Bedrock (The Flintstones)

Bedrock
Bedrock at night, as seen in the closing credits of the first two seasons of The Flintstones.
The Flintstones location
Created by	Hanna-Barbera
Genre	Animated sitcom
Type	City
Notable locations	Slate Rock and Gravel The Loyal Order of Water Buffalos
Notable characters	Fred Flintstone Wilma Flintstone Barney Rubble Betty Rubble

Bedrock is the fictional prehistoric city which is home to the characters of the animated television series The Flintstones.

Though the first two seasons' opening credits of the original Flintstones series stated the town's population as only 2,500 people (though it did swell to 30,000 in a dream sequence in the sixth-season episode entitled "Rip Van Flintstone"), Bedrock was generally presented as a medium-sized American city, with all the amenities of such, but with a "prehistoric" twist. For instance, sauropod dinosaurs were seen being used as cranes at the town's most well-known employer, "Slate Rock and Gravel" (also known as "Rockhead and Quarry Cave Construction Company" in the series' earlier episodes).

The climate of Bedrock is somewhat undetermined, since different Flintstones episodes and media have portrayed it differently. Palm trees and cycads are common yard trees, suggesting a warm climate. However, episodes and movies set at Christmas time depicted plenty of snow. Sometimes the wilderness on Bedrock's outskirts appears to be desert-like, whereas at other times it resembles a tropical/subtropical jungle (as shown in the opening scenes of the theatrical animated movie The Man Called Flintstone).

The people of Bedrock tend to be fairly friendly, if not without having various quirks. The denizens of Bedrock have a strong sense of civic spirit and tend to participate in various charities, parades, and so forth. The city is home to a number of service organizations, the best known of which (in the context of the Flintstones television series) is the Loyal Order of Water Buffalos, which counts among its membership Fred Flintstone and Barney Rubble.

A police department helps protect the residents; for a period of time, Fred and Barney were members as part-time police officers.

Bedrock has also been shown as having a volunteer fire department, although the episode in which the volunteer fire department was introduced suggests the uselessness of such a service in a city of stone buildings; instead, its members use it as an excuse to create a social club. However several other episodes feature a more traditional full-time firefighting service.