Pebbles always had Dino, so it’s only fair that The Flintstones eventually gave Bamm-Bamm a pet. It happened in “Hop Happy” when the Rubbles pick out the perfect pet for their boy: a kangaroo-like animal called Hopparoo, or "Hoppy" for short.

Hoppy was voiced by Don Messick, the same actor who voiced Bamm-Bamm, and like the boy wonder that the prehistoric kangaroo was known to frequently tuck away in his pouch, Hoppy also was known to surprise with unexpected force — by throwing punches.

In the very first episode, we watch Fred Flintstone challenged Hoppy to a boxing match. This was our first encounter with Hoppy, but it wouldn’t be our last.

See More

Cartoons

Can you guess what all this animal technology did on The Flintstones?

Hoppy appeared in dozens of episodes of The Flintstones from 1964 to 1966, when the show ended. And halfway through those appearances, our punchy friend Hoppy decided he wanted to help make a few kids in the audience rich!

In the 1965–66 season, you may remember commercials airing that advertised The Hopparoos, the “official Flintstones club” that you could join. Well, to drum up enthusiasm for charter membership, The Hopparoos launched a contest.

Partnering with local zoos, kids in the audience were asked to guess how many times in "exactly five hours" a nearby kangaroo hopped.

It's like those carnival games where you guess how many jelly beans are in a jar, only far more random! We’re guessing no kid got a chance to stare at the kangaroo in question when making their calculations. Unfortunately, we no longer know the exact answer. (Any Australian zoologists out there?)

It was worth hazarding a guess, though, because 10 lucky kids won a treasure chest of games and toys, including a plush Hoppy of their own! Then, all 10 winners were invited to a "Hop Off," a day at the zoo with kangaroos where one of them won the grand prize, $1,000.

Which Flintstones pet is more your style, Dino or Hoppy?