Behind the line
What it means
Our interpretation.
It is a pure shout of joy from a man who is mostly bluster and appetite: Fred cannot say he is happy, so he whoops. A nonsense syllable chain that sounds like Stone Age slang, it became the show's calling card, the thing people yell when they put on the orange tunic, and the brand of the whole Hanna-Barbera prehistoric world.
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In context
Spoilers for The FlintstonesShow the scene
The Flintstones premiered on ABC on September 30, 1960, with "The Flintstone Flyer", and Fred Flintstone, the loud-mouthed quarry worker of Bedrock, makes Yabba-Dabba-Doo! his cry of delight. It is also the official cheer of his lodge, the Loyal Order of Water Buffaloes (originally the Loyal Order of Dinosaurs), a link the series makes in its first season. It opens the theme song, "Meet the Flintstones", and Fred shouts it at the high points of an episode. Voice actor Alan Reed reportedly based it on his mother's "a little dab'll do ya" when the script just said "yahoo".
Sources (3)
- Wikipedia: Fred FlintstonePersonality and catchphrase passageReference checked
- Wikipedia: The FlintstonesCharacters section, Fred Flintstone entryReference checked
- Flintstones Wiki: Fred FlintstoneCatchphrase passageReference checked
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