Ready Jet Go!
Ready Jet Go! is a 2016-2019 American/Canadian CGI animated television series produced by Wind Dancer Films. The series premiered on PBS Kids on February 15, 2016. It was created by animator and Hey Arnold! creator Craig Bartlett, and is produced in cooperation with NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory. The show teaches science and astronomy.
The show is aimed at kids ages 3 to 8. On August 17, 2016, PBS Kids announced the renewal of the series for a second season, which premiered on April 2, 2018.
Plot
Jet Propulsion and his family are from the fictional planet Bortron 7 which orbits around a red dwarf called Bortron. They live at Boxwood Terrace in Washington,where they study human customs and Earth environments for a travel guide. Jet has made friends with neighborhood kids, including Sydney, Mindy, and Sean, whose parents work at the nearby Deep Space Array. The Propulsions' car turns into a flying saucer, which they frequently use to take the older kids into space. Their alien identities are known to Sean, Mindy, and Sydney, but they otherwise make some effort to conceal their origin. As of early June 2016, it's unclear whether anyone else knows who they really are.
At the end of each episode, scientist Amy Mainzer hosts educational interstitial segments: the segments are not included in the export version.
Episodes
Characters
- Jet Propulsion is the title character of the show and is a humanoid alien. He has red hair and can stretch his body, as his parents can. He is excitable, energetic, and goofy. He is tall for his age. Jet is 63 years old in Bortronian years, as revealed in "Earthday Birthday". He was instantly popular with the other children the moment he arrived on Earth. He sees the mundane world as a vast and exciting place, and even thinks that words are exciting, such as "surprise", claiming it to be a funny Earth word. He is named after the Jet Propulsion Laboratory. He is shown to be extremely kind, even to people who are mean to him, such as Mitchell. He possibly likes Sydney, because he danced with her in "How Come the Moon Changes Shape?", and is shown to possibly like Sean in "Back to Bortron 7".
- Sunspot Propulsion is the Propulsion family pet. He is described as a dog or cat to "Earthies" not in the know. Sunspot has the ears of a rabbit, the body of a kangaroo, and the tail of a raccoon or a fox. He plays concertina, electric guitar, bugle, pan pipes, and drums. Sunspot is silly and likes to play. His status as a mere "pet" may be somewhat of a put-on: He knows how to read, can talk and sing, and can follow conversations, but often seems confused about what behaviors are expected from a pet. He often functions as a deus ex machina, figuring out what is going on and what needs to be done and then conveying that information to one or more of the children. Carrot and Jet both realize there's more to Sunspot than the obvious, as evidenced by a conversation in "The Greatest Canyon": Carrot: "You ever get the idea there's something he's not telling us?" Jet: "All the time, Dad. All the time."
- Carrot Propulsion is Jet's father. His name from his home planet includes the sound of an elephant trumpeting and a parrot squawking. He tends to be goofy, like Jet. He often stays home while Celery takes the kids on adventures into outer space, as he doesn't really like going in the flying saucer. Carrot often cooks wacky dishes such as deep-fried lollipops.
- Celery Propulsion is Jet's mother. Celery is smart and often takes the kids to space. Her name from her home planet includes the sounds of banging, buzzing, and clanging. She normally drives the family vehicle, as Carrot's driving makes her nervous. She likes racing against her brother, Zucchini.
- Face 9000 is a computer. He is a cyan face with blue facial features projected from a small, round ball. He has a younger brother, Face 9001. Face 9000 knows everything about science, and often pops up to answer the kids' science questions. In "Face on the Fritz", he gets an upgrade. He has a tendency to get jealous easily.
Songs
- Ready Jet Go! Theme Song
- Commander Cressida Theme
- How Come The Moon Has Craters?
- Night of a Bazillion Stars
- The Scientific Method Song
- The Solar System Song
- Venus!
- Tiny Blue Dot
- Intergalactic Travel Writers
- The Milky Way
- What Goes Up
- Enceladus vs. Europa
- Computers
- Let's Fly Our Little Saucer to the Moon
- The 3-Part Bortronian Meal
- My Name is Mindy
- Try Again
- Beep's a Rovin' Superstar
- Cooking with Jet
- Asteroid Belt
- Building Boogie
- Real Bortronian Deal
- Bortronian Is What I Am!
- My Name is Jet
- Lone Star!
- I'm Not Afraid of Big Ideas
- A Scientific Town
- Is Your Planet Like My Planet?
- Take-off Ditty
- There's No Planet Like My Planet
- The Bortron Solar System Song
- That's How We Roll on Bortron 7
- Just Add Water
- It's a Neptune Kind of Day!
- Earthday Birthday
- You're Never Too Big for a Lullaby
- Dear Santa, From Little Billy
- Mindy's Toy-Building Ditty
- Solar System Saucer-Sleigh
- The Spirit of Christmas
- Dear Little Frozen Pluto
- A Star is Born!
- I'm Finally Five!
- The Outer Planets Song
- Ice Skating in July
- Heliocentric Ditty
- Total Eclipse of the Sun
- Space Racin'
- Grow Plant, Grow!
- Engineering Song
- Potatoes on Mars Medley
- Every Day is Earth Day
- The Super Saucer Song
Reception
Ratings
The series has gained 22 million viewers, according to PBS, including 7.6 million on broadcast television. The series has also been streamed over 37 million times on the PBS Kids website and app.Critical reception
Emily Ashby of Common Sense Media rated it a 5/5, saying "Thoroughly engaging and packed with educational content, this exceptional series is a fun way for kids to learn about science and astronomy. Jet's excitement for the human experience is matched only by Sean and Sydney's eagerness to learn all about outer space; put the three of them together, and it's a true celebration of the joy of discovery. Whether it's executing a rescue mission for a Mars rover or combining daily chores with experiments in force, Jet and his friends have a lot to teach kids through their own experiences."Gina Catanzarite of Parent's Choice said "Although the vocabulary and science explanations may be beyond the scope of the youngest viewers, the premise, characters, interesting art direction and upbeat action should hold their attention. Older kids are more likely to grasp the facts and even if they don't remember them all, Ready Jet Go! will at the very least inspire curiosity, and plenty of questions when they take the time to gaze up at the skies above them."
Awards and nominations
- The series was awarded a Parents' Choice Silver Honor.
- *The series won a Parents' Choice Award again in 2018.
- The series was awarded a Common Sense Seal by Common Sense Media.
- Jaeda Lily Miller was nominated for a Young Artist Award for her performance as Mindy
Games
- Sydney's Astro-Tracker
- Mindy's Constellation Exploration
- Sean's Rescue Quest
- Jet's Planet Pinball
- Jet's Rocket Ship Creator
- Mission Earth
- Mindy's Moonball
- Jet's Bot Builder
- Rover Maker
- Cooking School
- Space Explorer released 7 April 2016
Parodies and spoofs/usage with other shows