''The Flintstones: The Rescue of Dino & Hoppy'' is a 1991

platform Platform may refer to: Technology * Computing platform, a framework on which applications may be run * Platform game, a genre of video games * Car platform, a set of components shared by several vehicle models * Weapons platform, a system or ...

video game Video games, also known as computer games, are electronic games that involves interaction with a user interface or input device such as a joystick, controller, keyboard, or motion sensing device to generate visual feedback. This fee ...

Taito is a Japanese company that specializes in video games, toys, arcade cabinets and game centers, based in Shinjuku, Tokyo. The company was founded by Michael Kogan in 1953 as the importing vodka, vending machines and jukeboxes into Japan. It b ...

for the

Nintendo Entertainment System The Nintendo Entertainment System (NES) is an 8-bit third-generation home video game console produced by Nintendo. It was first released in Japan in 1983 as the commonly known as the The NES, a redesigned version, was released in America ...

and based on the animated series ''

The Flintstones ''The Flintstones'' is an American animated sitcom produced by Hanna-Barbera Productions. The series takes place in a romanticized Stone Age setting and follows the activities of the titular family, the Flintstones, and their next-door neighb ...

''. Taito would later release another ''Flintstones'' game for the NES titled '' The Flintstones: Surprise at Dinosaur Peak'' in 1994.

Gameplay

The gameplay is preceded by a short cutscene which sets the stage, where the Flintstones and the Rubbles are enjoying their lives in Bedrock. That's when a man from the 30th century named Dr. Butler kidnaps

Fred Fred may refer to: People * Fred (name), including a list of people and characters with the name Mononym * Fred (cartoonist) (1931–2013), pen name of Fred Othon Aristidès, French * Fred (footballer, born 1949) (1949–2022), Frederico Ro ...

's pet Dino and

Barney Barney may refer to: People and fictional characters * Barney (given name), a list of people and fictional characters * Barney (surname), a list of people Film and television * the title character of ''Barney & Friends'', an American live actio ...

's pet Hoppy.

's alien friend, Gazoo, lost parts of his time machine due to Dr. Butler. Gazoo is visible only to Fred and to nobody else (a slight change from the series where

, Pebbles and

Bamm-Bamm Bamm-Bamm Rubble (sometimes spelled Bam-Bam Rubble) is a fictional character in the ''Flintstones'' franchise, the adopted son of Barney and Betty Rubble. He is most famous in his infant form on the animated series, but has also appeared at vari ...

could also see him). With each stage

completes, he earns back another piece of the

time machine Time travel is the concept of movement between certain points in time, analogous to movement between different points in space by an object or a person, typically with the use of a hypothetical device known as a time machine. Time travel is a w ...

, and Gazoo welds together the pieces progressively. Throughout the stages,

runs into Wilma,

Betty Betty or Bettie is a name, a common diminutive for the names Bethany and Elizabeth. In Latin America, it is also a common diminutive for the given name Beatriz, the Spanish and Portuguese form of the Latin name Beatrix and the English name Beatric ...

, as well as

George Jetson George J. Jetson is a fictional character from the animated television series ''The Jetsons''. He is the patriarch of the Jetson family. He is the husband of Jane Jetson and the father of teenage daughter Judy and son Elroy. Fictional character ...

in the future stage.

has to defeat a boss at each stage. At the end of the map, he gets the last piece and travels to the future, where he has to defeat Dr. Butler.

Reception

GamePro Gamepro.com is an international multiplatform video game magazine media company that covers the video game industry, video game hardware and video game software in countries such as Germany and France. The publication, GamePro, was originally la ...

'' praised the graphics, gameplay, and the abundance of levels, but criticized the music.

AllGame RhythmOne , previously known as Blinkx, and also known as RhythmOne Group, is an American digital advertising technology company that owns and operates the web properties AllMusic, AllMovie, and SideReel. Blinkx was founded in 2004, went publ ...

gave a review score of 4 out of 5 stars praising the game as a first rate platform with bright colorful graphics that mimic the cartoon series stating “Fred is easy to control, and his ability to club enemies and climb ledges goes a long way towards making the gameplay feel different from other titles in the genre.”

Legacy

The video game is infamous for a

ROM hack ROM hacking is the process of modifying a ROM image, ROM image or ROM file of a video game to alter the game's graphics, dialogue, levels, gameplay, and/or other elements. This is usually done by technically inclined video game fans to improve an ...

of the game titled ''7 GRAND DAD'' (). Released in 1992 and published by J.Y. Company in

Taiwan Taiwan, officially the Republic of China (ROC), is a country in East Asia, at the junction of the East and South China Seas in the northwestern Pacific Ocean, with the People's Republic of China (PRC) to the northwest, Japan to the nort ...

, the game featured Fred Flintstone's head being swapped with

Mario is a character created by Japanese video game designer Shigeru Miyamoto. He is the title character of the ''Mario'' franchise and the mascot of Japanese video game company Nintendo. Mario has appeared in over 200 video games since his creat ...

's head from '' Super Mario Bros. 3'', and an altered title screen featuring a sprite of Mario originating from a bootleg Taiwanese gambling video game called '' Dian Shi Ma Li'' alongside a sprite of Fred Flintstone in a star originating from the unhacked game's title screen. This would eventually become an

Internet meme An Internet meme, commonly known simply as a meme ( ), is an idea, behavior, style, or image that is spread via the Internet, often through social media platforms. What is considered a meme may vary across different communities on the Internet ...

, becoming famous after a

live stream Livestreaming is streaming media simultaneously recorded and broadcast in real-time over the internet. It is often referred to simply as streaming. Non-live media such as video-on-demand, vlogs, and YouTube videos are technically streamed, but no ...

Twitch Twitch may refer to: Biology * Muscle contraction ** Convulsion, rapid and repeated muscle contraction and relaxation ** Fasciculation, a small, local, involuntary muscle contraction ** Myoclonic twitch, a jerk usually caused by sudden muscle con ...

streamer and YouTuber Vargskelethor Joel of the streaming group Vinesauce, as well as becoming a running joke on the parody music

YouTube YouTube is a global online video platform, online video sharing and social media, social media platform headquartered in San Bruno, California. It was launched on February 14, 2005, by Steve Chen, Chad Hurley, and Jawed Karim. It is owned by ...

channel

SiIvaGunner SiIvaGunner () (formerly GiIvaSunner; ) is a comedic musical collective, based mostly around bait-and-switch YouTube videos claiming to be "high quality rips" of video game music that are in reality remixes, parodies, and/or mashups, usually ...

References

1991 video games Nintendo Entertainment System games Nintendo Entertainment System-only games Platform games Taito games Video games based on The Flintstones Video games about time travel Crossover video games Video games based on The Jetsons Internet memes introduced in 2016 Cartoon Network video games Video games developed in Japan Single-player video games {{Hanna-Barbera-stub