I'll be the first to admit that I'm a cartoon junkie. I find no shame in this, nor do I think it's something that leaves me open to ridicule. I'm addicted to cartoons, and I'm not afraid to admit it.
There is a small caveat to my addiction, it can't be a cartoon that was made after I was in my teens. For whatever reason, almost all cartoons since the mid 1990s are sloppy. I'm not sure if it's because they have gone to digital animation instead of hand drawn, their horrible story lines, or a combination of the two.; but I can't handle the way cartons look anymore. They aren't entertaining by any stretch of the imagination, and that's a damn shame. I wish today's kids had the cartoon that I grew up with. Even more than that, I wish they had the cartoons that my mom grew up with, including The Flintstones.
No matter how much Fred Flintstone bloviates, yelled, pushes his chest out, or stomps his humongous feet, his heart is always in the right place. Fred is the quintessential blue collar family man caught up in taking care of his family. He is loud, aggressive, and just a tad bit bossy, but behind his obnoxious exterior, is a man who truly loves his family,
Everything he is, everything he is about, everything he does is centered on giving his family a better life. He works his ass off at the quarry, takes the odd job around town, and is constantly trying to scheme his way into the moneyed elite. He has a heart of gold, and not matter how much he may irritate people, he is the first in line to lend them a helping hand.
I grew up with a father that was like Fred in a superficial way, but unlike him in more ways than one. My dad was loud, obnoxious, pushed his chest out, and unlike Fred, threw a punch more often than not. What he wasn't was a man who was willing to put his family first, and do what needed to be done to take care of them. Who my dad was, is why I love Fred as much as I do. I wanted a father, who despite what was on the exterior, was a man who put his wife and kids first. I wanted a dad who did what it took to make sure we were safe and loved. I'm not sure I wanted a prehistoric caveman who yelled "Yabba Dabba Doo" all the time, but I'm pretty sure that if I had, my father would still be around.
10 comments:
He is the archetype for all the bumbling husbands that are on sitcoms now if you ask me. And ((hugs)) my dad sucked 90% of the time, but that other 10% was a guy that at least was trying underneath.
I never really thought about Fred that way but I can see it and how it would really stand out to you. I always loved that he tried so hard to be the big man of the house and Wilma just let him think that!
I think that's very fitting, especially since he was based off of some of the early Jackie Gleason sitcom characters. I'm not sure my father was every trying, but then again, I was young enough, that all I really remember is the bad stuff.
She sure kept him in his place! They were a great couple to watch, but I think because they were cartoons, they weren't taken as serious as some of the live actions couples that were on TV at the same time.
Ryan, there is no shame in being a "cartoon junkie." I'm one too and I'll add comics and comic-book characters as well. My dad introduced me to both at a very young age and I loved them as much as he did. I like Fred Flinstone but I simply could not digest the two films released in the nineties, I think. The animated films were much better. I'm partial to early comic strips and characters from the Harvey Comics stable.
I totally agree Ryan and I love Fred and Gang, but I think my favorite has to be Scooby Doo ;)
I hated the live action movies, I thought they were horrendous. But I'm not sure I've ever seen a movie version of a TV show, animated or not, that I've ever liked.
I love Scooby and Space Ghost, they are both featured in previous FFC posts.
I was trying to not be too maudlin about the whole thing, but I had to try and explain why I like this character so much.
I highly recommend The Man Called Flintstone which served as a series finale for the show. Excellent film adaptation of the show. Loved it since I was a kid.
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