Fred Flintstone

The television has a lot to answer for, both good and bad, but perhaps no on screen presence has had such an effect on the world as the alpha male of the prehistoric Flintstone clan.

The Flintstones can still be seen on screens today reliving their re-run adventures fifty years after the debut series, both on cartoon satellite channels and as daytime terrestrial filler...

...but the next time its on, take a moment to look a little closer....

You may think Fred is a harmless Yaba-Dabba-Dooing troglodyte who blunders his way through learning lessons as he goes, but the more episodes I view the more I recognise the similarity between the rotund one and memories of my own childhood, and I'm suspecting if you're a late 20-something you may find similar memories of yours on screen too...

From his both feet on the accelerator driving style to his jolly-in-public grumpy-at-home manner could it be that Fred Flintstone has effected the male mannerisms of a generation now passing into its retirement?

The 1960's themselves are more remembered for the upheaval of social revolutions than for the creation of the cartoon caveman, and as the years roll over its hard to work out exactly why it slowed by the 70's when our fathers became that generations angry young men. I put forward that our one and only Mr. Fred Flintstone effected their growing impressions of what a man should be via the cathode ray tube to resurface later on... not mentioning the infamous Winston cigarettes advert where barney gets a pack out and fred sings their praises, just look into the way fred acts and what happens in the later decade: a disgruntled working man who would no doubt have been at the forefront of union action which characterised the 70's, his stubborn character who can only accept facts when his misconceptions have been totally and utterly quashed as with the pulling down of racial stereotypes and socioeconomic boundaries as in the late 70's Citizen Smith, a ready adopter of laboursaving technology be it crab-pincer lawnmower rock wheeled car as the 70s moved into the 80s consumer culture...

Fred Flintstone influenced a generation, which went on to influence a nation.

Or...

Perhaps is it nothing more than a case of life imitating art, with hundreds of episodes its hard to think of a story line they can't have covered over the last five decades with the original episodes and occasional one-off specials and animated movies, maybe there are certain events all children have to witness with their father figures, be them real or animated.

Either way, hopefully the Flintstone effect should be left where his show is set, in history where it can influence no more.