The Jetsons Meet the Flintstones

(The Channel Awesome logo and show opening play)

NC: Hello, I'm the Nostalgia Critic. I remember it so you don't have to. There's a lot of cinematic and television universes out there, isn't there?

(A montage of promo images of TV show spinoffs is shown: Better Call Saul, Fear the Walking Dead, Young Sheldon, Star Trek Discovery)

NC (vo): Hell, if you're gonna start a new show nowadays, it's almost expected you have a spinoff ready to go just in case it becomes a hit.

(Now cut to a collage of classic movie monsters from Universal)

NC (vo): The ones that started it were arguably the Universal Monsters...

(Cut to a second movie collage, this one of Marvel superheroes)

NC (vo): ...and the most popular today is arguably the Marvel Cinematic Universe.

NC: But somewhere in between, there's a universe that everybody overlooks: the Hanna-Barbera universe.

(A new montage begins, consisting of Hanna-Barbera character crossovers, starting with an image of the "funny animal" types (i.e., Yogi Bear, Huckleberry Hound, Quick Draw McGraw, etc.) appearing together. After this, we cut to a shot of a Captain Caveman cartoon featured on The Flintstone Kids entitled "Grime and Punishment")

NC (vo): Yeah, from Yogi Bear meeting Huckleberry Hound to Captain Caveman meeting the Flintstone Kids...

(Now another image is shown, this one of various HB characters all standing around in Olympic garb for the "Laff-a-Lympics", which consists of such teams as the Yogi Yahooeys (consisting of the aforementioned funny animals like Yogi and Huckleberry), the Scooby Doobys (led by Scooby-Doo, naturally) and the Really Rottens (consisting of generic villain types, led by a recolored/renamed Dick Dastardly and his sidekick Muttley). Also with them is a fourth team that was not real, just made up by fans, known as the Dabba Doozys, led by teen versions of Pebbles and Bamm-Bamm and featuring HB characters that don't quite fit in the other teams (including Tom and Jerry apparently))

NC (vo): ...even having so many characters, they formed their own weekly "laff-a-lympics"...

(Now cut to a huge crowd shot of all manner of HB characters of the past all gathered together, with caricatures of William Hanna and Joseph Barbera themselves standing front and center)

NC (vo): ...this was for little kids what monsters and Marvel were for big kids. And you know what? They didn't get enough attention.

(Another image of the Laff-a-Lympics teams is shown, albeit without the Dabba Doozys this time)

NC (vo): It's hard enough having one show get off the ground, but when you literally have so many you can have your own Olympics, that's pretty damn impressive.

(Now cut to an image of another set of HB characters relevant to the topic at hand: the Jetsons and the Flintstones)

NC (vo): I bring this up because one of the biggest Hanna-Barbera crossovers that kids wanted to see and had to wait years to finally get...

NC: ...came to us in 1987 with The Jetsons Meet the Flintstones*. (Beat) SHIT'S GOING DOWN!


 * NOTE: The Jetsons Meet the Flintstones was one in a series of TV movies collectively known as "The Hanna-Barbera Superstar 10". Interestingly, The Jetsons Meet the Flintstones was also the only movie in the series to feature the Flinstones, whereas the Jetsons would get a second movie for themselves: Rockin' with Judy Jetson.

(The title for this movie is shown, followed by a montage of clips from it)

NC (vo): I'd be lying if I said I found either of these shows to be great works of art, but they were groundbreaking in their own right and gigantic hits.

NC: And yeah, as a little kid, I loved both of them.

NC (vo): They were bright, colorful, easy to follow, and, to their credit, very imaginative, at least in terms of how their worlds worked. They were among Hanna-Barbera's most profitable properties. But, despite years of request, they had no idea how to make the Stone Age meet up with the age of the future. Well, after years of waiting, they finally came up with a TV special to combine the two. Nowadays, this doesn't seem like anything that special, but back then, it was kind of a big deal, if you were a little kid in the '80s. But that leaves the question: is it just for kids in the '80s, or is there something for a modern audience? Well, let's combine the past with the future to find out.

NC: This is the biggest crossover until the ones that came after it! This is Jetsons Meet the Flintstones.

(The film opens in Orbit City (the Jetsons' hometown), with a robot rooster crowing while George Jetson is trying to sleep)

NC (vo): As the credits roll, we see a robotic rooster wake up George Jetson... Kind of the alarm version of Bob, isn't it?... (Cut briefly to a shot of Microsoft Bob) ...as George seems to be having a bad dream.

George (George O'Hanlon): (in his sleep) No, Mr. Spacely, that's my throat you're strangling! (clutches his own throat)

NC: At least, I hope that's considered a bad dream.

(When George refuses to awaken, the bed forces him awake by catapulting him out of it and into the shower, where his pajamas are stripped off and the shower is turned on to cold)

NC (vo; as George): My one-piece, tear-off pajamas!

NC: Man, the future's kinky!

(Meanwhile, a similar thing happens in Bedrock: Fred Flintstone is also sleeping)

NC (vo): Cut to earlier in the day, plus 66 million years, as we see Fred Flintstone is getting up as well.

(Like George, Fred refuses to wake up when the alarm clock, consisting of an hourglass and a squawking bird acting as the alarm, tells him to, so the bird has to take extreme measures by summoning Dino, who runs in and awakens Fred by jumping on his bed and licking him, much to his annoyance)

Fred (Henry Corden): Hey, stop! Cut it out, Dino, you hear me?!

NC: I hate whenever I see that now, I have to block out...

(The scene of Dino licking Fred is shown again, along with a clip of Weird Al Yankovic's "Bedrock Anthem" video, showing a clip of Dino licking Fred there, followed by Weird Al wagging his tongue around)

NC (vo): ...Weird Al Yankovic doing his weird tongue trick.

(In the future, Mr. Spacely appears on a video monitor, with Jane Jetson addressing it)

NC (vo): George gets ready for work while his boss gives him a call.

Jane (Penny Singleton): George, it's Mr. Spacely. What shall I tell him?

(George can't answer; he is being groomed by machines, combing his hair, shaving him, and brushing his teeth, the last one muffling his speech so it's too inaudible to make out)

NC: (as Jane) Drinking in the morning again, George? Thank God the kids are dead.

(The title Dark Jetsons appears on the screen)

NC (vo; announcer voice): Dark Jetsons will return after these messages.

NC (vo): The food machine seems to be broken, giving everybody the wrong meal.

Jane: (seeing Elroy Jetson eating a huge banana split sundae) You ordered ice cream for breakfast?!

Elroy (Daws Butler): I ordered capsulated, whole grain cereal with dehydrated fruit chips.

NC: Ah, an L.A. millennial breakfast.

Elroy: (leaving while standing on a moving walkway) I gotta meet Mr. Orbit. He's helping me with my science project: a time machine.

George: (irritably, arms on hips) Now there's a real waste of time.

(George enters another room, also on a moving walkway)

NC (vo): Yeah, now continue on your sidewalk that moves your perfectly able feet. Also, a time machine is just a school assignment?

NC: (somewhat creeped out) Isn't that like (Image of a skeletal corpse appears in the corner) bringing the dead back to life for your religious studies class?

(Back in the Stone Age, Fred is trying to take a shower using a mammoth's trunk, but, again, like George, the water is coming out cold, as he is seen shivering as the water lands on him)

Fred: Wilma, the elephant is out of hot water!

NC: No, he's not, you just don't want to know where it comes out of.

Wilma Flintstone (Jean Vander Pyl): First thing tomorrow, I'll have the plumber bring in a new elephant.

NC: (shakes head) Trust me, (Image of the elephant graveyard from The Lion King appears in the corner) you don't want to see where they put the old ones!

(Wilma and Betty Rubble are looking a brochure for Honolurock, then Wilma turns on a radio to get the weather report)

NC (vo): They check the weather report to see if their possible future vacation spot, Honolurock, is looking pleasant.

(In the radio, a bird is seen looking out through a pair of binoculars)

Bird: The temperature in downtown Bedrock is 47 degrees. Honolurock: gorgeous as usual.

NC: Okay, is there a supercut of all the appliance scenes? 'Cause it really is the only good part of the show.

Fred: (adjusting his tie) Oh, boy, sweet-n-sour bronto ribs and lizard gizzards, my favorite breakfast! (runs out into the kitchen)

NC: (his head resting on his hand) Anyone who has to say lines like that for a living is making too many good life choices.

(Fred is talking to Barney Rubble on the phone, the latter's ringing is caused by a monkey hitting a gong)

NC (vo): Fred calls Barney, suspecting that Wilma is cooking him his favorite breakfast so that he'll agree to take her to Honolurock. Ah, Stone Age problems sound nice.

Betty (Julie Dees): (to Wilma, as Fred eats the huge ribs) I'll bet Fred was wondering where they serve sweet-n-sour ribs every day of the week.

Fred: (shaking head) No, he wasn't. (takes another bite)

NC: He was wondering...

(The camera closes in on Fred's mouth as he eats)

NC (vo): ...if his gums have Addison's disease!

NC: Seriously, you should get that looked at!

(Wilma and Betty are now wearing grass skirts, as the former plays a hula song on a ukulele while they do a hula dance)

NC: Oh, now I know I saw this in an episode of I Love Lucysaurus. (Beat) See, I can make those kind of jokes, too.

(Barney arrives to take Fred to work, and they start to leave, which upsets Wilma and Betty, who hold up their grass skirts to him)

Wilma: Haven't you noticed anything?!

Fred: Yeah, those grass skirts. You back up to the stove, you can start a fire.

NC: (as Fred) Change into something else! You look like cavewomen! (Pause) How does this work?

(Meanwhile, George gets caught trying to sneak into work two minutes late and dropped down a slide tube into Mr. Spacely's office)

NC (vo): Back in the future, George walks into work late.

Mr. Spacely (Mel Blanc): (scowls at George as he lands on his desk) Nice of you to drop in, George.

NC: (as Spacely) Now kiss me!

(In George's office, Spacely is addressing George about trouble at Spacely Sprockets, but notices George's computer, R.U.D.I., eavesdropping, irritating him)

Spacely: Tune out, R.U.D.I.

R.U.D.I.: (to Spacely) Yes, sir, Mr. Spacely. (sotto, to George) I'll be here when you need me, George. (tunes out)

NC: Well, that wasn't creepy at all.

Spacely: That isn't a computer, it's a nursemaid.

NC: (nods nervously) And that didn't make it any creepier.

NC (vo): Spacely says he suspects a leak from George as a lot of his projects are being stolen by his competitor [Cogswell Cogs].

Spacely: ...from the Lunar Probe to the Humphrey Bogart look-alike sprockets for the nostalgia buffs.

NC: (scoffs) Dorks.

R.U.D.I.: (tuning back in briefly, sporting a different face for some reason) Tsk, tsk, tsk, too bad, sweetheart.

NC: Everything that computer does scares me. Please stop.

NC (vo): Spacely tells George to spy on his competitor or he's fired. Wait, why would you send the suspected leak to spy for you? That's like sending (A shot of Major Toht from Raiders of the Lost Ark appears in the corner) this guy to tattle on Hitler.

(Meanwhile, at Slate Rock and Gravel Quarry, where Fred and Barney work, it's coffee break time as a bird toots like a steam whistle to announce it)

NC (vo): Back in the past, Fred and Barney talk about combining their money to win a poker game so they can take their wives on even better vacations than what they had planned.

Barney (Mel Blanc): But Fred, the last time six times you felt lucky, you lost.

Fred: Have you ever seen me lose seven times in a row?

NC: I don't know, how many Flintstone spinoffs have you tried?

(As he says this, titles of these spinoffs are displayed: The Pebbles and Bamm-Bamm Show, The New Fred and Barney Show, The Flintstone Comedy Show, Yabba Dabba Dinosaurs, Bedrock Cops, The Flintstone Kids, and The Flintstones in Viva Rock Vegas)

NC (vo): But his boss says he has to work the night shift, while in the future, Spacely's competitor, Cogswell, is basking in his marketing success.

Cogswell's computer: (sultry female voice) Eight-and-a-half billion Humphrey Bogart cogs.

Mr. Cogswell: If you were a woman... I mean, a real woman... I could kiss you.

NC: (smiling) This aged fantastic.

NC (vo): George sneaks in as Cogswell's dog [Sentro]...

NC: (shrugs) The future.

NC (vo): ...and finds out that his computer, R.U.D.I., is the leak.

George: (stunned) R.U.D.I.? My best friend, R.U.D.I., is the leak?!

(The scene fades to black, replaced by a message reading: "And that's how Skynet was born. The end.")