Astro (The Jetsons)

Astro is a canine character on the Hanna-Barbera cartoon, The Jetsons. He was designed by Iwao Takamoto, and originally voiced by Don Messick. In the Harvey Birdman, Attorney at Law episode "Back to the Present", Astro was voiced by Wally Wingert. Astro was more advanced than present-day dogs, in that he had a rudimentary grasp of the English language, albeit with r's in many places they shouldn't be, or replacing other letters. For example, "I love you, George" would be "I ruv roo, Reorge". This is similar to Scooby-Doo in the cartoon Scooby Doo, Where Are You?

History

Astro's Appearance as a galactic Police dog from Astro and the Space Mutts. (1981)

Astro was found by Elroy in the fourth Jetsons episode, "The Coming of Astro". When Jane, Judy, and Elroy proposed keeping him to George, he was against it claiming that an Apartment is no place for a dog. In an effort to make his family happy, he got an electronic dog named Electronimo. Electronimo was supposed to be the new hairless, non-eating, protect your house, way to go. When The Cat Burglar tried to rob the Jetsons, Electronimo attacked him (which he did to anyone wearing a mask). Elroy tried waking Astro to get him to stop the burglar as a way to prove himself, but Astro turned out to be more interested in hiding in fear. However, when trying to escape, The Cat Burglar put the mask on George. Electronimo then proceeded to chase after George. It was Astro who was trying to run from The Cat Burglar that inevitably caught the criminal by accident by crashing into him. This prompted George to decide that Electronimo was not the way to go. They gave Electronimo to the police and kept Astro as part of their family.

Notes

• In the fifteenth episode, "Millionaire Astro", Astro is discovered to be Tralfaz, the long lost dog of zillionaire J.P. Gottrockets and The Jetsons have to do the right thing and return Astro to his rightful owner. In the end Mr. Gottrockets realizes how unhappy Astro is and allows him to go back home with The Jetsons. Astro hated the name and always repeated it as "Tralfaz...Yuck," or in Astro-speak: "Ralfaz....Ruck!"

• Astro also appeared as the main star in Astro and the Space Mutts, a segment of Space Stars.

• Astro's signature expression was "Ruh-roh!" (or "Ruh-roh, Reorge!") , supposedly the canine variant of "Uh-oh!" (expression of dismay). Scooby Doo, who was also designed by Iwao Takamoto and voiced by Don Messick, had a similar signature expression: "Ruh Roh Raggy!" (Uh Oh Shaggy!)

• A running joke at the end of each episode in the 1960s run shows George Jetson walking Astro on an automatic dogwalker outside his apartment. Astro chases a cat causing the dogwalker to go fast; George loses hold of the dog leash; Astro and the cat jump to one side and both watch George forced to run for his life on the out of control dogwalker screaming for Jane to "stop this CRAZY THING!". George eventually falls and is carried by the treadmill's belt around its path, under the machine and back up again.

• In A Jetson Christmas Carol, Astro swallowed a sprocket while chasing the robot cat he received for Christmas and nearly died, until Mr. Spacely and his personal veterinarian arrived with medical help on Christmas and saved Astro's life.

References

• Hanna-Barbera Cartoons, by Michael Mallory, 1998, published by Hugh Lauter Levin Associates, Inc., distributed by Publishers Group West. ISBN 0-88363-108-3