As Seen on TV: The Flintstones

This kid-friendly ‘Honeymooners’ aired originally from 1960 to 1966, but plays on forever in many incarnations.

Rerun: In 1964, Fred as Santa sang the picture book Christmas story of “Dino the Dinosaur’s Christmas Tree.” Kiddy kitsch: it’s as good as the show got.

Rerun: The next year an album was dropped featuring the arrested development infants Pebbles and Bam-Bam. It’s all trad carols except for one experimental number, “Snowflake.” Not bad for children’s counterculture lite rock.

Other albums include 1999’s A Flintstone Motown Christmas, with talky intros about getting lost to a Christmas show intercut with songs from The Temptations, and The Jackson 5, and more. Skip it.

Christmas in Bedrock Special Edition (also w/impersonators) cashed in the same year from Rhino Records . It’s amazingly ’80s pop as in “The Flintstone Way” (a shout out from Wilma to give to charity),

and “Sleigh Ride” (Betty’s simple wish to spend time with her hubby instead of getting spendy gifts).

These are working class folk, after all.

But way back in 1977 the holiday special ‘A Flintstone Christmas’ told the story of Fred filling in for a malingering Santa. It had songs, some recycled (yaknow ‘cuz they were so good).

Hope is a Christmas Tree” gets used many years later in a Yogi Bear holiday special. This is mama Wilma’s lullaby to baby P. Yawn, excuse me.

Fred and Barney go gleefully nuts in Santa’s workshop with their “Brand New Kind of Christmas Song.” Only a kid would sing along.

Which One is the Real Santa Claus?” was originally in another Hanna Barbera cartoon special from a few years before. ttipoopfinal has thoughtfully double screened these two for your comparison.

For my money “It’s My Favorite time of Year” has the pathos and hubris the show is most affective for.