Always a ZOOMer

Sunday, October 21, 2018

ZOOM Website Archive

Tuesday, March 29, 2016

Everyone knows that PBS shows are known for their funding credits. You know, the part usually shown at the beginning and end of each episode that tells you the sponsors of the show? Sometimes they're creative, but many of them are boring. By far the best funding credits on PBS were ZOOM's. The fact that they had all the ZOOMers interacting in it with cardboard signs (until season 7), the different ZOOMer's voices heard throughout, and of course that awesome music that played during it! Today I'm going to put my favorite funding credits in order by season. I love them all but there were versions I like more than others. These are from LEAST favorite to MOST favorite

7. Season Three

Season 3 had my least favorite funding credits, which is funny since it was the first season of ZOOM I ever watched. The reasons why it's my least favorite is because it was a shorter version, 20 seconds as opposed to 30 seconds. The awesome music used at the start was cut out. The other thing was the fact that they reused a part of season 2's funding credit. The Corporation For Public Broadcasting logo is just a zoomed in version of season 2's. You can tell because for a split second you see the top of Kenny's shirt from season 2 and then it just shows the logo for about 6 seconds, which is kind of boring. The problem with reusing the CPB logo also meant someone was left out from holding a sign, which was Eric.

Season 3 CPB logo

I didn't really like the fact that the beginning scene you could barely see the ZOOMer's and read the signs "Funding for ZOOM is provided by". Yes they narrated it for you, but still it's only on screen for about 2 seconds. I liked how it started with Frances looking inquisitively before getting an idea and directing the ZOOMers in position, holding their signs on a stick.

Another part I really liked was the "Contributions to your PBS station from viewers like you" part. They got very creative. Instead of zooming in on the PBS logo and then zooming out to show the whole sign and ZOOMer holding it like every other season. First you see the whole sign: the PBS logo and viewers like you; and you think that they're just going to have another part that's reused from season 2 that doesn't show a ZOOMers' face, like with CPB. But the sign is tipped to the side and Rachel is shown smiling behind it, holding the sign on a stick, before placing it back to it's original position.

6. Season Four

Like season 3 this version used the 20 second version of the funding credits as well. I put it above season 3 because they at least use new footage for everything. It's actually the most unique version of the "funding for ZOOM" credit at the beginning. Garrett and Aline hold the ZOOM sign while the other ZOOMers pop out from behind them. And yes, "The Arthur Vining Davis Foundations" logo is reused in seasons 1-3 but this was the only season to use it originally. The other seasons added that in syndication to show the new sponsor with the others, which is probably why they chose again not to show a ZOOMer's face during it.

AVDF logo used in episodes 8-20 of season 4

The cpb logo was better than last season but I didn't like the fact that they covered the "Corporation for Public Broadcasting" part written out with the "A private corporation funded by the American people" sign. It was OK in the first seven episodes before "The Arthur Vining Davis Foundations" became a sponsor because it showed the full CPB logo for a few seconds before being covered. Once AVDF was added they had to cut the beginning off of the CPB credit and just showed the logo for a split second before covering it.

Season 4 CPB logo covered

5. Season Seven

I know some people are going to wonder why this isn't last on my list. It breaks tradition and doesn't have the ZOOMer's holding cardboard anymore. I'll be honest: I didn't mind that much. It still had all the ZOOMer's shown, just with the sponsor logos in different colors to the side. It had the full 30 second music too. I thought it was still a nice and creative funding credit.

Kyle dancing with The Weezie Foundation logo

Every ZOOMer does some kind of dance move or interaction with the sponsor behind them. All the ZOOMers walk in at the start and bump into each other, and hold their arms out at the end saying "Thanks!"

4. Season Five

Season 5 finally brought the full 30 second funding music back after a 2 year absence. The reason for this was that ZOOM got two new sponsors, necessitating the music to be longer. It was a throwback to the earlier seasons too with the ZOOMers on ladders at the beginning. It started with veteran ZOOMers Caroline and Estuardo holding the ZOOM logo before zooming out and showing the other ZOOMer's sitting on or standing below the ladders. Then the signs appeared in their hands as it was narrated. We finally got to see a ZOOMers' face holding The Arthur Vining Davis Foundations sign (of course it was long time ZOOMer Caroline).

The only thing was that with all the sponsors it was kind of crammed with narration. There were no real breaks to hear the funding music by itself, just the narration over it.

Season 5 was the only season to feature TTGFF as a sponsor

3. Season Six

Season 6 finally allowed for more space to have the narration spread out. It got rid of the 2 new sponsors from season 5 but still kept the 30 second long funding music, leaving a better gap to hear the music. The ladders are used again in a creative way with the ZOOMers each catching a cardboard sign thrown from off screen.

I thought the way the signs were shown was just a bit more creative in general. I liked the ZOOMers waving at the end, and Kyle pointing to the camera as "viewers like you" is narrated.

2. Season One

Season one fundings were classic. They had the full music and used a portion of music that was only used in season 1 between the "nsf" & "and" credits. The TV monitor effects, showing the logos zoomed in from a monitor with visual effects added, were used this season but was perfected in season 2. It did have cool parts that had all the ZOOMers in their ZOOM t-shirts standing around in between the different credits, serving as transitions as well.

Season 1 transition

The cardboard is noticeably smaller in this season, and the classic large "ZOOM" sign that is usually held by two ZOOMer's is just a small sign in this season. David is also left out from holding a sign AND from narrating as well! However, he gets to be shown at the beginning by himself before the other ZOOMers run up behind him with their signs on sticks. The classic ZOOM moment of Lynese and Zoe realizing they're in the wrong spot making the signs read, "by provided" before switching was a cute touch.

This was also the only season to end without all the ZOOMers shouting "Thanks" at the end which to me was classic ZOOM. It just ended with the seven ZOOMers smiling and the small "Viewers like you" cardboard sign on the laps of Alisa, David, and Keiko, before zooming in on the sign at the very end.

1. Season Two

Season 2 was my favorite version of all. It had the classic elements of season 1, but the parts the later seasons were known for. It had not one, but TWO versions of the "funding for ZOOM is provided by" credits. One version was used at the start of the episode and the other was used at the end. The two returning season 1 ZOOMers, Zoe and Alisa, got to hold the giant ZOOM sign together. They had this awesome pixelated effect that made them appear in front of the ladders before cutting to a close-up of on them waving the ZOOM logo, then getting an extreme close up of the ZOOM logo. Then the new ZOOMers appeared off screen with the other signs and stood either on top of the ladders or below them. The closing version was similar with Zoe and Alisa waving the ZOOM sign like before, but this time Caroline, Claudio, and Jessie sat below them and had their signs appear over their faces as it was narrated. Kenny and Ray were off screen holding the "funding" and "provided" signs.

Close-up of Kenny holding the CPB logo

This season had the TV monitor effects of not just close-ups of the logos but of the ZOOMer's faces as well (notably Kenny's). Of course it was the first season to end with "contributions to your PBS station" narrated by Caroline in, to me, one of the most memorably read funding narration ever. She almost reads it like she's confused what she's reading, but it was adorable. And of course it was the first season to end with all the ZOOMer's shouting "Thanks!"

So that's my order of the ZOOM funding credits. What do you think of my list? Please comment below what your favorite season of ZOOM's funding credit was, or create your own order.

Friday, November 6, 2015

Top Ten ZOOMers For WatchMojo

Hi everyone! A fan of ZOOM, Daniel A, had the idea of having WatchMojo do a top ten ZOOM cast member list. You need to sign up to vote but if enough people give the poll a thumbs up they will make it into a video. Then you just thumbs up your favorite ZOOM cast members.

Vote here:
http://www.watchmojo.com/suggest/Top+10+Zoom+Kids

Thursday, June 11, 2015

Thanks For Watching!

Well, that's it! I've uploaded my entire ZOOM collection! Thanks for watching, and I hope the episodes stay up for a long time so that future generations can see ZOOM! I'm sorry I don't have all of season one, maybe someone else out there can track down those thirty missing episodes. I will continue to upload ZOOM related stuff such as mash-ups and maybe some "best ofs". I won't be online for the next few weeks because I'm going on vacation, but don't worry I'll be back!

Saturday, May 9, 2015

My Favorite ZOOMers

Sorry I haven't had much time to post lately, but I'm focused on putting episodes online. I thought I would share who my favorite ZOOMers were. Honestly, I never had a ZOOMer I disliked. I liked them all for bringing something to the show, but I had my favorites. I thought I would pick one male and one female from each season.

Season One:

Jared
My favorite male ZOOMer of season 1 was Jared. This is the only season I haven't seen every episode of so I can only go by what I have seen. I thought Jared was very talented. He was a ventriloquist, he was always making jokes and doing funny things. Whether playing the Ubbi Dubbi Chef, making a P, B & J, or talking to Mr. Bones he always added comic relief in his own way.

Keiko
My favorite female of season 1 was Keiko. To me she was the most down to earth ZOOMer of season 1. She seemed like a regular kid who just had fun with whatever she was doing. She wasn't overly hyper or dramatic. The Making of ZOOM showed how she said the producers would tell her to put more energy into what she was doing, which made her sound shyer than the others. Either way she's definitely a top ZOOMer in my book.

Season Two:

Kenny
Season 1 had Jared as the funny guy, season 2 had Kenny. Kenny was always hamming it up, whether directing a movie, or playing ubbi dubbi man he was always providing humor. He was also good at games, if he was on a team it was very likely that they would win.

Jessie
Season 2 has Jessie as my favorite female. Like Keiko, I thought Jessie was an ordinary kid which made her seem more down to earth. She managed to be funny as well, like performing the one woman show, "You Must Pay The Rent" and receiving phone calls in, "Sorry Wrong Number." She was very smart when it came to ZOOM Sci's as well.

Season Three:

Kenny
Kenny is the first ZOOMer who was my favorite to stay another season. He's pretty much the same this season as last, but he's noticeably older.

Frances
My favorite season 3 female was Frances. She was goofy, with an infectious giggle. She was often great at ZOOM Games like jumping rope with a ball between her legs and the picking up marbles in ice with your feet challenge. She was also a great actress, whether playing an adorable Baby Bear or a Wicked Fairy Step Mother she made the role her own.

Season Four:

Matt
My favorite season 4 male was Matt. He's another that's relateable, he's just a regular kid but seems eager to be there and enjoys the activities. He's a Red Sox fan like myself and we share a few things in common, maybe I saw some of myself in him which was why he was my favorite.

Kaleigh
With Frances gone, Kaleigh moved up to my fav in season 4. I liked in her season 3 also, just not as much as Frances. Kaleigh was always great at ZOOM games, especially this season. She's very good at ZOOM games, usually winning individual ones. She's a great actress and plays a mean saxophone also.

Season Five:

Mike
I have to say, although I do like the cast of season 5, nobody really stands out as my favorite. I went with Mike because he has a good sense of humor, and seems like a caring guy.

Aline
Aline is my pick for favorite female of season 5. I liked her in season 4, but being a veteran ZOOMer she seems to know what she's doing and was able to apply her experience in season 4 to improve in season 5.

Season Six:

Kyle
I haven't seen seasons 6 or 7 in a while, since I haven't uploaded them yet, so my memory is a little hazy on these seasons. My favorite male for season 6 was Kyle because of his good sense of humor.

Cara

My favorite female was Cara. I just remember her reminding me of Kaleigh and thought she was entertaining to watch.

Season Seven:

Kyle
Kyle remains my favorite male for the final season of ZOOM.

Taylor
Taylor is my favorite female from season 7. She was very witty and did a good job of acting, such as portraying Goldilocks in a fix up your home style parody. She showed she had a vulnerable side at Camp ZOOM during the behind the scenes episode. She was worried the other kids would make fun of her for being afraid to zip line. The ZOOMers showed that they weren't judgmental and rallied to comfort her.

That's my list of favorite ZOOMers! I hope you enjoyed! Comment below and share yours as well.

Monday, April 6, 2015

The Time I Auditioned For ZOOM

I hope everyone's been enjoying the full ZOOM episodes I've been uploading. I thought I would write about my experience trying out for ZOOM. I auditioned for season seven, the final season of ZOOM! I think I found out about auditions from the ZOOM website. I asked my parents if we could go, Boston isn't that far from us, and we go once in a while to see The Red Sox play. They called the studio and found out when to go. It was at WGBH studios. I think they had us waiting in the same room they shoot the different segments on ZOOM, it looks a lot smaller in person. It was about the size of my kitchen and living room. They had us sign in and had merchandise we could buy like the famous ZOOM t-shirts. They also had a big screen TV in the corner playing episodes of season five, the most recently aired season, and classic clips from the 70's ZOOM. When they called me and a bunch of other kids auditioning, we all went into a hallway area. Here they had us do a few exercises and games. I remember thinking they might have cameras watching us to see how we were when not knowingly filmed. I was myself anyway, telling the winners good job when my side lost whatever we did (I can't remember). We had six kids in our room when auditioning, each doing a talent. I wrote a poem about Fannee Doolee. I didn't know the rule of Fannee Doolee then, so it probably wasn't very good. We got some things for auditioning like a poster of the season five ZOOMers, and a ZOOMerang. I also was able to buy a blue ZOOM shirt they were selling. It was a lot of fun and a dream come true to have gotten to go to the studio. I didn't get a call back or anything, but I'm sure there were many more talented kids then me who auditioned. I was dissapointed when I found out that was going to be the final season of ZOOM, because I had hoped I would be able to try out again next year. I still have my ZOOM shirt:

I hope you enjoyed reading about my ZOOM audition! Did you ever try out for ZOOM? Would you have wanted to if you haven't? Also, you can friend me on Facebook here: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100009510452850

Monday, March 30, 2015

Cafe ZOOM

Being a big fan of ZOOM, I always wanted to try things they did on the show. Usually I did things that required materials we already had in my house, like with cafe ZOOM I would make recipes that seemed easy or if I had the ingredients. Drink recipes were always the easiest. I made homemade lemonade, that's pretty self explanatory. Ticklish Tea was just orange juice and ginger ale, I liked that. One thing I tried that I wouldn't have thought of was Island Milk. It was milk and orange juice mixed together. I remember Shing Ying made it, and said that it may sound gross, but it was actually good. I thought, "Why not?" and made it. It was really good, actually! I made it a few times. Some snacks that I tried were cinnamon snails, which were easy to make and I thought they were fine. Similar to that was Cinnamon toast which was also really good and simple. I made a variation of Bruschetta without basil or garlic that was nice. I made a sorbet, but I didn't have strawberries at home so I made it with peaches instead. I thought it came out great, I'm sure the strawberry one is even better. I made it a few times, always with peaches (I guess strawberries weren't in season whenever I made this). By far the best thing I made from ZOOM was the Zebra Cake. Even though Zoe is pictured on the website's recipe page, Lynese actually made it! It was just chocolate wafer cookies stacked with cool whip between it, and then frozen to soften the cookies. It was so delicious, I made this several times! It almost had an Oreo flavor to it. So do you remember ever making something from ZOOM? A recipe or even something else? Share it below. Also, you can friend me on Facebook here: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100009510452850