Beakman's World facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Beakman's World |
|
|---|---|
 |
|
| Based on | You Can with Beakman and Jax by Jok Church |
| Presented by | Paul Zaloom |
| Starring |
|
| Composer(s) |
|
| Country of origin | United States |
| Original language(s) | English |
| No. of seasons | 4 |
| No. of episodes | 91 |
| Production | |
| Executive producer(s) | Mark Waxman |
| Producer(s) |
|
| Running time | 22 minutes |
| Production company(s) |
|
| Distributor |
|
| Release | |
| Original network |
|
| Picture format | NTSC |
| Audio format |
|
| Original release | September 16, 1992 – August 1, 1998 |
Beakman's World was a super fun and educational TV show for kids! It taught about science in a really entertaining way. The show was based on a comic strip called You Can with Beakman and Jax by Jok Church.
It first aired on September 16, 1992, on TLC. Soon after, it was shown on over 220 other channels. In 1993, the show moved to CBS as part of their Saturday morning lineup. At its most popular, people in almost 90 countries watched Beakman's World. The show stopped making new episodes in 1998. But you could still watch reruns starting in 2006. The main actor, Paul Zaloom, still performs as Beakman in live shows around the world!
Contents
What Was Beakman's World About?
The show starred Paul Zaloom as Beakman, a quirky scientist. He did funny experiments and demonstrations. These experiments helped explain different science ideas. He would answer questions from viewers about things like density or electricity. When an experiment worked well, Beakman would often shout "Zaloom!"
Beakman always had a helper in his lab. This helper was a female assistant, just like in the comic strip. Her name changed over the years. In Season 1, she was Josie (played by Alanna Ubach). For Seasons 2 and 3, she was Liza (played by Eliza Schneider). In Season 4, she was Phoebe (played by Senta Moses).
Beakman also had a "lab rat" named Lester. In the very first episode, Lester was a puppet. But after that, he was played by Mark Ritts. Lester was a funny, sometimes clueless man in a rat suit. It was a running joke that he might actually be a rat. For example, he would act like someone stepped on his tail! But often, he would say he was just an actor. Lester often needed to be convinced with food to help Beakman with challenges.
Another character was "Ray," the unseen cameraman. You only saw his hands! Ray helped Beakman by handing him things. It was hinted that Ray liked the show's makeup lady. Actress Jean Stapleton also appeared as Beakman's mom, "Beakmom." Paul Zaloom also played other characters, like Professor I. M. Boring. This professor would talk about science topics in a very dull way. Beakman also dressed up as famous scientists like Thomas A. Edison.
The Beakman Challenge
A popular part of the show was "The Beakman Challenge." Beakman would challenge Lester to do a science trick. This trick would show a basic science idea. In the first season, many challenges were about air pressure. Lester even joked about it, saying, "AIR PRESSURE! IT'S ALWAYS AIR PRESSURE!" Later, other characters would challenge Beakman too.
Safety First!
Before any experiment, a special warning was given. It said: "Any experiment performed at home should be done with adult supervision and all appropriate safety precautions should be taken. All directions should be followed exactly and no substitutions should be used." This warning was also shown at the end of the show.
Penguin Pals
At the start and end of the show, and during commercial breaks, you would see two puppet penguins. Their names were Don and Herb. They lived at the South Pole and watched Beakman's World on TV. The penguins were named after Don Herbert, who was known as Mr. Wizard from his own science show. Mark Ritts, who played Lester, also helped control the penguins!
Beakman's World is still shown in reruns in the United States and other countries. Sony Pictures Television distributes it.
Seasons of Beakman's World
The show had four exciting seasons.
| Season | Episodes | Originally aired | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| First aired | Last aired | |||
| 1 | 26 | September 16, 1992 | May 22, 1993 | |
| 2 | 26 | September 18, 1993 | December 3, 1994 | |
| 3 | 13 | September 16, 1995 | December 2, 1995 | |
| 4 | 26 | September 14, 1996 | January 4, 1998 | |
The Theme Song
The catchy theme song for Beakman's World was created by Mark Mothersbaugh. He is famous for being in the band Devo. The song mixes Zydeco and Synthpop styles. It uses an accordion for its main tune. The theme song also has lots of fun and wacky sound effects!
Awards and Recognition
Beakman's World won and was nominated for many awards:
- Excellence in Media's Silver Angel Award (1993)
- International Monitor Award for Outstanding Audio Post Production (1993)
- Television Critics Association nomination for Outstanding Children's Program (1993)
- Ollie Award - American Center for Children's Television (1993)
- Parent's Choice Award for Outstanding Accomplishment in Children's Programming (1993)
- Daytime Emmy Award for Outstanding Achievement in Live and Tape Sound Mixing and Sound Effects (1993–1994)
- CableACE Award for Best Children's Programming 7+ older (1994)
- International Monitor Awards for Best Achievement in Children's Programming and Best Audio Post Production in Children's Programming (1994)
- Nominated for Seven Daytime Emmy Awards including Outstanding Children's Series (1995)
- Daytime Emmy Awards (2) for Outstanding Achievement in Live and Tape Sound and Sound Effects (1994–1995).
Traveling Exhibit
In 1998, the Cincinnati Museum Center at Union Terminal created an interactive exhibit. It was called Beakman's World On Tour. This exhibit was based on the TV show. It was about 4,000 square feet in size. The exhibit traveled to many cities across the United States.
See also
In Spanish: El mundo de Beakman para niños
