Hanna-Barbera Productions's The Flintstones, which originally aired between 1960 and 1966 on ABC, paved the way for the successful animated series that followed it, including The Simpsons. Set in an idealized Stone Age that bears a striking resemblance to mid-century suburban America, The Flintstones follows the trials and tribulations of the Flintstone and Rubble families.
Until Matt Groening's beloved show about the Simpsons came around in 1989, The Flintstones held the record for the most profitable cartoon, and it was the first of its kind to maintain a primetime slot on television. When the first iteration of The Flintstones ended, a flurry of television spin-offs followed suit.
The Pebbles And Bamm-Bamm Show (1971 - 1972)
The Pebbles and Bamm-Bamm Show stars teenaged Pebbles Flintstone and Bamm-Bamm Rubble. In an attempt to capitalize on the popularity of Josie and the Pussycats, Pebbles and Bamm-Bamm start their own music group: The Bedrock Rockers.
The Pebbles and Bamm-Bamm Show only lasted one season.
The Flintstone Comedy Hour (1972 - 1973)
After The Pebbles and Bamm-Bamm Show was canceled, The Flintstone Comedy Hour quickly followed suit. In addition to featuring shorts starring Fred Flintstone and Barney Rubble, the series includes re-runs from its predecessor.
Series creators hoped reworking The Flintstones into a variety show would increase viewership, but this spin-off only lasted one season.
The Flintstone Comedy Show (1973 - 1974)
One of the many compilations series to appear on television, the first The Flintstone Comedy Show is the re-titled continuation of The Flintstone Comedy Hour. Its 30-minute episodes consist of remixed reruns.
Fred Flintstone And Friends (1977 - 1978)
This weekday compilation series, hosted by Fred Flintstone, showcases repackaged Saturday morning cartoons from Hanna-Barbera.
In addition to The Flintstone Comedy Hour and The Pebbles and Bamm-Bamm Show, Fred Flinstone and Friends shares reruns from unrelated Hanna-Barbera series, such as Yogi's Gang. 95 episodes aired between October and September.
The New Fred And Barney Show (1979)
On the cusp of the '80s, Hanna-Barbera attempted another revival of The Flintstones: The New Fred and Barney Show. Relying on all new material, the show boasts the original cast of characters, including Pebbles and Bamm-Bamm as toddlers.
The one season venture includes supernatural storylines anachronistic to the Stone Age, such as werewolves and witches.
Fred And Barney Meet The Thing (1979)
Despite what its title implies, this Saturday morning cartoon packages together unrelated animated segments from two Hanna-Barbera series: The New Fred and Barney Show and The Thing – the latter of which is a loose adaptation of the Marvel character. Fred, Barney, and The Thing are only featured together during the opening title sequence.
At the time, Marvel Comics owned the rights to The Flinstones in addition to many other Hanna-Barbera productions.
Fred And Barney Meet The Shmoo (1979 - 1980)
Shmoo is a character from the Li'l Abner comic strip, and he was welcome into the Fred Flintstone and Barney Rubble world in 1979. Fred And Barney Meet The Thing was repackaged as Fred And Barney Meet The Shmoo, a 90-minute series that lasted one year.
The New Shmoo was added into the mix alongside The Thing and The New Fred and Barney Show, but none of the segments cross over into each other.
The Flintstone Comedy Show (1980 - 1982)
Combining new and old characters, The Flintstone Comedy Show consists of 60 or 90-minute episodes that rotate between segments. These segments include both new and old scenarios, as well as other Hanna-Barbera characters like The Shmoo and Captain Caveman.
Some of the new characters in the series include Cavemouse and the Frankenstones – new neighbors of the Flintstones.
The Flintstone Funnies (1982 - 1984)
The Flintstone Funnies arrived in the wake of The Flintstone Comedy Show, the final series featuring the Flintstones to air on NBC. The series entails repackaged reruns from its predecessor; it doesn't include any new content.
The Flintstone Kids (1986 - 1988)
Running for two seasons, The Flintstone Kids turns its main cast into children in an attempt to draw in a new generation of young viewers. The ensemble series features Fred, Wilma, Barney, and Betty and their large group of friends and neighbors.
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The Flintstone Kids aired during The Funtastic World of Hanna-Barbera programming block on ABC.
Dino: Stay Out! (1995)
This short starring the Flintstones's pet dinosaur originally aired on Cartoon Network's series What a Cartoon!. What a Cartoon! is a platform for animated shorts created just for the series.
In this 1995 short, directed by Joseph Barbera, Fred Flintstone gets mad with Dino for doing a poor job of keeping his other pet, Saber Tooth Cat, outside the house while the Flintstones are away.
Cave Kids (1996)
Cave Kids revisits young Pebbles, Bamm-Bamm, and Dino. The Cartoon Network show lasted one season, molding itself after the successful Nickelodeon show Rugrats.
Instead of amplifying situational comedy, Cave Kids emphasizes education and life lessons.
Dino: The Great Egg-Scape (1997)
The second Dino short featured on What a Cartoon!, The Great Egg-Scape is also directed by Joseph Barbera. In it, Dino works as a security guard at a local museum when a prized egg is stolen under his watch.
Yabba-Dabba Dinosaurs (2020)
After a two-decade hiatus, the Flinstones and the Rubbles will return in 2020 on the Boomerang streaming service. Instead of the adults, Pebbles and Bamm-Bamm are the focus of this revival.
The one and only season of Yabba-Dabba Dinosaurs has already aired in the UK, but its US release date keeps experiencing delays.
The Flintstones Adult Reboot (TBD)
Warner Bros. and Brownstone Productions, owned by actor Elizabeth Banks, announced in 2019 they are developing an animated series for adults based on The Flintstones.
While details are scant about the series, Mark Russell and Steve Pugh's recent comic book revival of The Flintstones is a prime example of how to take the Flintstones and the Rubbles into grown-up territory.