Barney Rubble is the secondary main character of The Flintstones, an animated, prime-time American television sitcom that was broadcast from 1960 to 1966 on ABC. The show, produced by Hanna-Barbera, fancifully depicted the lives of a working-class Stone Age man, his family, and his next-door neighbor and best friend. The show’s continuing popularity rested heavily on its juxtaposition of modern everyday concerns in the Stone Age setting. The Flintstones was the most financially successful network animated franchise for three decades, until The Simpsons debuted. In 2013, TV Guide Magazine ranked The Flintstones as the second greatest TV cartoon of all time (after The Simpsons). Barney Rubble and other characters from The Flintstones have been mascots of Fruity Pebbles and Cocoa Pebbles breakfast cereal since 1969.
Hanna-Barbera
Barney Rubble – No. 939
Fred Flintstone – No. 938
Fred Flintstone is the main character of The Flintstones, an animated, prime-time American television sitcom that was broadcast from 1960 to 1966 on ABC. The show, produced by Hanna-Barbera, fancifully depicted the lives of a working-class Stone Age man, his family, and his next-door neighbor and best friend. The show’s continuing popularity rested heavily on its juxtaposition of modern everyday concerns in the Stone Age setting. The Flintstones was the most financially successful network animated franchise for three decades, until The Simpsons debuted. In 2013, TV Guide Magazine ranked The Flintstones as the second greatest TV cartoon of all time (after The Simpsons). Fred Flintstone and other characters from The Flintstones have been mascots of Fruity Pebbles and Cocoa Pebbles breakfast cereal since 1969.
Jabberjaw – No. 546
Jabberjaw is an air-breathing, anthropomorphic great white shark whose voice and mannerisms are similar to Curly of The Three Stooges. He is a drummer for The Neptunes, a rock group made up of four teenagers, who live in an underwater civilization in the year 2076. Jabberjaw was the star of a Saturday morning animated series produced by Hanna-Barbera that aired from 1976 to 1978.
Snagglepuss – No. 459
Snagglepuss is a Hanna-Barbera cartoon character created in 1959. This pink anthropomorphic mountain lion is best known for his famous catchphrase, “Heavens to Murgatroyd!” He first appeared in several episodes of The Quick Draw McGraw Show and became a regular segment on The Yogi Bear Show.
Ranger Smith – No. 458
Ranger Smith is a fictional character in the Yogi Bear cartoon series by Hanna-Barbera. A former U.S. Army soldier, Ranger Smith is the serious and stern authority figure in Jellystone Park, in contrast to the antics of the troublesome Yogi, and he greatly disapproves of Yogi’s picnic basket thievery.
Boo-Boo Bear – No. 457
Boo-Boo Bear is a cartoon bear cub in a bow tie. He first appeared in 1958 as a supporting character in the Hanna-Barbera series The Huckleberry Hound Show with his companion Yogi Bear. Boo-Boo often acts as Yogi Bear’s conscience and tries to prevent him from doing things he shouldn’t in Jellystone Park.
Yogi Bear – No. 456
Yogi Bear is a cartoon bear whose name is a nod to baseball star Yogi Berra. He first appeared in 1958 as a supporting character in the Hanna-Barbera series The Huckleberry Hound Show. The plot of most of Yogi’s cartoons centers on his antics in the fictional Jellystone Park. Yogi, accompanied by his constant companion Boo-Boo Bear, often tries to steal picnic baskets from campers in the park.
Huckleberry Hound – No. 455
Huckleberry Hound is a blue cartoon dog that speaks with a relaxed Southern drawl. Huck is typically portrayed trying to perform a job, in fields ranging from policeman to dogcatcher. His efforts typically backfire, yet he succeeds through slow persistence or sheer luck. He first appeared in the Hanna-Barbera series The Huckleberry Hound Show in 1958. He has appeared in other Hanna-Barbera productions, including Yogi’s Gang in 1973.
Quick Draw McGraw – No. 443
Quick Draw McGraw is an anthropomorphic cartoon horse who starred in The Quick Draw McGraw Show (1959-1962), the third cartoon television production created by Hanna-Barbera. He is usually depicted as a sheriff, with a Mexican burro deputy named Baba Looey. Quick Draw was the mascot for Sugar Smacks (now Honey Smacks) from 1961-1965. In the 1970s, he appeared in several productions with Yogi Bear and friends.
The Great Gazoo (The Flintstones) – No. 387
The Great Gazoo is a tiny, green, floating alien who first appeared in The Flintstones animated series in 1965. He was banished to prehistoric Earth from his home planet Zetox in 2000 AD, as punishment for having invented a doomsday machine. He can materialize and dematerialize objects, teleport and manipulate time. The only people able to see him are Fred, Barney, and the children, because they believe in him; animals can also see him.
Note: Gazoo was introduced midway through the show’s final season and is often cited as an example of The Flintstones having “jumped the shark.” In all, Gazoo appeared in 11 episodes, and was basically the nail in the show’s coffin. “Toodle-loo, dumb-dumbs!”
Cap’n Crunch – No. 238
The cartoon mascot of Cap’n Crunch, a product line of sweetened corn and oat breakfast cereals introduced in 1963 and manufactured by the Quaker Oats Company. The sea cap’n’s full name is Horatio Magellan Crunch. Jay Ward Productions created the trademark character and Hanna-Barbera provided the cartoon animation for the original TV commercials.
Mr. T – No. 167
An American actor known for his roles as B. A. Baracus in the 1980s TV series The A-Team, as boxer Clubber Lang in the 1982 film Rocky III and for his appearances as a professional wrestler. He is also known for his trademark African Mandinka warrior hairstyle and his gold jewelry. This dude has been pitying fools for 30 years now.
Space Ghost – No. 164
A fictional superhero created by Hanna-Barbera in the 1960s. In his original incarnation, he fought supervillains in outer space. In the 1990s, he was the host of the animated parody talk show Space Ghost Coast to Coast on Cartoon Network and Adult Swim, which I quite enjoyed. In the 2000s, he was revamped as a serious superhero by DC Comics.
Grape Ape – No. 161
A 40-foot-tall purple gorilla and star of The Great Grape Ape Show, which was a late-1970s Saturday morning Hanna-Barbera cartoon. His catchphrase is repeating his name twice (“Grape Ape, Grape Ape”) after anything anyone says, usually as a form of agreement or acknowledgment. He travels the countryside with his canine pal Beegle Beagle.
Grape Ape is also one of my favorite items from Oregon’s Voodoo Doughnut. It’s a raised yeast doughnut with vanilla frosting, grape dust and lavender sprinkles.
Thumkii (Monchhichis) – No. 406
Monchhichi is a line of Japanese stuffed toy monkeys that Mattel introduced to the U.S. in the late 1970s. The Hanna-Barbera cartoon series Monchhichis debuted in 1983. Monchhichis are monkey-like creatures who live in the forest land of Monchia at the tops of very tall trees, high above the clouds. As a child, one of my favorite stuffed animals was a Monchhichi. I believe the character was the thumb-sucking Thumkii.
After additional, very important research, I have identified both of my beloved thumb-sucking monkey dolls from childhood. One was a tan, 11″ monkey from Atlanta Novelty, a division of Gerber Products. And the other was the banana-holding Thumkey, a 7″ Russ Berrie knockoff of the Monchhichi line. Both had plush bodies with plastic faces and hands.