Fred and Barney Meet The Thing

Overview

Fred and Barney Meet The Thing is a 60-minute Saturday morning animated package show produced by Hanna-Barbera Productions from September 8, 1979 to December 1, 1979 on NBC. It contained the following segments:

⁕The New Fred and Barney Show

⁕The Thing

Despite the title, the two segments remained separate and did not crossover with one another. Fred, Barney and the Thing were only featured together during the show's opening title sequence and in brief bumpers between segments. The unusual combination of a Marvel superhero and The Flintstones was possible because, at this time, Marvel Comics owned the rights to several Hanna-Barbera franchises and were, in fact, publishing comic books based upon them; The Flintstones was one of these.

For the 1979-80 season, the series was expanded to ninety-minutes with the addition of The New Shmoo episodes and retitled Fred and Barney Meet the Shmoo.

Episodes

S01E01 The Picnic Panic

September 8, 1979 5.0 60 min
Benjy and his friends attend their high school picnic at the Centerville Picnic Grounds, but when the Yancy Street Gang shows up at the picnic and causes trouble, The Thing must save the day.

S01E02 Bigfoot Meets the Thing

September 8, 1979 5.0 60 min
Benjy and his friends confront a real Bigfoot while on a ski trip at North Woods Ski Lodge.

S01E03 Junkyard Hijinks

September 15, 1979 6.0 60 min
Benjy and his friends decide to transform the Yancy Street Gang's junkyard into a playground for the neighborhood children.

S01E04 Gone Away Gulch

September 15, 1979 6.0 60 min
Benjy and his friends visit the town of Gone Away Gulch and, during a storm, the group seeks shelter in a deserted hotel haunted by an old prospector.

S01E05 Circus Stampede

September 22, 1979 6.0 60 min
Benjy and his friends attend the Barney and Baillum Circus where the Yancy Street Gang sets loose a mouse, causing the elephants to stampede and all the other animals to escape.

S01E06 The Thing and the Queen

September 22, 1979 6.0 60 min
When Betty runs for homecoming queen, the Yancy Street Gang (whose friend Sophie is also vying for the same title) resorts to their usual dirty tactics as they try to sabotage Betty's campaign.

S01E07 Carnival Caper

September 29, 1979 6.0 60 min
Benjy and his friends visit a local carnival and, after stopping a runaway ferris wheel and fixing it, The Thing is offered a job at the carnival by its owner.

S01E08 The Thing Blanks Out

September 29, 1979 6.0 60 min
Benjy and his friends enjoy a trip aboard Ronald's father's yacht; Thing saves the group from crashing into a downed drawbridge, but then he is stricken with amnesia following the closing drawbridge's impact on his...

S01E09 The Thing Meets the Clunk

October 6, 1979 6.0 60 min
Dr. Quimby introduces his latest invention – a robot called Clunk who is programmed to do good – however, the robot malfunctions, goes out-of-control and causes trouble for The Thing.

S01E10 Beach Party Crashers

October 6, 1979 6.0 60 min
Benjy attends a beachside surf party with Kelly, Betty, Ronald and Miss Twilly, but the Yancy Street Gang are up to their old tricks as they crash the party and sabotage a volleyball game.

S01E11 Decepto the Great

October 13, 1979 6.0 60 min
A magician, Decepto the Great, performs his magic show at the high school fair, but Benjy discovers Decepto is stealing from the school kids and it's up to The Thing to stop him from escaping...

S01E12 The Thing's the Play

October 13, 1979 6.0 60 min
Betty studies with acting teacher Ferdinand Bestmore so she can audition for a TV crew coming to Centerville High School to shoot a commercial; however, Bestmore confuses Betty with an old actress he once discovered...

S01E13 Double Trouble for the Thing

October 20, 1979 5.0 60 min
An evil scientist named Danton Blackwood creates a robot Thing to commit crime to make the citizens believe The Thing has gone bad, but which also lands the real Thing in jail.

S01E14 To Thing or Not to Thing

October 20, 1979 5.0 60 min

S01E15 The Big Bike Race

October 27, 1979 6.0 60 min
Benjy enters a cross country bike race because the winner gets to escort the Race Queen to the dance.

S01E16 The Thing and the Treasure Hunt

October 27, 1979 6.0 60 min

S01E17 Out to Launch

November 3, 1979 6.0 60 min
Benjy and his friends are going to a ship launching but the world's greatest demolition expert intends to ruin the day.

S01E18 The Day the Ring Didn't Do a Thing

November 3, 1979 6.0 60 min
The Yancy Street Gang decides to steal Benjy's ring, causing no end of trouble for The Thing.

S01E19 A Hot Air Affair at the Fair

November 10, 1979 60 min

S01E20 The Thing Goes to the Dogs

November 10, 1979 6.0 60 min
Ronald has entered his dog Countess in the Centerville Dog Show, but chaos ensues when Countess is dognapped by the troublesome Yancy Street Gang and it's up to The Thing to rescue her.

S01E21 The Thing Goes Camping

November 17, 1979 6.0 60 min
Benjy, his friends and Miss Twilly go on a camping trip as part of a special school project which is anything but relaxing with a bear running loose at their campsite and a big storm...

S01E22 Dude Ranch Rodeo

November 17, 1979 6.0 60 min

S01E23 Photo Finish

November 24, 1979 60 min
Benjy accompanies his friends to the Centerville Zoo which is sponsoring a photo contest and the Yancy Street Gang resorts to their usual dirty tactics to win.

S01E24 Lights, Action, Thing!

November 24, 1979 6.0 60 min
Ronald and Betty are hired to appear in a movie currently filming at a local lake, but problems occur when a mechanical octopus monster (controlled by an angry stuntman) attacks the set, trying to sabotage...

S01E25 The Thing and the Captain's Ghost

December 1, 1979 6.0 60 min
The Yancy Street Gang dares Ben and his friends to stay on a haunted ship for a night.

S01E26 The Thing and the Absent-Minded Inventor

December 1, 1979 6.0 60 min
Benjy and his friends attend Centerville's annual inventors show where they meet the absent-minded Fenwick Twilly (Miss Twilly's uncle) who unveils his gigantic vacuum cleaner Supervac, which sucks everything in sight and destroys all the...

Cast

Mel Blanc
Mel Blanc
Henry Corden
Henry Corden
Marilyn Schreffler
Art Metrano
Art Metrano

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