Hanna-Barbera (1960-1966)

The Flintstones was a Hanna-Barbera Production that originally aired on ABC-TV in prime time from 1960-1966. It was network television’s first animated series to which there were 166 original episodes. The original name of the series in which a pilot was even made, was “The Flagstones”.

This was the original pilot episode for The Flintstones, but was never shown with the original series. It was actually a 90 second “demo reel” (with greasepencil marks still visible on the film), designed to sell the series to potential advertisers in the winter of 1960, depicting a scene from what would eventually become the episode “The Swimming Pool”.

The Flintstones is an American animated sitcom produced by Hanna-Barbera. The series takes place in a romanticized Stone Age setting, and follows the activities of the titular family, the Flintstones, and their next-door neighbors, the Rubbles (who are also their best friends). It was originally broadcast on ABC from September 30, 1960 until April 1, 1966 as the first animated series to hold a primetime slot.

The continuing popularity of The Flintstones rested heavily on its juxtaposition of modern everyday concerns in the Stone Age setting. The Flintstones was the most financially successful and longest-running network animated television series for three decades, until The Simpsons debuted in late 1989. In 2013, TV Guide ranked The Flintstones the second-greatest TV cartoon of all time (after The Simpsons).