The Flintstones is an American animated sitcom that has become a famous and popular cultural reference. He is particularly famous in the United States.
The series follows a family called the Flintstones in the Stone Age. He was particularly appreciated for his humor and his transposition of everyday issues into a prehistoric environment.
The Flintstones first aired in 1960 on ABC and made history as the first animated series to air in prime time.
It was broadcast continuously on that same channel until its finale in 1966.
In total, the series consists of six seasons and 166 episodes. Each episode lasted approximately 25 minutes.
The series still airs on television today and continues to shape today’s pop culture scene. It has been translated into several languages and can also be found on foreign television channels.
Streaming platforms such as HBO Max and Tubi have recently added The Flintstones to their streaming catalog. In doing so, they have renewed public interest in this classic and iconic series.
Although there remains a series at the base, The Flintstones has now become a successful franchise. But how did he go from the series to the franchise?
How did he manage to achieve such success?
This article will explore how the series became a franchise and some of the main reasons for the success of its franchise.
What is a franchise?
Before exploring the success of The Flintstones franchise, the term itself should be defined. So what is a franchise?
A franchise is basically a type of license that a franchisee acquires from a franchisor. With this license, a franchisee is allowed to use the franchisor’s business name to sell products.
In exchange for this license, the franchisee usually has to pay a basic start-up fee and an additional annual license fee.
Some franchise agreements require the franchisee to pay higher annual license fees if product sales increase significantly. Thus, these contracts may vary and have certain conditions imposed by the franchisor.
How did The Flintstones become a successful franchise?
The Flintstones the creators and the production company agreed to give a franchise license to other companies, which allowed them to go from a series to a franchise.
Here are some of the services and derivative products that are part of The Flintstones franchise.
- Games
At Jackpot Party Slots Casino there is free play Flintstones slot machine, the game even features Dino awarding the player random multipliers. All of the key characters are involved, including Fred, Wilma, Barney, and the rest of the gang.
Choose to expand The Flintstones franchise by offering The Flintstones-themed games was a masterful and very profitable decision for its production company and its creators.
Not only are the games great for fans of the series who want to immerse themselves in the universe of the characters, but it’s also a wonderful way for gamers to experience the series itself.
Those unfamiliar with the series will discover it through the games that help promote the original work, increase its popularity and draw attention to other The Flintstones franchise products.
- TV specials, movies and live action movies
After the series ended in 1966, the characters continued to exist and be developed into television specials, movies, and live-action films.
The first television special with the characters was A Flintstone Christmas, released in 1977. Television specials continued until 1993.
As for TV movies, the first The Flintstones one was created in 1987 and the last one in 2001.
To date, there have been two live-action films around The Flintstones. The first was released in 1994 and the second in 2000.
The last screen appearance of The Flintstones the characters were in the hybrid film Space Jam: A New Legacy which was released in 2021.
In 2021, it was revealed that a Flintstones sequel was in the works.
- Comics
After the success of the series, several The Flintstones comics came out.
The Flintstones The universe was explored in greater depth in these comics, and several characters received more attention than they could in the series.
- Some products
Several The Flintstones-thematic products have been sold over the years.
Some of the most famous include The Flintstones The vitamins are still a big hit and are described as “the number 1 pediatrician recommended vitamin brand for children”.
- Ads
It is a little known fact about the series, but some advertisements were placed in the series itself when it was first released. While some may argue that it’s not a franchise per se, it has helped the series earn extra money by promoting outside products.
One such sponsor who paid the creators of the series to promote their wares was Winston Cigarettes.
Final Thoughts
With the series available on popular streaming platforms like HBO Max, The Flintstones will most likely continue to grow as a franchise.
It will most likely remain a very successful franchise and series for decades to come.