Parents' Guide to The Jetsons

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Common Sense Media Review

By Deirdre Sheppard , based on child development research. How do we rate?

age 5+

Fun, futuristic cartoon is still a kids' classic.

Parents Need to Know

Why Age 5+?

Any Positive Content?

Parent and Kid Reviews

age 5+

Based on 8 parent reviews

age 5+

Based on 12 kid reviews

What's the Story?

THE JETSONS is the story of an upper middle class space-age family living life in typical 1960s fashion. This classic cartoon delivers humor, a catchy theme song, and imaginative space age living -- all chores are accomplished by either the push of a button or by beloved robot maid Rosie. Hardworking George (voiced by George O'Hanlon) is always jetting off in his space ship to his job at Spacely Space Products, and Jane (Penny Singleton) is a caring, intuitive mother who uses buttons and robots to complete her chores. The Jetson kids -- boy-crazy teen Judy () and boy genius Elroy (Daws Butler) – keep their parents on their toes, as does lovable pooch Astro (Don Messick).

Is It Any Good?

Our review:
Parents say ( 8 ):
Kids say ( 12 ):

All in all, The Jetsons have an exemplary family relationship. Even though the shows values are a little behind the times for today's standards, the characters exude mutual respect -- and that's something that people and families from all walks of life can learn from.

The show's problem areas are few and far between, and those that do exist can be attributed to how much times have changed since the show premiered in 1962. For example, "daughter Judy" is portrayed as boy-crazy and flaky, while her brother Elroy is a genius. Some would consider these roles sexist, since many attractive women in today's society are both boy crazy and intelligent and goal oriented.

Talk to Your Kids About ...

  • Families can talk about technology. How does technology make the simple things in life easier? Can technology make life more complicated? Is the Jetson family too dependent on technology? What would life be like for them if they didn't have all those technological devices? Are there any "futuristic" inventions on the show that now actually exist? Which inventions would you like to see created?

TV Details

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