The origin of Fred Flintstones' Yabba Dabba Doo!

Yabba Dabba Doo lyrics

If you are a fan of The Flintstones it's time to take a trip down memory lane and see what these song lyrics bring to mind.

Boy do we know how to bust Monte Carlo

And to never be blue

It's a lot like prayin'

Just keep a-sayin'

Yabba-Dabba-Dabba-Dabba-Doo!

If ya think your sweetie's left for Tahiti

We can give you a clue

There's no need for cryin'

Roar like a lion

Yabba-Dabba-Dabba-Dabba-Doo!

B-A-D-D-A means bad

D-A-B-B-A means good

Oh what magic in a word we've found

By switchin' the letters around

So if someday the bases are loaded

And they're countin' on you

You just can't strike out

You fuel up and shout,

Yabba-Dabba-Dabba

Yabba-Dabba-Dabba

Yabba-Dabba-Dabba-Dabba-Doo!

Yabba Dabba Doo was happenstance

We all know Fred Flintstone is a beloved cartoon character and the main protagonist of the popular animated television series "The Flintstones." The dynamic team of William Hanna and Joseph Barbera created the show which originally aired from 1960 to 1966. The antics of Fred, Wilma, Barney, and Betty are considered by many to be one of the most iconic animated series in television history. Fred, the head of the modern Stone Age family is recognized by his signature phrase Yabba Dabba Doo!

This phrase was originally Fred's club cheer for the Loyal Order of the Water Buffalo. It was later adopted as part of the theme song in season 3 of The Flintstones. The very first time Yabba Dabba Doo was uttered was by Alan Reed the voice actor for Fred from 1960-1977. Reed reportedly said the inspiration for YDD came from his mother, who used to say, "A little dab'll do ya," which more than likely came from the 1950s and 1960s Brylcreem commercials. I can actually recall those when I was a young girl and how the guy's hair would be a mess until he applied Brylcreem and his mane would relax and look pretty good.

The story goes that when the script called for a simple 'Yahoo!' Alan either asked if he could alter the phrase or he simply ad-libbed by saying "Yabbao Dabba Doo" and the rest is history. Fred's catchphrase inspired the 1970s short-lived fruit drink called "Yabba Dabba Dew" and may possibly have inspired George Jetson's similar-sounding catchphrase, "Hooba-dooba-dooba" (or "Hooba-Dooba"). George did not say this nearly as much as Fred yelled Yabba Dabba Doo.

Yabba Dabba Dabba Doo! and Hoagy Carmichael

If you read the lyrics and paid attention to the song you will notice that an extra dabba. it is Yabba dabba dabba doo that is being sung. In the first episode of The Flintstones season 2 The Hit Songwriter Yabba Dabba Doo was sung by Hoagy Carmichael who composed several hundred songs, including 50 that were hit records.

He is best known for composing the music for "Stardust", "Georgia on My Mind" (lyrics by Stuart Gorrell), "The Nearness of You", and "Heart and Soul" (in collaboration with lyricist Frank Loesser), four of the most-recorded American songs of all time.

As the cartoon character, Carmichael says the lyrics to the song were written by Barney Rubble and were inspired by his best friend Fred Flintstone. During the episode, Betty and Wilma also join in by singing a verse.

Fun Flintstone facts

Carmichael portrayed himself but in later years celebs on The Flintstones had Bedrock names. Actor Tony Curtis was Stoney Curtis and actress Ann Margaret was Ann Margstone. The popular phrase was also used in a commercial for Flintstones Kids vitamins where children sang: "Yabba Dabba Doo, Yabba Dabba Doo, Flintstones vitamins are good to chew, Yabba Dabba Doo their good to chew".