The Flintstone Kids - TV-Y

Bedrock, the early years: cute and more P.C.

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Common Sense rates it

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details

TV Rating: TV-Y
Network: Boomerang
Cast: B.J. Ward, Scott Menville, Hamilton Camp
Genre: Children, Cartoons, & Animation

Parents need to know

Parents need to know that this iteration of The Flintstones (which originally aired in the mid-'80s) features everyone's favorite prehistoric pals as kids. There's no educational content to speak of, but the series does offer kid-relatable concepts and some decent humor. On the downside, there's a fair amount of bullying between the two main groups of kids.

Families can talk about the differences between being a kid and being a grown-up. How do you change as you get older? How are the Flintstone kids similar to the adult characters in the original series? How are they different? For young viewers, parents can ask questions about the "appliances" Fred and the gang use in their everyday lives -- where do you think animators got their ideas for the funny, animal-powered inventions?

Message
Violence
Sex
Language

Message

Social Behavior:

The "bad guys" never succeed, but the two groups of kids are constantly demonstrating their rival status.

Consumerism:

Drugs/Alcohol/Tobacco:

Violence

Slight pushing and bullying.

Sex

Language

Common Sense says

What's the story?

Reviewed by Deirdre Sheppard

THE FLINTSTONE KIDS follows the adventures of 10-year-old versions of Bedrock's most famous citizens: Fred (voiced by Scott Menville), Wilma (Elizabeth Lyn Fraser), Barney (Hamilton Camp), and Betty (BJ Ward). Also along for the ride are Dino (Mel Blanc), Captain Caveman Jr. (Charlie Adler), and bully Rocky (Marilyn Schreffler) and his gang, who constantly try to outwit the Flintstone kids but never succeed completely.

Is it any good?

Overall, the series doesn't really raise any red flags. The bullying between the Flintstone kids and Rocky's gang gets little exhausting, but nothing in the dialogue (which features kid-friendly wit instead of Honeymooners-like repartee) is likely to raise any eyebrows. Purists will realize that the back stories of the original series and The Flintstone Kids don't match up, but kids watching will be the last to notice that kind of detail.

One change for the better (at least where kid viewers are concerned) is that The Flintstone Kids -- unlike its predecessor, which debuted in the '60s -- is free of sexism and stereotypes. All in all, kids will likely enjoy the series, but their parents may be disappointed if they remember the original fondly.