Bartlett, who himself lost a Flintstone Kid in the early 80s, broke down midway through his interview.
"One morning while I was reading the paper, my son Johnny walked into the kitchen and told me, 'Dad, I don't want to take Flintstones anymore. I want Centrum one-a-days.' At that point, I knew I'd lost him."
Flintstone Kids enjoyed thriving numbers up to the mid-90s when their population peaked at over 15 million. A declining advertising campaign is blamed for the dwindling numbers.
"You don't hear the jingle on TV anymore at all," Bartlett said. "I always loved that commercial that had the kids singing '10 million strong. . . and growing.'"
Researchers point to several reasons for the decline. Age plays a huge part, since many Flintstone kids have grown into Flintstone adults. In fact, the number of Flintstone adults is steadily growing.
But the number of kids who make the transition into young adulthood leave behind the Flintstone habit, opting for more balanced vitamin supplements. Calcium is a big issue, since regular Flintstone vitamins do not include it.
Bartlett mentioned another reason that he said embarassed him. "Some people, like my son, feel immature taking artificially colored and sweetened pills. But who cares if they're in the shape of cartoon characters? I guess some people just naturally lose that kid inside them." |
