Flintstones Chewable Vitamins

Flintstones Chewable Vitamins are supplemental multivitamins for children based on the animated sitcom The Flintstones. They were introduced in 1968 by Miles Laboratories and taste faintly like candy. Miles Laboratories was acquired by Bayer in 1979.

The vitamins are one of the most successful Flintstones products.^[1] Some advertisements have been under heavy rotation without being related to The Flintstones. Their jingles of "We are Flintstone kids!" and "Ten million strong and growing!" (composed by Martin O'Donnell)^[2] has reached fame through the heavy circulation of advertisements.

The vitamins can be purchased in pharmacies, grocery stores, and on the Internet. They feature pills in the shapes of the following characters: Fred Flintstone, Wilma Flintstone, Pebbles Flintstone, Barney Rubble, Betty Rubble, Bamm-Bamm Rubble, Dino, and The Great Gazoo.^[3] For over twenty years, Betty was not included as one of the vitamins. However, after a grassroots campaign and the results of a Bayer telephone poll came in favor of including Betty, the character was added to the lineup, replacing the Flintstone car.^[4]

Available Products

Flintstones Chewable Vitamins are currently available in six variations:^[5]

• Flintstones Complete
• Flintstones with Iron
• Flintstones Plus Omega-3 DHA
• Flintstones Plus Immunity Support
• Flintstones Plus Bone Building Support
• My First Flintstones

Flintstones Complete

Flintstones Complete comes in three forms: chewable, gummy and sour gummy.^[6]

It is designed for children 2 years of age and older. Flintstones Complete has a high supplementation of iron, iodine, vitamin D and vitamin E. Vitamin D is necessary for the maintenance and growth of bones in children. Vitamin D deficiency is a concern for infants, especially in the Northern Hemisphere. This is because infants often have very limited exposure to sunlight, which is the main source of endogenous Vitamin D production. Vitamin D deficiency can result in rickets, a disease in which bones become soft and pliable. Vitamin E is a potent anti-oxidant in the body. Vitamin E deficiencies leads to neuromuscular, vascular and reproductive abnormalities. ^[7]

The chewable form of Flintstones Complete contains higher amounts of vitamins and minerals than the gummy version. As well, the chewable form has a larger variety of vitamins than the gummy version. The chewable form, unlike the gummy version, contains: Vitamins B1 (thiamin), B2 (riboflavin), Niacin, Calcium, Iron, Copper and Selenium.^[6]

Flintstones with Iron

Flintstones with Iron has a similar vitamin profile as Flintstones Complete gummy version. The iron content meets 75% of the Daily Value of iron for children over 2 years of age.^[6]

Flintstones Plus Immunity Support

Flintstones Plus Immunity Support has a similar vitamin profile as Flintstones Complete gummy version. However, Flintstones Plus Immunity Support provides 250mg of Vitamin C, which far exceeds the recommended dietary allowance (RDA) for children.^[6] The RDA of vitamin C for children 1 - 3 years of age is 15mg; 4 - 8 years of age is 25mg; 9 - 14 years of age is 45mg. The dosage of Vitamin C in one tablet of Flintstones Plus Immunity Support Vitamin C is still below the tolerable upper intake levels (UL). The UL for children 1-3years of age is 400mg; 4-8years of age is 650mg; 9-11 years of age is 1200mg. Parents should not give their child more than the recommended dose of Flintstones Plus Immunity Support because they can easily exceed their child's UL for vitamin C. This can lead to adverse effects, such as diarrhoea and kidney stones.^[7]

Notes and references

External links

• Flintstones at the Museum of Broadcast Communication
• Flintstones Vitamins website with nutrition information
• Flintstones Vitamins Canadian website