Bamm-Bamm Rubble
| Bamm-Bamm Rubble | |
|---|---|
| The Flintstones character | |
 Bamm-Bamm Rubble as a baby | |
| First appearance | Little Bamm Bamm |
| Created by | Hanna Barbera |
| Portrayed by | Baby Don Messick (1963–1996) Elizabeth Daily (1996–present) Bill Farmer (The Flintstones: Bedrock Bowling) Christine Cavanaugh (Cave Kids) Eric Bauza (The Flintstones & WWE: Stone Age SmackDown!) Child Lucille Bliss (A Flintstone Christmas) Frank Welker (The Flintstones: Little Big League) Teenager Jay North (1971–1980) Micheal Sheehan (1980–present) Adult Jerry Houser |
| In-universe information | |
| Species | Caveman |
| Gender | Male |
| Occupation | None (as a child/teenager) Auto mechanic[1] Screenwriter[2] |
| Family | Barney Rubble (adoptive father) Betty Rubble (adoptive mother) Marblehead Sandstone (cousin)[3] Fred Flintstone (godfather/father-in-law) Wilma Flintstone (godmother/mother-in-law) Stony Flintstone (brother-in-law)[4] |
| Spouse | Pebbles Rubble (wife) |
| Children | Chip Rubble (son)[2] Roxy Rubble (daughter)[2] |
Bamm-Bamm 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 various other ages, including as a teenager on the early 1970s spinoff The Pebbles and Bamm-Bamm Show and as an adult in three made-for-television specials. Cartoonist Gene Hazelton contributed to the original model sheets for the character, and he has said that he based Bamm-Bamm's design on his own son, Wes.[5]
Biography
Bamm-Bamm was adopted by Barney and Betty Rubble after they found him left in a turtle shell on their doorstep. After meeting his next-door neighbor Pebbles, the two became lifelong playmates. Bamm-Bamm's name came from a note left in the basket, causing Barney and Betty confusion over the strange name. This was explained when Bamm-Bamm yelled the phrase "bamm, bamm!" and swung his club.[6] Bamm-Bamm's excessive (and sometimes misused) strength was often a source of humor in the episodes the toddler version of Bamm-Bamm appeared in. Unlike Pebbles, Bamm-Bamm was past the crawling stage and could be seen in a few episodes trying to help Pebbles walk.
As a teenager, Bamm-Bamm attended Bedrock High School along with Pebbles. In this version, Bamm-Bamm's super strength was not actively mentioned and was only shown on occasion. He became more passive and sensible in his manner and tended to be dominated by Pebbles' more aggressive personality. He was the owner of a "cave buggy," a prehistoric version of a dune buggy.[7]
As an adult, Bamm-Bamm became a mechanic and married Pebbles. The two soon moved to Hollyrock (a fictionalized, prehistoric version of Hollywood, California) so Bamm-Bamm could pursue his true goal of becoming a screenwriter.[1] Later the couple had twins, Chip and Roxy.[2]
Film
In the 1994 live-action Flintstones movie, Bamm-Bamm appears as a four-year-old who is adopted by the Rubbles and is seen with long blond hair and only wearing a fig leaf loincloth. He was mentioned to have been raised by wild mastodons, a parody of various examples of interspecies adoption. This also hinted at how he had gained his incredible super-strength. Bamm-Bamm soon started to look like his cartoon counterpart after a bath, a haircut, and some new clothes. Bamm-Bamm was played by twins Hlynur Sigurðsson and Marinó Sigurðsson and voiced by actress E.G. Daily, who returned to the role of Bamm-Bamm in a Pebbles cereal commercial.
Though Bamm-Bamm did not appear in the prequel film The Flintstones in Viva Rock Vegas, the name of the film's antagonist, Chip, is a reference to the name of Bamm-Bamm's son. Chip's mistress, Roxy, also gets her name from Bamm-Bamm and Pebbles' daughter.
Chronology
Through the various Flintstones incarnations, the age of Bamm-Bamm has varied wildly from spinoff to spinoff, appearing as an adolescent in one spinoff and as an infant again in the next. Arranged roughly in chronological order, the Flintstones incarnations Bamm-Bamm has made appearances in are as follows:
Infant/Toddler
- The Flintstones
- The Man Called Flintstone
- The New Fred and Barney Show
- The Flintstones' New Neighbors
- The Flintstones: Fred's Final Fling
- The Flintstones: Wind-Up Wilma
- The Flintstones: Jogging Fever
- A Flintstones Christmas Carol
- Cave Kids
- Fruity Pebbles, Post commercials
Child
Teenager
Adult
Casting
Bamm-Bamm's voice over the years was provided by Jay North, Don Messick, Lucille Bliss, Frank Welker, Christine Cavanaugh, Michael Sheehan, Elizabeth Daily, and Jerry Houser.
References
- ^ a b I Yabba Dabba Do, 1993, ABC
- ^ a b c d Hollyrock-a-Bye Baby, 1993, ABC
- ^ "The Surprise," The Flintstones, season 3
- ^ A Flintstone Family Christmas, 1993, ABC
- ^ "Excavating Bedrock: Reminiscences of 'The Flintstones,'" Hogan's Alley #9, 2001
- ^ "Little Bamm Bamm," The Flintstones, season 4
- ^ The Pebbles and Bamm-Bamm Show, 1971-1972, CBS
- ^ "Pebbles, Bamm-Bamm Plan Stone Age Wedding in Bedrock". The Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 2010-09-10.
