The character changed the dynamic of the show. Family man Freddie couldn’t be seen picking on Mommy Flintstone like he had in the first two seasons of the show, so he got toned down a bit. Too bad. Still, some good cartoons were made with Pebbles at the centre of the plot (“Daddies Anonymous” comes to mind) but the show really wasn’t the same. And the less said about later, post-1966 Flintstones incarnations, the better (the cereal commercials with Fred and Barney were more entertaining than the Saturday morning cartoons).
So here are the Flintstones Sunday comics for this month 50 years ago. The last two deal with the arrival of Pebbles.
Did dinosaurs really live in icy, snowy conditions? They do in the February 3rd comic. The last panel is really a treat on all these comics. I love the smiling alligatorsaurus (or whatever it is). One of Fred’s schemes actually works for a change. The incidental character ice fishermen add nicely to the panel.
Ah, the cutsey neighbour girl Amber returns on February 10th. Once Pebbles came along—and started talking via thought balloons—there really wasn’t a need for Amber any more.
The story of how Wilma broke the news to Fred about the pregnancy is different in the comics than the TV show (Hints!? Why didn’t Wilma just tell him earlier?). I really like the layout of the last two panels of the February 17th comic.
I love the final panel of the February 24th comic. No, Fred, things haven’t changed since the Stone Age.
As a Pebbles Birthday Bonus, here are the daily comics from February 18-23. The scans are not all that great.
As usual, click on any of the comics to make them bigger.
Hey, Yowp! Thanks for posting these, and thanks for continuing a little longer with the Flintstones comics. I know you are not a big fan of Pebbles, but I am a big fan of anything to do with the Flintstones, and I remember the excitement surrounding the birth of Pebbles when she first appeared in the series back in 1963. It was a very big deal back then! And it did transform the series, not always I agree in positive ways, although introducing a baby into a cartoon comedy series had to have been a pretty daring move for that time period.
ReplyDeleteIt's funny, SC, I watched the show and the birth made no impression on me at the time. I guess I just accepted it as another plot.
ReplyDeleteGazoo was a bit different. Even I realised at the time the studio had run out of ideas.
Great comics, thanks Yowp! Of course, in the 2/17 comic, wouldn't Fred have caught on about the baby or is he really that dumb? So many inconsistencies between the strip and the show. Otherwise, great and funny! Thanks again for sharing! I always love anything to do with the Flintstones! :)
ReplyDeleteI've seen, heard, and read interviews with Joe Barbera saying that to keep a show fresh and new, to add a new character every season. The second season brought Arnold, Mr. Slate and the mother-in-law, third season Pebbles, fourth season Bamm-Bamm, fifth season Hoppy and the Gruesomes, and sixth season Gazoo. Ppl say Gazoo killed the series. I thought he was alright.
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