Fred and Barney Meet the Thing is an American animated package show, and a spin-off of The Flintstones, produced by Hanna-Barbera Productions, which aired on NBC from September 8 to December 1, 1979.
Despite the show's title, the two segments remained separate and did not crossover with one another. The characters of Fred Flintstone, Barney Rubble and The Thing were only featured together during the opening title sequence and in brief bumpers between segments. The segments featuring Fred and Barney were episodes of The New Fred and Barney Show while The Thing was an unrelated new series co-produced with Marvel Comics. The actual idea for the series came from then NBC President Fred Silverman who originated the concept for a series involving a "boy with a magic ring", and told Hanna-Barbera it needed a recognizable "celebrated attraction". As Hanna-Barbera had a relationship with Marvel producing comics off their IPs the company was able to negotiate for the likeness of The Thing.
For the 1979–80 season, the series was expanded to a 90-minute timeslot with the addition of The New Shmoo episodes and broadcast under the new title Fred and Barney Meet the Shmoo. For the following 1980-81 season, both The Thing and Shmoo segments would be removed in favor of The Flintstone Comedy Show.
Like many animated series created by Hanna-Barbera in the 1970s, only The New Fred and Barney Show segments of the show contained a laugh track, one of their last productions to do so.
Contents
Premises
The first segment, a very loose adaptation of Marvel Comics' character The Thing, consisted of stories following the adventures of a scrawny, red-headed teenager named Benjy Grimm (voiced by Wayne Morton) who changes into the monstrous and mighty Thing (voiced by Joe Baker impersonating Jimmy Durante) by touching together two magic rings and reciting the words "Thing Ring, do your thing!", releasing an explosion of energy that causes orange rocks to hurl in from every direction and transform him into the stone-skinned superhero.
The stories centered mostly around Benjy at Centerville High School with his friends, the beautiful brunette Betty Harkness (voiced by Marilyn Schreffler), her snooty rich boyfriend Ronald Radford (voiced by John Erwin), and Betty's blond tomboy younger sister Kelly (voiced by Noelle North), with minimal adult supervision provided by Principal Twilly (voiced by Marilyn Schreffler). Only Kelly and her scientist father Professor Harkness (voiced by John Stephenson) know Benjy's secret identity.
When not battling various mad scientists and getting involved in Scooby-Doo-style mysteries, Thing spent most of his time using his superhuman strength to protect his pals from everyday dangers and the nasty practical jokes of leather-clad bully Spike Hanrahan (voiced by Art Metrano) and his biker buddies Stretch (voiced by Wayne Morton) and Turkey (voiced by Michael Sheehan) in the Yancy Street Gang.
Other members of the Fantastic Four did not appear in the show and the portrayal of the Thing and his origin story differed greatly from the original comics.
Twenty-six 11-minute episodes of The Thing were produced; two shorts aired per show.
Other appearances
In FF #8, Ant-Man and Dragon Man give Darla Deering her own Thing Rings to become Miss Thing, in a homage to Fred and Barney Meet the Thing.
Betty and Ronald appeared in Scooby-Doo: Where Are You #66, but it appears their names were changed, but remained similar (i.e. Betty was renamed to Bella.)
Second run
The "Fred and Barney" half of the show consisted of a second season of seven new 30-minute episodes of The New Fred and Barney Show combined with reruns of first-season episodes.
Voice cast
Wayne Morton as Benjy Grimm, Stretch
Joe Baker as The Thing
Noelle North as Kelly Harkness
Marilyn Schreffler as Betty Harkness, Miss Twilly
John Erwin as Ronald Radford
Art Metrano as Spike Hanrahan
Michael Sheehan as Turkey
John Stephenson as Professor Harkness, Various guest characters
Paul Winchell as Dr. Quimby (in "The Thing Meets the Clunk")