:

•

ever mind the boxes of Fruity Peb-
Hes cereal that line the kitchen coun-
tertop or the Flintstone frozen
Olidinners stacked neatly in the freezer.
This is not a home filled with cartoon-watching
toddlers. Rather, when you peek through the
Flintstone-patterned curtains that frame the Oak
Park living room window, you'll spy Doug Fine-
good, a successful business owner who just hap-
pens to resemble Fred, the lovable Stone-Ager.
Finegood's children are grown, so he doesn't
have to share Fred or Wilma or Barney with any-
one. He's free to indulge his 30-year passion for
the prehistoric pebble-pushers of Bedrock. And he
does. Finegood's house is filled with Flintstone
memorabilia and collectibles — everything from
the giveaway posters in the cereal boxes to original
production cels worth up to $800.
"I really don't eat those awful frozen dinners,"
explains Finegood, dressed in his best orange
stone-washed T-shirt. "But I often frame the box-
es."
Finegood can't really explain his infatuation
with the Flintstones, but he identifies with Fred
,•
on some rock-bottom level. His sons, ages Z1 and
24, think Dad's gone off the deep end, and his
, housekeeper curses every dusty Dino. Finegood,
however, continues to collect, mostly through
dealers on E-bay, the Internet auction site. His
most recent find is a "Fred" bubble pipe, procured
through Imajica, a shop in Pleasant Ridge. He
estimates his collection at 800 items, al-
,
most as impressive as Brian Levant's
stash. Levant, director of The Flint-
stones- and Viva Rock Vegas, boasts a
-•-. )
personal collection of over 1,000
pieces of Flintstone memorabilia.
:•f,.
L' t
" I like things that create happi-
, r :
ness and there is nothing, in my
mind, that makes you smile as
:
much as the imagery and the cre-
ativity of The Flints-tones,\Nthich cele-
brates its 40th anniversary this year,"
says Levant.
Finegood concurs. Guests in his home
enjoy a renewed sense of playfulness and
childhood nostalgia. The cookie jars, the plush
characters, the original 1965 comic book, the hand-
painted murals on the bedroom walls, the Fred
and Wilma telephones — all invite smiles and be-
musement. But Finegood has left no stone un-
turned... a doorbell at the entrance to his bedroom
' •----' chimes The Flintstones theme song!

1

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—Linda Bathrack

6 •

JUNE 2000 • STYLE AT THE JN