Joe Hardy (The Hardy Boys)

Joe Hardy is an amateur detective in the famous fictional novels, The Hardy Boys.

Joe is 17-years-old, 6 foot, 185 pounds, with light blond hair, blue eyes, and a big, muscular frame. He resides in a fictional Bayport, New York, along with his family. Their house is a two-story old Victorian on the corner of Elm Street. His brother, Frank Hardy is his crime-fighting partner. His father, Fenton Hardy used to work for the New York City Police Department and is currently a private investigator. His mother Laura Hardy is a stay-at-home mom and his aunt, Aunt Gertrude lives with them in Bayport as well. His aunt is secretly proud of the boys' investigating abilities, but always chides them when they pick up a new case. Joe's girlfriend is Iola Morton, the sister of Joe's best friend Chet Morton, in the original series. Iola is murdered by a bomb in the first Casefiles novel "Dead On Target". After some time, Joe meets Vanessa Bender, and at the end of the series, the two are still going steady.

Some of Joe's friends are Phil Cohen, a computer genius; Tony Prito, the manager of a famous teen hang-out place, Mr. Pizza; Chet Morton, Iola's brother; and Alan "Biff" Hooper, a well-built football player who has helped the Hardys on more than one case. The Hardys and their friends go to school at Bayport High.

Joe may not do quite as well in school as his brother, but he still gets good grades. Phys Ed and History are his best subjects.

The Hardy Boys have worked for, with, or against a number of organizations over the years. In the Casefiles they collaborate with The Gray Man, who works for the Network - a secret government intelligence agency. Also, they fight the Assassins, an international terrorist organization responsible for Iola Morton's death. In the Undercover Brothers books the boys are undercover agents for ATAC (American Teens Against Crime), an organization cofounded by Mr. Hardy. Frank and Joe owned a large number of cars or automobiles. They first had motorcycles (but Joe totals his in "The Shore Road Mystery"). Next, they own a yellow convertible which is blown up in the first Casefiles book, Dead On Target. They are given a black van by the Bayport Mall Association. This one is also blown up in Casefiles #100, "True Thriller". They finally purchase a blue van which remains with them until the end of the series. Throughout the The Hardy Boys Mysteries (Digests) series, the boys own a black van. In the [Undercover Brothers series, Frank and Joe own custom sport bikes, decked out with the latest features. Some of these features include: 600 cc engines, hydraulic clutch, optimized Suspension, fog lamps, hazard warning, digital CD player, CB radio, GPS system, security tracking device, polished chrome controls, high-grade leather seats, stainless steel exhaust pipes, and electric power socket for accessories. Each sport bike includes flaming red double Hs.

Joe plays many school sports along with his brother. Joe plays for the Bayport High football team, sprints for the track team and is on the swim team. He also plays baseball, basketball and soccer, at different seasons in the year. Joe also does wrestling, snowboarding in some of the books, has a black belt in aikido and is decent at tae kwon do. He also develops an interest in video games.

Joe also knows American Sign Language and Morse code.

Besides having his driver's license, in the Casefiles and Mysteries (Digests) series, Joe also has his pilot license in the original series.

As compared to his brother Frank, Joe is the irrational one, wanting to jump straight into a situation. He often goes by his gut-feeling and is usually right.