Barbera and Hanna created the ever-popular cartoon The Flintstones after they had been labeled as "kids only" producers. They wanted to expand their demographic and concentrate on a show for just adults.
At this time, TV was becoming more and more popular and children were able to watch TV shows by themselves, meaning that shows didn't need to be made to appeal to both children and their families. This left room for The Flintstones, a sitcom for adults. The cartoon features Fred who is a working class man just trying to provide for his family during the Stone Age. The show had very similar humor to the hit show, 'The Honeymooners,' making it a success. The Flintstones actually were so similar to The Honeymooners that Jackie Gleason considered suing Barbera and Hanna, but later pulled out due to how many people loved the cartoon.
For the first 2 years of the show, Winston Cigarettes was a co-sponsor for The Flintstones. Cartoon stars, Fred and his wife, Wilma were featured in black and white commercials for Winston cigarettes. The commercials show Fred and Wilma smoking cigarettes in their living room and looking very happy.
At this time, most of the American population smoked cigarettes and this helped to make The Flintstones a classic cartoon that eventually was popular with all age groups.
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