Happy Birthday, Pebbles

 It was sixty-one years ago today that the Flintstones house became a home of three, and Pebbles Flintstone first charmed viewers with her cute demeanor and adorable design. Dolls of the character quickly flew off store shelves, and before long, Pebbles was a staple of the franchise. Now, if I'm being honest with you, I'm not the biggest fan of Pebbles as a character (nor Bamm-Bamm for that matter). While I like the later episodes of the series more than most, I see them as the point where the show stopped being for everyone, and started being geared more for younger audiences. Still, considering the date and the fact this is Flintstones February, I couldn't have let today go by without writing something for her. However, baby Pebbles isn't the focus of today's post.

Instead, let's head to 1971 and discuss the older version of the character featured in The Pebbles and Bamm-Bamm Show. This was the first major spin-off of The Flintstones since the original cartoon ended in '66, and saw both Pebbles and Bamm-Bamm as teenagers getting into misadventures all over Bedrock. Given that this was the first in a long line of Flintstones continuations, it's no surprise that there was a lot of buzz about this show when it premiered. Here's a sneak peek of the show that appeared in Kenosha News on August 7th, 1971. While I'm discussing things I'm not big on, I'm not a tremendous fan of this spin-off or most of the others, but considering its place in the franchise's history, as well as the fact that I've never discussed the show before, the time felt right to spotlight this moment in the evolution of the series.

Pebbles grows up

    A second generation of a family which captivated television audiences all over the world will be seen this fall when teenage children of two celebrated Stone Age families — the "Flintstones" and the "Rubbles" — will star in their own series.
    The prehistoric spoof, based on two moppets originally in "The Flintstones," is called "Pebbles and Bamm-Bamm." The Hanna-Barbera Productions cartoon series debuts at 9 a.m. Saturday, Sept. 11, on CBS.
    In the 1962-63 season Fred and Wilma had a daughter — Pebbles — and Barney and Betty a son - Bamm-Bamm.
    Bamm-Bamm was the kid with all the strength. He used to go around knocking in the cave walls and crashing the furnishings.
    The new show will include teenage fad items, such as bell-bottom caveskins, souped-up cave buggies and a teenage hangout called the Rock Shop.
    The two teenagers are involved in a light-hearted romance — "going steady." Adding to the fun are the usual jealousies and rivals from other Bedrock teenagers.
    The original "Flintstones" characters will be in the series only occasionally, for instance Fred and Barney will be on hand to cause an opening complication for the kids.
    Actress Sally Struthers, of "All in the Family" is the voice of Pebbles. Jay North of the old "Dennis the Menace" show does Bamm-Bamm.