Johnny Bravo TV Poster Image

Johnny Bravo

age 7+
(i)

 

Clueless hunk is fun -- but edgy -- for kids.
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Parents recommendPopular with kids

What parents need to know

Positive messages

Johnny's ridiculous pick-up lines never get him the girl. In fact, the girl often turns on him, pours a drink down his pants, chainsaws a tree so that it falls on his head, etc. -- satisfying, but not necessarily behavior to strive for.

Violence & scariness

Cartoon violence that's clearly meant to be parody/funny. Johnny is eaten by a lion, attacked by a clown with a machine gun that shoots pies, etc. Oh, and he decks Santa Claus.

Sexy stuff

It's all about innuendo -- Johnny's mission is to get the babes, but why he wants them is never mentioned. The "babes" are often shapely and bikini-clad.

Language
Not applicable
Consumerism
Not applicable
Drinking, drugs, & smoking
Not applicable

Parents Need to Know

Parents need to know that although the show's humor is aimed at teens and even adults, it's entertaining for elementary-age kids, too (just don't expect them to learn much). Much of the humor centers around Johnny's offensive, clueless pick-up lines and his complete refusal to learn anything from how people react to his behavior, but he's rarely unkind, and those lame pick-up lines lead to increasingly funny responses. Kids will enjoy the pratfall humor and Johnny's steadfast narcissism in the face of failure.

What's the story?

JOHNNY BRAVO parodies the antics of possibly the world's most narcissistic, clueless self-imagined babe-magnet ever. Johnny (voiced by Jeff Bennett) has the "brain of a gnat," and everything goes wrong for him, from becoming the victim of two clowns in a "who's funnier" contest to his ill-advised attempts at lion-taming.

Is it any good?

QUALITY

Johnny Bravo is one of the Cartoon Network's original series, and -- like Dexter's Laboratory and The Powerpuff Girls -- it's really meant for teenage and young adult viewing. That said, school-aged kids will still find it funny. The pratfalls and cartoon gags are unusual and clever, the animation is well done, and Johnny's determined pursuit of what he calls "babes" gets laughs even from kids who don't get it because the results are pretty much inevitably disastrous. (And mildly empowering for girls, although the "babes" tend toward the nameless and generic).

Probably because no matter how convinced he is of his own greatness, Johnny remains kind and generally good-hearted, he's appealing to viewers of all ages. Kids will also enjoy the show's frequent inclusion of appearances by characters from Scooby Doo and other classic cartoons.

Families can talk about...

  • Families can talk about Johnny's behavior. Kids: Do you think Johnny is supposed to be a good example/role model? If not, how can you tell? Why don't the girls that Johnny talks to want to go out with him? Families can also discuss the type of guy/character that Johnny is meant to be a parody of -- i.e., the guy who always gets the girl and probably knows it. You see guys like this everywhere on TV, but do they really exist? Why is it such a popular character type?

TV details

Premiere date:July 14, 1997
Cast:Brenda Vaccaro, Jeff Bennett, Mae Whitman
Network:Boomerang
Genre:Kids' Animation
Topics:Adventures
TV rating:TV-Y7
Available on:DVD

This review of Johnny Bravo was written by

KJ Dell Antonia
Common Sense Media's unbiased ratings are conducted by expert reviewers and aren't influenced by the product's creators or by any of our funders, affiliates, or partners.

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Kid, 9 years old April 15, 2011
age 7+

Funny, Original cartoon fun for the family, but not for young kids.

Johnny Bravo has been around Cartoon Network since the late 90's and, no matter what, it's great.While CSM says its meant more for teens and adults, its not that inappropiate.Of course, not for young kids, but kids 8+ already seen Tom and Jerry Slapstick Violence and some sexual stuff on TV, so they're ready to handle this cartoon.Violence, Slapstick never dies, all played for humor, but here are examples:Johnny gets shocked, eaten by a lion, crushed by a rhino, attacked by people.He also hits Santa Claus and mistakes him for a theif so he has to frame him and deliever gifts (But it's for a reason, though).The Sexual stuff is milder than the violence, but just slightly.Babes can be shown wearing bikinis, and Johnny always tries to get the ladies.While this is a CN Classic, it's one of the best and most popular shows that Cartoon Network made.The show is now playing every saturday and sunday at 10p on Boomerang.Oh, and by the way, look out for Scooby-Doo and the gang, they sometimes guest star on the episodes like Bravo-Dooby-Doo.Humor, slapstick violence, some sexual content, and the 90's classic cartoon style is all what's in Johnny Bravo.
What other families should know
Too much violence
Too much sex
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Teen, 13 years old Written byKinbJune February 28, 2011
age 6+

Johnny Ha-Ha

I absolutely loved this show as a small child. It was one of those shows that made Cartoon Network's golden age of the 1990s and the first half of the first decade in the 2000s. I am so glad that this is also being featured as a new nano in Cartoon Network's Fusionfall (yes, I play it from time to time). This was a good and forsaken show that I really hoped wouldn't go off the air because let's face it, without shows like these, people would've abandoned Cartoon Network years ago.
What other families should know
Educational value
Great messages
Great role models
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Kid, 10 years old June 12, 2009
age 7+

I lost alot of brain cells

This was not a very good tv show. 2 stars, just because the animation is ok.
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