Popular Mechanics for Kids

Popular Mechanics for Kids
	Opening logo
Directed by	Jean-Louis Cote, Serge Marcil, Zsolt Luka, Sid Goldberg
Starring	Elisha Cuthbert; Jay Baruchel; Tyler Kyte; Vanessa Lengies; Charles Powell;
Country of origin	Canada
Original language	English
No. of seasons	4
No. of episodes	72
Production
Producer	Jonathan Finkelstein
Running time	30 minutes (approx.)
Production companies	Global Television Network; Hearst Entertainment
Distributor	Hearst Entertainment
Release
Original network	Global TV
Picture format	480i (SDTV)
Original release	7 September 1997 –; 11 February 2001

Popular Mechanics for Kids (sometimes abbreviated to PMK) is an educational Canadian television series based on Popular Mechanics magazine. It was notable for starting the careers of Elisha Cuthbert, Jay Baruchel and Tyler Kyte. The show's intent was to teach viewers how things work. It was awarded the Parents Choice Award in 2003, and was nominated for the Gemini Awards.

The series aired on Global TV from 1997 to 2001. Re-runs of the show continued to air on many channels until 2008. It piloted on BBC Kids and Discovery Kids until December 31, 2009. After the closure of Discovery Kids Canada, BBC Kids stopped airing reruns in all countries except Canada. The reruns on BBC Kids in Canada ended on May 14, 2011. As of 2013 re-runs of the show continue to air on Knowledge Network.

Along with Cuthbert and Baruchel, the cast included Charles Powell, nicknamed "Charlie" for the series, Tyler Kyte (who joined the show with Jay in the second series), and eventually Vanessa Lengies.

The show was filmed primarily in Montreal, Quebec, and is currently distributed on VHS / DVD by Koch Vision.

The show was produced by Global TV Network and Shaw Media in Canada, Hearst Entertainment in the US and finally "TVA International" in Canada for the last episodes in 2001.

Episode overview

The show starts off with an overview of the episode. The hosts (Elisha, Tyler, Jay, and later Vanessa) then start their adventures on the show (amusement park, snowboarding, surfing, visiting a science museum, etc.) Throughout the adventures, short, educational segments are shown.

In the segment "Charlie's Experiment / Tip", host Charlie, and sometimes the other hosts, demonstrate an experiment. He sometimes answers frequently asked questions about related science topics. At the start of season 3, one of the hosts (usually Vanessa) would go on a third adventure. The show then comes to a close, with the co-hosts saying "See you next week!".

There have been four VHS videos called "How Do They Build?", hosted by a boy named Mike and a miniaturized man named Pop.^[1]

Popular Mechanics for Kids cast

Cast

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
Under the Hood
Gear Gutz
Sparks
System Error
eXtreme

Episodes

Season		Episodes	Originally aired (Canadian dates)
Season		Episodes	Season premiere	Season finale
	1	22	September 7, 1997	February 8, 1998
	2	22	September 6, 1998	January 24, 1999
	3	22	September 5, 1999	January 30, 2000
	4	6	January 7, 2001	February 11, 2001

DVDs

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^[2]^[1]
How Do They Build Skyscrapers^[2]^[1]
How Do They Build Tunnels^[2]^[1]
How Do They Build Spaceships^[2]^[1]

References

^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e "Popular Mechanics". Hearst Magazines. September 1997.
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0126169/mediaindex?page=2&ref_=ttmi_mi_sm

External links

[gbook1-1] "Popular Mechanics". Hearst Magazines. September 1997.

[imdb1-2] ttps://www.imdb.com/title/tt0126169/mediaindex?page=2&ref_=ttmi_mi_sm

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