Popular Mechanics for Kids
Opening logo
Directed byJean-Louis Cote, Serge Marcil, Zsolt Luka, Sid Goldberg
Starring
Country of originCanada
Original languageEnglish
No. of seasons4
No. of episodes72
Production
ProducerJonathan Finkelstein
Running time30 minutes
Production companiesGlobal Television Network
Hearst Entertainment
Original release
NetworkGlobal TV
Release7 September 1997 (1997-09-07) –
8 October 2000 (2000-10-08)

Popular Mechanics for Kids (sometimes abbreviated to PMK) is a Canadian educational television program based on Popular Mechanics magazine. The program aired on Global TV from 1997 until 2000. It was notable for starting the careers of Elisha Cuthbert, Jay Baruchel, Tyler Kyte, and Vanessa Lengies. Along with Elisha Cuthbert and Jay Baruchel, the original cast included Charles Powell, nicknamed "Charlie" for the program. Beginning in season 2, Tyler Kyte joins the cast of the program, and in season 3, Vanessa Lengies joins the program.

Overview

The intent of Popular Mechanics for Kids was to teach children how things work. Episodes covered a wide range of topics, including animals, body systems, amusement parks, electricity and airplanes.[1]

The show begins with the hosts giving the audience an overview of the episode through a comedic sketch sequence. Subsequently, the theme song and opening credits play. The audience then follows each host on their adventure segment that fits the theme of the episode. After each adventure sequence, another sketch segment would usually follow, along with other quick, educational segments (such as "under the hood", "sparks", "system error", "rewind") to further educate the audience on the theme of the episode.

"Mechanix with Nix and Tix" (usually shortened to just "Nix and Tix") was an animation segment that used slapstick comedy to help further educate and entertain the viewers about the episode's theme.[2][3]

During the segment "Charlie's Experiment/Tip", actor Charles Powell would answer questions, teach, and demonstrate an experiment related to the theme of the episode. It was common for real children to participate and ask questions in this segment, but in later seasons, only Powell was included. Powell, being the only recurring adult character in the show, would also often serve as a mentor for the audience and hosts, teaching concepts such as fire safety and survival skills.

During the closing scene, the co-hosts would brief their adventures, give a short overview regarding the episode's theme, and the show would close out with the usual line, "see you next week" from the hosts.

Segments

  • Maniac Brainiac
  • Cool Tool
  • Charlie's Experiment/Tip
  • Mechanix with Nix and Tix (later known as just Nix & Tix)
  • Action!
  • Coming Up on PMK
  • Rewind
  • Fast Forward
  • FACTory
  • eXtreme
  • Under the Hood
  • Gear Gutz
  • Sparks
  • System Error

Episodes

Season Episodes Originally aired
(Canadian air dates)
Season premiere Season finale
1 22 September 7, 1997 (1997-09-07) February 8, 1998 (1998-02-08)
2 22 September 6, 1998 (1998-09-06) January 31, 1999 (1999-01-31)
3 22 September 5, 1999 (1999-09-05) January 30, 2000 (2000-01-30)
4 6 September 3, 2000 (2000-09-03) October 8, 2000 (2000-10-08)

Cast

Popular Mechanics for Kids cast
Popular Mechanics for Kids cast (from left to right: Charles Powell, Vanessa Lengies, Tyler Kyte, Elisha Cuthbert)

Honours

It was awarded the Parents Choice Award in 2003, and was nominated for the Gemini Awards.

Production

The show was filmed primarily in Montreal, Quebec. The show was produced by the Global Television Network in Canada, Hearst Entertainment in the U.S., and finally TVA International in Canada for the final episodes in 2000.

Telecast and home media

The show aired in syndication in the U.S. (including Hearst-owned television stations),[4][5] before moving to Discovery Kids on Saturday mornings by the program's final season in 2000.[6] Repeats of the show continued to air on many channels until 2008. It was tested on BBC Kids and Discovery Kids in Canada until December 31, 2009. After the closure of Discovery Kids in Canada, BBC Kids stopped airing repeats in all countries (except Canada). The repeats on BBC Kids in Canada ended on May 14, 2011. As of 2013 repeats of the show continue to air on Knowledge Network. In the U.S., the show can currently be streamed on Tubi and The Roku Channel.

A number of VHS copies (and later, DVDs) have been released by Koch Vision and E1 Entertainment:

  • Slither and Slime and Other Yucky Things
  • Radical Rockets and Other Cool Cruising Machines
  • Rip Roaring Rollercoasters and All Access to Fun
  • Gators, Dragons and Other Wild Beasts
  • Super Sea Creatures and Awesome Ocean Adventures
  • Lightning and Other Forces of Nature
  • X-Treme Rides
  • Roller Coasters
  • Firefighters and Other Lifesaving Heroes
  • Zoos
  • Garbage
  • Popular Mechanics For Kids: 4 DVD Box Set
  • Popular Mechanics For Kids: 6 DVD Box Set
  • Popular Mechanics For Kids: The Complete First Season
  • Popular Mechanics For Kids: The Complete Second Season
  • Popular Mechanics For Kids: The Complete Third Season
  • Popular Mechanics For Kids: The Complete Fourth Season
  • How Do They Build Bridges
  • How Do They Build Skyscrapers[7]
  • How Do They Build Tunnels[7]
  • How Do They Build Spaceships[7]

References

  1. ↑ https://m.imdb.com/title/tt0126169/episodes?ref_=tt_eps_sm
  2. ↑ https://www.videodetective.com/show/popular-mechanics-for-kids-15181
  3. ↑ https://brucesimpson.tv/animatedshorts.htm
  4. ↑ Ed Kirchdoerffer (December 1, 1996). "Hearst gives kids the tools". Kidscreen. Retrieved 2021-03-14.
  5. ↑ "Kids Don't Like 'Broccoli Television'". Los Angeles Times. January 14, 1998. Retrieved 2021-03-14.
  6. ↑ Kathryn Shattuck (March 4, 2001). "FOR YOUNG VIEWERS; Scaling the Heights and Widths of the Unknown". The New York Times. Retrieved 2021-03-14.
  7. 1 2 3 "Popular Mechanics". Hearst Magazines. September 1997.
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