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6 things you never knew about Flintstones Vitamins
"10 million strong and growing!"
Image: Dr. Miles Medical Company / Bayer
If you were a kid at any point in the last 50 years, you are likely familiar with the taste of Flintstones Vitamins. The cartoon family made nutrition as fun and delicious as Pez.
The chewable vitamins have evolved over the years, adding characters and gummy varieties. But for Boomers and Gen-X, nothing beats the originals.
Let's tour the Stone Age history of children's vitamins through the courtesy of Fred's two feet.
1. They made their debut in 1968.
The Flintstones cartoon originally ran from 1960–66, but clearly did not leave the public consciousness, let alone the airwaves. Reruns of the former primetime series were running on Saturday mornings in 1968. Late that year, the Dr. Miles Medical Company of Indiana launched Flintstones Vitamins. The nifty, clear apothecary jars held orange, red, purple and green chewables. The vitamins were pressed and shaped to look like Fred, Barney, Pebbles, Bamm-Bamm, Dino and the Flintstones car.
Image: Dr. Miles Medical Company
2. Betty was not a vitamin for 27 years.
Over the years, more characters were introduced, including Wilma and the Great Gazoo. Meanwhile, pharma giant Bayer bought up Dr. Miles Medical Company. It would take decades for Betty to make her vitamin debut! The excuse was that the character's waist was too thin and would lead to the pills snapping in half. At last, in 1995, a campaign spearheaded by Rosie O'Donnell, who played the character in the live-action movie, and a fan vote, led to the introduction of Betty.
Image: Bayer
3. They were made by the company that introduced Alka-Seltzer.
Miles Labratories might not ring a bell, but the company innovated several products found in drugstores today (now bearing the Bayer brand). Miles' introduced Alka-Seltzer in 1931. Two decades later, the adorable mascot Speedy, seen here, entered the scene.
Image: Dr. Miles Medical Company
4. Miles also sold the first chewable vitamins for kids, Chocks.
Miles led the charge of the vitamin craze. The Midwestern manufacturer had sold loads of its adult One-A-Day Vitamins, which were first introduced in 1940. Looking to cash in on the Baby Boom, Miles developed Chocks, the first chewable vitamin for kids, which were essentially the precursor to the Flintstones Vitamin, minus the Hanna-Barbera shapes. Chocks had its own mascot, too, Charlie Chocks, a futuristic adventurer in a purple spacesuit.
Image: Dr. Miles Medical Company
5. You could mail away for these cool Fred and Dino cups in the Sixties.
For just 75¢, kids (well, their parents) could send away for plastic mugs shaped like Fred's head and Dino. "Vitamins Are Good to Chew," a raised message read on the back of the cups.
Image: Worthpoint / eBay
6. The musician behind the jingle became a major player in video games.
When you think Flintstones Vitamins, odds are the jingle pops into your head. "We are Flintstones kids — 10 million strong and growing!" Composer Martin O'Donnell used his own kids to sing that chorus. O'Donnell would go on to become an audio innovator in the gaming industry, primarily with the developer Bungie. He did the music for the blockbuster Halo series. Chic legend Nile Rodgers produced the Halo 2 Original Soundtrack (2004) which became the best-selling game soundtrack of all time in America.
Image: Bungie
49 Comments
It was a GREAT PLACE for women who received great pay, benefits and retirement packages.
We were the testing kids for many of the products.
Do you remember Root Beer or Orange Alka-Seltzer, no that's because us kids did not approve. If we didn't like any of the new flavors, we would put the raw disc's in our mouths and let them foam, the researcher's caught on quickly that this flavor wasn't going to be a top seller.😀
BAYER of Germany bought out Mile's Labs with the promise that the Elkhart jobs were safe.
Everyone knew that a hometown factory started by Dr Beardsley in the 1900's, created of Alka-Seltzer, One A Day Vitamins, Test Strips for Diabetics and many other products would soon be gone.
By the late 80's all had been moved to New Jersey taking with it a top manufacturing job from our town.
Were once people from all over the world would take tours of the facility and get sample bags at the end is now only a memory.
Today the HUGE Complex, that covers acres, is an empty field that used to support thousands of people.
THANKS BAYER For Destroying Our History!
I just thought of Barbara Bain.
