“The Flintstones” was additionally one of many few pre-“Star Wars” advertising bonanzas that actually took off in earnest. The Flintstones faces made their means onto a number of grocery retailer merchandise, a few of which will be purchased to at the present time; make sure to decide up some Flintstones Nutritional vitamins (launched within the late ’60s), Fruity Pebbles (launched in 1971), or orange Push-Ups (c. 1990). Many fashionable youngsters have seemingly eaten the Flintstones meals with out having seen the unique TV collection.
Which can be wonderful. As a result of “The Flintstones” was so dated when it premiered, it feels downright backward by immediately’s requirements. The lads are all loutish, sawed-off dolts, and the ladies are all gossips and harridans. This writer was born again in 1978, and my mom forbade “The Flintstones” in our family as a result of it was blunt and sexist. She was proper. Watching “Flintstones” reruns will be painful, particularly if one was to seek out the previous Winston Cigarette advertisements whereby Fred and Barney lit up a couple of smokes to loosen up.
Gen-X grew up with these reruns, and “The Flintstones” branded itself into their collective unconsciousness. There are a number of “Flintstones” references all through “The Simpsons,” as an illustration, and “Bizarre Al” Yankovic wrote a “Flintstones”-themed parody of Pink Sizzling Chili Peppers’ “Give It Away.” The present’s indelible theme tune, written by Hoyt Curtain, usually makes its means onto compilations of the most effective TV theme songs ever written, and one may recall listening to John Sweet sing it within the movie “Planes, Trains, and Cars.”
“The Flintstones” wasn’t simply the primary prime-time animated collection, but it surely’s a large cultural power that we can not seem to shake. As of this writing, Elizabeth Banks is engaged on one other animated reboot of “The Flintstones” known as merely “Bedrock.” The characters even appeared in season 3 of the Hanna-Barbera universe comedy, “Jellystone!”
It appears “The Flintstones” won’t ever be performed with us.