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How a hair cream completely changed The Flintstones
A little yabba dabba do ya!
A hair cream commercial led to the most iconic phrase in The Flintstones. Now, when you look at Fred Flintstone, you don't immediately think "I wonder what hair products he uses,"...because he's a caveman. Even in the suspended disbelief required to enjoy The Flintstones, they don't pretend like there were secret caveman hair products, except for the occasional bones as curling pins or a bird as a comb gag. But it turns out a popular hair cream commercial led to a script change that made The Flintstones an instant classic.
According to Flintstones co-creator Joe Barbera, "If 'The Flintstones' is identified with any single thing, it is the phrase 'Yabba-dabba-doo!". But, when voice actor Alan Reed stepped into the recording booth to record the first episode of The Flintstones, "The Flintstone Flyer," the script originally had Fred's catchphrase as "Yahoo!". According to Reed's son, he improvised the line to the iconic "Yabba dabba doo!" we all know and love today. But how exactly did Reed come up with "Yabba-dabba-doo"?
It all started with the phrase "A little dab'll do ya." which originates from the popular Brylcreem commercials, which featured the jingle "Brylcreem, a little dab'll do ya! Brylcreem - you look so debonair! Brylcreem, the girls will all pursue ya! They love to get their fingers in your hair!" The song is seriously catchy, and whether it was stuck in Reed's head or, as his son suggests, Reed's mother said the phrase from the commercial often, the earworm had taken hold in Reed's mind. So, when the moment came for Fred Flintstone to let out a joyous "Yahoo!", Alan Reed turned to Joe Barbera and said, "Can I say 'Yabba-dabba-doo' here?". Barbera said, "Okay," and after Reed shouted, "Yabba-dabba-doo!" Barbera realized they had struck gold and "yabba-dabba-doo" became the bedrock upon which The Flintstones was built.
