A Quick Look at “The Flintstones” Spin-Offs Through the Years

The beloved classic cartoon The Flintstones is gearing up for a comeback – this time in the form of an adult-skewing primetime comedy series.

Warner Bros. Animation will be teaming up with Elizabeth Banks’ Brownstone Productions to develop this new iteration of the animated series. The cartoon will be based on new ideas but will feature the same characters from the original show. The Flintstones first aired on ABC on September 30, 1960, with its last airing being on April 1, 1966.

The reboot is reportedly in the early stages of development and few details about the show’s premise are known. However, it is speculated that it will air on WarnerMedia’s upcoming streaming platform, HBO Max.

This new version of The Flintstones joins a long list of spin-offs and reboots that have been made in an effort to keep the spirit of the show and its beloved characters alive.

The Man Called Flintstone, an animated film that was released a few months after the last episode was aired, parodied the famous James Bond films of that era. The movie’s poster itself was a parody of another James Bond parody called Our Man Flint, starring James Coburn.

There were a total of 13 animated spin-offs which were usually aired on Saturday mornings. Some of these spin-offs include The Pebbles and Bamm-Bamm Show (1971-1972), The Flintstone Comedy Hour (1972-1973), Fred Flintstone and Friends (1977-1978), The New Fred and Barney Show (1979), The Flintstone Comedy Show (1980-1982), The Flintstone Kids (1986-1988), and Cave Kids (1996).

The popularity of The Flintstones sparked numerous television specials such as The Flintstones on Ice (1973), A Flintstone Christmas (1977), and The Flintstones’ 25th Anniversary Celebration (1986). There were also five animated television films like The Jetsons Meet the Flintstones (1987), a crossover film where the Flintstones cross paths with characters of The Jetsons following a botched time travel experiment.

Hanna Barbera Productions also leveraged the popularity of The Flintstones characters to create educational films like Energy: A National Issue (1977) and Hanna-Barbera Educational Filmstrips (1978-1980) which also featured other characters like Yogi Bear and Scooby-Doo.

There were two live-action films: The Flintstones (1994) and The Flintstones in Viva Rock Vegas (2000). The 2000 film is set before the events of the series and the first live-action film, showing how Fred and Barney met their spouses Wilma and Betty.

Family Guy creator Seth McFarlane attempted a Flintstones reboot in 2011, but the project was eventually scrapped. In 2014, comedians Will Ferrell and Adam McKay made plans to produce a new animated film, but it remains unclear whether this project will move forward.

The Flintstones & WWE: Stone Age SmackDown was one of the more recent Flintstones productions, released in March of 2015. This direct-to-video animated film featured Fred Flintstone and the entire Bedrock gang along with stone age versions of WWE Superstars and Divas.

The popularity of The Flintstones also went beyond television and film. There was a live production at Universal Studios Hollywood from 1994-1997, two Bedrock City amusement parks (one in South Dakota and another in Arizona, both of which are already closed), a comic book franchise, a vitamin brand, a cereal brand, and several types of Flintstones merchandise.

The release date of the new version of The Flintstones is still unknown. However, if the reports about the show airing on HBO Max are accurate, then nostalgic fans might have to wait until after the streaming service’s spring 2020 launch.