ZOOM

***ZOOM*** is a new version of the 70s children's television series of the same name that was produced by Boston-based television station WGBH, and aired on PBS stations from January 4th, 1999 to May 6th, 2005, running for seven seasons and 201 episodes.

## Overview

The series, aimed at six to twelve year olds, encouraged viewers to send in their ideas for games, crafts, science experiments, plays, etc. and see them on TV. The series was essentially the same as the last version, albeit with new segments like ZOOMSci (since the National Science Foundation funded the show) and ZOOMa Cum Laude (later ZOOM Into Action), and segments like song covers (due to copyright issues) dropped. In addition, the ZOOMers (three boys, four girls) wear casual outfits rather than striped shirts. In addition, local station educational activities played a key role on the show. The show has a hipster appeal that makes college stoners and parents watch the show without their children.

## History

### Origins

The original show aired from 1972 to 1978. It was decided the series be revived due to a lack of live-action children's shows at the time. A pilot was shot for a revival in 1995 featuring seven ZOOMers and new segments, with several old staples from the original show being dropped.

### 1990s

#### Premiere and first season

The first season, which was filmed in the summer of 1998, premiered on January 4th, 1999 with 40 episodes and two video specials - Party with ZOOM and The Making of ZOOM, the latter of which many consider to be the first season's forty-first and final episode.

### 2000s

The show had six more seasons with two specials addressing the attacks of September 11th, 2001 - America's Kids Respond and the following year's America's Kids Remember.

#### Revamp

The final two seasons added elements that would try to appeal to children who would likely be watching other shows. The sixth season had a new on-location theme song, a joke wall, ZOOMOut, a segment focusing on a ZOOMer outside the studio, and a First Lego League competition arc, while the seventh had a new arrangement of the theme song, several segments taking place in a colorful room, and two outdoor episodes.

#### Cancellation

The series was cancelled due to low ratings after the seventh season was filmed in 2004. The final episode aired on May 6th, 2005, and the series continued to air in reruns on PBS stations until 2007.

## Production

The show usually filmed in the summer when the ZOOMers were out of school, with the kids, who were chosen several months after auditioning, meeting one another at a training camp known as CampZOOM, which would occur on spring weekends. When they were not filming the show, the ZOOMers would hang out in a room known as the ZOOMZone, where they would do things like rehearse lines and write in their journals, given to them when each season started production.

If the set was set up for a certain segment like CafeZOOM, the ZOOMers would film by segment. Segments were not filmed in order, and, after filming, the crew put the segments together to make a half-hour program. The producers sometimes gave the ZOOMers sneak previews or a short bloopers tape.

### Focus on Education

As with PBS' other children's programs, *ZOOM* was educational. The show infused segments like ZOOMSci and ZOOMPhenom to teach science concepts, since the National Science Foundation was one of its sponsors. The show's PBSKids.org website has had information for parents and teachers on using *ZOOM* experiments to teach young children.

### Cultural impact

#### Celebrities

Several celebrities and public figures are fans of the series, for example, Chrissy Teigen, who did an activity from the show with her family. In 2022, Scott Cramer made a video on the show, calling it the most underrated PBS Kids show.

##### Child stars

Several ZOOMers would rise to stardom, similar to how *The All-New Mickey Mouse Club* launched the careers of Britney Spears, Justin Timberlake, Christina Aguilera, and Ryan Gosling and PBS' *Barney & Friends* launched Selena Gomez, Demi Lovato, and Debby Ryan. Kaleigh Cronin has gone on to star in Broadway shows like *Mrs. Doubtfire* and other ZOOMers have been in several TV shows and movies after the show ended (see ZOOMers in other roles).

#### Pop culture

The show has been referred to or mocked on shows like *The Simpsons* or *Saturday Night Live*.

## ZOOMers

Seven real kids known as ZOOMers host the show and introduce the viewer-submitted activities. The ZOOMers, which consisted of four girls and three boys, were usually around eight to thirteen, though there were a few exceptions. Some ZOOMers stayed for one or two seasons (if they were old enough), with exceptions being Caroline Botelho (four seasons) and Elena Shieh (three). ZOOMers were required to audition again if they wanted to rejoin the show, and certain kids were handpicked to return.

## Segments

*ZOOM* encouraged its audience of six to eleven year olds to "turn off the TV and do it" by sending in their ideas for segments that could potentially be shown on the show. Notable segments included ZOOMSci, CafeZOOM and ZOOMZnack, ZOOMDo, ZOOMPlayhouse, ZOOMPhenom, ZOOMGame, ZOOMZinger, ZOOMChat, ZMail, ZOOMTales, and ZOOM Into Action.

In addition to the ZOOMer segments, the show featured WhatZup, in which children would chat about a certain topic, ZOOMGuest, which revolved around kids living in different parts of the country, and, in the first five seasons, ZOOMVid, in which submitted videos usually featuring real kids would be shown. In later seasons, ZOOM In On, a segment which showed the ZOOMers outside the studio, was added.

## Merchandising

Unlike most PBS Kids shows, *ZOOM* did not receive an active fanbase, but still had quite a few merchandise. Four books, Fun With Friends, ZOOMZingers, Fun Outside, and ZOOMDos You Can Do, were published by Little Brown and written by Amy E. Sklansky. These books had information on the show, its cast, and behind-the-scenes.

Both Season 1 specials were released on VHS, and the series has yet to be on DVD.

In 1999, the show received a card game, ZOOM Out!. Additionally, Chick-Fil-A released *ZOOM* kids meals.

## References

1. ↑ http://r53-vip-soup.pbskids.org/zoom/cast/qna/chat2\_04.html