The Flintstone Kids Explained
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 Flintstones 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 (Fred's future boss), Philo Quartz and rich girl 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 dogasaurus Stalagbite.[3]
Plot and 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 with most of them being parodies of different films. 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 (returning from Captain Caveman and the Teen Angels) 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 at Fred's home, where the "fourth wall" is broken frequently.
Episodes
The segments indicate in colors by which characters starred in them:
Blue = The Flintstone Kids (25 segments)
Light Blue = Flintstone Funnies (13 segments)
Magenta = Dino's Dilemmas (19 segments)
Red = Captain Caveman and Son (19 segments)
Season 2 (1987–88)
Four of these episodes contains a new short followed by repeats of two shorts from season 1.
Voice cast
- Charlie Adler as Cavey Jr., Armored Car Robber #2 (in "Captain Knaveman")
- Bever-Leigh Banfield as Mayor of Bedrock ("Captain Caveman and Son" segment)
- Michael Bell as Mr. Billy Bad ("Captain Caveman and Son" segment)
- Mel Blanc as Dino, Bob Rubble, Captain Caveman ("Captain Caveman and Son" segment)
- Susan Blu as Dreamchip Gemstone, Janet Granite, Mrs. Gemstone (in "Poor Little Rich Girl")
- Hamilton Camp as Barney Rubble, Flab Slab, Cragmire, Tree Surgeon #2 (in "I Think That I Shall Never See Barney Rubble As a Tree"), 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 #1 (in "Captain Knaveman"), Museum Robber (in "Captain Knaveman")
- Scott Menville as Freddy Flintstone (1987–1988)
- Bumper Robinson as Philo Quartz
- 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 ("Captain Caveman and Son" segment)
- 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"), 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")
Additional voices
- Bob Arbogast
- James Avery
- Jon Bauman as Announcer #3 (in "Dusty Disappears")
- Julie Bennett
- Sorrell Booke
- Robin Braxton
- Valri Bromfield
- Arthur Burghardt as Thug #1 (in "Who's Faultin' Who?")
- Victoria Carroll
- Kristina Chan
- Townsend Coleman
- Roberto Cruz
- Peter Cullen as Monster from the Tar Pit (in "The Monster from the Tar Pit")
- Brian Cummings
- Jim Cummings as Billy Jim, Peter Snobsale, and Police Officer (in "The Rock Concert That Rocked Freddy"), Burglar (in "Watchdog Blues")
- Rick Dees as Perfect Man (in "Hero Today, Gone Tomorrow"), Bruce Leeslab (in "Freddy's Rocky Road to Karate"), Rock Dees (in "Bedrock'n Roll")
- Dick Erdman as Dr. Icemare (in "Freezy Does It" and "Day of the Villains")
- Jennifer Fajardo
- Takayo Fischer as Eskimo Bro (in "Freddy's Rocky Road to Karate"), Dr. Gallstone (in "The Flintstone Fake Ache")
- June Foray as Grandma Cavemom, Old Lady (in "The Butcher Shoppe"), Aunt Hilda (in "Killer Kitty")
- Pat Fraley as Raff (in "Invasion of the Mommy Snatchers"), Alien #2 (in "Rubble Without a Cause")
- Lillian Garrett
- Ernest Harada
- Dana Hill as Criminal (in "Captain Knaveman"), Shades Stone (in "Better Buddy Blues")
- Robert Ito
- Arte Johnson
- Buster Jones as Officer Quartz
- Aron Kincaid as Brad McBricker (in "Day of the Villains" and "Bedrock'n Roll")
- Robbie Lee
- Peter Leeds
- Rene Levant
- Allan Lurie
- Tress MacNeille as Riff and Raff's Mother (in "Invasion of the Mommy Snatchers")
- Janet May
- Cindy McGee
- Howard Morris as Tree Surgeon #1 (in "I Think That I Shall Never See Barney Rubble As a Tree"), Grandpa Stoney Flintstone (in "The Little Visitor" and "Grandpa for Loan")
- George O'Hanlon
- Rob Paulsen as Riff (in "Invasion of the Mommy Snatchers")
- Gustavo Palacios
- Helga Pedrini
- Corey Rand
- Shavar Ross
- Michael Rye as Mr. Slaghoople
- Ronnie Schell as Yuckster (in "A Tale of Too Silly," "Day of the Villains," "The Cream -Pier Strikes Back," and "Captain Cavedog")
- 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")
- Marcelo Tubert
- Jean Vander Pyl as Pearl Slaghoople (in "The Bad News Brontos", uncredited)
- Vernee Watson-Johnson
- Beau Weaver as Beaversaurus (in "Betty's Big Break")
- Patric Zimmerman
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]
Other appearances
Cavey Jr. appears in the Harvey Birdman, Attorney at Law episode "Evolutionary War", voiced by Maurice LaMarche. Captain Caveman enlists Harvey Birdman when Cavey Jr.'s school won't teach it's students about evolution after Cavey Jr. spoke out against it.
Cavey Jr. appears in Jellystone! voiced by Dana Snyder.[8]
External links
Notes and References
- Book: Erickson . Hal . Television Cartoon Shows: An Illustrated Encyclopedia, 1949 Through 2003 . 2005 . 2nd . McFarland & Co . 978-1476665993 . 333–344.
- Book: Perlmutter . David . The Encyclopedia of American Animated Television Shows . 2018 . Rowman & Littlefield . 978-1538103739 . 209–214.
- News: Saturday Morning: Good And Bad. Los Angeles Times. 2012-10-15.
- http://www.tvshowsondvd.com/news/Flintstone-Kids-Saturday-Morning-Cartoons-1980s-V1/13320 Stone-Age Preteens, Mr. T, Dirk the Daring and More on WHV's Saturday AM '80s DVD
- http://www.tvshowsondvd.com/news/Flintstone-Kids-Rockin-in-Bedrock/19236 We've Got a First Look at the Cover Art for 'Rockin' in Bedrock'
- Web site: The Flintstone Kids - TV Review. 10 November 2006.
- Sennett, Ted. The Art of Hanna-Barbera: Fifty Years of Creativity. New York: Viking Penguin, 1989. . p. 262.
- Web site: Jellystone! I Official Trailer I HBO Max Family. https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211213/-HAVgdujUWQ . 2021-12-13 . live. YouTube. June 24, 2021. June 24, 2021.
