Maggie Simpson | Simpsons Wiki | Fandom powered by Wikia [ show ] Personality Despite being the only member of the Simpson Family who can't speak, Maggie is in no way one-dimensional and has many different layers of personality. She appears to be somewhat detached from the rest of the Simpson Family and is described as "the forgotten Simpson" by Homer . When she, Bart and Lisa were shipped to a foster home (the Flanders) Maggie was the quickest to adapt and almost joined them until she noticed Marge . Perhaps Maggie's most strained relationship was with her father, Homer but due to his incredible laziness he neglected Maggie and when they do try to bond, Maggie sees her father as a kind of monster and actually tries to run away, she also developed a father-daughter relationship with Moe the bartender but the two still love each other and Maggie has more than once saved Homer's life. Not to mention she said her first word, "Daddy" after Homer tucked her in and kissed her goodnight meaning it's clear that she loves him as much as he does her. Maggie's strongest relationship was with Marge after being transported to a foster family.

Maggie almost joined the Flanders until she saw Marge once again "and became a Simpson again." At the beginning Maggie seemed to rely on Marge and the likewise but eventually she became fiercely independent as she was able to plan a Great Escape-style breakout from a daycare center to get her pacifier back, she was able to save her father from drowning and rescue Homer from a mad tow truck driver. Despite being a baby, Maggie is likely to be the most mature member of the Simpson family . However, she keeps her intelligence a secret in order to be babied. This is first revealed when Marge gives her a new pacifier, and when Marge isn't looking she smokes it like a cigarette. Even for a child her age, showed extremely violent mannerisms and a surprising amount of physical strength. She was able to lift up a mallet and bludgeon her father with it and accidentally shot Mr. Burns after he blocked out the sun. Maggie showed to be incredibly strong, able to drag a fully-grown man back to the shore and able lift up a shotgun. Biography When Marge became pregnant with Lisa, she and Homer bought their first home.

Seven years later, Homer felt financially secure enough to quit his job at the power plant and take his dream job at Barney's Bowlarama . Soon after, Marge became pregnant with Maggie, and unable to support his new family member, Homer reapplied for his job at the power plant. Homer fell into a deep depression as a result, but when he held Maggie for the first time after she was born he loved her at first sight. He keeps all of Maggie's baby photos in his office to cheer him up at his work place. Like average toddlers, Maggie is impressionable and easily influenced by what she sees around her. She once hit Homer on the head with a mallet, (Born 2010) shot a suction dart at his picture and brandished a pencil in imitation of Itchy and Scratchy . Despite her age, Maggie is a formidable sniper [10] and she shot the firearms off a group of mobsters in rapid succession with a rifle. [11] She was behind the attempted murder of Mr. Burns [12] and she fought Gerald during the St. Patrick’s Day riot, participating the republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland.

[13] When the family's house was being raided by an angry mob, she was able to smash her baby bottle and use it as a makeshift weapon, and she knocked out Russ Cargill , the head of the EPA with a rock when he was about to shoot Homer with a shotgun. [14] Maggie is often frightened of her father's attempts to bond with her, even though she does love him. Instead, Maggie shows a much stronger devotion to her mother instead, possibly because Marge is always at home with her while Homer is mostly at work or at Moe's . She is keenly aware of her surroundings, and can usually be seen imitating the flow of action around her. Like Bart , Lisa and Homer , she is not fond of spending time with her aunts Patty and Selma . It is also known that she dislikes Baby Gerald very much, despite apparently marrying him in one of the Simpsons Comics . Looks Maggie bears a strong resemblance to Lisa , suggesting that Maggie will look very much like her sister when she reaches age 8. Furthermore, she can play the saxophone amazingly well.

Also, in a Christmas episode, The Simpson Family Christmas Photo Album reveals she is going to stop sucking her pacifier at 3 (which is very odd at that age) and at 8 she stopped wearing her bow, possibly because she stopped thinking it looked cute. Maggie casually wears a light blue one. At night, Maggie wears a white one instead of a blue ones. As a teenager,in Lisa's Wedding , she wears a blue jacket with a dark grey t shirt, red jeans, and black boots, with her pacifier hanging around her neck as a necklace. In Maggie's Quotes Although Maggie generally doesn't talk, due to her being a baby, there have been numerous occasions where Maggie has had words of spoken dialogue. Most of her speaking roles are not to be considered canon, however, with the only known true line of dialogue being the one said in Lisa's First Word . "Good Night" from the episode " Good Night " - In the Tracy Ullman short, Maggie is heard saying this as the family goes to bed for the night. "Alright!" and "Aaaah! We're doomed!" from the episode " Making Faces " - Maggie is seen talking in unison with Bart and Lisa twice.

Once when they believe they can get their funny faces stuck the way they are, and again when seeing herself in the mirror. "It's your fault I can't talk." in the episode " Bart vs. Thanksgiving " - In Bart's imagination sequence, he imagines his family members blaming him for everything. One of them is Maggie, telling him this via voice over. "This is indeed a disturbing universe." from the episode " Treehouse of Horror V " - In the story "Time and Punishment", one of the alternate dimensions that Homer goes to involved, Groundskeeper Willie getting killed by Maggie, who says this in the voice of James Earl Jones . "Nope." from the episode " Flaming Moe's " - Said by Maggie at the dinner table. "Daddy." from the episode " Lisa's First Word " - Maggie's first canonical word. "Daddily Doodily." from the episode " Home Sweet Homediddly-Dum-Doodily " - When being raised by Ned Flanders for such a long period of time, Maggie begins to talk like him. "Very well, I'll drive! Mwa ha ha ha ha ha ha!

I need blood!" from the episode " Treehouse of Horror IX " - At the end of the story "Starship Poopers", Maggie said this in the voice of Kang. "Silence, man!" from the episode Treehouse of Horror X - said during the episode's couch gag in Kang's voice from the aforementioned Treehouse of Horror IX . "Ma ma! Ma ma!" from the episode " Treehouse of Horror XV - Squealed by Maggie when Marge was reunited with her. "Sequel?" from The Simpsons Movie - Maggie says this during the ending credits, much to the disappointment of the rest of her family. "Throughout the ages, the finger painter, the Play-Doh sculptor, the Lincoln Logger, stood alone against the daycare teacher of her time. She did not live to earn approval stickers. She lived for herself, that she might achieve things that are the glory of all humanity. These are my terms. I do not care to play by any others. And now, if the court will allow me, it's nap time." in the episode " Four Great Women and a Manicure " - A speech made by Maggie in a story told by Marge .

"Ja!" and "Ja Ja!" from the episode Coming to Homerica - Repeated by Maggie multiple times, which is a Norwegian, Danish, Dutch, German, and Swedish word (meaning "Yes"). "Make purchase of the merchandise!" from the episode " Clown in the Dumps " - During the episode's couch gag, a bizarre, alternate version of Maggie animated by Don Hertzfeldt , makes this comment. "I see trees of green, red roses too ..." from the episode " Every Man's Dream " - Maggie's first singing quote. She sings a blip of What a Wonderful World in Homer's dream. "Maggie talk! Maggie talk! ... No one listen? Maggie never talk again." from the episode " Friends and Family " - The entire family was arguing and talking over each other and during the ruckus, Maggie said this and it went completely unnoticed. "Da da!" from the episode " There Will Be Buds " - Maggie is thrown onto the bed and starts making non-eloquent baby noises, but is heard saying what sounds like this at the end of her little dialogue block. Violent Mannerism Maggie can be a violent child, especially for her age.

Maggie once had a violent relationship with Homer after watching the violent mannerism acts from Itchy and Scratchy. She had hit him over the head with a mallet and later attempted to stab him with a pencil. When Mr. Burns planned to cover up the sun, he was shot by Maggie while Mr. Burns was trying to steal candy from her. The citizens of Springfield deemed it 'an accident'. After figuring this out, it cleared Homer of all charges. On another occasion, Lisa enlisted Maggie to be her fencing partner. However, when she unknowingly belittled Maggie, Maggie dueled her proficiently and quickly overwhelmed her, even slashing an M into Lisa's shirt, Zorro-style. She later tried to shoot Mr. Burns again with a shotgun when he lost his memories, but was stopped by Lisa. When the Mafia was going to kill Marge and Homer , Maggie shot them in the arms with an airgun thus making them unable to shoot. In The Simpsons Movie , when the mob was attacking the Simpsons, Krusty told his monkey, Mr. Teeny , to take out the baby, referring to Maggie.

She then broke her baby bottle making rigid spikes of glass, showing that she was ready to take him on; this scared Teeny who ran into Krusty's arms. Also, later on when Russ Cargill was about to shoot Homer, she dropped a rock on to his head making him pass out. However her violent actions are illustrated as somewhat innocent or at least unintentional, but when she's protecting herself or someone she loves, she uses all her skills - fully aware. Skills and Abilities Maggie takes after her sister in many ways. Not only does she greatly resemble Lisa (looking exactly like her in a blue dress in flash-forwards to the future), she also is brilliant and musically inclined like her sister. Maggie can play the saxophone with great ability, despite the fact that she is only a year old. In " Lisa's Wedding " and most recently " Holidays of Future Passed ", it is implied that Maggie is a fantastic singer, again taking after her sister. She also has, on numerous, numerous occasions, demonstrated that her agility—both mental and physical—is extremely advanced for her age. Once, Maggie organized the other infants in a daycare into a team to steal a key so they could take back their pacifiers.

She figured out communication signals, gathered supplies, used the window-blinds string to pull herself into the ventilation shafts, used a Krusty Doll to lower herself into the room containing the Key (holding bottles to weight herself down and then dropping them so the string would retract), shot a suction-cup line across the room, slid across it with a hanger, and used the key to unlock the locker holding the children's pacifiers. Additionally, Maggie commonly moves along ropes with ease by hand-over-handing her way across them, such as when she tried to escape Homer when he was trying to bond with her by climbing across the clothesline. She usually keeps her intelligence a secret. (" A Streetcar Named Marge ") She also once crawled all over town to her mother's favorite hangout locations trying to track down Marge . Maggie usually has a pretty good comprehension on her surroundings and has at times tried to point out the obvious to adults (mostly Homer) who are oblivious to what is going on. Maggie has spelled out E=MC2 with her blocks before and can change her own diapers. She has also used a fire extinguisher to put out burning curtains and has driven Homer's car.

Maggie can also skateboard and has already said her first word despite being only a year old. Although Maggie shows a natural inclination to weapons (see Maggie Simpson Violent Mannerisms|the above section for examples of her ability to defend herself), and aggression, she also has saved members of her family on various occasions, such as when she swam out to sea and saved Homer from drowning or when she saved Bart and Lisa from Groundskeeper Willie in Treehouse of Horror VI . Maggie also seems to take after her father in bowling, as she has already bowled a perfect game (something it took Homer 39 years to do) at the age of 1. Non-Canon Appearances The contents of this article or section are considered to be non-canon and therefore may not have actually happened/existed. Future In the future, Maggie went on holidays to Alaska, which was warmer because of global warming. At this age she looks exactly like Lisa does currently. [15] Maggie is seen as a punk teenager. It is said that she has a beautiful singing voice and, according to Homer , never shuts up.

(Ironically, whenever she tries to speak, she is always interrupted.) She also likes to play around a lot with her friends and family. It is revealed that she has a daughter named Maggie Jr. , who looks exactly the same as Maggie. [16] In " Holidays of Future Passed ", Maggie grows up to be a singer and has her baby while visiting family, but does not have any lines, as prescribed by the doctor. As an adult and teen,her hair is longer,typically with the first three spikes of her hair being worn forward and the rest styled back. During some future episodes, it's implied that Maggie now has a relationship with her nemesis Gerald Samson . During Milhouse 's birthday party, they are kids and are seen holding hands and kissing [17] . In an episode set further into the future, they're seen drinking milkshake together while staring romantically at each other [18] .

Treehouse of Horror In an alternate universe that Homer briefly visited, Maggie hit Groundskeeper Willie in the back with an axe and then spoke in James Earl Jones 's voice: "This is indeed a disturbing universe." [19] In " Treehouse of Horror IX ", Maggie loses her legs and arms and grows green tentacles. Maggie's pacifier contacts the alien duo, Kang and Kodos . When the duo arrives at the Simpsons house, it is later revealed that Kang is Maggie's real father. Maggie then kills Homer . In“ Treehouse of Horror XV ", Maggie is eaten by Mr. Burns, but is later rescued by her family. Maggie as a teenager in Lisa's Wedding. Behind the Laughter Matt Groening first conceived the Simpson family in the lobby of James L. Brooks ' office. He had been called in to pitch a series of animated shorts, and had intended to present his Life in Hell series. When he realized that animating Life in Hell would require him to rescind publication rights for his life's work, Groening chose to go in another direction.

[20] He hurriedly sketched out his version of a dysfunctional family, and named the characters after various members of his own family. Maggie was named after Matt Groening 's younger sister Margaret "Maggie" Groening. She often sucked on a pacifier and wore a sleep suit, two traits Groening used for Maggie. Then Maggie made her debut with the rest of the Simpsons clan on April 19, 1987 in the Tracey Ullman short " Good Night ". [21] Groening thought that it would be funny to have a baby character that did not talk and never grew up, but assigned any emotions that the scene required. Her comedic hallmarks include her tendency to stumble and land on her face while attempting to walk (though this has been downplayed in later seasons), and a penchant for sucking on her pacifier, the sound of which has become the equivalent of her catchphrase and was originally created by Groening during the Tracey Ullman period , and by Nancy Cartwright during the regular series.

During the show's opening credits, Maggie is run through a supermarket checkout scanner, which reads that she is worth $847.63 (a reference to the monthly cost of infant-rearing in 1989). In " The Simpsons 138th Episode Spectacular ," the scanner instead reads "NRA4EVER," a reference to the running joke that the show's creators are right-wing radicals. In the newer episodes her price has changed to $486.52 (possibly because of the change in the cost of infant-rearing). In the treehouse of horror XXIV couch gag , by Guillmero de Toro the scanner reads 666 instead. Voice With few exceptions, Maggie never speaks but is very participatory in the events around her, emoting with subtle gestures and facial expressions. Maggie has spoken in " Good Night ", the first short to air, after the family falls asleep. There was another time she had tried to talk in Making Faces short upon the task given by Bart and Lisa. On this occasion, Liz Georges provided the voice of Maggie. In " Bart vs. Thanksgiving ", Bart has a vision of what could happen if he returned home after destroying Lisa's centerpiece.

In this vision, Maggie says to him telepathically: "It's your fault I can't talk!" Maggie's first word spoken in the normal continuity of the series occurred in " Lisa's First Word ", when she was voiced by Elizabeth Taylor . Elizabeth Taylor's performance as Maggie was named the thirteenth greatest guest spot in the history of the show by IGN. James Earl Jones , who voiced Maggie in Treehouse of Horror V was in seventh place. She would later have brief dialogue in Treehouse of Horror IX , voiced by Harry Shearer using Kang's voice. In earlier episodes, Yeardley Smith did many of Maggie's squeaks and occasional speaking parts, although in later seasons her parts were done by Nancy Cartwright . Although she has spoken many times, she has only had two canonical speeches that were real within the series. Her first canon speech was in Lisa's First Word , and this word was "daddy" (as both Bart and Lisa grew up calling Homer his given name); however, only the viewers and not the family heard her say this (at least until the Father's Day clip show). Her second speech was in Coming to Homerica . This time, the family did hear her speak.

According to The Simpsons Movie , the first word the family heard Maggie say was "sequel?", in the ending sequence (unless one counts the Father's Day clip show as being canon). It was stated in the DVD commentary that she was voiced by Nancy Cartwright , who is also the current voice of Maggie in the series. In Four Great Women and a Manicure , Maggie (voiced by Jodie Foster ) rallies her classmates with a stirring speech about injustice and creativity, though this is a non-canon story. Heroism Maggie has saved people's lives on a few occasions. Maggie saved Bart and Lisa from Groundskeeper Willie in Treehouse of Horror VI and she saves Homer from being killed by mobsters by shooting them down in Poppa's Got a Brand New Badge . Maggie has even saved her arch-enemy, Gerald from floating into space in a Simpson comic story called Bringing Down Baby. Maggie saved Homer a second time on The Simpsons Movie from Russ Cargill by smashing him on the head with a boulder.

Homer also said "What a great little accident you turned out to be", which was referring to the fact that she was conceived at a time that none of her parents intended to , she also saved her father from drowning and from a tow trucker who kept him hostage. Trivia Maggie has had several rare occasions, where she's had lines of spoken dialogue (see "Maggie's Quotes" above). However, the only time where her dialogue was actually considered canon was in the episode " Lisa's First Word ", where she said "Daddy". In this appearance, Maggie was voiced by Yeardley Smith , who also provided her voice when she made random baby noises in the first few seasons of the show, officially making Yeardley Smith her general voice actor. Maggie has an oral fixation , meaning that she has the need to have something in her mouth at all times. In her case, she is obsessed with her pacifier and always has the need to suck on it. This is further proven in episode " Crook and Ladder ", where Marge took her passy away and she threw a rampage over it. She gave up her passy at the age of 3, but even after that, she still had a slight addiction.

In " Holidays of Future Passed ", she was a full grown adult, and felt overwhelmed with stress, so she was given a passy to suck on, which successfully calmed her down. A running gag affiliated with Maggie is for her to trip over her onesie when she walks. Bart and Lisa generally address Homer by his first name as opposed to "Dad". Maggie is the only child not to follow this trend. This is not only because she can't talk, but also proven when her first word in " Lisa's First Word ", was "Daddy". Maggie bears a strong resemblance to her sister, Lisa. In episodes set in the future, Maggie is shown to get a job as a famous rock star and it was also mentioned that she has a beautiful singing voice. However, her voice is never heard. In the episode Every Man's Dream , Maggie made her first and so far, only singing appearance, where Homer had a psychedelic dream where he taught Maggie to talk, and she sang a blip of the song What a Wonderful World . However, this was only a dream.

In " Lisa's Wedding " an episode in the future, Maggie is portrayed as a complete chatterbox who hogs the phone and always talks to her friends, to the point where it drives her parents crazy. Even still, she is left without dialogue in the episode, because every time she attempts to talk, it is creatively subverted Maggie doesn't have very many appearances in her diaper. Maggie enjoys playing internet poker. Gallery Simpsons star Jodie Foster Simpsons star Jodie Foster STUMBLE SHARE SHARE TWEET PIN 5 September 2008 Jodie Foster and Anne Hathaway are set to voice characters on 'The Simpsons'.The 'Silence of the Lambs' actress will be lend her voice to an adult version of Maggie, the youngest member of Springfield's most famous family, in an episode entitled 'Four Great Women and A Manicure'.The programme will be aired in the US in early 2009 as part of the animated show's 20th season.This will be the first time Maggie has properly spoken on the TV show.

She previously said the word 'Daddy' in one episode - which was voiced by screen legend Elizabeth Taylor.Anne - who is most famous for starring in Disney movies 'The Princess Diaries' and 2006 magazine-based comedy 'The Devil Wears Prada' alongside Meryl Streep - will join the cast in an episode called 'The Good, the Sad and the Drugly'.The 25-year-old beauty will be voicing a "new, sweet and caring character" that Bart Simpson falls for, and attempts to change himself into a "good Samaritan" to woo her.The Simpsons, created Matt Groening, follows the Simpson family - parents Homer and Marge and children Bart, Lisa and Maggie - as they lead their eventful daily lives. Other celebrities who have voiced characters in the show include Britney Spears, Danny DeVito, Sting, Sir Paul McCartney and Christina Ricci. The Simpsons baby Maggie finally talks... and makes her first speech | Daily Mail Online comments The Simpsons' baby Maggie has finally talked - and turns out she sounds a lot like Jodie Foster. The actress guest-starred in the latest instalment of the long-running animated show and provided the voice for the yellow family's youngest member.

In an episode made up of various fairy tale-style stories, Maggie removes her famous pacifier to deliver an eloquent speech about babies' rights. Broken silence: The Simpsons' baby Maggie made an eloquent speech in an episode of the hit show speaking in full for the first time Enlarge Famous voice: Jodie Foster provided the voice for the family's youngest member Rebel without a dummy: Maggie rebels against the manager of her nursery who keeps demolishing her building block creations because they stood out too much The baby rebels against the manager of her day care centre - called Mediocri-Tots - after he keeps demolishing her impressive building block creations because they stood out too much. The man gets angry after she refuses to stop and points at her as he screams: 'You will be tried as a toddler!' They then take part in a surreal courtroom-style scene, with babies as the jury, in which Maggie defends herself. After crawling to centre stage, she removes her dummy, coughs briefly and launches into a speech.

Enlarge Not taking it any more: The nursery centre boss chastises Maggie about her fabulous building block creation Annoyed: An angry Maggie lifts up an alphabet cube with the letter 'U' and then points at her pacifier, with subtitles translating that as 'you suck' Defence: In an episode made up of various fairy tale-style stories, Maggie removes her famous pacifier to deliver an eloquent speech about babies' rights 'Throughout the ages the finger-painter, the play-do sculptor, the Lincoln-logger stood alone stood alone against the day care teacher of her time,' she says. 'She did not live to earn approval stickers, she lived for herself that she might achieve things that are the glory of all humanity. 'These are my terms, I do not care to play by any others. And if the court will allow me, it's nap time.' She yawns and goes for a nap on the floor. The episode then shows her as a grown architect. Maggie had spoken in a previous episode, when Elizabeth Taylor provided her voice as she said 'Daddy'.

Tiresome: After a taxing speech Maggie yawns then goes for a nap on the floor h2g2 - 'The Flintstones' - The TV Series - Edited Entry 2 Conversations Flintstones, meet the Flintstones... A whole generation of children grew up enjoying the antics of a cartoon Stone Age family and their friendly next-door neighbours. The Flintstones was created by animation legends William Hanna and Joseph Barbera , and the characters have since become some of the most well-known in popular culture. Taking its inspiration from popular sitcoms (notably The Honeymooners , one of the biggest sitcoms on American TV at that time), The Flintstones was one of the first cartoons to be shown during prime-time television. For many years it held the record for being the longest-running cartoon series in American TV history, running for six years (or 166 episodes) between 1960 and 1966. The action was set in the year 1 million BC. Despite being set in the Stone Age, The Flintstones characters live a modern American 1950s lifestyle, doing all the things that modern Americans would find familiar, and that is the main joke of the show.

In the ultra-modern town of Bedrock, Cobblestone County, two families - the Flintstones and the Rubbles - live in neighbouring houses, which are fashioned out of rock. The husbands are best friends and keen ten-pin bowlers, and both are members of the Water Buffalo Lodge, a secret society similar to the Odd Fellows or the Royal Antediluvian Order of Buffaloes . Each episode was broadcast in glorious colour (though many homes still had black-and-white television sets, colour TVs were becoming increasingly common in the US). With its parodies of modern life, appealing lead characters and frequent celebrity guest appearances (with the famous voices combined with the distinctive caricatured bodies in the Hanna-Barbera style), it proved to be a popular format. Fred Flintstone Fred is a Stone Age everyman. He is so bored with his job as a Bronto operator with a gravel company, owned by George Nate Slate, that when the bird siren sounds for the end of his shift, he jumps up and yells Yabba Dabba Doo at the top of his voice, before inserting his stone clock-in card into a dinosaur's mouth to be punched. He is always trying to skip work and avoid his mother-in-law.

He loves to spend time with his best friend and next-door neighbour, Barney Rubble, who he frequently ropes in to aid and abet in his scams. Fred is a keen ten-pin bowler and his distinctive bowling style earned him the nickname 'Twinkletoes Flintstone'. Fred likes to play pool as well as poker, reading Bedrock's newspaper, the Daily Slate, and lounging about the house. He is also partial to the occasional game of golf. Fred owns a car, a Flintmobile and his bare feet can be seen running underneath in order to start it. The scenery in the background fairly flies past. Passengers often lend their own feet to the cause in moments when the car requires a little extra speed. Fred usually wears an orange and black animal skin with a blue tie, although he does dress up on special occasions. Fred is a closet romantic and penned this love poem for Wilma: I love thee Wilma, with hair like silk, Lips like cherries, skin like milk, Your shell-like ears, your dainty hands, And eyes so black, like frying pans, And when you in my arms are in, My love how can you doubt? I quiver just like gelatin, And sometimes even break out.

You're a perfect peach, my love, Together we're a pear (pair), You're sweet, you're nice, you're paradise, And all kinda stuff like that there. Wilma Flintstone Wilma is house-proud, with all the latest gadgets at her disposal, like her baby woolly mammoth vacuum cleaner and the pigasaurus garbage disposal. Her best friend is her next-door neighbour, Betty Rubble. Wilma and Betty have been known to disguise themselves as men in order to join their husbands' Water Buffalo lodge. Wilma adored her errant husband, and no matter how many times Fred lets her down, she always forgives him. She's affectionate and has an infectious giggle. Wilma wears her red hair piled high on her head, while her string of pearls sets off her white fur dress splendidly. She's a fabulous cook, (her Gravelberry pies are legendary), and, though she has a slight build, she's strong enough to carry Brontosaurus fricassée (Fred's favourite meal) to the dining table.

Wilma likes to keep herself looking nice and she has a bird perfume dispenser as well as a stone-age equivalent of an Avon Lady , a representative of the Cave-In Cosmetics Company. She wore a mud face pack when Fred brought Stony Curtis home for a meal. Wilma's mother, Pearl Slaghoople, likes to visit as often as possible; her unannounced arrival guarantees one of Fred's famous scowls. Pebbles Flintstone Pebbles arrived, weighing six pounds 12 ounces, in the show's third series. The cute red-haired little girl could melt a heart of stone and she's the apple of her daddy's eye. Her favourite things are riding on Dino (see below) and playing with dolls. Her first words were Abba Gabba Goo. Pebbles and Dino get into all sorts of trouble, as Dino is often left in charge. Barney Rubble Barney has had several careers including quarry worker, furniture repossessor, travel agent, geological engineer, co-owner (with Fred) of 'The Drive-In' and (also with Fred) Private Investigator.

In one episode he was even made Fred's boss at the quarry, which went down (with Fred) like a lead balloon. Barney likes ten-pin bowling and loves jazz. Together with Fred, (usually his idea), Barney enjoys an after-work cactus juice drinking session with the boys at the Water Buffalo lodge. Later in the series Barney, along with Fred, becomes a part-time officers in Bedrock's police force. Barney always has a smile on his face, a memorable chuckle and a cheery word for everyone, except when the court case involving the adoption of his son Bamm-Bamm (see below) wasn't going well and he became depressed and suicidal. Barney is most likely to say: Uh, okay Fred. Betty Rubble Betty (née McBricker 1 ) liked to go shopping with her best friend Wilma and enjoyed playing bridge at the Bridge Club. Betty had an infectious giggle just like Wilma's, and the girls often shared a joke, usually about their men. Betty and Barney wished on a falling star that they would have a child, and Bamm-Bamm was left on their doorstep. The Rubble family endured an unpleasant custody battle in court before they were allowed to adopt him.

Betty Rubble is an official 'babe'. In an Internet poll for Sexiest Cartoon Babes, Betty finished in second place to overall winner Jessica Rabbit . Despite Betty's obvious charms, it was another cast-member that the crew of Red Dwarf fantasised about: [well] I would go with Betty...but I'd be thinkin' of Wilma. - The Cat to Lister . Bamm-Bamm Rubble White-haired Bamm-Bamm amazes everyone with his super-strength abilities. He likes to bash the ground with his club, while yelling his own name, and helping his mother Betty clean the house by lifting furniture out of the way. His favourite hobby is riding his cave buggy (a prehistoric version of a dune buggy), and he also likes Dino-rides, taking turns with Pebbles. Dino Dino, a dogasaurus, is the Flintstone family's pet dinosaur, who acts, barks and thinks like a dog, and provides 'Dino-rides' for the children. Dino likes to bowl Fred over when he returns from work, taking a good long run-up, then licking his face.

Fred always protests loudly but there are times when Fred kisses Dino in greeting or departing, instead of Wilma. Dino's favourite foods are Dino-Gro and Shlump; he loves to sleep in Fred's favourite chair and his favourite hobby is fighting with Baby Puss. Dino and Fred swap minds, mannerisms and voices in one episode, ('Monster Fred'), courtesy of Len Frankenstone's personality-switching machine. Other Characters Baby Puss Baby Puss is the family's pet sabre-toothed tiger. Although seen in the opening and closing credits (when Fred 'puts the cat out'), Baby Puss doesn't feature in many episodes. Hoppy Hoppy the Hopperoo was introduced in series five as the Rubbles's pet. Barney bought the green kangaroo-like creature for Bamm-Bamm but Fred disliked him, until the families were in danger and Hoppy went for help (parodying Skippy the Bush Kangaroo ). Hoppy enjoys carrying the children around in his pouch. The Gruesomes The Gruesome family first appeared in series five, episode number 123, moving into Tombstone Manor.

They are a ghoulish clan who think they are 'normal' and the rest of the world is weird, and are based upon the monster sitcoms The Munsters and The Addams Family . The Gruesomes consist of green-skinned, vertically-challenged father Weirdly, voiced by Howard Morris sounding like Peter Lorre ; his wife, the tall, slim, pink-haired Creepella (voiced by Naomi Stevens); and their son, purple-haired 'Gobby' Goblin, who rarely spoke. Look how he ignores us. - Mrs Gruesome's proud boast about her son. The family vehicle is a prehistoric hearse and the family pet is an enormous blue spider. The Great Gazoo The Great Gazoo first appeared in the last series. He's an alien from the planet Zetox, exiled to Earth as punishment for having invented a weapon that could destroy the universe. He's green, he floats, and he appears at the most inappropriate moments. He tries to help Fred and Barney, usually against their will, and often makes the situation worse. Only Fred, Barney, the children and animals can see him - apart from his leader, the Great Gazam.

Guest Stars As already mentioned, the series often featured guest appearances by celebrities of the day (or at least sound-alikes), transported back in time to play Stone-age equivalents. Such guests included: Samantha and Darrin Stephens appeared as 'themselves' - they were the witch and her human husband from the popular sitcom Bewitched . Yogi Bear and Boo-Boo steal a picnic basket in one episode. Flintstones Animal Appliances The families own modern home appliances which are represented by talking animals. When Wilma steps on the foot of the pelican he opens the top of his beak to accept rubbish. It then complains to the viewing audience about what a hard life it's led. Many animals were utilised in the course of the series, some more than once. For example, Wilma finds a few uses for a turtle: rubbing the heated shell on cloth makes a great iron, and a basket attached to the back of a turtle makes a superb shopping trolley.

The tip of the pointed beak of a bending bird plays a record which, spun on the back of a turtle (resembling an old gramophone ), Fred and Barney use the turtle's back as a draughts board, and when cranked, the turtle's tail raises, which lifts the car, making it a perfect jack. Who wouldn't love an octopus dishwasher? The octopus uses his many legs to wash, rinse and dry the dishes. Then there's the triceratops juicer, its nose horn squeezing the juice out of oranges and grapefruits, alongside the stegosaurus food processor, which chews vegetables and fruits to mush. A penguin in the freezer passes a character an ice cube, and a dragon acts as a coffee-maker. Then there are the bathroom facilities. A mastodon sucks up water from a bucket and then sticks its trunk through a hole in the bathroom wall and blows, enabling the character to have a shower. Fred once caught a bee, put it inside a clam shell and then buzzed off his stubble. There are modern conveniences at work too, like Mr Slate's talking bird intercom. As it relays messages, it also voices its own sarcastic comments to the audience.

Fancy a trip to Rockapulco? Book a ticket with Pteradactyl Airways and travel in style, strapped to the back of a flying dinosaur - although anything approaching from the rear of the 'plane' may think the passengers are food. Bug Music One episode,The Hatrocks and The Gruesomes stars a group similar to The Beatles - well they had very shaggy hair, which is probably just about where the similarity ends. The Hatrocks (a parody of The Beverly Hillbillies ) are scared by 'Bug Music' on the television; they end up blasting the TV to smithereens with their shotguns. The Gruesomes pipe 'Bug Music' into the Hatrocks' fridge and telephone, and Fred had an idea to get rid of the Hatrocks by dressing up as a member of the band and singing: He said Yeah, yeah, yeah; She said Yeah, yeah, yeah; I said yeah, yeah, yeah; We said yeah, yeah, yeah; They said yeah, yeah, yeah...

(Repeat.) As the Hatrocks flee Bedrock to go to the World's Fair, they pass a billboard showing the same four Beatles-like band members advertising 'Bug Music' at the World's Fair. Don Byron, an eclectic New York jazz clarinet player, has an album, entitled Bug Music. The album, released in 1996, has the following quotes in the sleeve notes: The Beatles' music, though now thought of as mainstream and accessible, was portrayed (in the guise of 'Bug Music') as horrible. [...] 'Bug Music' has lived on for me as a fable of the public's subjectivity. Flintstones Cast (Voices) Alan Reed (1907 - 77) as Fred Flintstone. Alan created the catchphrase Yabba dabba doo! for his most famous incarnation Fred Flintstone and also supplied the voice of 'Boris' in Disney's Lady and the Tramp. His distinctive voice is still being used as archive sound for video long after his passing. Jean Vander Pyl (1919 - 99) as Wilma and Pebbles Flintstone.

Jean also voiced 'Goldie' in Top Cat and the 'Winsome Witch' in The Atom Ant/Secret Squirrel Show and was a regular guest star in Petticoat Junction and Leave It To Beaver in the 1960s. Mel Blanc (1908 - 89) as Barney Rubble 2 and Dino. Mel was a multi-talented voice artist who gave life to popular cartoon characters such as Woody Woodpecker, Bugs Bunny, Daffy Duck, Porky Pig, Elmer Fudd, Tweety Pie, Sylvester, Yosemite Sam, Foghorn Leghorn, and Pepe Le Pew. Bea Benaderet (1906 - 68) as Betty Rubble (1960 - 1964). Bea was a regular guest on The Jack Benny Programme from 1952 - 55 and provided the voice for the old woman in the Sylvester and Tweety Pie cartoons. Gerry Johnson as Betty Rubble (1964 - 1966). Gerry is a Special Effects Co-ordinator (Zardoz; My Left Foot) and also played Mrs Johnson in the TV series Bewitched.

Don Messick (1926 - 97) as Bamm-Bamm Rubble, Arnold the Newsboy and Hoppy the Hopperoo (1963 - 1966). Don's contribution to the world of animation is legendary, providing the voices for Scooby Doo, Boo-Boo and Ranger Smith from the TV series The Yogi Bear Show, Muttley, Professor Pat Pending, Sawtooth, Ring-A-Ding, Little Gruesome and Gravel Slag from the TV series Wacky Races . Pixie in The Pixie and Dixie Show, Astro (the dog in The Jetsons), 'Touché Turtle', 'Sebastian the Cat' from the TV series Josie and the Pussycats and he also voiced the Narrator in the animated cartoon The House of Tomorrow (1949). John Stephenson as George Nate Slate (AKA Mr Slate, Fred's boss) (1963 - 1966). John also voiced Mr Slate in the subsequent made-for-TV movies (see below), and in the TV series Wacky Races he provided the voices for Luke and Blubber Bear.

Verna Felton (1890 - 1966) as Pearl Slaghoople (Wilma's mother) (1963 - 1966). Verna also provided the voices for Flora in Sleeping Beauty, Winifred in The Jungle Book, the Queen of Hearts in Alice in Wonderland, and Aunt Sarah in Lady and the Tramp. The Theme Tune(s) The first two series' music was an instrumental tune called 'Rise and Shine'. The opening credits show Fred driving home from work, eventually passing a sign saying 'Welcome To Bedrock: POP 2500'. A policeman blows his whistle and signalled for Fred to stop. A red stegosaurus, covered in firemen, runs through the intersection. Fred then parks at a tailor's shop, walks up the back of a blue dinosaur which acts as stairs, and collects his dry-cleaning. He continues his journey and pulls up beside a street vendor, buying a Daily Slate from him. He parks his car in the garage, enters the house and takes a tray of sandwiches out of Wilma's hands before returning to kiss Wilma. Dino, sat in Fred's chair, leaps out and lies down beside it.

Fred sits in the pre-warmed seat and turns on the television. What's on the box? Fred - advertising the products of the programme's sponsors. Fred and Barney both advertised things such as cigarettes ; in those days, cigarettes were considered to be cool. The first closing sequence shows Fred turning off the TV set and covering the bird cage, enclosing it with a zipper. Fred puts out two empty milk bottles, turns out the light, turns the light back on, picks up the cat to put it out for the night, but gets locked out of the house by the cat, causing him to bang on the door. Wilma! Come on, Wilma, open this door! Willllll-ma! The Better-Known Theme Flintstones...meet the Flintstones, they're a modern stone-age family, From the town of Bedrock, they're a page right out of history. Let's ride with the family down the street, thru' the courtesy of Fred's two feet. When you're with the Flintstones, have a yabba dabba doo time, a dabba doo time, You'll have a gay old time.

The most familiar opening sequence, with the 'Meet the Flintstones' theme song, was introduced in the third series. It opens with Fred sliding down the tail of his dino-crane as soon as the whistle signalling the end of the shift sounds, inserting his dinosaur clock-in card, collecting Wilma and the pets, and taking them to the drive-in, where the film 'The Monster' is showing. In the closing sequence they order giant ribs which the waitress props on the side of the car, tipping it over. Then, at home, Fred picks up the cat to put it out for the night, but gets locked out of the house by the cat instead. 'WILLLLLL-MA!' Fred bashes on the locked door and wakes up the entire neighbourhood, as depicted by all the windows lighting up. Later credits included Barney and Betty Rubble and the children. The closing credits had one line different from the opening song: Flintstones...meet the Flintstones, they're a modern stone-age family, From the town of Bedrock, they're a page right out of history. Some day, maybe Fred will win the fight, and that, cat will stay out for the night.

When you're with the Flintstones, have a yabba dabba doo time, a dabba doo time, You'll have a gay old time. In 1994, the B52's re-recorded the Flintstones theme tune for the feature film. Changing their name to 'The BC-52's', the band's version, '(Meet) the Flintstones' reached number three in the UK singles chart. Flintstones v Simpsons The Simpsons finally beat The Flintstones's record for longest-running animated series with an episode first broadcast on 9 February, 1997. The introductory montage of its 167th episode ended with the Simpsons running towards their couch only to find Fred, Wilma and Pebbles Flintstone sitting there. Four years earlier, in the episode 'Marge vs the Monorail', Homer Simpson paid his own tribute to The Flintstones by shouting 'Yabba Dabba Doo!' before leaping into his car and singing a reworking of that famous theme tune: Simpson... Homer Simpson... he's the greatest guy in history... from the town of Springfield... he's about to hit a chestnut tree.

Spin-offs The Flintstones had a life beyond the original series in spin-off shows, nine made-for-TV movies (which in reality were just extended episodes), and two live-action films. After the end of the TV series The Flintstones, the characters were kept alive in a series of specials and spin-off shows, including 'The Man Called Flintstone' (1966) and 'The New Fred and Barney Show' (1979). 'The Pebbles and Bamm-Bamm Show' (1971 - 76) focused on the Flintstone and Rubble kids as teenagers, which of course added a lot to what we already knew about the characters. In the 1980s sequels, Captain Caveman and his son made guest appearances. Another animated sitcom that went in the opposite direction, into the future, was The Jetsons. The Flintstones meet the Jetsons was a story about the Jetson family who use a time machine to travel back to the stone age, meeting the Flintstones. This time Henry Corden voiced Fred Flintstone. He also voiced both Ed and Edna Flintstone, Fred's parents, in The Flintstones Kids.

In the subsequent made-for-TV movies, Pebbles attended Bedrock High School and was an excellent baseball player. She eventually married the boy-next-door, Bamm-Bamm Rubble, who had become a car mechanic. After their wedding, the couple moved to prehistoric version of Hollywood, Hollyrock, so Bamm-Bamm could realise his dream of becoming a scriptwriter. The couple had twins, a blonde-haired daughter named Roxy, who was as strong as her daddy, and an auburn-haired son named Chip. After Bamm-Bamm left home, Betty started a successful catering business with, you've guessed it, Wilma Flintstone. The characters found their way into live action with two movies. The Flintstones (1994) starred John Goodman as Fred , Rick Moranis as Barney, Elizabeth Perkins as Wilma and Rosie O'Donnell as Betty. The casting of the legendary British actress Elizabeth Taylor as Wilma's mother Pearl was inspired as she was game for a laugh and played the role of harridan to perfection. Also starring was Halle Berry as the sexpot Sharon Stone 3 .

Harvey Korman who played the Dictabird also voiced The Great Gazoo in the original TV series, and Colonel Slaghoople in the prequel. Director Brian Levant is a genuine fan of the cartoon series, and is said to own a large collection of Flintstones memorabilia. The film won a Blimp Award (in the Kids' Choice Awards, USA), a BMI Film Music Award and a Golden Screen Award in Germany. The prequel, The Flintstones in Viva Rock Vegas (2000), starred British actor Mark Addy as a younger Fred and Stephen Baldwin as Barney, enjoying their last experiences of single life before marrying Wilma, played by Kristen Johnston and Betty, played by Jane Krakowski , respectively. Fred and Barney had to compete with the amorous attentions of Chip Rockefeller (for Wilma) and Mick Jagged (for Betty). You're awfully pretty when you smile, Miss Betty O'Shale. Joan Collins played Wilma's mother Pearl Slaghoople, unfortunately earning her a Razzie 4 nomination for Worst Supporting Actress.

And Finally Andrew Flintoff , the Lancashire and England cricketer , is nicknamed 'Freddie' after Fred Flintstone, due to the similarity between their surnames and alleged physical comparisons. (Flintoff is 6'4" (1.93m) tall). 1 The episode 'Bachelor Daze' states Betty's maiden name is McBricker, although in the second live-action movie it is given as O'Shale. 2 Daws Butler (who was the voice of Huckleberry Hound and Yogi Bear ) voiced Barney Rubble while Mel Blanc recovered from a car accident. 3 The actress Sharon Stone was intended to voice the part of her namesake but was contractually obligated to another film at the time. 4 Golden Raspberry Award.

Question: In the US animated television show ‘The Simpsons’ which actress voiced Maggie’s first word, which was ‘Daddy’?
Answer: Elizabeth Taylor