Betty Rubble was missing from Flintstones Vitamins for 20 years
Where's Betty? Here's the answer!
If you were (or had) a kid in the '70s, '80s, or '90s, chances are you're familiar with Flintstones Vitamins. They were a widely distributed way to get kids all big, strong, and healthy (allegedly). Here's the best part: They tasted like candy! No childhood neighborhood was complete without a local tale of a kid having his stomach pumped after gobbling up way too many of the colorful, fruit-flavored vitamins. They were genuinely delicious.
Here's something you might not have known: Until 1996, Betty wasn't included with her Bedrock buddies.
That's right, one glaring omission plagued each bottle of vitamins for nearly 25 years. While Fred, Barney, Wilma, Dino, and the Flintmobible were always a part of each package, Barney was unfortunately a vitamin bachelor for over two decades.
The sea change began in 1993 when Spy Magazine first called attention to Bett's absence in a November article.
Then, it was Rosie O'Donnell who began advocating for the Flintstone family friend. O'Donnell, you may recall, played Betty Rubble in the live-action Flintstones movie. She discussed the snub in an Eye to Eye interview with Connie Chung.
Then, after O'Donnell's talk show appearance, a Betty Club formed in Oregon, and began distributing petitions to rectify the unjustness. And, really, thank goodness they did.
Finally, Bayer, the Flintstones vitamins manufacturer, intervened. They created a toll-free telephone line where the public could call in to determine Betty's fate. They even created traveling polling stations.
Betty Rubble fans will be happy to hear that of the 17,313 votes, a whopping 91% voted to include Betty, according to a 1995 article in The South Bend Tribune.