The Worst Thing Johnny Bravo Ever Did
The '90s was an unmatched time for Cartoon Network. It seemed that each animated show the network produced was more influential than the last, further etching the channel as the dominant force in the world of children's television it is today. One of the iconic animated series that helped put them on the map is their 1997 animated series "Johnny Bravo."
Created by Van Partible, the show follows the misadventures of the beefy, dim-witted Johnny Bravo (voiced by Jeff Bennett), whose numerous unsuccessful attempts to impress women lead him from one wacky antic to the next. Running for four seasons with multiple specials — and even an unmade feature film starring The Rock (via Variety) — the series is a hit with its colorful cast of characters, witty humor, and stylized animation. Catchphrases from the series such as "Whoa Mama" have become immediately recognizable in their own right.
Like many of the '90s Cartoon Network shows, "Johnny Bravo" has more edge to it than we might've noticed as children. Particularly, his flirtations hold a much different weight now watching them as adults, for better or worse. While most of them can be passed off as good, edgy fun, there are other times when the show arguably steps over the line. In particular, one of these moments stands out amongst the rest.
Johnny asks a teen what she's wearing
In Season 1, Episode 10, "The Perfect Gift," Johnny is trying to get his mother, Bunny Bravo (Brenda Vaccaro), a gift for Mother's Day. He gets various jobs to try and earn the money he needs to buy her a gift, failing while Little Suzy (Mae Whitman) gains immense success with her lemonade stand. Johnny's motives in this episode are very nice and there are actually some pretty funny gags early on, such as Johnny's attempts at being a "consultant" that, as you might imagine, he completely misunderstands.
Things take a turn, however, when we see him working at a troubled teen hotline. After learning that the girl he's talking to has broken up with her boyfriend, the first thing Johnny asks is "Well, uh, what are you wearing?" Fortunately, the call doesn't escalate any further than that, as a number of the hotline's employees angrily surround a confused Johnny and proceed to toss him out of the building into a heap of trash.
If the only problematic thing about this episode was Johnny's failed attempt to get girls to pay to kiss him, it wouldn't raise many eyebrows (at least for this show), but this particular scene is inexcusable. Johnny is far from an angel, but he never brings underaged minors into his flirting ventures. To top it all off, he's taking advantage of someone in distress in the process. It's as if Johnny is asking to be thrown out, and if so, his wish is more than granted.