Thursday, September 4, 2014

A Cartoon For Adults


Long before Family Guy or South Park, television's first animated series for adults was The Flintstones. Yes, originally the show was seen as being for adults, not children. That's why Fred and friends openly advertised Winston cigarettes; children were not the intended audience for this cartoon. However, the stereotype of cartoons being solely for children was too strong and Fred soon found himself on Saturday morning television. (Without cigarette ads, of course.) It would take 30 years for shows like The Simpsons, Family Guy, South Park and King of the Hill to bust down the "kiddy entertainment" moniker all animated productions instantly received.




(Fred Flintstone is a cartoon drawn onto a plastic sheet, so don't try this at home, kids.)