Brainatra
12-02-2003, 03:57 PM
For a family that lived a million or so years before Christ's birth, the Flintstones certainly seemed to have a lot of these types of specials...which ones are your favorite? Below are descriptions/info relevant to the special/episode in question (anal, I know :-) ):
1. The Original Series Christmas Episode (1960s):
Plot:
Fred works as a Santa at Macyrock Dept. Store to earn extra Christmas money, and does such a great job that the *real* Santa, who's come down sick with a nasty cold, recruits Freddy to take his place on the annual sleigh ride.
Comments:
Unlike the other special (see below), Santa, his elves, etc. actually look "Stone Age", vs. modern.
Apparently St. Nick was only giving out dolls that year, judging from what Fred dropped from his sleigh ;-)
Nice song numbers in this one...
2. "A Flintstone Christmas", 1977
Plot:
Santa once again recruits Fred (and Barney) to save Christmas (after he injures himself on Fred's roof).
Comments:
This special's an hour long, and uses all those recycled-sounding songs/song lyrics we've seen/heard in other specials (such as the Yogi Bear Christmas special) ;-)
Pebbles and Bamm-Bamm are grade schoolers in this one (chronologically putting it between "Cave Kids" and the "Flintstones' Little Big League" special, per the timeline I once posted on here).
Santa here, along with his workshop, etc. look like modern renditions, and not "Stone Age" (like the previous special); for that matter, neither Santa or Fred seem to recall having met each other previously... (shrug)
Amusing Stone Age gag alert: Wilma's "digital" wristwatch (with Roman numeral times). Back in the 70's, digital watches were the big status item to have (see: Homer's in "The Way We Was" on the "Simpsons").
Think this one was the weakest of all the specials---a bit too padded out as well (to fill the whole hour)...
3. Flintstone Christmas Carol (90's)
Plot:
Fred & co. re-enact the play of "A Christmas Carol", with Fred hamming it up (and getting on everyone's nerves) as "E-bone-nezer" Scrooge.
Comments:
Fairly entertaining rendition of Dickens' play---they even remembered to include the thieves who sell off Scrooge's stuff in the "Christmas Yet to Come" portion, which "Mickey's Christmas Carol" didn't do, IIRC...
90's-style-humor alert: the "Bedrock Bug" was obviously meant to add the 90's "requirement" of grossout humor/bodily function gags (and is the weakest part of this special as a result).
The black dress-wearing mannequin with a red wig Fred eyes at "Bloomingshale's" looks a lot like what the teenage/adult Pebbles wore...
Pebbles and Bamm-Bamm are preschoolers again here (chronologically putting this one between "Jogging Fever" and "Cave Kids" on my timeline)...
Philo Quartz was the brainy Black character on "The Flintstone Kids" (not something I'd consider canonical, but no prob with the characters showing up as adults...). Apparently his adult version is a cop (vs. a scientist or something, as "Kids" would've implied)...
Amusing Stone Age gag alert: the sundial pocket watch "Scrooge" carries.
4. Flintstones Family Christmas (90's)
Plot:
Fred and Wilma, awaiting a visit from the kids (and grandkids), wind up aiding a wayward, homeless boy named "Stony."
Comments:
OK special, though I haven't seen it in awhile.
Pebbles and Bamm-Bamm are adults here, complete with their two kids Roxy and Chip. Fred, Barney, Betty & Wilma are all presumably at least in their mid-to-late 50's by this point. Chronologically, this special probably constitutes the final appearance of the Flintstones characters, unless we see the Fred, Barney, Betty & Wilma as grandparents setting once more (which seems doubtful)---or, given the likely ages of Fred and Barney by this point, a special about the two's retirement/final days of work at Slate Rock & Gravel, which probably happens some point after this (which might make for an amusing story...plus, we've seen almost every other major life event in the Flintstones characters' lives, from Fred as a ten year old to Fred becoming a grandfather...).
The city of Bedrock itself (and Slate Rock & Gravel) apparently continue to exist well past the Stone Age, all the way into the 25th century (per that one "Flintstones" episode where the Great Gazoo zaps everyone there to show them what the future would be like). IIRC, I also once saw a present-day (circa early 80's) version of Bedrock, on a Capt. Caveman segment of the early 80's Flintstones spinoff: Cavey, Betty and Wilma travel to the present in pursuit of some criminal from the 20th century who had travelled back in time to use his modern/futuristic gadgetry to rob jewels, paintings, etc. from the Stone Age and sell the stolen stuff in the present as "antiques"/"artifacts" to make himself rich. Though since I saw this one in Spanish [on a Univision rerun], not sure if I translated everything correctly... ;-) ). Similar plots to this, of course, have been seen in various sci-fi stories over the years (including in the comics)...
Amusing Stone Age gag alert:
The beaver "buzzsaw".
Electric-eel-provided electricity.
Free cable!
My choice: "Flintstone Christmas Carol", tied with the original series' Christmas episode.
-B.
1. The Original Series Christmas Episode (1960s):
Plot:
Fred works as a Santa at Macyrock Dept. Store to earn extra Christmas money, and does such a great job that the *real* Santa, who's come down sick with a nasty cold, recruits Freddy to take his place on the annual sleigh ride.
Comments:
Unlike the other special (see below), Santa, his elves, etc. actually look "Stone Age", vs. modern.
Apparently St. Nick was only giving out dolls that year, judging from what Fred dropped from his sleigh ;-)
Nice song numbers in this one...
2. "A Flintstone Christmas", 1977
Plot:
Santa once again recruits Fred (and Barney) to save Christmas (after he injures himself on Fred's roof).
Comments:
This special's an hour long, and uses all those recycled-sounding songs/song lyrics we've seen/heard in other specials (such as the Yogi Bear Christmas special) ;-)
Pebbles and Bamm-Bamm are grade schoolers in this one (chronologically putting it between "Cave Kids" and the "Flintstones' Little Big League" special, per the timeline I once posted on here).
Santa here, along with his workshop, etc. look like modern renditions, and not "Stone Age" (like the previous special); for that matter, neither Santa or Fred seem to recall having met each other previously... (shrug)
Amusing Stone Age gag alert: Wilma's "digital" wristwatch (with Roman numeral times). Back in the 70's, digital watches were the big status item to have (see: Homer's in "The Way We Was" on the "Simpsons").
Think this one was the weakest of all the specials---a bit too padded out as well (to fill the whole hour)...
3. Flintstone Christmas Carol (90's)
Plot:
Fred & co. re-enact the play of "A Christmas Carol", with Fred hamming it up (and getting on everyone's nerves) as "E-bone-nezer" Scrooge.
Comments:
Fairly entertaining rendition of Dickens' play---they even remembered to include the thieves who sell off Scrooge's stuff in the "Christmas Yet to Come" portion, which "Mickey's Christmas Carol" didn't do, IIRC...
90's-style-humor alert: the "Bedrock Bug" was obviously meant to add the 90's "requirement" of grossout humor/bodily function gags (and is the weakest part of this special as a result).
The black dress-wearing mannequin with a red wig Fred eyes at "Bloomingshale's" looks a lot like what the teenage/adult Pebbles wore...
Pebbles and Bamm-Bamm are preschoolers again here (chronologically putting this one between "Jogging Fever" and "Cave Kids" on my timeline)...
Philo Quartz was the brainy Black character on "The Flintstone Kids" (not something I'd consider canonical, but no prob with the characters showing up as adults...). Apparently his adult version is a cop (vs. a scientist or something, as "Kids" would've implied)...
Amusing Stone Age gag alert: the sundial pocket watch "Scrooge" carries.
4. Flintstones Family Christmas (90's)
Plot:
Fred and Wilma, awaiting a visit from the kids (and grandkids), wind up aiding a wayward, homeless boy named "Stony."
Comments:
OK special, though I haven't seen it in awhile.
Pebbles and Bamm-Bamm are adults here, complete with their two kids Roxy and Chip. Fred, Barney, Betty & Wilma are all presumably at least in their mid-to-late 50's by this point. Chronologically, this special probably constitutes the final appearance of the Flintstones characters, unless we see the Fred, Barney, Betty & Wilma as grandparents setting once more (which seems doubtful)---or, given the likely ages of Fred and Barney by this point, a special about the two's retirement/final days of work at Slate Rock & Gravel, which probably happens some point after this (which might make for an amusing story...plus, we've seen almost every other major life event in the Flintstones characters' lives, from Fred as a ten year old to Fred becoming a grandfather...).
The city of Bedrock itself (and Slate Rock & Gravel) apparently continue to exist well past the Stone Age, all the way into the 25th century (per that one "Flintstones" episode where the Great Gazoo zaps everyone there to show them what the future would be like). IIRC, I also once saw a present-day (circa early 80's) version of Bedrock, on a Capt. Caveman segment of the early 80's Flintstones spinoff: Cavey, Betty and Wilma travel to the present in pursuit of some criminal from the 20th century who had travelled back in time to use his modern/futuristic gadgetry to rob jewels, paintings, etc. from the Stone Age and sell the stolen stuff in the present as "antiques"/"artifacts" to make himself rich. Though since I saw this one in Spanish [on a Univision rerun], not sure if I translated everything correctly... ;-) ). Similar plots to this, of course, have been seen in various sci-fi stories over the years (including in the comics)...
Amusing Stone Age gag alert:
The beaver "buzzsaw".
Electric-eel-provided electricity.
Free cable!
My choice: "Flintstone Christmas Carol", tied with the original series' Christmas episode.
-B.