The Frankenstones
Encyclopedia
The Frankenstones are a family of fictional characters who appeared on The Flintstones
television series.
They debuted in 1979 and appeared in various spin-offs and specials through the early 1980s. The parents are a parody of Munsters
, and the children are a parody of the Addamses
.
. They feature as the managers of a condorstonium development that the boys consider moving their families into. This Frankenstone family consists of:
Frank's voice is patterned after Boris Karloff
by voice actor John Stephenson
, and Hidea has a pseudo-Transylvanian
accent.
. This time, the family consists of:
Again, the family is odd, but there does not seem to be any animosity between the Frankenstones and the Flintstones, and Frank's voice is still patterned after Boris Karloff
. This version of the Frankenstones appears in The Flintstones: Fred's Final Fling
in November 1980. They are not to be confused with the Frankenstone "monster" that appears in-between in the Halloween special, The Flintstones Meet Rockula and Frankenstone
.
on Saturday mornings. The show features a weekly segment starring the neighboring Frankenstones. This version of the Frankenstones more closely resembles the version seen in The New Fred and Barney Show than the Frankenstones that just moved in next door in the prime-time specials.
This version of the family consists of:
They now have a pet, Rockjaw, who devours anything. The previously soft-natured Frank is now hot-tempered and wired, with his voice now done by Charles Nelson Reilly
in his traditional high-pitched hyper-whiny style. Frank now becomes volatile at the drop of a hat, especially when he has to deal with his annoying neighbor and rival Fred Flintstone
. Both men are frustrated by the friendships between their wives and children, and they always seem to be thrust into one mess after another because of each other.
This series ran for two years, and consecutively with two more prime-time specials in 1981 (which both revert back to John Stephenson's version of Frank with his wife Oblivia, and children Hidea and Frankenstub). The continuity of the prime-time Flintstones and Saturday morning Flintstones drift farther apart because both have their own version of Frankenstone neighbors.
It is not revealed what happens to the Frankenstones or their castle after 1982. They do not appear in any later specials or movies. However, in one episode of The Flintstone Comedy Show, a dinosaur picks up and runs off with the Frankenstone castle, proving it is mobile.
The Flintstones
The Flintstones is an animated, prime-time American television sitcom that screened from September 30, 1960 to April 1, 1966, on ABC. Produced by Hanna-Barbera Productions, The Flintstones was about a working class Stone Age man's life with his family and his next-door neighbor and best friend. It...
television series.
They debuted in 1979 and appeared in various spin-offs and specials through the early 1980s. The parents are a parody of Munsters
The Munsters
The Munsters is a 1960s American family television sitcom depicting the home life of a family of monsters. It starred Fred Gwynne as Herman Munster and Yvonne De Carlo as his wife, Lily Munster. The series was a satire of both traditional monster movies and popular family entertainment of the era,...
, and the children are a parody of the Addamses
The Addams Family
The Addams Family is a group of fictional characters created by American cartoonist Charles Addams. As named by Charles Addams, the Addams Family characters include Gomez, Morticia, Uncle Fester, Lurch, Grandmama, Wednesday, Pugsley, and Thing....
.
Introduction
The first version of the family appear in the episode "Fred and Barney Meet the Frankenstones" of The New Fred and Barney ShowThe New Fred and Barney Show
The New Fred and Barney Show was a 30-minute Saturday morning cartoon produced by Hanna-Barbera as a 1979 series revival of The Flintstones from February 3 to October 20, 1979 on NBC...
. They feature as the managers of a condorstonium development that the boys consider moving their families into. This Frankenstone family consists of:
- Frank Frankenstone, the Frankenstein-style father
- Hidea Frankenstone, his wife
- Atrocia Frankenstone, their giggly teen daughter
- "Little Freaky" Frankenstone, chip-off-the-ole-block.
Frank's voice is patterned after Boris Karloff
Boris Karloff
William Henry Pratt , better known by his stage name Boris Karloff, was an English actor.Karloff is best remembered for his roles in horror films and his portrayal of Frankenstein's monster in Frankenstein , Bride of Frankenstein , and Son of Frankenstein...
by voice actor John Stephenson
John Stephenson (actor)
John Stephenson is an American actor and voice actor. He has also been credited as John Stevenson...
, and Hidea has a pseudo-Transylvanian
Romanian language
Romanian Romanian Romanian (or Daco-Romanian; obsolete spellings Rumanian, Roumanian; self-designation: română, limba română ("the Romanian language") or românește (lit. "in Romanian") is a Romance language spoken by around 24 to 28 million people, primarily in Romania and Moldova...
accent.
Television specials
Another version of the Frankenstones moves next door in the September 1980 television special The Flintstones' New NeighborsThe Flintstones' New Neighbors
The Flintstones' New Neighbors was a 30-minute episode that was part of "The Flintstone Special" limited-run prime time television revival of The Flintstones produced by Hanna-Barbera Productions which aired on NBC on September 26, 1980....
. This time, the family consists of:
- Frank Frankenstone
- Oblivia Frankenstone, his wife
- Hidea Frankenstone, their daughter who resembles the original Atrocia, except that Atrocia has pale blue/white hair and seems very light on her feet
- Frankenstub Frankenstone, who closely resembles Freaky
Again, the family is odd, but there does not seem to be any animosity between the Frankenstones and the Flintstones, and Frank's voice is still patterned after Boris Karloff
Boris Karloff
William Henry Pratt , better known by his stage name Boris Karloff, was an English actor.Karloff is best remembered for his roles in horror films and his portrayal of Frankenstein's monster in Frankenstein , Bride of Frankenstein , and Son of Frankenstein...
. This version of the Frankenstones appears in The Flintstones: Fred's Final Fling
The Flintstones: Fred's Final Fling
Fred's Final Fling was a 30-minute episode that was part of "The Flintstone Special" limited-run prime time television revival of The Flintstones produced by Hanna-Barbera Productions which aired on NBC on November 7, 1980.-Summary:...
in November 1980. They are not to be confused with the Frankenstone "monster" that appears in-between in the Halloween special, The Flintstones Meet Rockula and Frankenstone
The Flintstones Meet Rockula and Frankenstone
The Flintstones Meet Rockula and Frankenstone is a 45-minute Halloween television special featuring the Flintstones. It was produced in 1979 by Hanna-Barbera Productions and first aired on October 30, 1980 on NBC.-Plot:...
.
The Flintstone Comedy Show
Meanwhile, November 1980 premieres The Flintstone Comedy ShowThe Flintstone Comedy Show (1980)
The Flintstone Comedy Show was a 90-minute Saturday morning animated series revival of The Flintstones produced by Hanna-Barbera and aired from November 22, 1980 to September 11, 1982 on NBC...
on Saturday mornings. The show features a weekly segment starring the neighboring Frankenstones. This version of the Frankenstones more closely resembles the version seen in The New Fred and Barney Show than the Frankenstones that just moved in next door in the prime-time specials.
This version of the family consists of:
- Frank Frankenstone
- Hidea Frankenstone, his wife (and previously the name given to their daughter in past specials)
- Atrocia Frankenstone, their kooky daughter who is now the youngest child
- "Freaky" Frankenstone, their son who is now a teen and friends with fellow teenager Pebbles FlintstonePebbles FlintstonePebbles Flintstone is a fictional character, the red-haired daughter of Fred and Wilma Flintstone...
.
They now have a pet, Rockjaw, who devours anything. The previously soft-natured Frank is now hot-tempered and wired, with his voice now done by Charles Nelson Reilly
Charles Nelson Reilly
Charles Nelson Reilly was an American actor, comedian, director and drama teacher known for his comedic roles in theater, movies, children's television, animated cartoons, and as a panelist on the game show Match Game....
in his traditional high-pitched hyper-whiny style. Frank now becomes volatile at the drop of a hat, especially when he has to deal with his annoying neighbor and rival Fred Flintstone
Fred Flintstone
Frederick Joseph “Fred” Flintstone, also known as Fred W. Flintstone or Frederick J. Flintstone, is the protagonist of the animated sitcom The Flintstones, which aired during prime-time on ABC during the original series' run from 1960-66. He is the husband of Wilma Flintstone and father of Pebbles...
. Both men are frustrated by the friendships between their wives and children, and they always seem to be thrust into one mess after another because of each other.
This series ran for two years, and consecutively with two more prime-time specials in 1981 (which both revert back to John Stephenson's version of Frank with his wife Oblivia, and children Hidea and Frankenstub). The continuity of the prime-time Flintstones and Saturday morning Flintstones drift farther apart because both have their own version of Frankenstone neighbors.
It is not revealed what happens to the Frankenstones or their castle after 1982. They do not appear in any later specials or movies. However, in one episode of The Flintstone Comedy Show, a dinosaur picks up and runs off with the Frankenstone castle, proving it is mobile.