In The Jetsons, video calls were treated as an ordinary, ubiquitous part of daily life long before that was true in the real world, and this has become one of the show’s most famous future predictions.
Characters in the show constantly use wall-mounted or desk videophones at home and at work, especially George Jetson’s calls with his boss, Mr. Spacely, which are shown as routine business communication rather than special events.
Family and friends also drop in via video at all hours, which creates comic situations such as Jane Jetson throwing on a morning mask to look presentable for an unexpected early call from her friend.
When The Jetsons premiered in 1962, real videophones like AT&T’s experimental Picturephone existed only as expensive demos or limited trials, not as common household devices.
The series assumed that technical hurdles and cost would be solved, presenting videophones as simple appliances as familiar as TVs or radios, reflecting mid‑century optimism about technology reshaping everyday domestic life.
Today we’ve gone from Sci‑Fi gag to everyday reality — with mainstream tools such as Skype, Zoom, and FaceTime making real‑time video communication on phones, tablets, and computers a normal part of work, school, and social life, closely mirroring the casual, frequent calling seen in the cartoon.
Wrist‑mounted video devices like George Jetson’s video watch now resemble modern smartwatches, which can place video calls or integrate with phones, further reinforcing how closely contemporary habits track the show’s imagined future.
