Mr. Wizard's World - Nick Knacks Episode  

Around 1987, my elementary school teachers told us Mr. Wizard was going to be coming to talk to our 400 person school. ( We called that "An assembly." ) And they told us that a few days before the assembly was going to take place, so us kids had plenty of time to get worked up over it. When the day finally did arrive a woman came out on stage and told us 'Mr. Wizard is busy on Nickelodeon so I'll be doing the experiments today.' And it was just some rudimentary stuff with test tubes. I doubt she was putting on shows with Don Herbert's support.

This has to be one of the most criminally underrated channels on RU-vid.

Mr. Wizard's impact on my life cannot be overstated. I have taught Physics and Chemistry for 20+ years and I would not have been able to do it without him.

Love the attention of Beakman’s World! It always gets drowned out by Bill NYE but Beakman was the one that I watched as a kid.

oh hey, the first nick original that reran long enough for me to see it

We're gonna need another Timmy!

surprisingly nostalgic (if not very funny) is basically all I've known SNL to be

I remember maybe the first version of the contest "Nick Takes Over Your School," where one of the big prizes was "Mr. Wizard teaches your science class!" Ya know, in addition to running the obstacle course with Marc Summers and sliming your teachers.

God, I remember that "even new sweaters!" commercial for Mr. Wizard. Blast from the past!

One of the Mr. Wizard interstitials I remember most fondly--we see a bunch of colored dots close-up over Mr. Wizard's voiceover explaining how the eye mixes color and how one artist in particular took advantage of this as his technique. As the camera pulls back, we see that it's George Seurat's famous painting Sunday Afternoon On The Isle of La Grande Jatte. This was the first I'd ever heard about Georges Seurat and his pointillism technique--long before I got into Stephen Sondheim. :-)

Finally something I remember. I used to watch this at the crack of dawn while eating my cereal before school!

Oooo, Third Eye! Fond memories of that one. As for Mr. Wizard’s World, Lord, yes, this thing ran forever on Nick. It was almost strange toward the end that something that felt a bit dated could still connect. And was still producing connections and inspiration. Really fantastic. It makes the late interviews we see with Herbert almost painful to watch. I didn’t realize though that this was an actor, not an educator. It’s fine if you teach because you love and inspire that way. But the success of Mr Wizard meant an actor could do almost nothing else for most of his life. And when after a while, it is demanded that that be all you do, you become bitter. You feel for the guy, you really do. Great snapshot history, as usual.

I remember watching this one, and my mom coming in and telling me that she used to watch the old version when she was a child. :-)

Hey, it’s Troy from Mystery Science Theater 3000’s “The Final Sacrifice” at 18:46!

I can definitely see how Mr.Wizard brought about Bill Nye. I remember some of my teachers having DVDs on some topics to help us understand what we were doing. I feel like I would’ve loved Mr.Wizard if I were around to see it back then. It may not be as spontaneous and flashy as Bill Nye, but part of me is a sucker for science!

Probably learned more from Mr. Wizard's World than I did in science class @ school

Mr. Wizard's World was one of my favorite Nick shows, and probably my first real exposure to science, a love I carry to this day. I actually worked for a time at a children's museum doing so many of these same experiments with kids, and I always thought of Mr. Wizard. But seriously, Don, you could have given that kid some ear protection at least. Hydrogen balloon explosions are *loud*

Hey, that's my RU-vid channel at the end of the Mr. Wizard episode! I'm honored!

Like A Podium, That Stuff that Kept Your Hand Dry.

Oh hey we’re back in familiar territory!

This was one of favorite old school Nick programs. And it's one I will always remember.

I was an artsy geek as a kid, so Mr Wizard and 3-2-1 Contact were shows I loved! Thanks for this!!!!

Herbert was mistaken about Beakman's World and Bill Nye's show. It still find those shows entertaining and informative, but I also see where he was coming from since he spent so many years seeing success with his own formula. It's just sad to think he may not have truly realized what he meant to, literally, multiple generations of kids :( RIP.

In the interview..when he speaks . I still recognize his voice.

Thank you so much for covering early Nick stuff. There’s so many channels covering Nicktoons on and I’m old enough to remember stuff like this. I remember my mom saying “I watched Mr. Wizard growing up.”

Me and my dad bonded over Mr. Wizard!

Real bummer that Mr. Wizard had negative feelings about his own legacy. I don't disagree with the spirit of his comments - his format clearly worked very well and those who followed changed it up. Using the kids as an audience surrogate is a legitimately good idea, and when I was a kid watching Mr. Wizard in the 80s I felt a kinship with those kids. The impact of that can't be understated, even if Bill Nye & co did an admirable job of passing the torch. It sounds like Don Herbert was more conflicted about "science as entertainment" - the polish that goes into science shows especially in 2019 has a tendency to remove a lot of the basic nuts and bolts rigor of experimentation. But even shows like Mythbusters, which have been accused of oversimplifying, still give you enough substance to learn something. This argument about science versus entertainment value is one worth having, though. How do you educate and still be amusing or entertaining enough to hold attention? Times change, and it looks like Don Herbert was only really guilty of not evolving his brand / image (a 21st century myopic viewpoint, no doubt). Still, I'll always be grateful that he got me interested in scientific experimentation. Don, your show will be missed.

Another show I watched and loved! (One of four so far) I think personally the brilliance of this show IS the simplicity, in that it’s not much more than simple experiments to demonstrate a scientific principle. I know as a kid it personally engaged me more because it didn’t feel like a TV show. It felt like a kind old man showing off his cool tricks. I know I had his book and watched this show religiously all through my childhood (there certainly is a nostalgic thrill with episodes of this series getting to hear a tv theme that you hadn’t thought about in 30 years). I won’t judge someone for being old and grumpy about their legacy at age 88.

My earliest memories are of this show.

Mr Wizard seemed to have all the ideas for school science fairs

I remember when Mr Wizard taught how to create a record player with a paper cone, a needle and a lamp. ........that....did not work at all, and I remember being pissed as a kid when I put in all that effort and it didn't work at all for me, like it did for them on the show.

I'm almost CERTAIN that Don came to my school once and showed us how the sound effects in Star Wars were made...well...either him or someone taking up the Mr. Wizard name. It blew my mind as a kid.

I LOVED Mr. Wizard's World

Oh this is wonderful memories! You kind of literally pulled the curtain on the wizard when it was explained that he was an actor & not an ardent Patron of Science. As an 80s kid, I learned SO MUCH from this man. Thx 4 the upload! And I entirely agree that the SNL skit (like all contemporary SNL skits) is just humorless. But can you imagine walking into a cafe or restaurant & seeing Don Herbert & Bill Nye having lunch! Oh to be a fly-on-the-wall!

Okay I binged this series over the course of a week and seriously....bravo! I grew in the light of Nickelodeon, PBS and Disney channel. Having been born in 1977 and we got cable summer of 1980, I saw most of this era. I thought some of these shows were dreams or warped memories. Thank you for putting this together with care and respect. But mostly for keeping a firm grasp on truth. Thanks man! Can't wait for Turkey TV and Pete and Pete!

Yes! I couldn't wait until you got to this. This is where my personal memories/childhood of Nickelodeon starts. The music and intro for Mr. Wizard's World was so iconic that it's still burned in my brain, even after all of these years.

Love and respect this man. -What do you think is television's responsibility to education?- "None. Why would television have any responsibility for education? Hmm?" Be a parent, and don't let the internet/tv be a babysitter.

I remember watching Mr. Wizard's World 🌎 when I was a kid it's still brilliant today. 😀👍

This was my jam! Mr. Wizard fueled my love of science. I didn't know it at the time, but my dad too. Don Herbert did Mr. Wizard for decades!

I just remember him eating popcorn on a rollercoaster.

"Your mileage may vary." I see what you did there, you Beakman fan, you.

Putting Cy Schneider in charge of Nickelodeon was like putting the inventor of the steam locomotive in charge of a Tesla Cybertruck assembly plant...

Even at a very young age, I loved Mr. Wizard's World and the science projects him and his "students" would do.

Cy Schneider's antiquated start is something that I think give Nickelodeon a hidden edge in how vestiges of his programming lived on so long as shorts. It made the whole identity more cohesive, in a way that stood out from other programs. Like he sort of gave Nickelodeon a link to the past, as if it had been around since mimes and actual nickelodeons. In those late interview he seems to be trying to recall mixed feelings he had about his shows, and the genre, some 20 or 30 years ago. Being typecast isn't fun, but I get the same vibe as Star Trek fans not liking "I am not Spock". It's not always the case, and actors tend to try not to disillusion but to the fandom, these shows are nearly the same as sacred myths, while to the actors, they're gigs. Especially in the old business that he was initially in, and watch the industry grow out of.

Whoa! I was just about to re-watch the previous episode when you uploaded this LOL. Anyway nice job on the video. I know there wasn't a lot, but you're really breezing through Nick 1983.

I remember my 8th grade science teacher showing Mr Wizard episodes to the class. I remember the segment showing how a siren works!

There's a funny video on RU-vid called Mr. Wizard is a Jerk.

Omg I remember watching that when I was really little when it would come on really early on Nickelodeon along with Lassie

Wow I still to this day remember that synthpop opening tune. And, yes The Third Eye is coming!

Mr. Wizard got me interested in science and I am a much better person for having watched his show. His legacy can never be understated.

Great episode

Ha I literally just watched the episode from the promo at 3:40 last night! Own all the episodes, still watch them!

The Mr. Wizard Studios RU-vid channel uploaded 74 of the 78 episodes produced. Episode #53 can be purchased for viewing on Apple TV or Amazon Prime Video. Someone on the Internet Archive uploaded Episode #37 from either its original broadcast in 1985 or a rerun in later years. The only episodes that have yet to surface are #3 from 1983 and #49 from the 1985 production order. I recently watched these for the first time in years and the low-key approach this show has compared to the more bombastic productions of Bill Nye and Beakman's World was kind of refreshing. Also, the principles in the experiments that could be performed at home still hold up today, nearly 40 years later.

I remember getting a dollar store DVD of Watch Mr. Wizard a few years back. It was kind of wild to watch his younger days. Before Nick.

I have no idea Mr Wizard's World was a reboot

brought to you by that Cable in the Classroom bumper with the creepy-ass beat

I think I saw some Mr. Wizard stuff when I was a kid. I don't know for sure, but that one commercial brought back memories I didn't know I had. It reminded me of being at my grandparents house when my parents went on long trips. I also see a lot of parallels between Don Herbert and the character of Professor Proton, mainly in the "I don't want to be type cast" and "not being completely satisfied with his legacy" while also "inspiring many great minds through hands on science at home."

Another great episode!

One thing of note I like to point out, that intro to Mr. Wizard's World at the start of this video is technically the second version of the opening, as it's first version is sadly lost to time. The original intro, intro to segments and theme song was very different when the show first came on. This theme can be heard in one of the promos used here from '83. I think the new intro wws created after the new Nickelodeon logo/font was released in '84, so the new intro and segment pieces could tie themselves to the network, I suppose. This is the intro most of us have seen forever.

I watched a decent amount of Mr Wizards world as a kid in the 80s and had no idea he was ever on a TV show before it or that the Nick show was some sort of modernization of an old format.

Fascinating that Mr. Wizard still reran as early as 2000. I would have loved it as a kid who enjoyed both Bill nye and Beakman. Wish i had caught it. To me it was always a relic of previous generation's Nick until I saw footage.

He always seemed snippy with the kids though.

1984 is coming soon. and soon we'll see Nick Rocks, Danger Mouse, Belle and Sebastian and Lassie on here. Also, MTV buying the network.

I know my dad was excited for me to watch Mr. Wizard as he did when he was young.

I’m sorry he disagreed about Bill Nye and beckman’s educational influence, I agree that they did an excellent job with their educational content. As a science teacher myself I use Bill Nye even now and it’s always a welcome break for the students and a great way to enhance their understanding

Mr. Wizard was kinda cute in his youth...

Strong Bad I brought back your tape of Old Mr Wizards

I’m so stunned to hear that Mr. Wizard ran in reruns on Nick at Nite between 1995 and 2000. Those were peak years of my Nickelodeon watching and yet I don’t remember ever seeing it once. I mainly know it as a reference of the Nick generation just before mine.

"Hello, kids, welcome to 'Mr. Wizard's World.' Today, we're learning about LIQUIDS and GAAAAASSES!"

Oh man I loved Mr. Wizard as a kid! Kind of sad if he didn't really like his legacy... I can understand it, but he did make a lot of kids happy and interested in science. Though I also don't agree with his thoughts on Beakman and Nye. I was watching all three at the same time too, and they all three nurtured my love for science in different ways. I feel like Nye and Beakman touched on and taught me more about things that could never be in my grasp, but Mr. Wizard would pretty often show me things I could theoretically do at home. I think that balance was important, at least for me. It showed just how massive of a spectrum science was.

I picked up a cheap DVD with some old Mr. Wizard episodes on it. It was in one of those episodes that I happened to realize that checkmarks are just mangled "C"s. ("C" for "check"!) I'd never thought about that before!

I loved this show, but hated how many times they reran that first season! Also, remember the kid who had a report due on space?

You forgot Professor Proton on The Big Bang Theory.

I don't remember Mr. Wizard, but it is sad how he saw his legacy even though he influenced so many people. I agree with you, I don't need an audience surrogate, I loved Bill Nye and I learned plenty from the show, plus, if you have an audience surrogate, you can't really go take them to see lava flows or helicoptoring over a mountain range, the studio doesn't want to pay extra expenses if they don't have to.

i was thinking david letter man science children inventions now i know why he has that theme idea concept its cause of cool mr wizard illusionist

The Third Eye is coming! Can't wait to re-experience the spoopyness of kids with funny accents being menaced by cheap special effects!

29:03 I thought that was Amanda Bynes at first glance. Then I realized that it was impossible for when this show was being taped. Its late too. I should probably go to sleep.

I loved Mr Wizard but what a grump he was.

I remember this one

That was one of those of shows that chaged my life forever. At about age 6 I got my 1st computer and my home was wired for Cable TV. Once I found out that I cound go albove Channel 13; I found this show and The Disocvery Channel. Both where game cangers in fact them along with shows like Captin Planet was how I became the only 4th greader that knew how blackholes work, the big bang theory, the greanhouse effet, how an computer worked, the maning of bit, what an CD is, and more. That thing about bit and konwing what a CD is was party why in school the SEGA kids coundn't make me go to thier side. Since I saw what they didn't so thier for SEGA's ads actking Nintendo didn't work on me. In fact about 50% of them ended up in jail. Today about 30% have seen the eorre of their ways are now firends with me, 10% cahged thier ways only after the Dreamcast died, The last 10% are dead.

another one I've been looking forward to seeing ever since binging your nick knacks backlog of episodes! definitely a few segments I fondly remember... like the one with the litlte girl and mr. wizard showing her how a computer game joystick worked using the ... I believe it was the atari PC version of pac-man? or the one with the hero-1 robot and the pitch bending voice that used to scare the bejezus out of me, lol! definitely have to revisit the youtube channel for some of those segments. also I feel like I remember hearing about his attitude about the shows that came later I mean I also don't really 'get it' but he's entitled to his opinion. I was definitely into beekman's world after that (and remember hearing about the mr. wizard easter egg with the penguins)

oh my god, we have mr. wizard to blame for breakfast?????????

I know this was uploaded nearly two years ago now This show like a lot of the earlier 80's Nickelodeon shows I saw as reruns but being really young I mostly was unaware. But I would be understating how much this show effected little kid me i forget the exact time slot maybe 5-6 am I just remember I'd be watching Nick @ Nite Alfred Hitchcock was 4am and this came on 30min after Nick @ Nite ended.

I could be wrong, but this show may have also lead to the development of the King of Random series.

The theme song to Mr Wizard's World heard at the beginning of this episode was different from when it first aired on Nickelodeon. In fact, listen to the background music between around 3:15 - 3:45. That was the original theme music and had far different graphics from the first 26 episodes than the later ones. The network even edited out the first 26 with the later theme music and graphics as well which meant the only way to find out what the original music and graphics of Mr. Wizard's World was that you had to watch it prior to January 1, 1985 - the date the second run, later theme music and graphics debuted and became the staple for all Mr. Wizard's World episodes prior to and currently. Since it debuted around October 1983 (immediately a #3 show on Nickelodeon by the end of 1983 under Livewire (#1) and You Can't Do That On Television (#2)), you had 15 months to absorb it all before everything else took over for the next 15 years or so. I don't know about you if you remember the original theme music and graphics, but I sure did because I used to watch Mr Wizard's World religiously during that time period BEFORE January 1, 1985 before all 78 episodes had the well known status quo. Why it wasn't left alone is unknown as there's no way anyone 40 or younger than came remember what the theme music and graphic layout was during its first 15 months on Nickelodeon during its most ambitious transitional period at the time. Still, I have a very vivid memory of it.

Interestingly, while Mr. Wizard's World aired when I was watching Nickelodeon, I've yet to see a single episode. I should check it out though.

kinda sad that he didn't have a good opinion of the kids - didn't he have the option to recast them instead of badmouthing them 20 years later? I thought they were pretty good and relatable.. if they were little science genius actor kids it would've been weird.

Mr. Wizard may have pioneered science television, but Nickelodeon's first attempt was "What Will They Think Of Next?" in 1981.

Homestar runner brought me here

Oh my god! They killed Timmy!

A show I actually watched!!

It's so funny, when I was a kid, I kind of hated obvious educational shows, but the very aspects of 'holy crap, something blew up' in and of iself made me enjoy it...that and the segments about new technology since I was also trying to catch episodes of Beyond Tomorrow. The 'current state of the art' segments were like mini episodes of Beyond Tomorrow shoehorned into kids making stuff explode or otherwise do bizarre stuff with the explanation laid out in a simple format. Also, it had this presentation of a sitcom with no studio audience that always intrigued me in a very strange subconscious way. I don't know why, but the studio lighting and fake house coupled with the lack of studio audience canned 'oohs and ahhs' was strange. I feel like a 'classically presented sitcom' from the 80s, complete with extremely artificiality and no studio audience could...wait...why am I off on a tangent? Oh, that's something else Mr. Wizard taught me...explore the world, even if it's a world inside your mind. No, he didn't do that either, I"m just trying to be clever as I end my meandering comment. I liked and still like the show. It's good. Not great, but definitely good. One bit of trivia on the intro...as a certified 'ancient computer dork', they used a Quantel Paintbox with the 'video package' to create the intro. There's a full rip of the 'training VHS' supplied at various points of it's existence in tv studios throughout the 80s and 90s and it's clear how much the Quantel Look is on full display, despite the fact it was never featured as a showcase in any of the instructional or promotional videos. Just one of those unrelated thoughts but adjacent enough to mention.

Very good stuff, as is the usual for Nick Knacks! By the time Bill Nye and Beakman came around I was too old to buy in. I watched one or two episodes, but it felt like someone said, "Let's mix PeeWee's Playhouse wackiness with Mr. Wizard's World science. That'll get the kid's attention." I found it a turn off. In retrospect, Bill Nye's great of course. I'm sure Paul Zaloom is great too. In his way.

I still prefer him over Bill Nye and Beekman of Beekman's World.

Like with Today's Special, I watched Mr. Wizard as a kid and a bit as a teen whenever I got up early enough to watch it. I hope that Mr. Wizard wasn't really unhappy with his legacy, after al he did influence a lot of people,, but I don't have any proof that he was happy with it. With that last clip about the letters, I can't really blame him if he did became disgruntled after awhile.

So, *did* you make that volcano?

a edge deck of cards

I want a Nick Knacks episode on The Third Eye. I feel like you left that show out.

Here's a link to that SNL Mr. Wizard skit: ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-Nt_jB2MylHk.html

I always hated the white egret at the beginning sounded like a blue jay lol. Let’s say I used to really be into birds back then.