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Gary Gizmo and Crash Test Danny

Further to my last blog, I've started watching Discovery Kids with the mini-Ws, so that I can learn a bit more about science. The best programmes are Invention SOS and Crash Test Danny.

SOS is fronted by a hyperactive Scotsman called Gary Gizmo, who teleports himself to the homes of children who are desperate for an invention that will solve a particular problem. One kid, for instance, wants a contraption for capturing spiders, while another is looking for something to help him clean up his bedroom. Gary pitches a tent in the back garden and sends the children back into the house for advice from a boffin. The crackpot scientists in question are always hidden in a wardrobe. And while they may dress differently from Gary and speak in exotic accents, they always seem to bear an uncanny resemblance to show's eccentric host.

Crash Test Danny is a dummy who works at a top-secret research establishment. He acts as a fall guy for a bloke in a white coat who's simply known as The Professor. There's nothing the Prof likes more than strapping Danny to a spinning wheel with a bottle of ketchup to explain the principles of centrifugal force.

Generally speaking, Discovery Kids gets 8/10 for the balance between education and entertainment. I haven't yet had the heart to explain to the mini-Ws that croc hunter Steve Irwin is now swimming with the angels. There's a time and a place for everything.

Comments

  1. Mike Hoffman5:01 AM

    Not wishing to confuse you, Phil, but centrifgual force doesn't actually exist:

    http://phun.physics.virginia.edu/topics/centrifugal.html

    Now, about Father Christmas...

    ReplyDelete
  2. Phil Woodford5:46 AM

    Try telling that to Danny and the Professor.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Anonymous1:44 PM

    My kids love that show. They've got a myspace page. I think it's just www.crashtestdanny.com but I could be wrong...

    ReplyDelete

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