Wendy's 1989 The Jetsons Special Edition Space Vehicles - George Jetson

The Jetsons were a popular space-themed cartoon which first aired in 1962. Produced by Hanna-Barbara it was the first program aired by ABC in color. Even The Flintstones didn't start airing in color until their third season, even though they were produced in color. The Jetsons had a re-birth in the '80s with new episodes being produced for syndication from 1985-87.

Today we're starting a new series on Toys and Stuff of The Jetsons Space Vehicles offered by Wendy's in 1989. I like this set because it includes the six main characters: Goerge, Jane, Judy, Elroy, Astro, and Mr. Spacely. Rosie the Robot Maid was left out, but then she did only appear in two episodes of the original series. The figures sit in one of three types of vehicles; a saucer, a wedge, or a star all with free-rolling wheels underneath. None of them have canopies and the riders are open to the 'sky'. We'll look at a kids meal box they would have come in and then take a look at George in his saucer ride! Enjoy From The Berg's :)

The insert below is common to all six vehicles

Wendy's Wacky Racing George Jetson

The Jetsons, Hanna-Barbera's futuristic counterpart to The Flintstones, first aired in 24 episodes from 1962-1963 and with a resurgence in popularity, new episodes ran from 1984-1987. When it debuted in 1962 it was the first show to be televised in color on ABC-TV but at the time only a handful of stations around the country were color-capable. The TV we had back then was black-&-white and that's my earliest memories of the show. The Jetsons was set in the year 2062 and had as its cast of characters:

-George, Jane, Judy, and Elroy Jetson
-Their dog Astro
-Rosie the robot maid
-Mr. Spacely, George's boss at 'Spacely Space Sprockets'
-Mr. Cogswell, Mr. Spacely's competitor
-R.U.D.I., Goerge's computer - and best friend (next to Astro!)

It was always a treat to watch the futuristic space settings the animators came up with for the show and following George as he zips around the solar system in his personal spaceship. When you look back at these cartoons you'll notice a certain 'mid-century modern' design ethic in place in the buildings, interiors, and furniture designs, which would be natural considering when it was made but now kind of looks nostalgic. The Jetsons was one of my favorite childhood cartoons and I guess it's because of this that the toy featured today appealed to me -besides, it was cheap too :-)

'Wacky Racers' or 'Wacky Racing' is used in several Cartoon Network licensed series. The die-cast 'Wacky Racers' toys were often Johnny Lightning offerings but today's toy was a plastic 1999 kid's meal offering from Wendy's. The toy measures 3 1/2" (8.9cm) L x 2 3/4" (7cm) diameter x 2 1/4" (5.7cm) H. Enjoy and have Fun From The Berg's :)