Popular Mechanics for Kids
| Popular Mechanics for Kids | |
|---|---|
 Opening logo | |
| Directed by | Jean-Louis Cote, Serge Marcil, Zsolt Luka, Sid Goldberg |
| Starring |
|
| Country of origin | Canada |
| Original language(s) | English |
| No. of seasons | 4 |
| No. of episodes | 72 |
| Production | |
| Producer(s) | Jonathan Finkelstein |
| Running time | 30 minutes (approx.) |
| Production company(s) |
Global Television Network/Shaw Media Hearst Entertainment TVA International (final episodes) |
| Release | |
| Original network | Global TV |
| 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 is 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, and 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 USA 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!".
Cast
- Elisha Cuthbert
- Jay Baruchel
- Tyler Kyte
- Vanessa Lengies
- Charles Powell
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
Episodes
Pilot episode: Popular Mechanics for Kids Season 1 Ep 1 "Underground"
| Season | Episodes | Originally aired (Canadian dates) | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 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
- Radical Rockets
- 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
- 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