The Flintstone Kids is an American animated television series produced by Hanna-Barbera. It is an alternative incarnation of the studio's original animated series The Flintstones. The series depicts juvenile versions of the main characters from the original show.[1] It aired from September 13, 1986, to November 14, 1987, on ABC.[2] Unlike the previous shows, this was the first Flintstone series not to have a laugh track.
Overview
The program follows the adventures of Fred Flintstone, Barney Rubble, Wilma Slaghoople, Betty McBricker and Dino as tweens. They share their preadolescence with their friends Nate Slate, Philo Quartz and Dreamchip Gemstone. They also deal with their bully Rocky Ratrock and his Badrotten Bunch consisting of Tarpit Tommy, Flab Slab, Janet Granite, and Rocky's dog Stalagbite.[3]
Segments
This series featured the following segments:
The Flintstone Kids
The "main" segment of the show. It would either be a single half-hour episode (only in the first season) or a segment.
Flintstone Funnies
Freddy, Barney, Wilma and Betty dream of exciting fantasy adventures. This segment was dropped in the second season.
Dino's Dilemmas
The adventures and misadventures of Freddy's pet dinosaur Dino.
Captain Caveman and Son
The adventures of Captain Caveman with his son Cavey Jr. as they fight bad guys like the evil genius Mr. Bad. This segment was actually a "show within a show" whereby Captain Caveman and Son is a TV show watched by the main characters, where the "fourth wall" is broken frequently.
Charlie Adler as Cavey Jr., Armored Car Robber (in "Captain Knaveman")
Mel Blanc as Dino, Bob Rubble, Captain Caveman, Restaurant Manager (in "The Great Freddini"), Piggy McGrabit (in "Greed It and Weep," "Captain Cavedog")
Susan Blu as Dreamchip Gemstone, Janet Granite, Mrs. Gemstone (in "Poor Little Rich Girl")
Hamilton Camp as Barney Rubble, Flab Slab, Cragmire, Brick Stonespring (in "The Rock Concert That Rocked Freddy"), Bouncer (in "The Rock Concert That Rocked Freddy"), Rock Ruben (in "Betty's Big Break"), Charlie (in "The Little Visitor"), Ralph (in "Attack of the Fifty Foot Teenage Lizard")
Henry Corden as Ed Flintstone, Edna Flintstone, Announcer #1 (in "Dusty Disappears"), Chef (in "The Rock Concert That Rocked Freddy")
Julie Dees as Wilma Slaghoople (1986–1987), Mica Slaghoople, Mickey Slaghoople, Tarpit Tommy, Mike Worthingstone (in "Barney's Moving Experience")
Elizabeth Lyn Fraser as Wilma Slaghoople (1987–1988)
Kenneth Mars as Narrator ("Captain Caveman and Son" segments), Trash Man (in "Grime and Punishment", "Day of the Villains", and "Captain Cavedog"), Armored Car Robber (in "Captain Knaveman"), Museum Robber (in "Captain Knaveman")
Marilyn Schreffler as Rocky Ratrock, Flo Rubble, Billy's Mother (in "Attack of the Fifty Foot Teenage Lizard"), Tilda (in "Attack of the Fifty Foot Teenage Lizard"), Mrs. Ratrock (in "Rocky's Rocky Road")
B.J. Ward as Betty McBricker, Mrs. Rockbottom, Big Shot Player (in "The Bad News Brontos"), Dusty Rubble (in "Dusty Disappears", "The Little Visitor", and "Bedrock'n Roll"), Madame Lasagna (in "Dusty Disappears"), Billy (in "Attack of the Fifty Foot Teenage Lizard")
Lennie Weinrib as Freddy Flintstone (1986–1987), Police Commissioner
Frank Welker as Nate Slate, Stalagbite, Fang, Brick McBricker, fill-ins for Dino and Bob Rubble, Rowley (in "The Great Freddini"), Frankenpebble (in "Frankenstone"), Spike (in "Yard Wars" and "Revenge of the Bullied"), Fluffy (in "Dreamchip's Cur Wash" and "Anything You Can Do, I Can Do Betty"), Alien #1 (in "Rubble Without a Cause"), Announcer #2 (in "Dusty Disappears"), Mr. Stonewall (in "The Butcher Shoppe"), Dino's Mother (in "Dino Come Home"), Tar Monster (in "The Monster from the Tar Pit"), Hal Worthingstone (in "Barney's Big Break"), Spot (in "Barney's Big Break"), Professor Pebblehead (in "The Flintstone Fake Ache"), Sweetums (in "Killer Kitty"), Kitty (in "Captain Knaveman"), Thug (in "Captain Knaveman"), Baby Tyrannosaurus (in "Better Buddy Blues"), Mother Tyrannosaurus (in "Better Buddy Blues"), Thug #2 (in "Who's Faultin' Who?"), Worker (in "Attack of the Fifty Foot Teenage Lizard"), Fleasaurus (in "World War Flea"), Allosaurus (in "Camper Scamper"), Tiny (in "A Tiny Egg")
Rob Paulsen as Riff (in "Invasion of the Mommy Snatchers")
Avery Schreiber as Mr. Sciencedome (in "To Baby or Not To Baby")
John Stephenson as Mr. Gemstone, Mr. Slate (in "The Bad News Brontos"), Ditto Master (in "The Ditto Master," "Day of the Villains"), Announcer (in "The Ditto Master")
Jean Vander Pyl as Pearl Slaghoople (in "The Bad News Brontos", uncredited)
Beau Weaver as Beaversaurus (in "Betty's Big Break")
The Flintstone Kids' first season aired on ABC in the 9:00AM Eastern hour, with two half-hour episodes airing back-to-back. The first episode was usually a half-hour story while the second contained an 11-minute Flintstone Funnies segment, a 3-minute Dino's Dilemmas segment and a 7-minute Captain Caveman and Son segment. In the series' second season, only one episode was shown a week. Four episodes paired a new short with reruns of two shorts from the first season.
Reruns of the series moved to the weekend programming block The Funtastic World of Hanna-Barbera in 1988, only to quickly return to ABC in October due to the failure of The New Adventures of Beany and Cecil. After ABC stopped airing The Flintstone Kids reruns in 1990, The Family Channel aired the series in their Fun Town/Fam TV block from October 15, 1990 to June 3, 1994. Once The Family Channel stopped airing the series, reruns moved to the Cartoon Network, where they aired until 1998, and from 2002 to 2003. The series has also aired on Boomerang.
Home media
On May 4, 2010, Warner Home Video released Saturday Morning Cartoons 1980s, Volume 1, a compilation release which features episodes from various 80's cartoons including an episode from The Flintstone Kids.[4] On March 11, 2014, Warner Home Video released The Flintstone Kids: Rockin' in Bedrock, a 2-disc set featuring 10 episodes from the first season, on DVD in Region 1.[5]
Reception
Critical response
Common Sense Media gave the series a three out of five stars, saying: "Bedrock, the early years: cute and more P.C."[6]
Awards
In 1988, Mary Jo Ludin and Lane Raichert were given the Humanitas Prize for the show's episode "Rocky's Rocky Road".[7]
^Erickson, Hal (2005). Television Cartoon Shows: An Illustrated Encyclopedia, 1949 Through 2003 (2nd ed.). McFarland & Co. pp. 333–344. ISBN978-1476665993.
^Perlmutter, David (2018). The Encyclopedia of American Animated Television Shows. Rowman & Littlefield. pp. 209–214. ISBN978-1538103739.
