Lot 310: 1994 bc The Flintstones Barney Rubble's Family Car

Yyyyyyyyyyyyyyyabba-dabba-doooooooo! 'Flintstones... Meet the Flintstones, They're a modern Stone Age family.From the town of Bedrock, They're a page right out of history' The Flintstones was the first, and the longest running, animated situation comedy shown on prime-time television. Premiering on ABC on 30 September 1960, it gained high ratings in its first season, thus establishing animation as a viable prime time format. Produced by Hanna-Barbera (Bill Hanna and Joe Barbera), The Flintstones was patterned after Jackie Gleason's The Honeymooners. Designed as a programme for the entire family, it was not billed as children's television until its rebroadcast by NBC in 1967. Its popularity with teenagers in its 8.30pm Friday time slot, however, presaged the late 1960s move to animation as the pre-eminent format for children's programming. 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 sabre tooth 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. Such is the popularity of The Flintstones that its characters still appear in commercials today and other tie-ins include travelling road shows, toys, and other children's products. The Flintstones played on ABC in prime time through September 1966 and was rebroadcast on Saturday mornings by NBC from January 1967 through to September 1970. Various spin-offs and specials also appeared on the CBS or NBC Saturday morning line-up throughout most of the 1970s, and continue to reappear today. In 1994 the story was the basis for a massively successful Hollywood blockbuster starring John Goodman as Fred Flintstone. Good 'ol Fred and Barney, played by Rick Moranis, are two stone age blue-collar pals who mine rock for a living at the Slate and Company quarry. They help each other out whenever they can, like the time that Fred gives Barney some cash to help him and Betty adopt a son, or the occasion when Barney fudges Fred's company appraisal scores and lands him an executive position in the company - which unfortunately puts him right where scheming snake Cliff Vandercave (Kyle McLachlan) wants him. The whole loveable gang is here, along with some dazzling set and creature effects, to make The Flintstones a family favourite. On offer is Barney Rubble's family car, designed and built by none other than Hollywood's legendary film car creator, Jay Ohrberg. Ohrberg is well known for a large number of the most famous film cars ever, amongst them the Batmobiles, the DeLorean from Back to the Future, Woody Allen's 'Sleeper Car' and Herbie the Love Bug, to name but a few. Ohrberg used a golf cart as a base, lengthened the chassis and designed and constructed his own glassfibre body panels. Power is supplied by 12 volt car batteries propelling the car to impressive speeds, at least by Stone Age standards. We are informed by the vendor, who purchased the car some time ago from the Cars of the Stars Museum, that this car is in working order and in overall good condition. Great fun for all the family..When you're with the Flintstones, Have a yabba dabba doo time, A dabba doo time, We'll have a gay old time.Yyyyyyyyyyyyyyyabba-dabba-doooooooo!