Os Flintstones

Joseph Barbera and the late William Hanna are responsible for giving us many many hours of cartoon fun over the years with fantastic shows such as The Flinstones, The Jetsons, Top Cat, Penelope Pitstop and Scooby Doo. The Flinstones is my favourite along with Scooby-Doo.

For starters, who can forget the theme song? I've never ever been able to get it out of my head-it will stick with me for a long time.

The premise itself is interesting-a comedy series about a stone age family who lead simple and carefree lives. The funniest thing was how the Flinstones used to use animals as everyday objects.

Who can forget the chemistry between Fred and Barney Rubble? Two good friends who would do anything for each other and whose friendship meant the world to them both. Two friends who were devoted to their wives and children even if they were buffoons at times. Two good friends whose hearts were always in the right place. Hey, I've got to be honest-the world would be a better place if we all lived like the Flinstones.

A great cartoon show. Hanna and Barbera have given us enough great cartoon memories to last a lifetime.

THE FLINTSTONES hold a special place in my memory, as I'm sure they do for many people the world over. The series started in Britain in 1960, the year I had my very first job - babysitting for a neighbor. I was just 15. The two kids were total brats, screaming, spoilt, mashed potato slam-dunked over the wallpaper...but I didn't care, I was watching Fred and Barney live out there lives of near-perfection in a world that was starting to move away from near perfection! "Yabba Dabba Doo" must surely be one of the most recognizable cries on earth - WHO would not know its origins from 4 to 90?

The success of this animated icon probably lies in the simplicity of the Flintstone and Rubble clans. Everyone on this planet is part Fred, Barney, Betty or Wilmer at some time in their lives. Events depicted in each and every episode were things that everyone can, did (and will continue) to identify with. They are Mr and Mrs Average and if we all lived our lives and never achieved anything more than the Flintstones we could justifiably be happy. The show supported family values, decency, togetherness, love, friendship, clean living, laughter and it was environmentally aware, socially responsible and able STILL to reach children.

The lives of everyone in the Western World would have been that much poorer had it not been for THE FLINTSTONES. I can't say as much for the two appalling movie spin-offs!

"The Flintstones" was so dead-on satirical in its view of a prehistoric suburban world that I don't really understand it when people tell me they liked "The Jetsons" better. There's nobody I can relate to on "The Jetsons", no character who exudes any warmth or wit. The characters here (Fred, Barney, Wilma, Betty, Dino, Pebbles, Bamm-Bamm, Mr. Slate, Mrs. Slaghoople, etc.) have expressions and personalities which are instantly recognizable to an audience. They're a very funny bunch, and they often find each other greatly amusing as well (each character has a sense of humor--and their friendships really do seem like a bond). I don't know why the Hanna-Barbera team weren't able to duplicate the quality of this show in terms of its writing and voice-casting (perhaps it was all a fluke?), but "The Flintstones" has it all: great writing and voices which bring one-dimensional drawings to life, terrific plots, fantastic music by Hoyt Curtin. Not a kiddie show...not a sitcom...not a child-pacifier. "The Flintstones" is a minor miracle.

I spent my whole life watching this show and now that the first season is about to be released on DVD, theres no better time to talk about why i like 'The Flintstones' so much. I was always made fun of during my school days for being such a fan and even though i'm 28 now, my passion for 'The Flintstones' is still as strong as ever. So what is so special about this show? From episode 1 to episode 166, we are treated with laughs and clever animal gimmicks as well as good storylines. The voices are great especially Alan Reed (Fred) who has such a loud and obnoxious voice which fits Fred Flintstone's character so well. The only problem is the amount of mistakes that were made throughout the 6 seasons. They will stand out if you have watched the different episodes enough times. For example one episode will tell us that Fred and Wilma had their honeymoon in Boulder Beach, another will tell you it was Bedrock Races and another at the Rock Mountain Inn. Also do The Flintstones live on Cobblestone Lane, Stonecanyon Way or Gravelpit Terrace? There are many other mistakes like this but they don't take away the fact that 'The Flintstones' is top notch entertainment for the whole family, not just children. William Hanna and Joseph Barbera have given us some fantastic cartoons that have stood the test of time and 'The Flintstones' is my favourite out of all of them.

A lot of people don't remember that The Flintstones was the first prime time cartoon series, and what a success it was.

I think the fact that it was written for prime time, with writing meant to appeal to old and young alike, is why the series holds up so well into these times. Of course, it was also based on the solid foundation of copying The Honeymooners, and that didn't hurt either.

I learned a lot of lessons from the Flintstones. I don't have misunderstandings with my friends, and I don't sneak out to do things my wife doesn't know about. LOL I also buy dogs that are too small to knock me down when I get home.

Almost every story is a little morality play with a lesson, large or small learned. Fred is obviously not a character to pattern your life after, and this is another important lesson.

Lessons aside, the shows are uniformly amusing, and the clever turns of names into stone age words, and modern conveniences into useful animals, is always clever and will bring chuckles when first you see them.