Was Johnny Bravo ACTUALLY Made For Kids?

[Music] hey babarilla that's a pretty incy wincy teeny-weeny polka-dot thingy you got going there want to do the monkey with me this is johnny bravo and this show is made for nine-year-olds wow what everybody is doing it johnny bravo first aired in 1995 on cartoon network whose target demographic was and still is six to 12 year olds johnny bravo had talking animals and slapstick comedy galore just like most of the other shows on cartoon network but with one big difference the main character's one and only goal was to get a date and then some oh johnny you are so swell tell me about it no i mean really tell me more about it if you grew up watching johnny bravo you might tell someone that he's a big blonde ladies man and a womanizer he might even say that he's misogynistic outdated or downright offensive don't you know when you're being insulted how about you and me go find an island somewhere and make fishy lips but looking back although women were both johnny's quest and his downfall the way they were written makes it seem like this show might have been ahead of its time little misunderstood and would definitely never be allowed today say uh you smell kind of pretty wanna smell me but before we get into today's episode be sure to like and subscribe to nerdstalk so we can continue to make videos for you guys johnny bravo is an animated sitcom about a muscular sunglasses clad guy in his 20s living with his mom and being determined to get a date however his attempts at wooing women always end in disaster the show was created by van pardible and picked up by hanna-barbera productions who were eventually bought by cartoon network a typical episode of johnny bravo consisted of two to three smaller vignettes where johnny starts off with a task which may or may not be related to dating but inevitably is thrown off course by meeting someone beautiful and doing everything he can to win her over before getting rejected the show was made in the 90s heavily influenced by the 70s and yet keeps hanging around in the cultural memory it was created by nostalgic adults and perhaps was always intended for nostalgic adults [Music] johnny bravo started out as a dark-haired meat-eating woman-obsessed elvis impersonator when van pardible created him for a short film in college after someone sent his short film to hanna-barbera partible began to develop the character further but kept the elvis inspired voice and town name aaron city as a nod to his original short film partible was obsessed with all things 70s his office at hanna-barbera was covered in posters from 70s children's magazine dynamite you can see particles love of the 70s in johnny bravo's animation style which was inspired by cartoons like josie and the pussycats star trek the animated series and scooby-doo where are you the 70s limited animation style had relatively plain watercolor backgrounds simpler art and thick lines that could be made quickly and be clear enough to balance the often grainy 70s tv don't worry i don't bite does she cartoon network was going through an experimental period at the time courage the cowardly dog's general aesthetic was bizarre and frightening but kids could relate to being in their grandparents spooky house being scared of the unknown and learning that their fears might not be as scary as they once seemed they could also obviously relate to the voice cracking jawbreaker pursuing rebellious teens of edda nettie you're trying to fool everyone into thinking it's still summer the experimentation wasn't that far out of the box these shows might have had divergent art styles but they still were about kids and funny animals johnny bravo rejected the 90s popular art style trends and hearkened back to a simpler animation style like the classical limited animation shows that hannah barbera were known for bravo also rejected the story themes popular at the time focusing on storylines that were more relatable to teenagers or more realistically young adults actually episodes were ripe with adult content like johnny looking at centerfolds or denying being a virgin before his failed virgin sacrifice remember intended to be a kids show justice is served hey judge gorgeous may i please the court it played in the same cartoon network block as dexter's lab powerpuff girls and ed nettie so where did these adult jokes come from well maybe not so surprisingly seth macfarlane of family guy fame was a writer on johnny bravo creator van pardible hired mcfarlane after seeing his final project in school which was one of the first iterations of what is now family guide particle said he was the only funny person in class and hired him to be a writer on johnny bravo immediately just more evidence that johnny bravo was meant for adults like all of mcfarland's future endeavors surely children did not understand the show's constant references to the 70s like donnie osmond as the main villain why did you jump in the balls why don't you jump in the river or 70s icon farrah fawcett with a knowing laugh remembering the last time she was blindfolded [Music] it is difficult to see how this could have been ever marketed as a kids show in many ways johnny bravo should have been marketed in the same way as the simpsons full of cultural references satirical elements and sexual innuendo so why wasn't it marketed that way it seems johnny bravo may have been misunderstood johnny isn't the big buff womanizing hero he's the lovable loser he's a narcissist and an idiot but he's also determined and the butt of every joke making the audience root for him johnny always fails and he never learns from his mistakes further showing how johnny is misunderstood by audiences quick to call him a womanizer in the episode in your dreams johnny lets it slip that he has never actually been on a date which means he's not the ladies man the audience thinks he is the satire of the show has been lost if we actually think johnny is cool it would be like watching the simpsons at face value and admiring homer for strangling his son sleeping at his job and consuming copious amounts of donuts and beer the real message of the show is to make a constant fool of johnny the audience should learn from his mistakes and ultimately reject him like the women in his world while this message seems progressive for the time johnny bravo would never work today for one simple reason johnny never changes do you honestly think women are attracted to that kind of macho attitude i honestly do sugar beets and there's a glimmer of hope for change in the episode johnny's guardian angel when johnny realizes and owns that everyone would be better off if he had never been born but ultimately doesn't learn or change the format of johnny bravo doesn't allow for much of a series arc for its characters which many kids shows today do shows like gravity falls are marketed towards children with lessons focusing on sibling teamwork but also offering something special wacky and colorful the entire story across both seasons is connected from start to finish in a serialized fashion while also having an episodic lesson that is taught through uncovering a mystery plaguing the town johnny bravo wouldn't be made today for many reasons one of them being his non-stop harassment of women but also its resistance to the main character's growth some of this is a plot device if johnny learns and grows then the show would inevitably have to end as soon as the main character reaches their goal the story is over so johnny can never get a girl hey baby i know what you're thinking out of the statue get off its pedestal but is there any merit lurking in its slapstick and repetitive nature when looking at the writing of johnny's attempted conquests we see women being portrayed as intelligent driven and goal-oriented many of his romantic or sexual pursuits were women in glass ceiling shattering careers scientists doctors computer programmers sea captains spies and other male dominated roles if we listen to the messaging consistently we see that although women are the antagonists to johnny's quest it's because johnny was blocking the goals of brilliant woman after brilliant woman the show was a commentary on how not to treat women just like in the episode the sensitive male where a man attempts to teach johnny about sensitivity and depth being the key to a woman's heart through a 70s schoolhouse rock esque song it's making fun of guys who act like johnny and how they're missing out on interesting women by whittling them down to nothing but their appearance it'll get that girl out of your dreams and into your car try it johnny fans of johnny bravo will lament i wish he could have gotten the girl for once are they missing the point or have the writers just truly created the most lovable loser of all time van pardible jokes that since he came up with johnny bravo while on a silent retreat that maybe he really is god's gift to women like johnny believes himself to be but maybe the actual gift is watching smart women stand up for themselves and reject uncomfortable and unwanted advances with the slapstick humor of slapping around a delusional buffoon so sure the character of johnny bravo can be stupid misogynistic and downright offensive elated doctor has science come that far but the show johnny bravo might be teaching us a lesson about showing those beauty pageant contestants those doctors and those submarine captains a little sensitivity whoa mama indeed and well that's all we have this week what do you think about johnny bravo is there anything we missed let us know in the comments below and as always please subscribe in order to stay up to date with everything nerdstalk later [Music]

Channel: Nerdstalgic

Views: 787,482

Keywords: Johnny Bravo, Who Was Johnny Bravo Made For, Johnny Bravo Cartoon Network, Johnny Bravo Elvis Presley, Johnny Bravo Animation, Nerdstalgic, Nerdstalgic Animation, Johnny Bravo Seth Macfarlane, Cartoon Network, Animated Sitcom, Courage the Cowardly Dog, Ed Edd and Eddy, Dexters Labratory, Family Guy, Futurama, Powerpuff Girls, Rugrats, Childrens Animation, Corridor Crew, New Rockstars, Mr. Sunday Movies, Captain Midnight, Screen Crush, Screen Rant, Nerdist, IGN, Fox Animation

Id: bKdDyOPLdNA

Length: 9min 37sec (577 seconds)

Published: Mon Jan 31 2022