How The Flintstones Ended Up On Fruity Pebbles
You're probably already acquainted with the Flintstones, the modern Stone Age family. Even if you didn't grow up watching Fred, Wilma, Pebbles, and Dino on The Flintstones cartoon, there's a good chance you'd recognize Fred Flintstone's face from just about every supermarket that sells cereal in North America. Fruity Pebbles may be far off from the Bronto-burgers referenced in the TV show, but as MeTV reports, in 1971, this cereal was introduced nationally across the United States with the iconic face of Fred Flintstone on the box to promote it. But, however classic the brand may seem now, the product we know wasn't always this classic name and face combo.
According to MeTV, the working names for Fruity Pebbles included "Flint Chips" as well as "Rubble Stones." As unappetizing as those may sound, the cereal had originally been on the market under the name Sugar Rice Krinkles and even had a balding clown that served as a mascot. Now, even though The Flintstones had been off the air for a handful of years by the time Fruity Pebbles came out, the show was already syndicated and had a regular presence on Saturday morning cartoons.
A long-lasting Flintstones spin-off
Mr. Breakfast's piece on the connection between The Flintstones and Fruity Pebbles helps to explain the history of the partnership. The cartoon was first aired in 1960 and finished its run in 1966. When Fruity Pebbles launched in 1971, so did the new cartoon The Pebbles and Bam-Bam Show. It helped boost the brand identity of both the cereal and the series. Though there were several spin-off series and films, it wasn't until years later when The Flintstones became the face of, not just one, but several versions of the Fruity Pebbles brand. Even as late as 2020, Fruity Pebbles have been pushing their own spin-offs of the cereal with Magic Fruity Pebbles. From Dino Pebbles to Bedrock Blizzard Cocoa Pebbles to Dino's S'Mores Pebbles — Post has gotten a lot of mileage out of the cartoon tie-in.
Even though Pebbles was the name of the young daughter of Fred and Wilma Flintstone, she would probably be feeling old, if not prehistoric, as this year marks the 50th anniversary of Fruity Pebbles.