Fred Flintstone - Personality and Occupation

Personality and Occupation

Fred's personality was based on that of Ralph Kramden of the 1950s television series The Honeymooners and Chester A. Riley from The Life of Riley. Thus, much like Ralph, Fred tends to be loud-mouthed, aggressive, and constantly scheming ways to improve his family's working class lot in life, often with unintended results. Archie Bunker of All in the Family and Archie Bunker's Place and George Jefferson of The Jeffersons also have similar personalities. Also like these characters, Fred is a very temperamental character. He loses his temper very quickly and is very impatient.

Fred is a typical blue-collar worker, who works as a "bronto crane operator" at Slate Rock and Gravel Company (also known as Rockhead and Quarry Cave Construction Company in the earliest episodes). Fred's job title in "Divided We Sail" is geological engineer. However, when their children become teenagers, Fred and Barney join the Bedrock police force for a period of time as part-time police officers.

The Flintstone family's paternal side originally came from the prehistoric US state of Arkanstone, where they had been engaged in a feud with the Hatrock family. The feud was originally started by an ancestor of Fred's making a wisecrack about a Hatrock family portrait ("I don't know what the artist got for doing that painting, but he should have gotten life!"). In the episode "Bedrock Hillbillies," the feud is ended when Fred helps save a Hatrock baby (and Pebbles) from going over a waterfall, only to start up again when Fred makes the very same wisecrack. The Hatrocks later appear in the followup episode "The Hatrocks and the Gruesomes," where they visit Bedrock. The last of the Arkanstone Flintstones was Fred's great-great-uncle Zeke Flintstone. Among other relatives of Fred include: Giggles Flintstone, a rich, eccentric practical joker whose jokes drive Fred into a mad rage; Uncle Tex Hardrock, Fred's rich Texan uncle; Tumbleweed (who, strangely enough, resembles Uncle Tex) and Mary Lou Jim, Fred's rich Texan cousins; and Rockbottom "Rocky" Flintstone, Fred's grandfather, who was a veteran of Stone World War One.

Fred's interests include bowling, playing pool, golf, poker and lounging around the house. At the first two of these, he is very skilled, as seen in an episode where (in disguise) he plays against Wilma's unsuspecting mother. Fred has won championships with his incredible bowling skills; in one episode, he goes so far as to take ballet lessons in order to improve his game. The nickname of "Twinkletoes" stuck with him when Fred attended a local college and became eligible to play on their football team, and it became his call sign. Fred is also an excellent golfer. In one episode he wins the championship only to have Barney repossess the winning trophy cup because Fred is behind in his dues. Fred, like Barney, was also a member of the Loyal Order of Water Buffalos Lodge (named "the Loyal Order of Dinosaurs" in an early episode). Fred also has a serious gambling problem; the mere mention of the word "bet" causes Fred to stammer "bet" over and over again and go on gambling binges. Fred is also an avid driver. In the fifth season episode "Indianrockolis 500," Fred entered the famed prehistoric auto race under the pseudonym "Goggles Pisano"; the race's announcer repeatedly compared Fred's performance to somebody "driving on the freeway".

The original series had several stories focusing on movies or television. In one, Fred makes a fool of himself trying to give Wilma acting lessons after she wins a TV appearance – only for the only part of her to appear on TV is her hands. In another, when Fred wins a TV appearance he tries to act like a "stage parent", until he comes down with stage fright. A third time, Fred appears on a TV commercial in a non-speaking role as a "before" picture of a person before going on a diet. Once, Fred even appeared in a movie, but merely as a stunt double.

Fred's catchphrase "Yabba-Dabba-Doo!" (originally derived from the Brylcreem advertising jingle motto "A Little Dab'll Do Ya!"), becomes the subject of a song by Hoagy Carmichael that the singer-songwriter performs in an episode of The Flintstones. Fred's ability to carry a tune was quite good in his younger years. One early episode was where he did a jam with his musician friend "Hot Lips Hannigan", (with Barney, who is apparently a skilled drummer) where his singing caused teenage girls to swoon over him. On this occasion he was named "the Golden Smog". In another early episode, "Girls' Night Out", Fred recorded a demo record at a carnival of the song "Listen to the Rocking Bird", which ended up making him a teenage singing idol named "Hi Fye." As the series progressed, however, his voice became worse and worse, eventually to the point that a temporary maid the Flintstones hired quit rather than having to hear Fred sing.

Due to his impulsive and short-tempered behavior and stubborn and naive nature, Fred seems to be accident-prone. Even his most innocent and mundane actions often cause widespread confusion.

According to the original series' third season episode "The Birthday Party" (originally aired April 5, 1963), Fred's birthday is February 2.