Fred and Barney (2) Original Production Cel on Original Background with Original Production Drawing

The highly successful cartoon The Flintstones encompasses everything that made William Hanna and Joseph Barbara two of the world's most successful animators of all time. Its elements of adult humour made it the first of its kind to tailor to children and adults which also meant that we continued to love and enjoy the iconic series as we grew up. It's incredibly creative characters, who displayed a bright array of colours and designs, contributed to the cartoon becoming the longest running animated TV series for three decades. Finally, its heart-warmingly hilarious concept of a seemingly modern American family operating in the Stone Age, has gripped audiences around the world for years; indicated by the numerous re-runs and spin-offs that have occurred in the 60+ years since its inception.

The original production cel or "celluloid" in this triptych would have been used in the animators' production process after a drawing was traced by hand onto a sheet of transparent plastic and painted in colour. Then projected onto a separately painted background in front of a camera, each cel - like this one - would be moved by hand according to the animating directors to create a minute yet crucial movement in the final cartoon. The original production drawings would have also been created and used by the animators in Hanna-Barbera Studios. Original creators, William Hanna and Joseph Barbera, meticulously created their iconic animated shows according to the exact art of hand-drawing their characters. A contrast to the largely digital process we see today, the numbers and letters at the end of this artwork title correspond to the original sequence numbers created by the animators. These established the order of drawings and cels according to the series of movements that they formed within a scene.

Now bespoke mounted and framed in black pine and spruce wood, this colourful and dynamic artwork is a rare and exciting opportunity to add a piece of world animating history to your home. You can learn more about this collection on our blog or shop our full portfolio of Hanna-Barbera artworks here.