The Flintstones

The Flintstones
GenreAnimated sitcom
Created by
Developed by
  • William Hanna
  • Joseph Barbera
Directed by
  • William Hanna
  • Joseph Barbera
Voices of
Theme music composerHoyt Curtin[1]
Opening theme"Rise and Shine" (instrumental) (first two seasons and the first two episodes of season 3)
"Meet the Flintstones" (remainder of the show's run)
Ending theme"Rise and Shine" (instrumental) (first two seasons and the first two episodes of season 3)
"Meet the Flintstones" (remainder of the show's run)
"Open Up Your Heart (and Let the Sunshine In)" (two episodes in season 6)
Composers
Country of originUnited States
Original languageEnglish
No. of seasons6
No. of episodes166 (list of episodes)
Production
Producers
  • William Hanna
  • Joseph Barbera
Editors
Running time25 minutes
Production companyHanna-Barbera Productions
Original release
NetworkABC
ReleaseSeptember 30, 1960 (1960-09-30) –
April 1, 1966 (1966-04-01)
Related
The Pebbles and Bamm-Bamm Show
Cave Kids (spin-off)
Infobox instructions (only shown in preview)

The Flintstones is an American animated sitcom produced by Hanna-Barbera Productions, which takes place in a romanticized Stone Age setting and follows the titular family, the Flintstones, and their next-door neighbors, the Rubbles. It was originally broadcast on ABC from September 30, 1960, to April 1, 1966, and was the first animated series with a prime-time slot on television.[2]

The show follows the lives of Fred and Wilma Flintstone and their pet dinosaur, Dino, and they later on have a baby girl named Pebbles. Barney and Betty Rubble are their neighbors and best friends, and later on adopt a super-strong baby boy named Bamm-Bamm and acquire a pet hopparoo (kangaroo) called Hoppy.

Producers William Hanna and Joseph Barbera, who had earned seven Academy Awards for Tom and Jerry, and their staff faced a challenge in developing a thirty-minute animated program with one storyline that fit the parameters of family-based domestic situation comedies of the era. After considering several settings and selecting the Stone Age, one of several inspirations was The Honeymooners. It was inspired by The Bickersons and Laurel and Hardy, and Hanna praised it as one of the finest comedies on television. The show's animation required a balance of visual with verbal storytelling that the studio created and others imitated.[3]

The enduring popularity of The Flintstones mainly comes from its juxtaposition of modern, everyday concerns with the Stone Age setting.[4][5] The Flintstones was the most financially successful and longest-running network animated television series for three decades, until The Simpsons surpassed it in 1997.[6] In 2013, TV Guide ranked The Flintstones the second-greatest TV cartoon of all time, after The Simpsons.[7]

  1. ^ Doll, Pancho (June 2, 1994). "Reel Life/Film & Video File: Music Helped 'Flintstones' on Way to Fame: In 1960, Hoyt Curtin created the lively theme for the Stone Age family. The show's producers say it may be the most frequently broadcast song on TV". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved November 10, 2010.
  2. ^ Woolery, George W. (1983). Children's Television: The First Thirty-Five Years, 1946–1981. Scarecrow Press. pp. 103–108. ISBN 0-8108-1557-5. Retrieved March 14, 2020.
  3. ^ Hanna, William (1996). A cast of friends. Tom Ito. Dallas, Tex.: Taylor Pub. ISBN 0-87833-916-7. OCLC 33358355.
  4. ^ CD liner notes: Saturday Mornings: Cartoons' Greatest Hits, 1995 MCA Records
  5. ^ "Flintstones, The – Season 1 Review". TVShowsOnDVD.com. Archived from the original on November 26, 2010. Retrieved August 25, 2010.
  6. ^ "Excavating Bedrock: Reminiscences of 'The Flintstones,'" Hogan's Alley #9, 2000
  7. ^ Sands, Rich (September 24, 2013). "TV Guide Magazine's 60 Greatest Cartoons of All Time". TVGuide.com.