50 years ago today, on September 30th, 1960, the first episode of The Flintstones aired on ABC. Google is celebrating the show’s birthday/anniversary with the above doodle, which I didn’t even notice spelled out ‘Google’ at first. (Pretty subtle.)
The Telegraph has put together a nifty list of Flintstones-related trivia that’s worth checking out. The most interesting item by far (and the most surprising, given the wholesome, family-friendly image which we associate with The Flintstones) is that for its first two seasons, the show was co-sponsored by Winston cigarettes and was aimed at a more adult audience. When Welch’s grape juice became the primary sponsor for Season 3, baby Pebbles was born, and the show shifted from animated Honeymooners clone to something more watchable by kids.
Surreal Flintstones cigarette commercial below:
And a commercial for Welch’s grape jelly post-season three: (Who says that integrated advertising is a new thing?)
