When The Flintstones debuted in 1960, it didn’t take long for the show to become a hit. Despite being set in the Stone Age, the show still resonated with viewers at the time. In fact, even though it’s been more than 50 years since the show ended its original run, The Flintstones continues to have a firm place in pop culture. But while most people are familiar with the basic details of the show, there is an interesting detail that has often been overlooked. Although the show is known for its light-hearted and humorous tone, this detail is a little on the darker side. Let’s talk about this sad detail from The Flintstones that many people never noticed.
Barney and Betty Rubble’s Struggle to Get Pregnant
Like every other successful show, the characters in The Flintstones are what made it so successful. While Fred and Wilma Flintstone were the main characters, their good friends Barney and Betty Rubble also played a major role in the show’s success and subsequent popularity. From the outside looking in, the Rubbles may have seemed to have it all, but the truth is that they may have been dealing with something very difficult.
An article from Looper points out that the Rubbles were infertile. This was slightly hinted at in the cartoon by the fact that the couple never had any biological children despite clearly being interested in being parents. Fortunately, they were still able to live that dream thanks to their adopted son, Bamm-Bamm. After finding Bamm-Bamm on their doorstep, Barney and Betty decided to take him in. Once he joined the family, it was like he had been there the whole time. Unless you were a dedicated fan of the show, you may not have picked up on the fact that Barney and Betty were unable to get pregnant. There are plenty of people out there who didn’t even know that Bamm-Bamm was adopted.
The fact that The Flinstones touched on the topic of infertility made it the first animated series to do so. This was touched on more deeply in the live-action Flintstones film which was released in 1994. By the time the 90s rolled around, discussing infertility in movies and shows wasn’t anywhere near as big of a deal as it was in the 1960s. As you can imagine, even hinting at infertility in a TV show during the 1960s was a huge risk. However, things ended up working out quite nicely for the series.
The subtle way the show was able to introduce the subject is a big part of what made it palpable for viewers at the time. These days, it’s even less alarming. In fact, the vast majority of people (at least in the United States) wouldn’t even think twice about it. In reality, many viewers appreciate things like fertility being discussed in movies and shows because it is a very real issue that a lot of people can relate to.
Plus, by shedding light on infertility, The Flintstones was inadvertently letting the world know that not all families start the same way. Just because Betty and Barney couldn’t have kids the traditional way didn’t make their family unit any less close-knit and likable.
Another Interesting Detail About The Flintstones
Talking about infertility isn’t the only thing about The Flintstones that shocked viewers during the 1960s. For a show that was set in the Stone Age, the series was truly ahead of its time. The show was one of the first to show a married couple sleeping in the same bed together. Even though it was no secret that real-life married couples slept in the same bed, showing this on screen was considered taboo at the time. It was probably an even bigger deal for The Flintstones since the show was aimed at a younger audience.
A lot of things have changed since The Flintstones made its debut, but the show has proven that it has what it takes to withstand the test of time. Out of the countless cartoons that exist in the world, there are very few that can say they’ve had as much of an impact as The Flintstones. Shows like this helped change the game and were critical in building the foundation for the entertainment industry we know today.
While it’s been years since we’ve gotten any new Flintstones content, that doesn’t mean we’ve seen the last of them. There’s always a chance that the animated show could be revived at some point or maybe even another live-action project.The Flintstones
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