Page 89 - A Handbook Genre Studies in Mass Media

CHAPTER 4

corresponding changes in culture. For instance, two animated children’s
cartoons, The Flintstones and Scooby-Doo, reveal dramatic shifts in Ameri-
can culture during the decade of the 1960s. The Flintstones premiered in
1966, before the protest movement surrounding the Viet Nam War reached
mainstream American culture. Journalist Daniel P. Finney observes:

Just three years separate the end of “The Flintstones” run on ABC prime
time in 1966 and the debut of “Scooby-Doo” on Saturday mornings in
1969. But those three years show a remarkable shift in the culture. . . .
They represent an evolving culture’s take on family and young people.
“The Flintstones” is, excuse the pun, bedrock family-values fare. Fred
is a working-class hero trying to make his way in the world. Wilma is his
stay-at-home wife who spends her days shopping, cooking and chatting
with a neighbor.
. . . Though cosmetically set in the era of cavemen, Fred and Wilma
[Flintstone] were actually the quintessential suburban dream, a house
crammed with the most modern gadgets; a nice yard, maybe a swim-
ming pool and good, friendly relationships—and fierce rivalries—with
the neighbors. The music of the show is jazz, and the sport of choice is
bowling.
Even the opening credits to the first season of “The Flintstones” show
Fred peddling home on a freeway into the waiting graces of Wilma, who
has a sandwich and drink waiting before he relaxes in front of the TV. 14

But three years later, when Scooby-Doo first appeared on television,
the American landscape had changed dramatically. Finney continues:

The “Scooby-Doo” gang is a 1960s hipster view of modern young people.
The music of the show is bubble-gum rock ‘n’ and roll. There are no adults
in sight, except for the dastardly villains who are, in essence, substituting
for the proverbial establishment that keeps young folks down.
“Scooby-Doo” is the late ’60s “youth power” ideal realized. These kids
not only stumble onto the wrongdoing of the adult world, but unravel it
and make the world a better place, except, of course, for the disgraced
oldster mumbling that he would’ve gotten away with it “if it weren’t for
these blasted kids and their dog.”
Though probably not an intentional overture to the drug culture of the
era, Shaggy is the quintessential hippie stoner. He’s always hungry, clad
in loose-fitting, sloppy clothes and a poorly managed goatee. Fred is an
ascot-wearing jock. Daphne is the dim-witted, sweet-natured rich girl
whose dad bankrolls the kids’ Mystery Inc. gig. Velma is a closet feminist

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