George J. Jetson is a fictional character from the
animated television series
An animated series is a set of Animation, animated works with a common series title, usually related to one another. These episodes should typically share the same main characters, some different secondary characters and a basic theme. Series can ...
''
The Jetsons
''The Jetsons'' is an American animated sitcom produced by Hanna-Barbera Productions. It originally aired in prime time from September 23, 1962, to March 17, 1963, on ABC, then later aired in reruns via syndication, with new episodes produced f ...
''. He is the patriarch of the Jetson family. He is the husband of
Jane Jetson
Jane may refer to:
* Jane (given name), a feminine given name
* Jane (surname), related to the given name
Film and television
* ''Jane'' (1915 film), a silent comedy film directed by Frank Lloyd
* ''Jane'' (2016 film), a South Korean drama fil ...
and the father of teenage daughter
Judy and son
Elroy
Elroy may refer to:
Places in the United States
* Elroy, North Carolina, a census-designated place
* Elroy, Pennsylvania, a village in Franconia Township, Montgomery County, Pennsylvania
* Elroy, Texas, an unincorporated community
* Elroy, Wiscons ...
.
Fictional character biography
George resides with his family and his dog Astro in the Skypad Apartments in Orbit City, in a
future
The future is the time after the past and present. Its arrival is considered inevitable due to the existence of time and the laws of physics. Due to the apparent nature of reality and the unavoidability of the future, everything that currently ...
with the trappings of
science fantasy
Science fantasy is a hybrid genre within speculative fiction that simultaneously draws upon or combines tropes and elements from both science fiction and fantasy. In a conventional science fiction story, the world is presented as being scientif ...
depictions of American life in the future, such as
robot
A robot is a machine—especially one programmable by a computer—capable of carrying out a complex series of actions automatically. A robot can be guided by an external control device, or the control may be embedded within. Robots may be c ...
servants,
flying saucer
A flying saucer (also referred to as "a flying disc") is a descriptive term for a type of flying craft having a disc or saucer-shaped body, commonly used generically to refer to an anomalous flying object. The term was coined in 1947 but has g ...
-like cars, and
moving sidewalk
Moving or Movin' may refer to:
Moving of goods
* Relocation (personal), the process of leaving one dwelling and settling in another
* Relocation of professional sports teams
* Relocation (computer science)
* Structure relocation
Music Albu ...
s. All the apartment buildings are set on giant poles, resembling
Seattle
Seattle ( ) is a seaport city on the West Coast of the United States. It is the seat of King County, Washington. With a 2020 population of 737,015, it is the largest city in both the state of Washington and the Pacific Northwest regio ...
's
Space Needle
The Space Needle is an observation tower in Seattle, Washington, United States. Considered to be an icon of the city, it has been designated a Seattle landmark. Located in the Lower Queen Anne neighborhood, it was built in the Seattle Center f ...
; the ground is almost never seen. In ''
Jetsons: The Movie'', it is revealed that they live in the sky due to excess of
smog
Smog, or smoke fog, is a type of intense air pollution. The word "smog" was coined in the early 20th century, and is a portmanteau of the words ''smoke'' and '' fog'' to refer to smoky fog due to its opacity, and odor. The word was then inte ...
.
When George was a child, he had to fly through ten miles of asteroid storms to go to Orbit High School, where he was the star pitcher of its Spaceball team. George is now an employee at Spacely's Space Sprockets, a manufacturer of "sprockets" and other high tech equipment. His job title is a "digital index operator." His boss is
Cosmo G. Spacely
The following is a list of major characters in ''The Jetsons'', an American animated comic science fiction sitcom produced by Hanna-Barbera Productions and first broadcast in prime-time on ABC as part of the 1962–63 United States network telev ...
, noted for being short in both height and temper; Spacely usually treats his employees (particularly George) in a rather tyrannical fashion. George's job primarily requires him to repeatedly push a single button (or on occasion a series of buttons) on a computer (named ''RUDI'' in the 1980s series of ''Jetsons'' episodes). George complains of his heavy work load: pushing a button on and off as many as five times for three hours, three days a week. Often, Mr. Spacely will fire George in a fit of anger, only to hire him back by the end of the same episode.
Physically, George is a rather slim man of average height with short
red hair
Red hair (also known as orange hair and ginger hair) is a hair color found in one to two percent of the human population, appearing with greater frequency (two to six percent) among people of Northern or Northwestern European ancestry and ...
and a cartoonishly large
nose
A nose is a protuberance in vertebrates that houses the nostrils, or nares, which receive and expel air for respiration alongside the mouth. Behind the nose are the olfactory mucosa and the sinuses. Behind the nasal cavity, air next passes th ...
. His personality is that of a well-meaning, caring father, but he is often befuddled and stressed out by the problems of both his work and family lives. As with most Hanna-Barbera productions of the 1950s and early 1960s, George Jetson was modeled after a contemporary celebrity; in George's case, it was character actor
George O'Hanlon
George O'Hanlon (November 23, 1912 – February 11, 1989) was an American actor and writer. He was best known for his role as Joe McDoakes in the Warner Bros.' live-action ''Joe McDoakes'' short subjects from 1942 to 1956 and as the voice of Georg ...
, who also voiced (and granted his name to) the character. O'Hanlon was well known for his roles as a common
everyman
The everyman is a stock character of fiction. An ordinary and humble character, the everyman is generally a protagonist whose benign conduct fosters the audience's identification with them.
Origin
The term ''everyman'' was used as early as ...
(his best-known role outside of ''The Jetsons'' was the
Joe McDoakes
''Joe McDoakes'' is an American short film comedy series produced and directed by Richard L. Bare for Warner Bros. A total of 63 black and white live action one-reel short subjects films were made and released between 1942 and 1956. The ''Joe ...
film series) and once said of his character: "George Jetson is an average man. He has trouble with his boss, he has problems with his kids, and so on. The only difference is that he lives in the next century."
Date of Birth
In the 2020s, fans, factcheckers and journalists debated the character's birthdate.
In July 2022, the character resurfaced on social media when fans claimed that George's birthday was July 31, 2022. Despite the claim, no official evidence has been found confirming this or any other specific date,
although there is some evidence from the show that the year of his birth is 2022.
Catchphrase
George's most famous
catchphrase
A catchphrase (alternatively spelled catch phrase) is a phrase or expression recognized by its repeated utterance. Such phrases often originate in popular culture and in the arts, and typically spread through word of mouth and a variety of mass ...
is "Jane! Stop this crazy thing!" seen at the end credits of the 1960s ''Jetsons'' episodes, but is also known for frequently uttering the phrase "Hooba-dooba-dooba!" or "Hooba-Dooba" (in most episodes) to express wonder or astonishment (possibly inspired by
Fred Flintstone
Fred Flintstone is the main character of the animated sitcom '' The Flintstones'', which aired during prime-time on ABC during the original series' run from 1960 to 1966. Fred is the husband of Wilma Flintstone and father of Pebbles Flintsto ...
's phrase "Yabba-dabba-doo!").
Portrayer
Morey Amsterdam
Moritz "Morey" Amsterdam (December 14, 1908 – October 28, 1996) was an American actor, comedian, writer and producer. He played Buddy Sorrell on CBS's ''The Dick Van Dyke Show'' from 1961 to 1966.
Early life
Amsterdam was born in Chicago ...
was originally hired to voice the character but was fired due to sponsor conflicts between his numerous other projects, including ''
The Dick Van Dyke Show
''The Dick Van Dyke Show'' is an American television sitcom created by Carl Reiner that initially aired on CBS from October 3, 1961 to June 1, 1966, with a total of 158 half-hour episodes spanning five seasons. It was produced by Calvada Product ...
''.
Amsterdam sued Hanna-Barbera for breach of contract but lost.
George O'Hanlon
George O'Hanlon (November 23, 1912 – February 11, 1989) was an American actor and writer. He was best known for his role as Joe McDoakes in the Warner Bros.' live-action ''Joe McDoakes'' short subjects from 1942 to 1956 and as the voice of Georg ...
, was hired after auditioning but failing to win the role of
Fred Flintstone
Fred Flintstone is the main character of the animated sitcom '' The Flintstones'', which aired during prime-time on ABC during the original series' run from 1960 to 1966. Fred is the husband of Wilma Flintstone and father of Pebbles Flintsto ...
two years prior, became George Jetson's
voice actor
Voice acting is the art of performing voice-overs to present a character or provide information to an audience. Performers are called voice actors/actresses, voice artists, dubbing artists, voice talent, voice-over artists, or voice-over talent ...
, a role he would retain for the rest of his life through both the sixties and eighties versions of the cartoon series. O'Hanlon last did the voice for George Jetson in ''
Jetsons: The Movie'', which was released posthumously.
The current voice of George Jetson is
Jeff Bergman
Jeffrey Bergman (born July 10, 1960) is an American voice actor and impressionist who has provided the modern-day voices of various classic cartoon characters, most notably with ''Looney Tunes'' and Hanna-Barbera.
Bergman was the first to repla ...
, who voiced George (and also Mr. Spacely) in some parts of the movie after O'Hanlon's death, and also voiced George in ''
The Funtastic World of Hanna-Barbera
''The Funtastic World of Hanna-Barbera'' is an American animated syndicated programming block produced by Hanna-Barbera Productions that ran on a weekly schedule and was performed in live action. The program ran from 1985 to 1994.
Overview
The ...
'' as well as for the cameo in the ''
Harvey Birdman, Attorney at Law
''Harvey Birdman, Attorney at Law'' is an American adult animation, adult animated television sitcom created by Michael Ouweleen and Erik Richter for Cartoon Network's late-night programming block, Adult Swim. A Spin-off (media), spin-off of '' ...
'' episode "
Shaggy Busted" and
Spümcø
Spumco, Inc. (stylized as SPüMCø) was an American animation studio that was active from 1989 to 2005 and based in Los Angeles, California. The studio was best known for working on the first two seasons of ''The Ren & Stimpy Show'' for Nickelodeo ...
's two Jetsons cartoons: ''Father & Son Day'' and ''The Best Son''.
In the ''Harvey Birdman, Attorney at Law'' episode "
Back to the Present", George was voiced by
Wally Wingert
Wallace Eugene Wingert (born May 6, 1961) is an American voice actor. His roles include Almighty Tallest Red in ''Invader Zim'', Renji Abarai in ''Bleach'', Kotetsu T. Kaburagi / Wild Tiger in '' Tiger & Bunny'', The Riddler in the '' Batman: ...
. In the episode, the Jetsons return to the past to sue the planet for causing
global warming
In common usage, climate change describes global warming—the ongoing increase in global average temperature—and its effects on Earth's climate system. Climate change in a broader sense also includes previous long-term changes to E ...
.
Media
Television series
* ''
The Jetsons
''The Jetsons'' is an American animated sitcom produced by Hanna-Barbera Productions. It originally aired in prime time from September 23, 1962, to March 17, 1963, on ABC, then later aired in reruns via syndication, with new episodes produced f ...
''
Films and specials
* ''
The Jetsons Meet the Flintstones
''The Jetsons Meet the Flintstones'' is a 1987 animated crossover made-for-television film produced by Hanna-Barbera for syndication as part of the '' Hanna-Barbera Superstars 10'' series. The two-hour special stars the cast of the Hanna-Barbe ...
'': a 1987 made-for-TV movie for syndication
* ''
Rockin' with Judy Jetson
''Rockin' with Judy Jetson'' (also known as ''Judy Jetson and the Rockers'') is a 1988 animated made-for-television film produced by Hanna-Barbera for syndication as part of the ''Hanna-Barbera Superstars 10'' series.
Plot
When intergalactic ro ...
'': a 1988 made-for-TV movie for syndication
* ''
A Yabba Dabba Doo Celebration: 50 Years of Hanna-Barbera'': a 1989 TV special celebrating 50 years of Hanna-Barbera Productions
* ''
Jetsons: The Movie'': a 1990 animated feature released by
Universal Pictures
Universal Pictures (legally Universal City Studios LLC, also known as Universal Studios, or simply Universal; common metonym: Uni, and formerly named Universal Film Manufacturing Company and Universal-International Pictures Inc.) is an Ameri ...
* ''
The Jetsons & WWE: Robo-WrestleMania!'': a 2017 direct-to-video movie released by
Warner Home Video
Warner Bros. Home Entertainment Inc. (formerly known as Warner Home Video and WCI Home Video and sometimes credited as Warner Home Entertainment) is the home video distribution division of Warner Bros.
It was founded in 1978 as WCI Home Video ...
* ''
Space Jam: A New Legacy'' a 2021 animated feature released by
Warner Bros. Pictures
Warner Bros. Pictures is an American film production and distribution company of the Warner Bros. Pictures Group division of Warner Bros. Entertainment (both ultimately owned by Warner Bros. Discovery). The studio is the flagship producer of liv ...
Other appearances
*George Jetson also appears at the
Cedar Fair Entertainment Company
Cedar Fair, L.P., formally Cedar Fair Entertainment Company, is a publicly traded master limited partnership headquartered at its Cedar Point amusement park in Sandusky, Ohio. The company owns and operates eleven amusement parks, nine included-w ...
and formerly
Universal Studios Florida
Universal Studios Florida (also known as Universal Studios or USF) is a theme park located in Orlando, Florida. Primarily themed to movies, television and other aspects of the entertainment industry, the park opened to the public on June 7, 1990 ...
as a
meetable character
A costumed performer or suit performer wears a costume that usually, (but not always) covers the performer's face, typically to represent a non-human character such as a mascot or cartoon character. These range from theme park "walk-around" or "m ...
(until c.2002, when the
Funtastic World of Hanna-Barbera was closed) seen in 1996 video called "Kids for Character".
*George Jetson also appeared in a brief, silent cameo in an episode of ''
Fantastic Max
''Fantastic Max'' is an animated cartoon series, originally aired from 1988 to 1990 created by Hanna-Barbera Productions, Kalisto Ltd., Booker PLC and Tanaka Promotion Co. and in association with S4C. It centers on a boy named Maxwell "Fantasti ...
'', alongside
Space Ghost
Space Ghost (Tad Ghostal) is a fictional superhero created by Hanna-Barbera Productions in the 1960s for TV network CBS. He was designed by Alex Toth.
In his original incarnation, he was a superhero who, with his teen sidekicks, Jan and Jace, ...
&
The Great Gazoo
The Great Gazoo or simply Gazoo is a character (arts), fictional character from the animated series ''The Flintstones''. He first appeared on the show on October 29, 1965. The Great Gazoo was voiced by actor Harvey Korman.
Fictional biography
...
.
*George Jetson, along with his family, Rosie and Mr. Spacely can be seen in a ''
MetLife
MetLife, Inc. is the holding corporation for the Metropolitan Life Insurance Company (MLIC), better known as MetLife, and its affiliates. MetLife is among the largest global providers of insurance, annuities, and employee benefit programs, wi ...
'' commercial in 2012.
*George Jetson appeared in a vintage 1960s
Mister Softee
Mister Softee, Inc. (doing business as Mister Softee) is an American ice cream truck franchisor, best known in the northeastern United States. The company is based in Runnemede, New Jersey.
Business history
Mister Softee was founded in 1956 by ...
commercial as a father.
*George Jetson appeared in ''
The Flintstones: The Rescue of Dino & Hoppy'' video game in 1991.
*George Jetson also made a few cameo appearances on episodes of ''
Family Guy
''Family Guy'' is an American animated sitcom originally conceived and created by Seth MacFarlane for the Fox Broadcasting Company. The show centers around the Griffin family, Griffins, a dysfunctional family consisting of parents Peter Griff ...
'', ''
The Powerpuff Girls
''The Powerpuff Girls'' is an American superhero animated television series created by animator Craig McCracken and produced by Hanna-Barbera (later Cartoon Network Studios) for Cartoon Network and distributed by Warner Bros. Domestic Televi ...
'', ''
Dexter's Laboratory
''Dexter's Laboratory'' is an American animated television series created by Genndy Tartakovsky for Cartoon Network and distributed by Warner Bros. Domestic Television Distribution. It follows Dexter, a short, enthusiastic boy-genius with a hid ...
'', and ''
Animaniacs
''Animaniacs'' is an American animated comedy musical television series created by Tom Ruegger for Fox Broadcasting Company's Fox Kids block in 1993, before moving to The WB in 1995, as part of its Kids' WB afternoon programming block, unti ...
''.
*George Jetson makes a cameo appearance in ''
Space Jam: A New Legacy'' alongside his family, Astro, Rosie, and several other Hanna-Barbera and Warner Bros. characters.
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Jetson, George
Television characters introduced in 1962
The Jetsons
Animated human characters
Hanna-Barbera characters
Male characters in animation
Fictional people from the 21st-century