Why are there so many Flinstones references, especially in the first 12-15 seasons?

Question

I am genuinely curious as to why the Flinstones are referenced so frequently in The Simpsons. ..same animators, writers...what's the deal? It's always stuck out to me but I've been marathoning from the beginning (because why not?) And they're everywhere!

Answer 1

The Flintstones is simply one of the earliest animated sitcoms, if not the earliest animated sitcom, made. As such, it was fairly infulential to The Simpsons so of course they'd reference it a lot.