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Early Flintstones Golden Book publication, featuring Fred Junior.
The Flintstones is an originally prime-time animated series created by Hanna-Barbera Studios and running on the ABC Television Network from 1960 to 1966. It remains popular and iconic to this day, and it is rare that five years go by without some new Flintstones-related media product emerging. Based broadly on The Honeymooners (so much so that Jackie Gleason considered suing), it told the stories and mishaps of Fred Flintstone, a humorous take on a caveman living in the 'Modern Stone Age', surrounded by faux-technology based on a satirical take on what cavefolk could accomplish, with prehistoric animals including dinosaurs as pets and labor-devices. A major event in the series was the birth to Fred and his wife Wilma of their daughter Pebbles, to be followed by Betty and Barney Rubble's adoption of a boy, Bamm-Bamm.
Page from the book.
But originally, plans were for Fred and Wilma to have been parents from the beginning. When the show was being planned, and up to the time the first episodes were being made, plans for certain characters were different. The version of Dino who could talk, aid with the housework and was a sophisticated sarcastic dinosaur called a Snarkasaurus was shown once, but no reference to it was made after that one episode, which wasn't even the first episode featuring his character. Another plan which either was never animated or never realized into a full episode was Fred and Wilma's son, Fred Flintstone Junior. It is unknown whether voice-work or animation ever existed featuring Fred Junior, but in the rush to put together a half-hour animated series premiere season, it seems at least possible. The only proof that Fred Junior was to have been a part of the show is a Golden Book licensed just before the show debuted, and based on the original scripts. The existence of actual cells showing Fred Junior is unconfirmed.
External links[]
- http://www.oocities.org/utherworld/retconbedrock.html The Flintstones: A History Not Carved In Stone, mentioning the dropping of Fred Jr.