Tune in Tonight: A Salute to Barney Rubble, Master of Disguise (Part 2)
We’ve barely scratched the surface when exploring Barney Rubble’s Rick Baker-like artistry in special effects, all to get his hands on those yabba dabba delicious Fruity Pebbles. Let us take a further look as the costumes get more elaborate, the ruse more insidious, the gag more problematic.
Mr. Slate
Hula lady
The less said about this, the better
Ghost of Christmas Past
Prince
Aerobics instructor
Genie
Rapper who loves Fruity Pebbles in a major way
A different rapper
Dying of smallpox or something
Can’t believe Barney fuckin’ died
Fred’s guilty conscience
?????????
Created after new episodes of the cartoon that inspired them stopped being made, and surviving nearly five times as long, Cocoa and Fruity Pebbles remain on the shelves, though sadly the “Barney is a thieving scoundrel” ad campaign was retired in 2010, in favor of promoting sports and teamwork (with John Cena as spokesman, because why the hell not). The post-deception era did lead to this treasure discovered on Wikipedia: “In May 2010, a controversial commercial of Cocoa Pebbles led to a lawsuit by Hulk Hogan. In spring of 2010, a commercial where Barney and Fred face off against a wrestler named Hulk Boulder aired on TV. The commercial ended with Hulk Boulder getting smashed to pieces after losing the wrestling match. Hulk Hogan sued Post, saying they stole his image to promote Pebbles and that his image had been damaged by the commercials. He used the name Hulk Boulder early in his career until his name was changed to sound more Irish.” The thought of missing out on Barney Rubble dressed up like Hulk Hogan seems almost too much to bear, but what a colorful legacy Post has left us.
