Fred Flintstone and Barney Serving Mr. Slate a Busch Beer

In 1967, Hanna-Barbera created an Anheuser-Busch promotional cartoon featuring Fred Flintstone and Barney Rubble promoting Busch beer. Reportedly made for company employees, the ad had a detailed, extended storyline.

The Flintstones, an American animated sitcom by Hanna-Barbera, is set in a fictional Stone Age and centers on the Flintstone family and their neighbors, the Rubbles. Airing on ABC from September 30, 1960, to April 1, 1966, it was the first animated series to secure a prime-time slot.

Other Cartoon Characters Used by Beer Companies

Beer companies have occasionally leveraged cartoon characters for marketing, though examples are limited due to advertising regulations and concerns about appealing to underage audiences. Besides the Flintstones example, here are notable instances:

• Hamm’s Beer Bear (1950s–1960s): Hamm’s Brewery used an animated bear mascot in numerous TV commercials. The bear, often depicted in humorous scenarios in a Northwoods setting, was not tied to an existing cartoon franchise but was a custom character created for the brand. These ads were popular and ran for years, becoming iconic in beer advertising history.
• Budweiser’s Spuds MacKenzie (1980s): While not a traditional cartoon, Budweiser’s Spuds MacKenzie, a bull terrier, was occasionally featured in animated or cartoon-style promotional materials during the late 1980s. The character was part of a broader campaign, though primarily portrayed by a real dog.

No other major instances of well-known cartoon characters (like those from established shows) being used by beer companies have been widely documented. Strict advertising regulations, especially post-1990s, limited the use of animated characters in alcohol marketing to avoid targeting younger audiences