Baking soda and vinegar rocket? Check. Hot Air balloon made from sterno and a plastic bag? Check. Banana cut into pieces still in the peel? Check
A little know fact about me, I went to college for biochemistry. Did I decide to study science because I had dreams of solving the worlds problems? Not at all. Did I want to clone dinosaurs and rule the world? Sometimes. Mostly I liked science because I thought it was cool and the reason I thought it was so cool was the experiments I would watch and emulate from Don Herbert’s “Mr. Wizard’s World”.
Mr. Wizard’s World should not be confused with the classic “Watch Mr. Wizard”. I was too young for that. My Don Herbert exposure began in 1983 when Nickelodeon began airing a retooled version of Mr. Wizard called, “Mr. Wizard’s World”. As I found out later the show I watched had a lot in common with the 1951 – 1965 series.
Mr. Wizard’s World Introduction
Don “Mr. Wizard” Herbert would perform a cool experiment that would seem impossible in a kid’s mind and then would show how easy it is using “science”. Then the kids at home would make a mess of their kitchen trying to copy it. Maybe that was just me? (Sorry Mom). I know its hard to believe, but a show that simple, can in fact, keep a child entertained and even inspire them to higher education.
Mr. Wizard’s World Commercial
I was so enamored by this show I whined to my parents until i got a copy of “Mr. Wizard’s 400 Experiments in Science”. I may have not completed all 400 but I still got a couple of years left in me to work on them.
Don Herbert passed away the other day after a battle with cancer. He leaves behind him a rich award-winning legacy of TV programming that spans nearly half a century. But most importantly he inspired children to learn while managing to walk that difficult tightrope between entertainment and education. Thanks Mr. Herbert.
July 10, 1917 – June 12, 2007
Science is an imaginative adventure of the mind seeking truth in a world of mystery. — Sir Cyril Herman Hinshelwood
The Retroist
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I loved this show. One of the few I watched on Nickelodeon. If there was a way to watch it today, I would!
There are many eps of it on youtube, although it’s the VHS version instead of the broadcast version (no classic opening, nor the little interstitials with the grocery cart or the statue, and with clips arranged differently).
There’s also the old “watch mr wizard” show there. The one that I can’t find though is his canadian show from the 70s. I’d really like to find at least 1 episode of that to see what it was like.
I need broadcast quality with the animations. I won’t settle ;)