Betty Rubble
   HOME

TheInfoList



OR:

Betty Rubble is a
fictional character In fiction, a character (or speaker, in poetry) is a person or other being in a narrative (such as a novel, play, radio or television series, music, film, or video game). The character may be entirely fictional or based on a real-life person, ...
in the
television Television, sometimes shortened to TV, is a telecommunication medium for transmitting moving images and sound. The term can refer to a television set, or the medium of television transmission. Television is a mass medium for advertisin ...
animated series An animated series is a set of animated works with a common series title, usually related to one another. These episodes should typically share the same main characters, some different secondary characters and a basic theme. Series can have either ...
''
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 ...
'' and its spin-offs and live-action motion pictures. She is the black-haired wife of
caveman The caveman is a stock character representative of primitive humans in the Paleolithic. The popularization of the type dates to the early 20th century, when Neanderthals were influentially described as " simian" or "ape-like" by Marcellin ...
Barney Rubble Barney Rubble is a fictional character who appears in the television animated series ''The Flintstones''. He is the diminutive, blond-haired caveman husband of Betty Rubble and adoptive father of Bamm-Bamm Rubble. His best friend is his next d ...
and the adoptive mother of Bamm-Bamm Rubble. Her best friend is her next-door neighbor
Wilma Flintstone Wilma Flintstone is a fictional character in the television animated series ''The Flintstones''. Wilma is the red-headed woman married to caveman Fred Flintstone, daughter of Pearl Slaghoople, and mother of Pebbles Flintstone. Her best friend is ...
. Betty lives in the fictional
prehistoric Prehistory, also known as pre-literary history, is the period of human history between the use of the first stone tools by hominins 3.3 million years ago and the beginning of recorded history with the invention of writing systems. The use of ...
town of
Bedrock In geology, bedrock is solid Rock (geology), rock that lies under loose material (regolith) within the crust (geology), crust of Earth or another terrestrial planet. Definition Bedrock is the solid rock that underlies looser surface mater ...
, a world where dinosaurs coexist with
cavepeople The caveman is a stock character representative of primitive humans in the Paleolithic. The popularization of the type dates to the early 20th century, when Neanderthals were influentially described as "simian" or " ape-like" by Marcellin Bou ...
and the cavepeople enjoy primitive versions of modern conveniences such as
telephone A telephone is a telecommunications device that permits two or more users to conduct a conversation when they are too far apart to be easily heard directly. A telephone converts sound, typically and most efficiently the human voice, into e ...
s,
automobile A car or automobile is a motor vehicle with Wheel, wheels. Most definitions of ''cars'' say that they run primarily on roads, Car seat, seat one to eight people, have four wheels, and mainly transport private transport#Personal transport, pe ...
s and
washing machine A washing machine (laundry machine, clothes washer, washer, or simply wash) is a home appliance used to wash laundry. The term is mostly applied to machines that use water as opposed to dry cleaning (which uses alternative cleaning fluids and ...
s. She speaks with a Midwestern accent. Betty's personality was based on the
stock character A stock character, also known as a character archetype, is a fictional character in a work of art such as a novel, play, or a film whom audiences recognize from frequent recurrences in a particular literary tradition. There is a wide range of st ...
of the lead character's best friend's wife, commonly seen in 1950s television (other prominent examples including
Trixie Norton ''The Honeymooners'' is an American television sitcom which originally aired from 1955 to 1956, created by and starring Jackie Gleason, and based on a recurring comedy sketch of the same name that had been part of Gleason's variety show. It fol ...
of ''
The Honeymooners ''The Honeymooners'' is an American television sitcom which originally aired from 1955 to 1956, created by and starring Jackie Gleason, and based on a recurring comedy sketch of the same name that had been part of Gleason's variety show. It fol ...
'', which by conflicting accounts was a major inspiration for ''The Flintstones'', and
Ethel Mertz Ethel Mae Mertz (née Potter) (alternately Ethel Louise, Ethel May, and Ethel Roberta), played by Vivian Vance, is one of the four main fictional characters in the highly popular 1950s American television sitcom '' I Love Lucy''. Ethel is the middl ...
of ''
I Love Lucy ''I Love Lucy'' is an American television sitcom that originally aired on CBS from October 15, 1951, to May 6, 1957, with a total of 180 half-hour episodes, spanning six seasons. The show starred Lucille Ball, her husband, Desi Arnaz, along with ...
''). Much like Trixie or Ethel, Betty spent a lot of her time socializing with Wilma, and the two would often end up working together to bail their husbands out of whatever scheme of Fred's had landed them in trouble, sometimes scheming with each other.


Character

Betty typically follows the lead of Barney or Wilma, so may appear to be the least developed character in the show. In spite of this, Betty is portrayed as having a distinctly emotional marriage with Barney, which often includes pet names and more obvious affection than the dynamic and energetic interaction between Fred and Wilma. Occasions when Betty leads the action are extremely scarce: one episode centers around her working undercover as a gentle old lady to earn money for a present for Barney; in another, the plot focuses on her and Wilma's suspicions of Barney being involved with another woman (who turns out to be Fred in a disguise in order to attend a ball game free of charge). This lack of protagonism (her continuous presence almost becoming a backdrop for supporting characters Pebbles, Bamm-Bamm and Dino) makes Betty less of the lead than the show's general concept might imply.


Biography

Betty is a friend of Wilma since their childhood. As a child, she lived with her parents who ran a
convenience store A convenience store, convenience shop, corner store or corner shop is a small retail business that stocks a range of everyday items such as coffee, groceries, snack foods, confectionery, soft drinks, ice creams, tobacco products, lottery ticket ...
and her older brother, Brad. She also has a married sister with a baby son named Marblehead Standstone. As young adults, Betty and Wilma were employed as cigarette girls/waitresses at a resort. There, they first met and fell in love with their future husbands, Fred and Barney. Eventually, Betty and Barney were married, presumably not long after Fred and Wilma."Bachelor Daze", ''The Flintstones'', season 4 Betty became a
homemaker Homemaking is mainly an American and Canadian term for the management of a home, otherwise known as housework, housekeeping, housewifery or household management. It is the act of overseeing the organizational, day-to-day operations of a hous ...
, keeping house with such prehistoric aids as a baby
mammoth A mammoth is any species of the extinct elephantid genus ''Mammuthus'', one of the many genera that make up the order of trunked mammals called proboscideans. The various species of mammoth were commonly equipped with long, curved tusks and, ...
vacuum cleaner A vacuum cleaner, also known simply as a vacuum or a hoover, is a device that causes suction in order to remove dirt from floors, upholstery, draperies, and other surfaces. It is generally electrically driven. The dirt is collected by either a ...
,
pelican Pelicans (genus ''Pelecanus'') are a genus of large water birds that make up the family Pelecanidae. They are characterized by a long beak and a large throat pouch used for catching prey and draining water from the scooped-up contents before s ...
washing machine A washing machine (laundry machine, clothes washer, washer, or simply wash) is a home appliance used to wash laundry. The term is mostly applied to machines that use water as opposed to dry cleaning (which uses alternative cleaning fluids and ...
, and so forth. Betty, much like Wilma, also enjoyed volunteering for various charitable/women's organizations in Bedrock, shopping, and (occasionally) meeting the celebrities of their world, including " Stony Curtis", " Cary Granite", and "
Ann-Margrock ''The Flintstones'' aired from 1960 to 1966. As of September 2006, all six seasons have been released on DVD in North America. In all, 166 episodes were released for the original series. Series overview Episodes The first 2 seasons were wri ...
". Betty at one time also had a job working for an 'old lady' who turned out to be a young lady in disguise and who was using Betty to pass counterfeit money; this was the only episode centered principally around Betty. Despite her cheerful nature, she has occasions to be angry at Barney and once knocked out crooks with her stone purse who tried to kill Barney In the fourth season of the original series, Betty and Barney found an abandoned infant on their doorstep, by the name of "Bamm-Bamm." After a court battle for possession of Bamm-Bamm (in which the Rubbles faced the opposition's noted prehistoric lawyer "
Perry Mason Perry Mason is a fictional character, an American criminal defense lawyer who is the main character in works of detective fiction written by Erle Stanley Gardner. Perry Mason features in 82 novels and 4 short stories, all of which involve a c ...
ry"), the couple were allowed to adopt Bamm-Bamm. The Rubbles never had biological children. The story depicted Betty as despondent over their inability to conceive, which was a surprisingly serious topic for any cartoon. It is unknown if this was due to a medical reason or simply bad luck, though after adopting Bamm-Bamm they never tried again. When Bamm-Bamm was a teenager, Betty gained employment as a
reporter A journalist is an individual that collects/gathers information in form of text, audio, or pictures, processes them into a news-worthy form, and disseminates it to the public. The act or process mainly done by the journalist is called journalism ...
for one of Bedrock's
newspaper A newspaper is a periodical publication containing written information about current events and is often typed in black ink with a white or gray background. Newspapers can cover a wide variety of fields such as politics, business, sports a ...
s, the ''Daily Granite'' (presumably a parody of the ''
Daily Planet The ''Daily Planet'' is a fictional newspaper appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics, commonly in association with Superman. The newspaper was first mentioned in ''Action Comics'' #23 (April 1940). The ''Daily Planet'' build ...
'' of
Superman Superman is a superhero who appears in American comic books published by DC Comics. The character was created by writer Jerry Siegel and artist Joe Shuster, and debuted in the comic book ''Action Comics'' #1 (cover-dated June 1938 and publi ...
fame), under the editorial guidance of Lou Granite (presumably a parody of
Lou Grant Lou Grant is a fictional character played by Ed Asner in two television series produced by MTM Enterprises for CBS. The first was ''The Mary Tyler Moore Show'' (1970–1977), a half-hour light-hearted situation comedy in which the character ...
of the contemporaneous eponymous series, and formerly of ''
The Mary Tyler Moore Show ''The Mary Tyler Moore Show'' (also known simply as ''Mary Tyler Moore'') is an American television sitcom created by James L. Brooks and Allan Burns and starring actress Mary Tyler Moore. The show originally aired on CBS from 1970 to 1977. Moor ...
''). While employed there, she shared various adventures with prehistoric
superhero A superhero or superheroine is a stock character that typically possesses ''superpowers'', abilities beyond those of ordinary people, and fits the role of the hero, typically using his or her powers to help the world become a better place, ...
Captain Caveman, who (in a
secret identity A secret identity is a person's alter ego which is not known to the general populace, most often used in fiction. Brought into popular culture by the Scarlet Pimpernel in 1903, the concept was widespread in pulp heroes and is particularly prevalent ...
) also works for the newspaper. Later still, after Bamm-Bamm grew up and left home, Betty started a successful catering business with her neighbor and friend Wilma, before becoming a
grandmother Grandparents, individually known as grandmother and grandfather, are the parents of a person's father or mother – paternal or maternal. Every sexually-reproducing living organism who is not a genetic chimera has a maximum of four genetics, ge ...
to Bamm-Bamm's twin children, Chip and Roxy.


Portrayal

June Foray June Foray (born June Lucille Forer; September 18, 1917 – July 26, 2017) was an American voice actress. She was best known as the voice of such animated characters as Rocky the Flying Squirrel, Natasha Fatale, Nell Fenwick, Lucifer from Disney' ...
voiced Betty in a 1959 ''Flintstones'' pilot titled ''The Flagstones'', but
Bea Benaderet Beatrice Benaderet ( ; April 4, 1906 – October 13, 1968) was an American actress and comedienne. Born in New York City and raised in San Francisco, she began performing in Bay Area theatre and radio before embarking on a Hollywood career that ...
was cast for the series and voiced Betty for the first four seasons before stepping down in 1964 (due to her scheduling conflicts with ''
Petticoat Junction ''Petticoat Junction'' is an American television sitcom that originally aired on CBS from September 1963 to April 1970. The series takes place at the Shady Rest Hotel, which is run by Kate Bradley; her three daughters Billie Jo, Bobbie Jo, and B ...
''). Gerry Johnson took over the role for the last 2 seasons. B.J. Ward has since performed the role in later ''Flintstones'' media since 1986–2000.
Grey DeLisle Grey DeLisle (; born Erin Grey Van Oosbree; August 24, 1973), sometimes credited as Grey Griffin, is an American voice actress, comedian and singer-songwriter. DeLisle is known for various roles in animated productions and video games. On Sept ...
started voicing Betty in '' The Flintstones: On the Rocks'' and voiced her in '' The Flintstones & WWE: Stone Age SmackDown!''. In the 1994 film, Betty was portrayed by
Rosie O'Donnell Roseann O'Donnell (born March 21, 1962) is an American comedian, television producer, actress, author, and television personality. She began her comedy career as a teenager and received her breakthrough on the television series ''Star Search'' ...
, who reportedly won the role because she captured the high pitch laugh at her audition.
Jane Krakowski Jane Krakowski (; ; born October 11, 1968) is an American actress, comedienne, and singer. She is best known for her starring role as Jenna Maroney in the NBC satirical comedy series ''30 Rock'' (2006–2013, 2020), for which she received four ...
replaced O'Donnell in the 2000 prequel ''
The Flintstones in Viva Rock Vegas ''The Flintstones in Viva Rock Vegas'' (also known as ''The Flintstones 2'' or ''The Flintstones 2: Viva Rock Vegas'' in a working title) is a 2000 American romantic comedy film directed by Brian Levant, written by Jim Cash, Harry Elfont, Debor ...
'', in which Betty's maiden name is "O'Shale".


Animated media


Television shows

* '' The Flagstones'' (1959) (voiced by
June Foray June Foray (born June Lucille Forer; September 18, 1917 – July 26, 2017) was an American voice actress. She was best known as the voice of such animated characters as Rocky the Flying Squirrel, Natasha Fatale, Nell Fenwick, Lucifer from Disney' ...
) * ''
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 ...
'' (1960–1964) (voiced by
Bea Benaderet Beatrice Benaderet ( ; April 4, 1906 – October 13, 1968) was an American actress and comedienne. Born in New York City and raised in San Francisco, she began performing in Bay Area theatre and radio before embarking on a Hollywood career that ...
) * ''
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 ...
'' (1964–1966) (voiced by Gerry Johnson) * ''
The Pebbles and Bamm-Bamm Show ''The Pebbles and Bamm-Bamm Show'' is an American animated television series produced by Hanna-Barbera Productions that originally aired for one season on CBS Saturday morning from September 11, 1971, to January 1, 1972. With an ensemble voice ...
'' (1971–1972) (voiced by Gay Autterson) * ''
The Flintstone Comedy Hour ''The Flintstone Comedy Hour'' is an American animated television series and a spin-off of ''The Flintstones'' and ''The Pebbles and Bamm-Bamm Show'', produced by Hanna-Barbera, which aired on CBS from September 9, 1972, to September 1, 1973. It w ...
'' (1972–1974) * ''
Fred Flintstone and Friends ''Fred Flintstone and Friends'' is an American animated anthology wheel series and a spin-off of ''The Flintstones'' produced by Hanna-Barbera and Columbia Pictures Television that aired in daily first-run syndication from September 12, 1977 t ...
'' (1977–1978) * ''
The New Fred and Barney Show ''The New Fred and Barney Show'' is an American animated television series revival and spin-off of ''The Flintstones'' produced by Hanna-Barbera that aired on NBC from February 3 to October 20, 1979. The series marked the first time Henry Corden ...
'' (1979) * '' Fred and Barney Meet the Thing'' (1979) * ''
Fred and Barney Meet the Shmoo ''Fred and Barney Meet the Shmoo'' is an American animated package show and a spin-off of ''The Flintstones'' produced by Hanna-Barbera which aired on NBC from December 8, 1979 to November 15, 1980. The 90-minute show is a repackaging of episodes ...
'' (1979–1980) * ''
The Flintstone Comedy Show ''The Flintstone Comedy Show'' is an American animated television series revival and spin-off of ''The Flintstones'' produced by Hanna-Barbera that aired on NBC from November 22, 1980 to October 24, 1981. Outside North America, the show was rele ...
'' (1980–1982) * ''
The Flintstone Funnies ''The Flintstone Funnies'' is an American Saturday-morning cartoon, animated package show produced by Hanna-Barbera that aired on NBC from September 18, 1982 to September 8, 1984. This is the final incarnation of ''The Flintstones'' that premiered ...
'' (1982–1984) * ''
The Flintstone Kids ''The Flintstone Kids'' is an American animated television series produced by Hanna-Barbera. It is an alternative incarnation of the studio's original animated series ''The Flintstones''. The series depicts juvenile versions of the main characte ...
'' (1986–1988) (voiced by B.J. Ward) * ''
The Rubbles ''Los Mármol'' (''The Rubbles'' in English, ''Os Rubbles'' in Portuguese) is a series of 6 animated shorts spin-off (media), spun-off from ''The Flintstones'' that aired during Television advertisement, commercial breaks on the Cartoon Network ( ...
'' (2002) (voiced by
Grey DeLisle Grey DeLisle (; born Erin Grey Van Oosbree; August 24, 1973), sometimes credited as Grey Griffin, is an American voice actress, comedian and singer-songwriter. DeLisle is known for various roles in animated productions and video games. On Sept ...
) * '' Yabba Dabba Dinosaurs'' (2020)


Films and specials

* ''
The Man Called Flintstone ''The Man Called Flintstone'' is a 1966 American animated musical comedy film produced by Hanna-Barbera Productions and distributed by Columbia Pictures. The second film by Hanna-Barbera following ''Hey There, It's Yogi Bear!'' (1964), it was dir ...
'' (1966) * '' The Flintstones on Ice'' (1973) * '' A Flintstone Christmas'' (1977) * '' The Flintstones: Little Big League'' (1978) * ''
The Flintstones' New Neighbors ''The Flintstones' New Neighbors'' is a 1980 Animation, animated television special and the first of ''The Flintstone Primetime Specials, The Flintstone Special'' limited-run prime time revival of ''The Flintstones'' produced by Hanna-Barbera, Han ...
'' (1980) * ''
The Flintstones Meet Rockula and Frankenstone ''The Flintstones Meet Rockula and Frankenstone'' is a 1979 animated Halloween television special featuring The Flintstones. It was produced by Hanna-Barbera and first aired on Tuesday, October 30, 1979 on NBC. In addition to the regular ''Flin ...
'' (1980) * '' The Flintstones: Fred's Final Fling'' (1980) * '' The Flintstones: Wind-Up Wilma'' (1981) * '' The Flintstones: Jogging Fever'' (1981) * ''
The Jetsons Meet the Flintstones ''The Jetsons Meet the Flintstones'' is a 1987 animated crossover made-for-television film produced by Hanna-Barbera for syndication as part of the '' Hanna-Barbera Superstars 10'' series. The two-hour special stars the cast of the Hanna-Barbe ...
'' (1987) (voiced by Julie McWhirter Dees) * ''
The Flintstone Kids' "Just Say No" Special ''The Flintstone Kids' "Just Say No" Special'' is a 1988 animated television special featuring The Flintstone Kids and produced by Hanna-Barbera that aired on ABC on September 15, 1988. Nine days later, ABC aired the show again on ''ABC Weekend ...
'' (1988) * '' A Yabba Dabba Doo Celebration: 50 Years of Hanna-Barbera'' (1989) * ''
I Yabba-Dabba Do! ''I Yabba-Dabba Do!'' is a 1993 American animated made-for-television film based on the 1960s animated series, ''The Flintstones'' and is a continuation of the series’ spin-off,''The Pebbles and Bamm-Bamm Show''. It premiered on ABC on February ...
'' (1993) * ''
Hollyrock-a-Bye Baby ''Hollyrock-a-Bye Baby'' (known in a working title as ''Hollyrock or Bust!'') is a 1993 American animated made-for-television film based on the 1960s series classic, ''The Flintstones''. It first aired on ABC on December 5, 1993. It is the sequel ...
'' (1993) * ''
A Flintstone Family Christmas ''A Flintstone Family Christmas'' (known in a working title as ''The Flintstones: Christmas Misdemeanors'') is a 1993 Animation, animated Christmas by medium, Christmas television special featuring characters from ''The Flintstones'' franchise. ...
'' (1993) * ''
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 ...
'' (1994) (portrayed by
Rosie O'Donnell Roseann O'Donnell (born March 21, 1962) is an American comedian, television producer, actress, author, and television personality. She began her comedy career as a teenager and received her breakthrough on the television series ''Star Search'' ...
) * ''
A Flintstones Christmas Carol ''A Flintstones Christmas Carol'' (also known as ''The Flintstones: A Christmas Carol'', or ''The Flintstones: in Charles Dickens' A Christmas Carol'') is a 1994 American animated made-for-television film featuring characters from ''The Flintstone ...
'' (1994) * ''
The Flintstones in Viva Rock Vegas ''The Flintstones in Viva Rock Vegas'' (also known as ''The Flintstones 2'' or ''The Flintstones 2: Viva Rock Vegas'' in a working title) is a 2000 American romantic comedy film directed by Brian Levant, written by Jim Cash, Harry Elfont, Debor ...
'' (2000) (portrayed by
Jane Krakowski Jane Krakowski (; ; born October 11, 1968) is an American actress, comedienne, and singer. She is best known for her starring role as Jenna Maroney in the NBC satirical comedy series ''30 Rock'' (2006–2013, 2020), for which she received four ...
) * '' The Flintstones: On the Rocks'' (2001) (voiced by
Grey DeLisle Grey DeLisle (; born Erin Grey Van Oosbree; August 24, 1973), sometimes credited as Grey Griffin, is an American voice actress, comedian and singer-songwriter. DeLisle is known for various roles in animated productions and video games. On Sept ...
) * '' The Flintstones & WWE: Stone Age SmackDown!'' (2015) * '' Space Jam: A New Legacy'' (2021)


References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Rubble, Betty The Flintstones characters Fictional reporters Hanna-Barbera characters Television characters introduced in 1959 Animated characters introduced in 1959 Animated human characters Fictional housewives Female characters in animated series