles (with Fred on the box) when his coworkers approach him. After she says she will shop for him, Bill tells Jillian to buy lots of Fruity Pebbles, as he thinks they are the "bomb-dot-com." Adam then swipes it to check for "ricin" before walking away, even after Bill says it was his lunch.
  • In the DC comic Harley Quinn Valentine's Day Special, Harley Quinn says, "Yabba dabba do me!" when seeing Bruce Wayne.
  • In the Glee episode "Jagged Little Tapestry," Spencer wants a chance at being quarterback, but Coach Beiste, already in a bad mood, snaps at him because he is already the best receiver and he can't be in two places at once, and confuses him by comparing it to Fred Flintstone being taken off of a brontasaurus, which would just make him Wilma with a "set of man-plumbs."
  • In the Comic Book Men episode "Wookie Fever," Peter Mayhew, who played Chewbacca in the Star Wars movies, mentioned how his legs would stick out the bottom of the Millenium Falcon cockpit, which called for Brian to compare him to Fred driving the Flintmobile with his feet.
  • In the Modern Family episode "Heavy Is the Head," Phil makes light of the construction workers running away from a fire by joking that they're quick to leave at quitting time in The Flintstones, alluding to Fred's job.
  • In the Sonic Boom episode "Lightning Bowling Society," Willy bowls with the same twinkle toes move as Fred.
  • In the "Awesome Heroes" and "Crazy Fails #3" episodes Takeshi's Castle Indonesia (UK edit), one of the baddies (the one Caucasian man) in the Honeycomb is dressed like Fred Flintstone; the first time he wore a long black wig, not like Fred, and the second time, it must've fallen off, revealing his bald head, also not like Fred.
  • In the video game South Park: The Fractured But Whole, the clothing store Sloppy 2nds has Fred's outfit on a rack.
  • In the Fresh Off the Boat episode "It's a Plastic Pumpkin, Louis Huang," there was a couple at Deidre's Halloween party dressed as Fred and Wilma.
  • In the This Is Us episode "Number Two," Kate tells her unborn child as she is taking prenatal vitamins that its father tried buying prenatal Flintstone vitamins, because she thinks he identifies with Fred's "Yabba-dabba-doo" philosophy, which is to work hard and play hard. She then hums "(Meet) The Flintstones," but with her own lyrics, "Need my vitamins cause your mommy's trying to keep you strong. Baby in the oven. Mummy's sorry for this stupid song."
  • In the Sugar and Toys episode "Divisive," Fred and Wilma, along with Marge Simpson, Peggy Hill, Louise Belcher, and Francine Smith, appear on a chat show called Love, Cartoons & Hip Hop, hosted by Nina Parker, in Cartoon City. Wilma and Marge used to be best friends, and went back as far as "brontosaurus and fries," but changed when she became a "yellow-faced bitch" for putting all her "business" on the street, like sleeping with an African American Great Gazoo, but she actually hadn't. Great Gazoo then pops up and brags about it and disappears (saying "Toodle-oo cave N-words") quickly to avoid Fred's wrath.
  • In the Man v. Food episode "Columbus, Ohio" (season 8), host Casey Webb referred to the pork as "Fred Flintstone food," alluding to the giant-sized ribs Fred would eat.
  • In the Bob's Burgers episode "Local She-ro," Linda says that the barefooted Dove Shannon on her album cover looks like a beautiful Fred Flintstone.
  • In the documentary The Last Blockbuster, James Arnold Taylor is an interviewee, and displays his talent as the voice of Fred Flintstone advertising The Last Blockbuster. He includes his catchphrase, "Yabba-dabba-doo."
  • In the Esme & Roy episode "Flying High," Roy performs Fred's twinkle toe move while practicing bowling.
  • In the Disney+ film Chip and Dale: Rescue Rangers, one of the bootlegs is A Goofy Movie's Bigfoot wearing Fred's loincloth.
  • In That '90s Show episode "Boyfriend Day One," Sherri mentions that she has a tattoo on her hip of Fred surfing.
  • In the Ted Lasso episode "(I Dont't Want to Go to) Chelsea," when everyone gets excited at the prospect of getting Zava to join AFC Richmond, Rebecca shouts, "Zava dabba do!"
  • In the Roblox game Shovelware's Brain Game, one of the prizes you can win is Caveman Vitamins, which is a parody of Flintstones Vitamins. The game show announcer takes one to prove they're not filled with lead (which they are) and says "Don't mind if I Yabba Dabba Doo....I can say that right?"
  • In celebration of Warner Bros.' 100th anniversary, they produced a special short which had the Looney Tunes cast take a group photo in Bedrock as the Flintstones cast, with Bugs Bunny as Fred who wants everybody to say "Yabba-Dabba-Doo" but is interrupted by Daffy who has also come as Fred.
  • In the sixth episode of Jeopardy! UK (2024), the question in the category of "Partners in Rhyme" for £200 was, "One was an American astronomer who gave his name to a major space telescope and the other is Fred Flintstone's best friend." The answer was "Edwin Hubble and Barney Rubble."
  • In the Curb Your Enthusiasm series finale episode "No Lesson Learned," Larry and Jerry discuss whether or not they would date a bearded lady if she started shaving, with Jerry questioning if she had the Fred Flintstone line around her face.

According to Jim

  • "The Truck:" a drunk bar patron losing to arm wrestling all night pokes fun at Jim by calling him Fred Flintstone when Jim refuses his challenge. Jim cut him some slack because he was drunk and agreed he had a "vague resemblance to Fred Flintstone." Larry doesn't drop it and bets Jim £20 he will win and calls him Fred again, but Larry is a hustler who ends up winning Jim's truck. When they meet again for a second time at the bar, Larry says, "Yabba-dabba-doo." Lloyd also calls his wife and sister-in-law Wilma and Betty, when a pool game is proposed.
  • "The Hunters:" Jim believes he is a natural born hunter, a caveman even, which is probably why Dana calls him and her brother Fred and Barney when they succeed after their hunting trip to prove themselves.

Family Guy

Main article: Family Guy
  • "Dammit Janet!:" When Peter and Lois don't return to America after the plane they were on was hijacked in Cuba, it is reported on the news, with the artist's rending capturing a fat man inexplicably married to an attractive redhead, which is in the form of Fred and Wilma.
  • "Wasted Talent:" When the final scroll to entering the Pawtucket Brewery was found, Peter disappointedly asked aloud what he was going to do now, when the Great Gazoo popped up asking the "dum dum" what he could do for Peter, but all Peter wanted was to be left alone. Annoyed at Peter's treatment of him, Gazoo whined that it wasn't always about him, the "fatso."
  • "Ready, Willing, and Disabled:" A cavegirl carhop tips Joe's wheelchair over with a plate of ribs in the same manner as what happens to Fred in his car in the "(Meet) The Flintstones" theme song.
  • "Peter's Got Woods:" When Brian is busy on another date with his new girlfriend, Peter tries to replace him with Barney. We then see Peter at the Rubbles', where he is waiting for Barney to finish in the toilet, so they can go play darts. Barney is using a pelican as a toilet who makes a joke about his predicament. A sheep later made the same kind of joke after hearing Meg was on her period. MacFarlane voices Barney.
  • "Patriot Games:" Brian takes the same $50 bet on a celebrity boxing match between Mike Tyson and Carol Channing as Betting Freddie does, who stutters the word "bet" like the addicted gambler he was in "The Gambler." He then gets serious and claims there's nothing funny about addiction and tells the audience to vote "No" on Indian gaming bars. Fred is voiced by Jeff Bergman.
  • "Believe It or Not, Joe's Walking on Air:" Fred and Barney attend the inaugural ball of the Quahog Men's Club, where Fred reveals to Barney that he accidentally caught sight of Betty undressing, who saw Fred, but continues anyway, giving way to Fred's e-rock-tion. Bergman voices both Fred and Barney.
  • "Peter's Daughter:" Fred takes Wilma to Mr. Stoneberg to get a legal separation for not letting him back in after Baby Puss removes him from their house and locks him outside. He had been knocking for 20 minutes and shouting "Wilma!" but she claims to not have heard because she was taking a shower, but he believes that she was simply ignoring him and goes on further about her spending all his money on expensive clothes and hairdos, and not being available for sex, the "passive aggressive bitch" she is. Bergman and Alex Bornstein voice Fred and Wilma, respectively.
  • "Stew-Roids:" Gina says that Chris smells like Fred's ass. The scene then cuts to Fred, who says that no one's telling her to smell it. Fred is voiced by Bergman.
  • "Road to the Multiverse:" Stewie and Brian travel to an alternate universe of Quahog, which resembles Bedrock and has a laugh track. Peter and Lois are now called Rock Peter and Rock Lois and are dressed and have the same hairstyles as Fred and Wilma.
  • "Quagmire's Baby:" Quagmire is selling a tape of The Best of the World's Wildest Police Chases, which features the police in a high speed pursuit of Fred in the Flintmobile, also carrying Dino, Pebbles, and Bamm-Bamm. Dino pops his head through the roof, and Fred places the babies on top of Dino's head. Fred manages to avoid them until he enters a drive-in movie theater and smashes into a snack bar. Fred tries to escape over a fence, but is caught and clobbered by the police. The narrator finishes his commentary by saying "Yabba-Dabba-Don't."
  • "The Simpsons Guy:" Fred acts as a judge when Peter and Homer Simpson go to court over the Pawtucket Patriot Ale being a copyright infringement over Duff Beer. He claims that both brands are imitations of Budrock, but is in favor of Duff Beer. Fred is voiced by none other than Bergman.
  • "Happy Holo-ween:" As the hologram Peter succumbs to his defeat, he quickly reverts to Peter from 1999, Larry from Larry & Steve, Homer Simpson, and Fred Flintstone. He even yells "WILMA!" before he explodes into ash.
  • "Fertilized Megg:" Peter insists that he cannot bowl like Fred Flintstone, and has Bruce imitate classic sound effects with a xylophone. When he hits a strike, he yells "Yabba-Dabba-Doo!", but has it altered to make it a "legally acceptable sound-alike". Peter later uses the same yell in a cutaway gag in which he's electrocuted in prison.

The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air

  • "Def Poet's Society:" Will sings and dances to Madonna's "Vogue," adding his own lyrics, "Michael Jordan, Al Capone, Woody Woodpecker, Fred Flintstone."
  • "Hilary Gets a Life:" Hilary said she quit ballet when she was young because her feet were starting to look like Fred Flintstone's.
  • "Those Were the Days:" Commenting on Hilary's hair as a baby when her parents were hippies, Will says she has "sort of a yabba-dabba-doo."
  • "Ain't No Business Like Show Business:" After Will gets a gig at a comedy club without auditioning, he yells, "Yabba-dabba-doo, I'm in the showcase, too!"
  • "Papa's Got a Brand New Excuse:" Will wears a sweatshirt with Fred, while his father wears a t-shirt with Screwball Squirrel.

Full House

  • "Our Very First Show:" Joey, Jesse, Danny, D.J., and Stephanie, sing "(Meet) The Flintstones" to soothe baby Michelle. Stephanie ends it with Fred's "Wilma!" As an homage, they recreate this moment in "Our Very First Show, Again," the pilot episode of the sequel series, Fuller House, in which they attempt to soothe baby Tommy.
  • "Good News, Bad News:" During a feud between D.J. and Kimmy create rival school newspapers. When Kimmy pastes D.J.'s head on Friday the 13th's Freddy Krueger's body, D.J. plans to put Fred's head on Kimmy's body.
  • "Working Girl:" Joey wants to borrow Jesse's credit card to purchase the Barney Rubble Bath Collection from the Shopping Network, but has to referee between an argument between Jesse and Rebecca. Once it is over, he desperately asks for a credit card so he can also get the Bamm-Bamm soap-on-a-rope. When Jesse gives him his, Joey says, "Thanks, Fred," in Barney's voice.
  • "Take My Sister, Please:" Joey impresses Lisa with his imitation of Fred saying "Yabba-dabba-doo" after saying he cried for a week after watching Fred and Wilma have Pebbles, which occurred in "The Blessed Event."
  • "Happy Birthday, Babies, Part 2:" At Michelle's Flintstones-themed birthday party for Michelle, Jesse is dressed as Fred. He even knocks on the bathroom door for Becky and shouts, "Wilma!"
  • "Please Don't Touch the Dinosaur:" Michelle is excited about her trip to the museum in the hopes of seeing real dinosaurs, but Danny says they have been extinct for millions of years, only for Michelle to counter that Fred Flintstone lives with dinosaurs. Danny has to correct her that Fred is just a cartoon character, who has no neck and uses an elephant's trunk as a shower.
  • "Room for One More?:" In the teaser of the episode, twins Nicky and Alex ride their first tricycles by pushing with their feet. Michelle asks them if they've heard of peddles, but Joey remarks that it worked for Fred Flintstone, adding "Yabba-dabba-doo!" in Fred's voice. The twins repeat Joey, but say, "Babba-dabba-doo!"

Heartbreak High

  • "Episode 8" (season 2): Mr. Deloraine asked his nephew, Matt, how the stereo was at the warehouse he had recently moved into, with Matt responding that it looked like something Freddy Flintstone built.
  • "Episode 4" (season 3): A student wears a t-shirt of Fred in football gear.

Mad

Main article: Mad
  • "2012 Dalmatians/Grey's in Anime:" In the skit "2012 Dalmatians," Fred and Barney make cameos as caveman bones in the Museum of Natural Mystery.
  • "Fast Hive/Minute to Flynn It:" In the skit "Minute to Flynn It," Sam Flynn discovers from Clu that the Flynn line goes right back to the Flynnstones, with Fred popping up in a Tron suit and says, "Yabba-dabba-doo! I'm talking to Clu!"
  • "Battleship vs Titanic/Jurassic Park and Recreation:" In the skit "Hey, whatever happened to that guy from that TV show I kinda remember from when I was a kid?", we get a glimpse of what happened to Fred after his TV show was cancelled when the creators realized that cavemen didn't exist the same time as dinosaurs and that Dino died. Fred then became "oversaturated" in everything from a preschool show called ¡Yodabba Dabba! (a parody of Yo Gabba Gabba!) and being the spokesman for a hair gel called "Yabba-Dabba-Do!" He then left the business, but returned in 1997 to become a failed stand up comedian, because all the audience want to hear him say is, "Yabba-dabba-Do."

Malcolm in the Middle

  • "Grandma Sues:" The boys and Piama listen to "(Meet) The Flintstones" play on TV, with Fred's "Yabba-dabba-doo" heard.
  • "Dewey's Special Class:" When Lois says goodnight to Hal and Craig, who have formed a dance team, she calls them Fred and Ginger. Craig then says to Hal he thought it was Fred and Barney.

The Middle

  • "The Table:" The episode begins with a narration by Frankie about how families take more than one job, with a clip of a dinosaur clocking out Fred from the third season opening sequence of "(Meet) The Flintstones."
  • "The Shirt:" Mike gets a lot of jokes when suddenly wears a Hawaiian t-shirt instead of his usual flannel shirt. After they go on a double date with another couple, Mike complains about all the jokes they made, which Frankie says it's unusual, the same way if Fred Flintstone walked around Bedrock in something other than his "leopard man-dress" he wouldn't get any remarks from Wilma, Barney, and Betty.
  • "Bat Out of Heck:" A whole debate about Fred Flintstone ensues between Atticus and Axl about him walking instead of pretending to drive with his feet, after Frankie calls Mike Fred Flintstone for his caveman-like attitude of being the one to drive others instead of taking rides. Atticus thought it was because they both work at a quarry, while Axl thought it was because they both used their feet to drive. This creates a whole debate between Atticus and Axl on why Fred needs a foot-pedal car when he can just walk to places. Axl says that he does it to use his radio, but Atticus says he didn't have one, although, interestingly, he did have one in the first live-action movie.

Mighty Mouse: The New Adventures

  • "Scrappy's Field Day:" In the prehistoric past, two dinosaurs resembling Fred and Barney fight.
  • "Don't Touch That Dial:" Al Jetstone, who dresses like George but is fat like Fred, appears in a spoof called The Jetstones.

The Ren & Stimpy Show

Main article: The Ren & Stimpy Show
  • "Big House Blues:" When Ren stops the girl to make her adopt both him and Stimpy from the dog pound, there are cameos of Fred and George Jetson as anthropomorphic dogs along side a more stupid and ugly version of Huckleberry, who is already a dog.
  • "Ren's Retirement:" The worm who eats both Ren and Stimpy in the end is a parody of Fred in terms of his voice, mannerisms, and distinctive laugh.
  • "Jerry the Jellybean Elf:" As the guests leave Ren and Stimpy's party, Fred takes this cue to join them, telling Barney off-screen, "Come on, Barney, let's blow this pop stand," Barney responding, "Right behind you."
  • "Aloha Höek:" The last scene ends in a dramatic with Stimpy holding the dead body of Ren, when suddenly Stimpy's watch goes off. In reality, Stimpy and Ren are just costumes worn by two Soviet spies who vaguely resemble and sound like Fred and Barney, respectively. Fred (or Yuri) says he misses his wife, as they go back to their sub.
  • "My Shiny Friend:" When Ren kicks out Stimpy for being glued to the TV at night, Ren walks Stimpy past a photo of Fred and Barney they have on the wall.
  • "Stupid Sidekick Union:" Ren's sidekick audition casting call includes a parody of Barney, but has Fred's black hair. Barney begins to laugh, but Ren immediately cuts him off and shouts, "Been done. Next!" He has E.F. on his shirt which may be a reference to artist Eddie Fitzgerald who worked on the show as an artist and also laughed a lot.

Saturday Night Live

Main article: Saturday Night Live
  • "John Goodman/The Pretenders:" Although more as a promotion for the live-action film, host John Goodman (wearing a Fred costume, not like the one he wore in the film), does a sketch where he gives the Stone Age names of some celebrities, before removing celebrities' names who already have "Stone" or "Rock" in them.
  • "Maya Rudolph/Jack Harlow:" Cindy Powell (Cecily Strong) is in the Weekend Update, telling Michael Che she looks like she's dressed like Fred Flintstone's mother-in-law.
  • "Kieran Culkin/Ed Sheehan:" In "The Heist" sketch, the thief sarcastically asks if he is Fred Flintstein when told he has to use both of his feet to drive a stick shift. When the hacker questions the use of "Flintstein," the thief responds, "Did I stutter? Frederick Flintstein."

The Simpsons

Main article: The Simpsons
  • "Homer's Night Out:" When Apu asks whether Homer is on TV, Homer responds that Apu has mistaken him for Fred Flintstone.
  • "Bart the Murderer:" Yabba-Dabba-Do, named after Fred's catchphrase, is one of the racehorses Fat Tony bets against.
  • "Kamp Krusty:" The couch gag has the family running up to the couch, only to find the Flintstones occupying it.
  • "Marge vs. the Monorail:" The opening of the episode parodies the opening of The Flintstones opening sequence, with Homer even singing a parody of the theme song.
  • Bart Simpson's Guide to Life: In the evolution diagram, Fred is among the transformations from monkey to man.
  • "Lady Bouvier's Lover:" Skinner tries to sabotage Mr. Burns's chances with Marge's mother by telling him the names of Homer, Marge, and Maggie are Fred, Wilma, and Pebbles, respectively. Mr. Burns then hands over a box of chocolates, eliciting a "Yabba-dabba-do!" from Homer.
  • "Sideshow Bob Roberts:" When Sideshow Bob is elected the new mayor, he uses his power to send Bart to kindergarten, where he guesses correctly the shape of a triangle and is rewarded with first choice of a toy to play with, which is a talking Flintstones phone. Out of all the characters, he presses Fred's button, which says, "Yabba-dabba-do! I like talking to you!" Fred is voiced by Henry Corden.
  • "The Simpsons Spin-Off Showcase:" At the end of the episode, one of the new season 9 storylines that Troy McClure previews is about a character named Ozmodiar who only Homer can see, a parody of the Great Gazoo who only Fred and Barney can see.
  • Simpsons Comics #31 - "Radioactive Homer:" Dr. Hibbert and his wife are dressed as Fred and Wilma, respectively, at a masquerade ball.
  • Simpsons Comics #55 - "Duff Daddy!:" In a Pebbles cereal commercial homage, Homer is lying in a hammock drinking Duff Beer, when the drunken Barney Gumble comes over dressed as Barney trying to trick Homer into giving him his beer, by saying Betty needs to borrow some, and calls him Fred. But Homer tells him to stop calling him Fred and to leave.
  • "Beyond Blunderdome:" At the Hollywood Auto Museum, when Homer stammers to find a getaway car for him and Mel Gibson to escape the Hollywood executives, he sees the Flintmobile with mannequins of Fred, Wilma, and Dino with his head accurately poking through the roof.
  • "Hello Gutter, Hello Fadder:" Nancy O'Dell calls Homer a "warmed-over Fred Flintstone" in her yesterday's news segment.
  • "HOMЯ:" When Lisa is confused from watching an anime, Bart says that cartoons don't have to make sense, with Ozmodiar popping up only for Bart to see him agree. He then pops up after Homer gets everybody fired while the plant is brought up to code and calls him a "dumb-dumb," just as Gazoo would call Fred and Barney, particularly Fred.
  • "Pokey Mom:" Bruce Vilanch, wearing Fred on his t-shirt, sits in the audience of Skinner's introduction of Jack Crowley.
  • "Treehouse of Horror XII:" In the opening sequence, Homer and Marge are dressed as Fred and Wilma, respectively, for Halloween.
  • Bart Simpson #10 - "Bart's Beard:" In The Android's Dungeon, there is a comic called Flinstons on the wall which has a character resembling both Homer and Fred.
  • "Mobile Homer:" While taking the RV by themselves, Bart and Lisa find a "Flintstones Fun Map" (which has the Flintstones, Rubbles, their pets, and Gazoo) instead of a real map.
  • On October 9, 2005, TV Guide released nine tribute covers, which included one of Homer chiseling out the TV Guide's logo, while wearing Fred's loincloth, just as Fred did on the June 13, 1964 edition.
  • Simpsons Comics #130 - "Marge Sells Out:" Homer still has a copy of the TV Guide from June 1964 with Fred on the cover because he hasn't finished the crossword puzzle yet.
  • "Rome-Old and Juli-Eh:" In cutting back, Homer is "Flintstone-ing his car" by using his feet to drive. As he starts his feet up, they make a cartoony running effect and as Homer proceeds to then struggle, he strains out a "Yabba-dabba-do."
  • "Little Orphan Millie:" Homer's song to Marge, "Beautiful Eyes," contains the line, "She's the Wilma to my Fred."
  • Homer's Twitter post: To that dude who keeps honking at me: I can't go any faster. I'm pushing the car with my feet through a hole in the floor.
  • Simpsons Comics #175 - "It Came from the '70s:" Homer calls himself Fred Flintstone as a cover when Kearney asks for it.
  • "The Ten-Per-Cent Solution:" The Adventures of Fatso Flanagan plays at the Museum of TV and Television, which Marge calls a rip-off of The Honeymooners. Homer jokes that everything is a rip-off of The Honeymooners, and grabs Marge calling her the greatest, to which Marge affectionately calls Homer several other fat sitcom husbands before getting to his name, which includes Ralph from The Honeymooners, Fred from The Flintstones, Archie from All in the Family, and Doug from The King of Queens.
  • "Bart's New Friend:" During Don's retirement party, Homer begs him to stay and continue to look out for him, but Don is ready to leave, saying, "If I was Fred Flintstone, I'd be at the end of the dinosaur's tail," referencing what Fred does when he finishes work in the opening sequence of "(Meet) The Flintstones."
  • "Paths of Glory:" Nelson operates a foot-powered dune buggy called Yabba-Dabba Dune Buggy.
  • "Treehouse of Horror XXVI:" Falling underground with her camera still on, Lisa captures the skeletal remains of Fred sitting in the Flintmobile.
  • "The Wayz We Were:" In prehistoric Springfield, there is a man resembling Fred, carrying the corpse of Dino on a stick.
  • "The Many Saints of Springfield:" When Louie can't believe that "fatso" Homer has such a hot wife, Johnny Tightlips says it's a sitcom thing, using Doug from The King of Queens, and Fred Flintstone as examples.
  • "Pin Gal:" Homer imagines Marge bowling barefoot on her tiptoes like Fred with appropriate sound effects. A talking octopus picks up the bowling pins while commenting on his lot in life. After Homer finishes daydreaming, he asks Marge if they can have a brontoburger, but Marge says he isn't Fred Flintstone, which makes Homer say, "Yabba-dabba-Doh!"

Teen Titans Go!

Main article: Teen Titans Go!
  • "Double Trouble:" Cyborg is dressed like Fred during the "Cavemen and Dinosaurs" game.
  • "Serious Business:" mankind was primitive until the first toilet was made, with the worlds of Flintstones and Jetsons representing the before and after. There is also a caveman that resembles Fred.
  • "Costume Contest:" A man dresses up like Fred in a Halloween costume contest.
  • "Intro:" When Control Freak rides down a dinosaur's back, he yells, "Yabba-dabba-do!"

Seth McFarlane's Cavalcade of Cartoon Comedy

Top of the Pops

  • June 23, 1994: The B-52's (as the BC-52's) "(Meet) The Flintstones" exclusively debuted on the BBC One music video chart show Top of the Pops. It was introduced by presenter Simon Mayo, with an audience member by his side wearing a poorly made costume loosely based on Fred's outfit.
  • July 7, 1994: In the first week of the B-52's "(Meet) The Flintstones" being in the charts, it was introduced by flamboyant entertainer Julian Clary, dressed in a woman's loincloth, who says he grew up watching the cartoon, and "even now, it only needs the whip of an old loincloth to get me shouting, 'Yabba-dabba-do!'."

Young Sheldon

  • "A Brisket, Voodoo, and Cannonball Run:" Georgie thinks that his parents will divorce due to the fighting between his father and his mother-in-law, but Sheldon counters that this is typical and doesn't lead to divorce, to which Missy chimes in is to how Fred and Wilma have stayed together.
  • "A Research Study and Czechoslovakian Wedding Pastries:" When George and Mary get into a disagreement while talking to the research doctors about the twins, Meemaw tells the doctors to never mind Fred and Wilma and move on to the kids.

Footnotes

  1. ^ The Flintstone Comedy Show (1980-1981).
  2. ^ In The Flintstone Comedy Show (1980-1981).
  3. ^ I Yabba-Dabba Do! (1993).
  4. ^ Hollyrock-a-Bye Baby (1993).
  5. ^ A Flintstone Family Christmas (1993).
  6. ^ Golden Little Book's The Flintstones.
  7. ^ Hollyrock-a-Bye Baby (1993).
  8. ^ A Flintstone Family Christmas (1993).

References

  1. ^ a b The Flintstones comic strips: August 24, 1971.
  2. ^ The Flintstones: "Divided We Sail" season 2, episode 29 (1962).
  3. ^ The Flintstones: "Flintstone of Prinstone" season 2, episode 36 (1961).
  4. ^ The Flintstones: "The Gambler" season 2, episode 44 (1961).
  5. ^ "Flintstones Little Golden Book-1961" (2011). bookstevesbookstore.blogspot.com. Archived from original on January 28, 2012.
  6. ^ Reed, Alan; Ohmart, Ben (2009). Yabba Dabba Doo! Or Never A Star: The Alan Reed Story. BearManor Media, Albany, GA. ISBN 978-1-59393-313-5. OCLC 298264275. Retrieved March 21, 2023.
  7. ^ Lawson, Tim; Persons, Alisa (2004). The Magic Behind the Voices. University Press of Mississippi. ISBN 978-1578066964.
  8. ^ "[Animation Anecdotes #222". Cartoon Research (2015). Retrieved on July 14, 2023.
  9. ^ (February 15, 1989) "George O'Hanlon, 76, George Jetson's Voice". The New York Times. Retrieved October 7, 2022.
  10. ^ a b Gleason, Jackie; Zehme, Bill (interviewer) (August 1986). "Jackie Gleason – Playboy Interview – Life History". Archived from the original on August 27, 2009.