Ranking The Flintstones Characters
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Ranking The Flintstones Characters
Of all the animated shows out there, The Flintstones is one with the least amount of characters in it. However, that I usually like as it leads to better development of the main characters which is exactly the case here. All of the central characters are great here and some supporting characters are very good too. So here is my ranking of the twelve Flintstones characters who appear at least somewhat frequently.
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1
2. Arnold
He is great for making Fred angry and there are a couple of episodes where the humor that stemmed from those situations was amusing, but other than that, he is such an annoying brat and, as is Fred’s opinion of him too, I really disliked him not only for his off-putting behavior, but also for his very annoying voice which is why he is easily the worst Flintstones character in my book.
11. Hoppy
As the pet of Rubbles who appeared late in the series’ run, Hoppy is supposed to be some sort of fun mix between a kangaroo and a dinosaur. But there isn’t anything really fun concerning this character as he is a pale shadow of another successful animal character – Dino. He is very dull and forgettable.
10. Pebbles Flintstone
I have to be honest and say that I really dislike the kids on this show. I don’t know why, but they are very annoying and whenever the episodes focused around them, I was mostly bound to be bored. Pebbles is the weaker part of the duo just for the fact that she never gets anything really interesting to do, is just a pretty baby and I disliked the character design too.
9. Bamm-Bamm Rubble
Bamm-Bamm is definitely better than Pebbles, I liked that he was adopted and it was at first fun watching him display his great strength through his signature line which is his name, but that eventually got on my nerves as the gag was repeated constantly and never altered, thus becoming dull.
8. The Great Gazoo
This is where we get to genuinely good characters and I have to say that I really liked the Great Gazoo. I know he isn’t the most well liked Flintstones character and he does somewhat not fit in as the mix between prehistory and science-fiction is at first odd, but he in my opinion brought such a welcome change in pace for the fifth season and made it very refreshing and definitely helped bring a variety of great new, lesson-learning situations for Fred and Barney. Plus the friendship that formed between him and his two “Dumb-dumbs” was quite sweet.
7. Mr. Slate
Now, as is the case with Gazoo, Mr. Slate isn’t that memorable as a character himself, but in the context of the story, he serves a great purpose and surely the episodes with him were some of the series’ best. It was great and relatable watching Fred get frustrated by his boss and I loved how his episodes were consistently strong and humorous.
6. Dino
Dino could get a bit repetitive from time to time, but I still liked him as he was sweet and the gag with him welcoming Fred by jumping at him is one of the series’ best. I not only found him endearing, but most importantly admired the show’s tendency to portray him as a real member of the family which is great for viewers who are animal lovers as I am myself.
5. Pearl Slaghoople
I just loved Wilma’s mother! Sure, the portrayal of a husband not getting along with his mother-in-law is archetypal, but you can’t deny how great she is. It was so funny how she consistently ridiculed Fred and never said anything good about him. Whether he was trying to impress her or get rid of her, those types of episodes were easily some of the best in the show’s run. So funny.
4. Betty Rubble
As the weakest of the main foursome, Betty doesn’t get as much to do as the other three did, but she still had her moments to shine in a couple of interesting episodes and she was overall such an endearing character who served best when interacting with others, whether as Wilma’s best friend or as Barney’s dear wife.
3. Wilma Flintstone
I really liked Wilma despite her being quite clichéd and annoying at times. The male characters are definitely better developed in The Flintstones, but Wilma actually rivaled Fred in a couple of episodes and I liked how she was the calmer and smarter one in the marriage. She is, like Betty, the best when with Fred and truly some of their episodes were beyond charming as they are such a romantic and amusing couple.
2. Barney Rubble
Whether because of his goofy laugh or his immature behavior, you just gotta love this guy. He is the best when interacting with Fred as their friendship is just so strong and yet realistic and the episodes where they fight were almost always comedic gems. I loved how he always helped Fred, is genuinely a good man and to me the highlight is his tendency to laugh at his own jokes which was always bound to annoy Fred. A really sympathetic and fun character.
1. Fred Flintstone
Of course Fred gets the number one spot, you just can’t go any other way here as he the protagonist and the entire show lies on his shoulders. I loved his voice, his personality is excellent as was his humor. It was consistently entertaining watching him get angry about something and that character trait proved to be the catalyst for most of the show’s episodes. He is memorable as a husband, but even better as Barney’s friend. The Flintstones almost entirely revolved around him and I have never complained as he is such an unforgettable, always entertaining and very complex (with both good and bad qualities) animated character and one of the best ever created. He truly is a classic character by this point and the main reason why this series is so good.
You can order the entire series here.
