Summary
- The Flintstones quotes are still funny decades later, showcasing the show's longevity and comedic appeal.
- The show combined classic sitcom elements with a fun, prehistoric setting, creating memorable quotes and gags.
- The dynamic between Fred and Barney, including their teasing and insults, added to the humor and charm of the show.
As one of the most influential animated series of all time, there are endless The Flintstones quotes that are still funny decades after the show was on the air. First airing in 1960, the prehistoric animated series followed the lives of Fred and Wilma Flintstone, and their best friends and neighbors Barney and Betty Rubble. The series was mirrored after classic sitcoms like The Honeymooners while adding in this fun setting with the most memorable The Flintstones quotes having fun with the domestic comedy aspects and the wacky prehistoric gags.
Despite the increasing years since its last episode, certain quotes and sayings from Fred Flintstone, Barney Rubble, and the gang remain as hilarious as they ever were. There are always rumors of reboots or reimaginings of the series, and there have been many Flintstones spinoffs, but the original show remains of Fred's earliest adventures in Bedrock remains timeless. The best The Flintstones quotes are a nice nostalgic trip as well as a testament to the show's longevity.
20 "Did You Get The Paper, Dear?"
Wilma Flintstone
Some of the most memorable The Flintstones quotes come from the silly yet fun gags that take a look at the prehistoric life of Fred, Barney, Wilma, and the rest of the characters. Many of the typical things modern families recognize are depicted in the show but with a Stone Age twist. This can sometimes be a more dangerous reality than it seems.
When Fred comes out the front door in the morning, he is hit by the huge slab of rock that replaces newspapers in Bedrock, knocking him out, followed by the perfectly timed question from Wilma. It is a simple but clever gag that adds a little more to the fun world-building of The Flintstones.
19 "Flight Number 7 Leaving On Time... Smart Aleck."
Flight Attendant
Even with the Stone Age setting, The Flintstones always managed to remain grounded in relatable situations, including family trips. In one memorable episode, the Flintstones and their friends are planning a trip to Texrock to visit Fred's brother and have to contend with the stress of going to the airport. When Wilma suggests they should hurry less they miss their flight, Fred assures her the airline is always running late. In a gag that feels right out of the classic spoof movie Airplane!, the flight attendant comes over the PA system to announce the final boarding and directly calls out Fred.
18 "The Let The Doctor Eat It."
Fred Flinstone
Fred Flintstone was inspired by the likes of Jackie Gleason on The Honeymooners, but he has gone on to serve as inspiration for countless other sitcom husbands with his large size, unhealthy habits, and stubbornness. It helps to create a truly entertaining protagonist for the show, a grown man who can still act like a child. This is best seen in one of the episodes in which Fred finds himself in the hospital following a health scare. After attempting to turn down the healthier hospital food, the nurse assures him it is just what the doctor ordered. His response is a hilarious and immature look at Fred as a character.
17 "I'm Sorry You're Stupid."
Fred Flintstone
Fred: "How can you be so stupid?"
Barney: "Hey, that's not very nice. Say you're sorry."
Fred: "I'm sorry you're stupid."
Sometimes, being best friends means they are able to deliver some harsh words to each other. This is one aspect that Fred certainly embraces in his relationship with Barney. Fred and Barney might have been the central friendship of the series, but there are many memorable The Flintstones quotes that show that these two could be totally — and hilariously — savage with each other from time to time. As in this case, Barney often winds up taking the brunt of the insults, with Fred making fun of his dim-witted buddy's intellect on more than one occasion.
16 "It Just Got Up And Went."
Barney Rubble
Fred: "Where's your 'get-up-and-go?'"
Barney: "It just got up and went."
Even nearly 60 years after the series first premiered, Fred and Barney also both happen to be all too relatable in many ways, even to younger generations that didn't necessarily grow up watching the show. It's hard to maintain a sense of self-motivation, even in the prehistoric age. Fred asks Barney where his "get up and go" disappeared to, and Barney's response that his get-up-and-go "got up and went" is a hilarious way of simply giving up. It's a perfect set-up joke, no matter how on the nose the punchline may be, and is a sentiment many can likely relate to.
15 "Hand 'Em Over, Dino. Ladies First."
Wilma Flintstone
Over the course of the series, Fred and Barney embark on plenty of harebrained schemes. However, by far one of the most ridiculous and annoying of them all is when Fred decides he's destined to be a rock star — despite having no musical talent whatsoever. As part of his plans to launch a musical act that will produce music people can "twitch" to, Fred serenades Wilma, Betty, and Dino in an obnoxiously off-key manner. This leads to Dino producing a pair of earmuffs to block out the sound, and both Wilma and Betty insist that he share. The image of them desperate to escape the sound is a great gag.
14 "But Fred, You're A Lot Of Weight!"
Barney Rubble
Fred: "Stand back, Barney. I'm going to put a little weight behind it."
Barney:"But Fred, you're a lot of weight!"
Though Fred is the one who usually does plenty of the insulting, Barney gets his fair share of jabs at Fred's expense, too — even if most of them result from Barney's own cluelessness. The series takes plenty of opportunities to make fun of Fred's size, showing the outdated humor of the older sitcom. However, the jokes that come from Barney at Fred's expense are almost always funnier than the rest of them, largely due to the fact that he often makes jokes without necessarily meaning to. Such is the case when Fred tries to show off his strength only for Barney to inadvertently poke his ego.
13 "How Many Guesses Do I Get?"
Barney Rubble
Fred: "Who is your bosom buddy, close friend, and lifelong pal?"
Barney: "How many guesses do I get?"
Fred and Barney may be best friends, but that doesn't mean that Fred doesn't use Barney's kindness and naivety to his advantage many times throughout their friendship. When Fred asks Barney who exactly his "bosom buddy, close friend, and lifelong pal" is in an attempt to butter his friend up, Barney responds with the deadpan insulation that Fred might not be the most obvious choice. This kind of witty back-and-forth that is often filled with some jab makes Fred and Barney one of the most iconic sitcom duos of all time.
12 "It All Depends On What Time The King Gets Home."
Barney Rubble
Fred: "Barney, what would you do if you were holding the queen alone?"
Bareny: "I don't know, Fred. It all depends on what time the king gets home."
While The Flintstones was always seen as a family-friendly animated series, the fact that it is also a sitcom about domestic life meant a lot of the humor was also aimed at adult viewers. As with some classic cartoons, there are a number of jokes that would have gone unnoticed by younger viewers only to make the parents laugh. The off-color humor stands the test of time more than other punchlines. While playing cards, Fred asks Barney what move he would make if all he had left were the queen card. Barney's cheeky response is a perfect example of the show sneaking some more mature jokes in.
11 "You Haven't Returned My Lawnmower..."
Barney Rubble
Fred: "Don't you see? Our neighbor Alvin Brickrock, he borrowed my shovel! He could be a vicious monster, a diabolical fiend!"
Barney: "Well, Fred, you haven't returned my lawnmower and I don't feel that way about you."
More often than not, it's Fred who leads everyone astray and into trouble with his impatient and thick-headed ways. It's also Fred who tends to judge people and situations without having much information to go off of. So when Fred believes their neighbor, Alvin Brickrock, could be a scammer or worse, Barney is quick to take Fred to task for his short-sighted judgments. It is another way Fred Flintstone was a character that inspired many others, as his flawed and unfriendly ways were acceptable because he was often the butt of the joke.
10 "You're Wife Isn't Having A Baby."
Fred Flintstone
Wilma: "Look at me Fred, I'm calm.
Fred Flintstone: "Why shouldn't you be? Your wife isn't having a baby.”
The birth of Pebbles Flintstone was the first time a cartoon character was depicted as pregnant. However, the series very much downplayed Wilma's labor and the trying process of giving birth, instead focusing on how flustered Fred was by the whole thing. From running late to the hospital to worrying about being a father, Fred was a ball of anxiety in the episode. When Wilma pointed out that she was calm and collected, Fred hilariously suggested he was in the more stressful position. It was another immature moment from Fred, but also sweet to see him so worked up about his new baby.
9 "Actually, More Like A Pebble Off The Ol' Flintstone."
Barney Rubble
Fred: "Aww, she looks like a chip off the ol' block."
Barney: "Actually, more like a pebble off the ol' flintstone."
Pebbles Flintstone is undoubtedly the series' most adorable character, and definitely one of its most memorable ones. However, fans might not remember that the origins of her memorable name come from this adorable and hilarious joke from none other than Barney. As soon as she was born, Barney observed that the newborn baby seemed more like a "pebble off the ol' flintstone" than the stereotypical "chip off the ol' block." it is another way of cementing the arrival of this character as a pivotal moment in the show coming together.
8 "Yabba Dabba Goo!"
Pebbles Flintstone
The arrival of Pebbles Flintstone was obviously a huge moment in the series and one that provided a number of the most memorable The Flintstones quotes. In the episode in which she is born, she quickly makes herself part of the family and even delivers her first line at the end. Adorably and hilariously, the line is a take on Fred's own iconic catchphrase "Yabba Dabba Doo!" albeit with a baby twist to it. It is certainly a goofy moment, but it is also incredibly charming.
7 "Charge It!"
Wilma Flintstone And Betty Rubble
Though it may have been an animated series, The Flintstones also functioned primarily as a primetime sitcom. As such, it offered a satirical look at the daily life of married couples and their families. One area the series satirized in particular, and to great effect, was the friendship between women and men and their many similarities and differences.
While a dated stereotype and a little problematic by modern standards, a recurring theme for both the friendships between Wilma and Betty was their love of impulsive shopping, hilariously conveyed by the times when they shouted "Charge it!" while embarking on a shopping spree.
6 "Hello, Dumb Dumb!"
Gazoo
Gazoo might be one of the more controversial characters in the series, as he was introduced partway through the series' final season and felt more like he was meant for the sister series The Jetsons. However, he managed to leave an impression with the way he greeted both Barney and Fred — with a cheery, and perfectly astute "Hello, dumb dumb!" — always makes for some of the series' funniest moments. Whether fans loved or hated the pint-sized green alien, moments like this at least helped to make him a memorable addition to the show.
5 "All The People In Bedrock... I Pick A Pebblebrain For A Neighbor."
Fred Flintstone
It is a common theme in sitcoms that the main characters often have to contend with a nosy or annoying neighbor. Such was the case for Fred when he was particularly fed up with Barney, leading him to wonder why he chose to settle down next to the Rubbles in the first place. While this is certainly one of Fred Flintstone's funnier quotes, it only works because it is clear he really does love his dimwitted friend. The two may get on each other's nerves constantly, but they also put up with each other to an extent that few others would.
4 "No, I'm Lady Godiva And This Is A Kissing Booth."
Desk Nurse
Fred Flintstone: "Are you the desk nurse?"
Desk Nurse: "No, I'm Lady Godiva and this is a kissing booth."
While most of the show's best humor came from its core characters, a new character occasionally got the opportunity to rattle off a brilliant one-liner. One desk nurse did so in a grand fashion, sarcastically replying to Fred Flintstone's rather uninspired question. The Flintstones may be a show about the Stone Age and dinosaurs, but its humor never seems to age. This same dry sarcasm can be found in many of the modern-day's biggest shows, proving just how ahead of its time The Flintstones was.
3 "I Played Hard To Get And, Well... I Just Didn't Get Got."
Greta Gravel
Wilma Flintstone: "Don't tell me you've never married, Greta. You were the most popular girl in school."
Greta: "Oh I guess my standards were too high. I played hard to get and, well... I just didn't get got.”
When Betty and Wilma's old high school friend appears for a one-off episode, it becomes clear that, despite having been the most popular girl in school, she had not found herself a life partner in the years since graduating, leading to one hilarious and perceptive quote from the single Greta Gravel. Despite featuring a host of rather dull-headed and unthinking characters, The Flintstones had a way of working clever word usage into its lines. This is one of the best Flintstones quotes that isn't from a main character. The series had a tendency for clever writing that many modern cartoons still struggle to match.
2 "All Right. All Right. I Can't Make It As Fast As You Spend It."
Fred Flintstone
A regular source of hilarious strife between the titular Flintstones was the disparity between their life savings and Wilma's regular shopping habit. In one episode, Fred, who often took issue with Wilma's shopping sprees, comments on how quickly she manages to spend the money he makes. This playful tension between Fred and Wilma is a recurring theme in many sitcoms, especially in the '50s and '60s. Although the Flintstones never seemed to balance their budget, it made for some of the funniest The Flintstones quotes watching the lighthearted spat between husband and wife.
1 Yabba-Dabba-Doo!
Fred Flintstone
Of all the quotes from The Flintstones, Fred's catchphrase "Yabba-Dabba-Doo!" is easily the best and most recognizable. At the height of the show's popularity, it was as recognizable as Homer Simpson's "D'oh!", and is yet another way that The Flintstones left a lasting influence on animated sitcoms. The line was ad-libbed by the first actor to portray Fred Flintstone, Alan Reed, appear in the very first episode in 1960, The Flintstone Flyer.
-
The Flintstones
- Cast:
- Alan Reed, Don Messick
- Release Date:
- 1960-09-30
- Seasons:
- 6
- Genres:
- Comedy
- Story By:
- William Hanna
- Writers:
- William Hanna
- Network:
- ABC
- Streaming Service(s):
- Hulu
- Directors:
- William Hanna
- Showrunner:
- William Hanna
