Come On and ZOOM (Chapter 5)

 

Chapter 5: Tell Me, Tell Me What to Do

Auditions for Season 3 of ZOOM were held and the season was filmed in 2000. The new season was ready in 2001. Caroline and Kenny stayed in the cast, while five new ZOOMers were introduced. Their names?:

…Kevin Barrette, otherwise known as Buzz…

…Eric Rollins…

…Frances Dormond…

…Kaleigh Cronin…

…and Rachel Redd. Just like Caroline, Kenny, Claudio, Jessie, and Ray in the previous season, we got enough time to know these new ZOOMers.

This season also had a few changes as opposed to the first two seasons. One was the intro - the beginning of it was shot outdoors, about the ZOOMers picking each other up and heading to the show, and had the ZOOMers saying their name and doing something like blowing bubbles or looking through a telescope when they were introduced, making it more reminiscent of the 70s intros.

The Address/E-Mail song was replaced by a few new E-Mail songs. Remember, the PBSKids.org site domain was introduced when this season was in production, so it was on the new songs, replacing the old "triple w dot pbs.org" lyric the first two seasons had. In one episode, the ZOOMers did a sound off song about the PBSKids.org link!

CafeZOOM interferes with ZOOMZnacks and ZOOMa Cum Laude became ZOOM Into Action.

…and most episodes ended with one of the ZOOMers on a computer reviewing a part of the ZOOM section of PBSKids.org.

The same year Season 3 premiered, not all things would be sunshine and rainbows at ZOOM, as on September 11th, the Twin Towers caught on fire and collapsed during a plane crash. Things were about to get serious.

The Season 3 ZOOMers reunited for a special that aired days after 9/11 called "America's Kids Respond," in which they talked about their experiences and feelings with the infamous terrorist attacks.

Once 2000 became 2001, it was time for auditions and taping for Season 4 of ZOOM. The new season, which was the most important ZOOM season ever, premiered in 2002.

"But Maddie," I hear you saying, "why was Season 4 the most important ZOOM season?"

Why? Because this season introduced us to a goddess sent down from heaven, the best person ever, ALINE BARTA!!! She was a new ZOOMer this season.

Other new ZOOMers this season included Matt Runyon, who would go on to become the most underrated ZOOMer in the show's history…

…Garrett DiBona…

…and Edgar Estuardo Alvizures, otherwise known as just Estuardo. Kaleigh, Caroline, and Rachel stayed in the cast.

I believe nothing new changed during this season, except for maybe the fact that the website promos took place by a computer on the set (where Matt had his introduction in the theme song).

After Season 4, America remembered 9/11 on its first anniversary, so ZOOM released a special called "America's Kids Remember." The special not only featured Caroline and Aline (being the amazing and awesome ZOOMer the latter is), but also former ZOOMers Alisa, Kenny, Buzz, Eric, Kaleigh, and Rachel, as they talked about their experiences with 9/11 and looked back on the attacks a year later. This special was filmed in 2002, either during or after Season 5 (I’m assuming during, as we can see the ZOOMers in this special with the Season 5 ZOOMers in a picture on the ZOOM website).

…this was the cast I was referring to in the last paragraph. Most TV shows have four seasons, and ZOOM hit five when the fifth season was picked up. Caroline, Kenny, Rachel, Kaleigh, Zoe, Alisa and the gang proved they had enough stardom as Sesame Street, Arthur, Barney & Friends, Mister Rogers' Neighborhood, Thomas & Friends, Teletubbies, Clifford the Big Red Dog, and Between the Lions. Season 5 taped in summer 2002 and aired in 2003. Caroline, Aline, Estuardo, and Garrett remained in the cast, and welcomed three new ZOOMers…

…Kortney Sumner…

…Mike Hansen…

…and Elena Sheih, otherwise known as Shing-Ying.

This season's intro started with the ZOOMers playing baseball. Other than that, I think it didn't have any changes.

During this season, three ZOOMers hosted a special on PBS Kids called the PBS Kids Pet-tacular. The ZOOMers totally should've gone on to other kids shows, especially Aline. She SHOULD'VE hosted the Sunny Side Up Show on Sprout. That I would've LOVED to see her do.

You know how I said Season 3 had changes to the show? The next season had EVEN MORE!

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Come On and ZOOM (Chapter 4)

Chapter 4: Back to Basics

This is Kate Taylor (on the right). She was the executive producer of ZOOM in the 70s, and was also the executive producer of Arthur from 1996 to 2000 and Peep and the Big Wide World. In the early 90s, there were rarely any live-action shows on PBS for kids, so Taylor decided it was best for WGBH to bring back ZOOM.

…And so a pilot was made in 1996. The ZOOMers in this pilot were Enid (whose family is from Puerto Rico), Marcus, Hayley Denker, Esther Mira, Daniel, Georgina, and Chad Nelson. To make ZOOM appealing to 90s kids, WGBH and PBS would have to leave some of the 70s staples behind - gone were the song covers and the red and blue shirts - the ZOOMers would now wear their own clothes.

The new ZOOM would have many segments from the original series, but one that the original didn't - ZOOMSci, a science experiment segment. Because of this, the National Science Foundation would sponsor the new ZOOM when it launched.

The "Best of the 70s" video that I mentioned in the previous chapter had a preview of the new ZOOM, which had different ZOOMers - Alisa Besher, Lynese Browder, Zoe Costello, Keiko Mathewson, Jared Nathan, David Toropov, and Pablo Velez Jr. ZOOMSci was mentioned, as well as a few other segments (ZOOMBarrels were renamed ZOOMZingers). At the end of the preview, it said that the new show would premiere in 1999.

…And it did, on January 4th. The new ZOOM had many new ZOOMGames, ZOOMZingers, ZOOMPlayhouses (formerly ZOOMPlays), CafeZOOMs (formerly ZOOMGoodies), ZOOMScis, ZOOMAlongs (another new segment), Zoops (yet another new segment), Whatzups (sort of like a rehash of Tracy Asks), ZOOMa Cum Laudes, ZOOMGuests, ZOOMVids (formerly ZOOMVideo), ZMail (formerly ZOOMMail), ZOOMChats (formerly ZOOMRaps), Fannee Doolees, uband ubof cubourse Ubbububbi Dubbububbi (err…Ubbi Dubbi). 

Also during this season, the direct-to-video specials "Party with ZOOM" and "The Making of ZOOM" were released, both starring the Season 1 cast as they did fun party stuff and gave us a behind-the-scenes look at their show respectively.

The new ZOOM was slowly proving popular, almost as much as the original show in the 70s. Not only was a card game called ZOOMOut released…

…But two books were also published, ZOOMZingers and Fun with Friends, both complied by author Amy E. Sklansky. 

Once 1999 became 2000, not only was it a whole new decade and a whole new millennium, but it was also time for Season 2 of ZOOM, which premiered in January after a showing of The Making of ZOOM. Zoe and Alisa stayed in the cast, while we were introduced to five new ZOOMers, who were…

Caroline Botelho…

…Kenny Yates…

…Claudio Jimenez…

…Jessica (or Jessie) Ogungbadero…

…and Ray Filme.

Just because Pablo, Jared, Keiko, David, and Lynese were no longer in the cast doesn't mean they were forgotten. The five former ZOOMers returned for the second-to-last Season 2 episode and had their own pages on the ZOOM section of pbs.org. 

During this season, new books were published also by Miss E. Sklansky - ZOOMDos You Can Do and Fun Outside. Both books featured activities from both Seasons 1 and 2, information on Ubbi Dubbi and Fannee Doolee, a behind the scenes look at Season 2, and what the Season 1 cast is up to now.

The second season had a few changes - there were new segment openings (such as ZOOMSci and CafeZOOM) and ZOOMAlong was renamed ZOOMPhenom. However, the next season had even MORE changes!

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Come On and ZOOM (Chapter 3)

 

Chapter 3: A Show with Ten Kids

ZOOM Season 4, which premiered in 1974, was great, but it had … ten ZOOMers. The only season to have them. They included (deep breath) Andrae Morgan, Cate Wadsworth Duddy, Carmen Hernandez, Tracey Dunlap, Tishy Flaherty, David Azzoto, David "Red" O'Brien, Tommy Schultz, Harvey Reed, and Norman Christian. Unlike the previous ZOOMers, these ZOOMers wore red and yellow shirts rather than red and blue ones.

It was during this season ZOOM released the "Come On and ZOOM" cast album, which shares its name with what I'm writing now. None of the Season 4 ZOOMers were in the first three seasons, and none of them would be returning for the next.

Season 5 of ZOOM premiered in 1976, and there were seven kids in the cast again - maybe because WGBH wasn't used to the ten kids Season 4 had. The new ZOOMers were Nell Cox, Levell Thomas Gethers, Ron Richmond Savel, Arcaido Gonzalez, Chris Blackwell, Jennifer Hardy, and Karen Wing Lew. 

Once 1976 became 1977, it was time for ZOOM Season 6. These new ZOOMers were Carolyn Malcolm, Amy Clark Ross, Shona Wiseman de Nile, Susan Hobbie Wolf, Nicholas Butterworth, Chee Kim, and John Lathan, and they went back to wearing red and blue shirts.

In 1978, after six seasons, ZOOM was cancelled, and the video you see above was the final scene. Though this wasn't the first time it was cancelled (see the previous chapter). 

After the show ended, a book by author Pam Benson was made called "ZOOMers Revisited: Where are they now?." The book was about what the ZOOMers were doing after they were on the show.

In 1998, a VHS tape of ZOOM called "The Best of the 70s" was released. It was re-released in DVD form ten years later as "Back to the 70s." Despite the book and videos, that would not be the end of the show. (FORESHADOWING)

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Come On and ZOOM: Part 2

 

Chapter 2: ZOOMing Into Success

Season 1 of ZOOM was a big hit. The show received critical acclaim and many positive reviews. In fact, it was such a big hit, it was clear that WGBH wanted more. And more they did! A second season was in production, and Kenny, Nancy, and Tracy were back, but with some new ZOOMers.

Who were the new ZOOMers? Maura Mullaney, Ann Messer, David Alberico, and Jay Schertzer. This new season brought many new Dos, Guests, Games, Songs, Stories, Plays, Raps, and Barrels.

The cast changed again the same season. Maura, Ann, Jay, and David stayed, while we met new ZOOMers Luiz Gonzalez, Bernadette Yao, and Leon Mobley.

Bernadette was well-known for the "arm trick" she did when she was introduced in the theme song. I'm even friends with her on Facebook (as well as Ann and Joe). Once again, new Games, Plays, Guests, Mail, Dos, Stories, and Songs.

And once again there was ANOTHER cast change in the same season. Luiz, Bernadette (does arm trick), and Leon returned, while new ZOOMers Edith Mooers, Lori Boskin, Danny Malloy Normas, and Neal Johnson Robinson were introduced.

With all these cast changes, the ZOOMers at home needed to know about them, so the ZOOMers on the show welcomed the new ZOOMers with a song called "How Do You Do" when they were introduced. This new cast brought even more new segments.

Two ZOOM books were published this season - the ZOOM Catalog (which I own) and Do a ZOOMDo.

Let’s move onto Season 3. Season 3 brought even more new ZOOMers - Danny McGrath, Mike Dean, Donna Moore, and Timmy Price Rudman. Edith, Lori, and Neal stayed. This season gave us new Plays, Mail, Games, Guests, Dos, Raps, and Songs.

The second cast for this season was Hector Dorta, Mike, Donna, Rose Clarkow, Timmy, Shawn Miranda Reed, and Danny. During this third season, a ZOOMer told the viewers the show was getting cancelled, and encouraged them to send letters, photos, and other content to keep it on air, and guess what? It TOTALLY worked! ZOOM stayed on air.

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Come On and ZOOM: Part 1

 

This blog is all about ZOOM, the PBS Kids show produced by WGBH Boston by kids, for kids, and starring kids. Once I started this blog, I decided that we should open it with a series of posts about ZOOM's history. My name is Maddie, and this is Come On and ZOOM!

Chapter 1: We're Starting Soon

This is Christopher Sarson. In the 70s, he would make something no kids show has been before.

There was a British show called "Why Don't You Switch Off Your Television Set and Do Something Less Boring Instead?". The programme featured real kids doing activities sent in by viewers. Sarson decided to make a PBS children's show inspired by this programme, but for an older audience than Mister Rogers' Neighborhood.

The show was initially going to be called "ZOOM In, ZOOM Out," but later shortened to ZOOM. ZOOM it was!

With the name finally in tow, WGBH, Boston's PBS affiliate, made a pilot starring seven kids known as ZOOMers - Dr. Joseph Shrand, Jon Reuning, Tommy White, Kenny Marshal Pires, Nina Lille, Nancy Tates, and Tracy Tannebring. The ZOOMers, who all wore red and blue shirts, would do activities sent in by viewers, in segments such as ZOOMDo, ZOOMPlay, ZOOMGoody, ZOOMBarrel, ZOOMGame, ZOOMRap, ZOOMMovie, ZOOMGuest, and Tracy Asks. The ZOOMers would also sing covers of popular songs.

The kids had two word games - Fannee Doolee, a woman who only likes things with double vowels, and Ubbi Dubbi - a secret language where you would put "ub" in front of each vowel. Their address? ZOOM, Z double O M, Box 350, Boston Mass, 02134. Just sing it!

ZOOM premiered on PBS in January 1972. It was a bold and unique new show - one where viewers could write anything for it.

In 1973, the original ZOOMers released an album called "Playgrounds."

Christopher and WGBH didn't think ZOOM would be successful enough, and didn't think a second season would be made.

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