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Barney Rubble
The Flintstones character
Barney Rubble.png
First appearance "The Flagstones" (1959)
Created by William Hanna
Joseph Barbera
Portrayed by Rick Moranis (1994 film)
Stephen Baldwin (2000 film)
Voiced by Mel Blanc (1960–1989)
Daws Butler (1961–1973)
Hamilton Camp (1986-1988)
Frank Welker (1990–2006)
Jeff Bergman (1990–2009, 2015, 2018)
Kevin Michael Richardson (2001–present)
Paul F. Tompkins (Jellystone!)
Information
Species Caveman
Gender Male
Occupation Furniture reprocessor (original series)
Police officer
Crane operator
Family Robert "Bob" Rubble (father)
Flo Slate Rubble (mother)
Roxy Rubble (granddaughter),
Chip Rubble (grandson)
Dusty Rubble (brother)
Pebbles Flintstone (goddaughter/daughter-in-law)
Spouse(s) Betty Rubble (wife)
Children Bamm-Bamm Rubble (adopted son)

Barney Rubble is a fun fictional character from the famous cartoon show The Flintstones. He is a short, blond-haired caveman. Barney is married to Betty Rubble and is the adoptive father of Bamm-Bamm Rubble. His very best friend is his next-door neighbor, Fred Flintstone.

Barney's personality was inspired by a character named Ed Norton from an old TV show called The Honeymooners. Just like Ed Norton, Barney is usually happy with life. His friend Fred, like Ralph Kramden from The Honeymooners, often comes up with quick ways to get rich. Barney usually joins in on Fred's plans because they are good friends. He often shows his agreement by laughing and saying, "Uh hee hee hee... OK, Fred!" or "Hee hee hee... whatever you say, Fred!"

In the very first episodes, Barney had a voice that sounded like someone from New Jersey. This soon changed to a deeper, more cheerful voice. However, in some later shows, his New Jersey accent returned.

Barney's Hobbies and Skills

Barney loves to have fun! His favorite hobbies include:

  • Bowling
  • Playing pool
  • Playing poker
  • Working on things in Fred's garage
  • Playing golf (though sometimes he didn't know how!)

Barney and Fred were also members of a club called the Loyal Order of Water Buffaloes. In earlier episodes, it was called the Loyal Order of Dinosaurs. Barney is also good at playing the piano and drums. In one episode, he even invented a helicopter that ran on human power! Another time, he built a super-fast sports car. It almost won a big race, but its stone wheels broke at the very end.

Barney's Life Story

Barney grew up in a town called Granitetown, north of Bedrock, at 142 Boulder Avenue. He was the nephew of Fred Flintstone's boss, Mr. George Slate. When Barney and Fred were young adults, they worked as bellhops at a resort. That's where they met Wilma and Betty, who were working as cigarette girls. Eventually, Barney and Betty got married, just like Fred and Wilma.

Some stories and spin-off shows suggest that Barney and Fred were in the army together early in their marriages. This might refer to their military service in an episode called "The Astr'nuts."

Barney's Job

For a long time, it wasn't clear what Barney's job was in the original Flintstones show. Later spin-offs showed him working at the Slate Rock and Gravel Company quarry with Fred. He operated a dino-crane, a machine that uses a dinosaur! In one early episode, Barney was seen working at the Granite Building for a Mr. H. Granite. In another episode, Betty said Barney was in "top-secret" work, which might have been a joke or a way to hide that he had a simple job or no job at all. In one episode, Barney's boss told him to "put down his broom," which might mean he did some cleaning work. In newer shows like The New Fred and Barney Show, Barney works alongside Fred at the same quarry.

Barney's Voice Actors

The voice of Barney Rubble was mainly done by Mel Blanc. He was asked to make Barney sound like Ed Norton, but he didn't want to copy another actor's voice. So, for the first 15 episodes, Barney had a higher-pitched voice with a New Jersey accent. Later, Blanc changed his mind, and Barney's voice became deeper and more cheerful.

After a car accident, Mel Blanc was in a coma for two weeks. During this time, Daws Butler briefly took over as Barney's voice for a few episodes. Butler also voiced Yogi Bear, who was also inspired by Ed Norton. When Blanc recovered, he was able to record his lines from his bedside. After the accident, Blanc's voice for Barney changed again, becoming deeper and more like a chuckle. Barney also seemed a bit more silly than before.

Adopting Bamm-Bamm

During the fourth season of The Flintstones, Betty and Barney found a baby boy named "Bamm-Bamm" left on their doorstep. They wanted to adopt him, but a rich man also wanted to adopt Bamm-Bamm. Barney and Betty won the court case because the rich man gave up after his wife became pregnant. Bamm-Bamm then became a regular character on the show. Later, in the fifth season, the family got a pet hopparoo (a mix of a kangaroo and a dinosaur) named Hoppy.

Later Life

When Bamm-Bamm grew up and became a teenager, Barney joined the Bedrock police force with Fred. They worked as part-time officers. Barney later became a grandfather to Pebbles's and Bamm-Bamm's children, Chip and Roxy.

Even though Fred and Barney are best friends, Barney sometimes gets annoyed with Fred. For example, in the movie "I Yabba-Dabba Do!", Barney almost left Bedrock because Fred ruined Pebbles's and Bamm-Bamm's wedding. But Fred apologized, and Barney changed his mind. Fred can also get annoyed by Barney's constant cheerfulness, but he truly cares about his best friend.

In the original show, Barney's eyes were drawn differently in early seasons compared to later ones. In the first five seasons, they were often drawn as ovals or dark circles. In season six, they became solid black, similar to Wilma's eyes.

Barney in Cartoons and Movies

Barney Rubble has appeared in many different cartoons and movies over the years!

Television Shows

Films and Specials

Who Played Barney?

Mel Blanc was the main voice actor for Barney Rubble for many years. When Blanc was recovering from a car accident, Daws Butler briefly voiced Barney. Butler also voiced a character named Ned Morton, who was a mouse version of Ed Norton, the character who inspired Barney.

Since Mel Blanc passed away, many other talented voice actors have played Barney. These include Frank Welker, Jeff Bergman, Joe Alaskey, Keith Scott, Stephen Stanton, Kevin Michael Richardson, Scott Innes, Dave Coulier, Marc Silk, Brad Abrell, and Wally Wingert. Hamilton Camp voiced Barney in The Flintstone Kids.

In the 1994 live-action Flintstones movie, Barney was played by Rick Moranis. In the 2000 movie, The Flintstones in Viva Rock Vegas, he was played by Stephen Baldwin.

See also

Kids robot.svg In Spanish: Pablo Mármol para niños

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