Evidently the idea the series is about the early 1960s being transposed into prehistoric times is a bit much to comprehend. Or they just like complaining.
A number of the Flintstones daily newspaper comics 50 years ago this month dealt with Christmas—Fred chiselling away at a large stone Christmas card, Pebbles complaining Dino got better presents, and so on. Unfortunately, I can’t find decent versions of the strips to post, so you’re stuck with the weekend versions only. The final two deal with the holiday season.
As usual, they’re very well laid out. It’s a shame Baby Puss didn’t make an appearance. You’ll note Santa Claus ringing with his kettle in the December 19th comic and the frozen volcano smoke in the final panel of December 26th. And check out Dino’s great expression in the opening panel of the December 26th comic. I’ll spare you any further observations and hope you enjoy them.
December 5, 1965.
December 12, 1965.
December 19, 1965.
December 26, 1965.
All these materials were drawn by Gene Hazelton and Dick "Bick" Bickenbach.
ReplyDeleteThanks, this is great
ReplyDeleteThe December 26th cartoon was included (sans the top tier) in a post of Flintstones Christmas comics on this very blog, a few years back. It's nice to see it in context of its original run. It's also nice to see those top panels at long last.
ReplyDeleteThere's a nice continuity offered from the 19th to the 26th, with the presents at first neatly wrapped under the tree, and then the day after Christmas they are unwrapped, with the wrapping paper, boxes, and gifts spread around on the floor. I love the gag of Pebbles hiding among all the wrapping. Touches like these make the Flintstones more than a series of stone-age gags.
And, yes, I agree it is incredibly ironic that there is objection to the Flintstones knowing about Christmas when no one seems to mind that they know about cars and lawn mowers and golf, to name just a few things referenced in this month's selection. Besides, there is that wonderful comic strip, also posted elsewhere on this blog, where Fred and Barney first meet Santa Claus who informs them of the future birth that Christmas is going to celebrate. It offers a perfect explanation of how the prehistoric Flintstones in their already-anachronistic world can celebrate Christmas.
Of course, there's another explanation: The Flintstones are actually living in a post-apocalyptic world of the future (far beyond the Jetsons) because of the success of the Jurassic World project which repopulated the world with dinosaurs who wiped out the present civilization, and what we're seeing is mankind rebounding, though a bit lighter on the technology this time around. Memories of the past are selective, but Christmas seems to be one of them. Seems obvious to me.
ReplyDeleteOoh, I like it!
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