Common Sense Media Review
Classic cartoon adventures for grade-schoolers.
Parents Need to Know
Why Age 6+?
Any Positive Content?
Where to Watch
Videos and Photos
Jonny Quest
What's the Story?
JONNY QUEST (also known as The Adventures of Jonny Quest), follows 11-year-old Jonny (voiced by Tim Matheson) as he accompanies his famous scientist father, Dr. Benton Quest (John Stephenson and Don Messick shared the role), on expeditions around the world. Also along for the ride are Jonny's adopted brother Hadji (Danny Bravo), family bodyguard Roger "Race" Bannon (Mike Road), and pet bulldog Bandit (Messick).
Is It Any Good?
Overall, this classic series provides lots of vintage humor and a surprisingly contemporary take on family life, given the Quests' atypical (for the '60s, anyway) family unit. But keep an eye out for futuristic weapons and glamorized violence (fights among villains sometimes include robots and scary mummies), as well as some awfully dated stereotyping.
Many of the show's foreign characters are one-dimensional; you may want to explain to kids that the concept of political correctness didn't exist back in Jonny's day, and tell them why labels and clichés aren't OK. On the plus side, the serial- and comic book-inspired Jonny Quest is filled with exciting adventures, and it succeeds in sending the message that "family" can take many forms.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about the meaning of family. What does it mean to be a part of a family? Do you have to be related to someone for them be part of your family? Who makes up Jonny's family? How is his family similar to yours? How is it different?
Families can also discuss how the show stereotypes its foreign characters. Why is the way they're portrayed no longer acceptable? How do these kinds of labels and assumptions get started, anyway?
TV Details
- Premiere date : September 18, 1964
- Cast : Don Messick , Mike Road , Tim Matheson
- Network : Boomerang
- Genre : Kids' Animation
- Topics : Adventures
- TV rating :
- Last updated : October 1, 2025
Did we miss something on diversity?
Research shows a connection between kids' healthy self-esteem and positive portrayals in media. That's why we've added a new "Diverse Representations" section to our reviews that will be rolling out on an ongoing basis. You can help us help kids by
Suggest an Update
Common Sense Media's unbiased ratings are created by expert reviewers and aren't influenced by the product's creators or by any of our funders, affiliates, or partners.
See how we rate