Flintstone Costumes
Some television characters are timeless -- these characters make perfect costumes for costume parties, Halloween, or any occasion.
Flintstones costumes are great for families or couples or groups of friends because of the traditional family setup of the cartoon -- mother, father, children, family dinosaur, and wholesome neighbors, all the classic elements of sitcom television are there. Not only are Flintstones costumes easy to adapt to a small group of people interested in dressing up together, they have all kinds of wacky gadgets and trademark gags that can be incorporated into a Flintstones costume celebration.
Here's a handy guide for each member of the Flintstones family, how to dress and even act like them at your next costume event.
Fred Flintstone
The patriarch of the Flintstone family, Fred is one of the most recognizable characters in television history. His leopard print body covering (extended loin cloth?) shouldn't be too difficult to replicate. Find the right leopard print fabric at any fabric or craft store (the cheaper the better) and cut it into a vaguely Fred-shaped bag with two sleeve holes. Remember that Fred's clothes are a bit beat up (as any caveman's clothes would be) so make your leopard print loincloth jagged at the edges. Next -- the blue tie. How hilarious to imagine a caveman getting up every morning and tying the old Windsor knot. That tie is something else, and it "makes" the Fred costume. A thick gray-blue tie (as ragged as his loincloth attire) tied in a clumsy knot and placed haphazardly around his neck. You're almost ready to show off your Fred Flintstone costume, but not quite. Fred's famous five o clock shadow (only a bit darker in tone than the rest of his skin) and his ruffled jet-black hair are two necessary additions to make the costume complete. Darken the skin around your mouth, 5 o clock shadow style, muss your hair with plenty of gel to give it that cartoon feel, and Voila! Fred Flintstone in all his glory. Be sure to walk about barefoot . . . no self-respecting Fred Flintstone would wear shoes.
Wilma Flintstone
What would Fred be without Wilma? She's the quintessential sitcom mother . . . thousands of years before Donna Reed and June Cleaver. Wilma's costume is much simpler even than Fred's. Her stark white cloth dress and over sized "pearls" are a must -- pick up the whitest material you can find, chop the bottom hem up a bit, and make sure the dress goes over just one shoulder. Wilma never covered both shoulders, and looking back this is kind of a sexy look, especially in the Pre-Cambrian era. For Wilma's over sized jewelry, you may have to do a bit of searching in craft stores or at second hand shops. The bigger and more jagged the "pearls", the better. Two more features to go before you can wow the world as Wilma -- her hair being the most crucial. What is Wilma Flintstone without her orange hair? It is such a specific shade, you may be forced to find an appropriate wig, or dye your own hair to match. The last touch? Scarlet lipstick, a thin line, just sexy enough to say "Hey, I'm a hot Pleistocene mama", but not so sexy that she'd be banned from TV.
Barney Rubble
Fred and Wilma without Barney? It just doesn't make sense. If you can find a third person for your Flinstone costume parade, consider adding a blond-haired little Barney to the gang. His costume is simple enough -- a drab brown loin cloth looking thing with thick black stitching at the collar. If you haven't caught on by now, you'll need to "distress" the bottom of the cloth a bit, hanging just above the knees with threads fraying a bit. Life was hard for cavemen. Barney's facial stubble should match Fred's -- these are hard working caveman with little time to shave -- and his bright yellow hair should really stand out. If you want to add a feature to Barney, you could give him a big wooden club, the more rough looking the better, or consider finding a pair of over sized "naked feet" -- after all, Rubble's feet are pretty huge.
Betty Rubble
Everyone has their favorite Flintstone. For me -- it is Betty. She's sexy, dark haired, and that dress is teasingly short. Okay, okay, I'll get my head out of the gutter. The two keys to a Betty Rubble costume are the dress and the hair. For the dress, you could use the same color of material used for Fred Flintstone's tie -- a grayish blue that may be difficult to locate. Betty's dress is a little bit complex -- unlike Wilma's, Betty's dress doesn't cover either shoulder. Instead, a single over sized "pearl" like the kind around Wilma's neck holds together a strap that runs around her neck. The hem of the dress is a bit short, and is just as jagged as the other character's hems. Betty has a bow in her hair of the same color as her dress, and the hair must be as black as possible for realism's sake.
Some Other Ideas
If you have a group of more than four people willing to wear Flintstones costumes, you'll need to start adding the Flintstone's babies as characters. The ubiquitous Pebbles and Bamm Bamm. The former is a cute little red haired girl still in diapers, toddling about on the floor and generally not adding much to the plot. But Bamm Bamm has a bit of character depth in that he is uncannily strong. His club should be bigger than his father Barney's (if Barney is carrying a club in your group), and the kids' costumes are a bit complex, so they may require a trip to the costume shop.
Flintstones costumes are relatively easy to put together, easily recognizable, and if done right, can give you a good shot to win a costume prize. After all, everyone loves the Flintstones.