They’re a page right out of history: The Flintstones were the first network primetime animated TV family, and their worldwide popularity endures today, nearly sixty years after their debut. In honor of that international renown, the acclaimed toy company LEGO has produced a set based on the Modern Stone-Age Family and their neighbors the Rubbles.
LEGO’s The Flintstones set was actually first submitted as a LEGO Ideas project, which requires ten thousand votes from the general public before proceeding to a review stage, during which LEGO decides whether or not it want to turn the concept into an official product. Upon clearing that hurdle, a LEGO-employed designer will reconfigure the pitch to meet company standards (and a certain retail price), at which point it will be revealed to fans and then hit the market.
Watch LEGO The Flintstones set unboxing / build / review:
This set includes separate builds for the Flintstones’ house, mailbox, and car, plus minifigures depicting Fred Flintstone, his wife Wilma, best buddy Barney Rubble, and Barney’s wife Betty. There are great prehistoric details within the house such as a seashell telephone, a wooly mammoth cave painting, a sofa, a coffee table, and even a stone-age television set (with missing Dino news report, explaining the absence of the family’s pet dinosaur).
Also packaged in the set is a bowling ball with three buildable pins so Fred and Barney can pursue their favorite hobby. The Flintstones’ car features spinning drums for wheels and a retractable canopy to allow for insertion of all four minifigures. Sadly, Fred’s feet do not stick through the bottom of the car like in the cartoon. You also kind of have to use your imagination for the mailbox’s letter element, which is represented by a standard LEGO paper envelope (though it should be made of stone in Bedrock) and the same notion goes for the glass milk bottle out on the front porch.
Overall, I think the LEGO Ideas The Flintstones set would make a terrific gift for any fan of the original show or the 1990s movies inspired by it. It’s a fairly faithful reproduction of an iconic location, vehicle, and four characters from a classic TV phenomenon. While I’ve seen people complaining that Barney Rubble is too tall or that the babies Pebbles and Bamm-Bamm were not included, these are minor quibbles with an otherwise excellent set.
LEGO The Flintstones retails for $59.99 and is available now for VIP members from LEGO’s Shop-At-Home website, and will become available for everyone else beginning Friday, March 1.
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