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. 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) 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. 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 in 1995, replacing the Flintstone car.
Flintstones Chewable Vitamins are currently available in six variations:
Flintstones Complete comes in three forms: chewable, gummy and sour gummy.
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.