The look of The Jetsons was largely inspired by a book about the far future of… 1975?!

Take a look at the architecture and technology that sparked the imagination of Hanna-Barbera.

Book: Harper & Brothers

Much of the joy and wonder of The Jetsons comes from its optimistic vision of the future. The primetime series, which premiered in 1962, looked one hundred years forward and imagined us living in the clouds, flying in glass-dome saucers, moving on conveyor belts. The architecture is all curves, rings and circles. The fashion is bold colors. Well, it is a cartoon.

Though the show envisioned the year 2062, the creators behind the Hanna-Barbera favorite looked to a more near future for inspiration. They look all the way to… 1975? Yep. Thirteen whole years!

According to Danny Graydon's The Jetsons: The Official Cartoon Guide, the artists looked to books about futurism for a creative spark. A primary source was 1975: And the Changes to Come by Arnold B. Barach.

You can see the cover of this long-out-of-print coffee table book above. A man soars on a jetpack on the left. In the upper right, there is a ground view of the iconic Chemosphere House in Los Angeles. Classic television lovers might recognize the UFO-like home from an episode of The Outer Limits, "The Duplicate Man." The modernist marvel was constructed in 1960, so it was undoubtedly fresh on the minds of Hanna-Barbera artists.

You can see more photos from inside the book on the Flickr page of Derrick Bostrom. 1975: And the Changes to Come tantalized futurists with shots of towering mainframe computers (which you can see often in The Jetsons, like at George's work station), a spherical oven, and… erm, bacon toasters. The future of 1975 was truly marvelous! In 1961, when the book was written.

Imagine (or remember) how disappointing it must have been in 1975 when we, in fact, we not flying around in jetpacks. We're still waiting on those jetpacks. But, then again, we've got 40 years to go before we hit Jetsons age.

Watch The Jetsons on MeTV!

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30 Comments

Grynch_84 37 months ago
Was fabulous to see the opening episode. There were only 24 episodes, so I hope metv doesn't pick and choose which episodes they air. We'll have to wait and see going forward.
Zombie 37 months ago
Just saw my first episode a few minutes ago, oh what memories! I loved watching it! I'm 60 years young and I felt like I was a a young child again only in my dreams mentally ( not physically or age wise) ! It's a shame it's only on for a half hour on Sunday mornings beginning today! I still loved it though!
suenyc57 37 months ago
I cant wait for The Jetsons. Bringing back great memories.
benhallums12019 37 months ago
THE JETSONS Was on NBC-TV in 1975 as Repeats of 1962-1963 ABC-TV Hanna-Barbera Series and This'll Not Be Airing in This Area on TRI-CITIES WAPK 36 due to A Closer Look Repeats and it'll be Preempted and We'll Never Able to See THE JETSONS Debut on MeTV WAPK 36 We're Sorry.
jazzy29 37 months ago
I’m just super excited that you are starting it in my birthday tomorrow #52 🎉
Joe1954 37 months ago
Amazing how much is gotten wrong by those who DO know better. I didn't see it when it originally aired, but there was a show with Walter Chrondite showing a kitchen of the future. Instead of washing plates, they were thrown into a machine that melted them down and remolded them. Other then the energy requirements far exceeding those to simply wash them, you have to have CLEAN plastic to recycle it, and you still have to wash it after removing from the mold. Plus it can only be recycled a limited number of times.
SkippyTheTerrible Joe1954 36 months ago
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=__MGYrcapdk&t=907s&ab_channel=BrianAhier
Deleted 37 months ago
This comment has been removed.
stephaniestavropoulos 37 months ago
Yes, "those were the days." The two highlights for me that year: I graduated 8th grade, and started High school. Oh and my fave "buddy cop" show premiered as well: Starsky and Hutch. Also two "novelties," {for lack of a better word,} came out: Atari's Pong and the Pet Rock.
MadMadMadWorld 37 months ago
I love the idea of a huge spaceship that can convert to the size of a briefcase! Imaginative stuff for 1962 and forevermore! Still don't have spaceship traffic going to work and everywhere, but we have 41 more years until the 2062 Jetsons era!
Wiseguy 37 months ago
"1975: And the Changes to Come tantalized futurists with shots of towering mainframe computers, a spherical oven, and… erm, bacon toasters. The future of 1975 was truly marvelous! In 1961, when the book was written."

I have never in my entire life ever heard anyone say "erm." I've heard uh, oh, eh, um, etc. but never "erm." But writers keep writing it as if anyone actually says it.
obectionoverruled 37 months ago
Who would name their boy Elroy, even in the 1960’s? The tire companies probably shot down the floating car concept. Hey we are spending the winter and spring in Florida. As a result we are streaming and away from our Charter Cable at home in the midwest. Can’t seem to stream MeTV, my favorite channel. Any ideas how to access?
Famous football player "Crazylegs" Hirsch, inducted in the NFL Hall of Fame. Guess what his first name is, given to him in 1923? https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elroy_Hirsch
Robertp 37 months ago
I remember a jet pack demo in the Heart of Texas Colosseum in the late 60’s maybe early 70’s. Just knew that’d be me some day. Now I’m so fat NASA couldn’t get me off the ground with help from SpaceX. LOL
CaptainDunsel 37 months ago
Jet packs and flying cars may sound wonderful. But I've been around a shopping mall at Christmas. I for one DO NOT want to be around these people maneuvering in *three* dimensions!
Filmnoirfan 37 months ago
Jet packs - won’t be long now, right?
LittleMissNoName 37 months ago
I'm stoll holding out hope for a sassy robot maid.
Rob 37 months ago
We’ve been waiting for jet packs for a long time now. What’s up with that?
LittleMissNoName Rob 37 months ago
Lots of potential lawsuits and sick acts of terrorism.
idkwut2use Rob 37 months ago
Seriously. NEED those babies NOW! We have plenty of other potentially-dangerous-but-regulated stuff. Nothing is more infuriating than being stuck to the ground like pitiful, pathetic ants when there’s SO MUCH WASTED SPACE to move around SO MUCH more quickly and efficiently (and enjoyably) in three dimensions!!!!!!!
Actually the laws of physics are at fault and not liability laws. 😉
I remember that experimental 60's jet pack (Bell Rocket Belt) they demonstrated on Lost in Space and Thunderball.
CivilIan27 Rob 37 months ago
There's a Scottish Indie Rock group called "We Were Promised Jetpacks."
ELEANOR Rob 37 months ago
OK, we have drones. So upsize a drone to the size of a golf cart and what do you have? A personal flying device. Probably not too far away. Do you remember laughing at Maxwell Smart speaking into his shoe?
Yep and that's best they've been able to do and its only capable of 30 seconds of flight.
Andybandit 37 months ago
Cool story, I can't wait for the Jetson's to be on Metv.
Wiseguy Andybandit 37 months ago
The Jetsons. Plural not possessive. No apostrophe.
teire 37 months ago
Now I want a bacon toaster. Fun story.
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