Fred and Wilma Flintstone and their best friends, Barney and Betty Rubble, lived in the prehistoric city of Bedrock but faced the problems of contemporary working-class life. After a day at the rock quarry, Fred and Barney arrived home in a vehicle with stone wheels and a fringe on top. Their lives revolved around their home, friends, and leisure activities: a world of drive-ins, bowling, and their "Water Buffalo" lodge. A baby dinosaur and a saber-toothed tiger replaced the family dog and cat. In 1962 and 1963, Pebbles and Bamm Bamm appeared as the daughter and adopted son of the Flintstones and Rubbles, respectively.

     In addition to being the first animated series made for prime time, The Flintstones also broke new ground in that each episode contained only one story that lasted the full half hour. Until the 1960s, cartoons were generally only a few minutes long. Half-hour animated programs used three or four shorts (three- to four­ minute cartoons) and a live "wraparound," usually presented by a friendly "host," to complete the program. In another innovation, Hanna-Barbera produced The Flintstones using limited animation techniques. This assembly-line method of creating drawings, combined with reduced and simplified body movement, made it possible to manufacture animation cells more cheaply. Because of the lowered cost and the appeal of animation to children, limited animation became the format of choice for children's television in the I960s, a decade in which children's programming became almost entirely animated.

     The Flintstones helped establish Hanna-Barbera Productions as a major Hollywood animation studio, and by the late 1960s the company was the world's largest producer of animated entertainment films. The Flintstones also launched a multimillion-dollar merchandising business, with hundreds of toys and novelties placed on the market. Perhaps the most enduring product developed in this ancillary line was Flintstones Vitamins, also used as a sponsor for the program. Citing the difficulties children might have in distinguishing cartoon characters from the products made in their likenesses, critics attacked the practice of advertising vitamins to children, and such ads were withdrawn in 1972. The Flintstones characters still appear in commercials for Pebbles-brand cereals, and other tie-ins include films (live-action motion pictures in 1994 and 2000), traveling road shows, toys, and other children's products.

     The Flintstones played on ABC in prime time for six seasons (166 episodes) through September 1966. The series was rebroadcast on Saturday mornings by NBC from January 1967 through September 1970. Various spin-offs and specials also appeared on the CBS or NBC Saturday morning lineup throughout most of the 1970s, and they continue to reappear. The Flintstones is still available almost daily on cable channels such as The Cartoon Network.