Sid the Science Kid
Sid the Science Kid is an American half-hour computer-animated series on PBS Kids. It aired from September 1, 2008 to March 25, 2013, with a total of 68 half-hour episodes produced over two seasons. The computer generated show is produced by The Jim Henson Company and PBS member KCET in Los Angeles, California using the Henson Digital Puppetry Studio. The show is produced by motion capture which allows puppeteers to voice digitally animated characters in real time.
Production began in the fall of 2008 with 42 half-hour episodes of Sid the Science Kid having been ordered. The series debuted on PBS Kids along with Martha Speaks on September 1, 2008, with a two-year on-air commitment. The original working title for the series was "What's the Big Idea?" and the central character, Sid, was originally named Josh. The series is the second CGI animated show to use the motion capture technique after Donkey Kong Country.
KOCE, the current primary PBS member for the Los Angeles area, began co-producing the show after KCET disaffiliated with PBS on December 31, 2010.
Premise
The main character in the show is Sid, an "inquisitive youngster" who uses comedy to tackle questions kids have about basic scientific principles and why things work the way they do. He tries to answer questions and solve problems with the help of his classmates, Teacher Susie, and his family. In "Hello Doggie," Sid's Grandma adopts a dog from the animal shelter.The conceptual content of Sid is based in national science learning standards, cognitive learning theory, and on the preschool science curriculum, Preschool Pathways to Science.
Each week's episodes are built around a single scientific topic or concept. The first week focuses on scientific tools and concepts. The second week focuses on changes and transformation. The third week focuses on the senses. The fourth week focuses on health. The fifth week focuses on simple machines. The sixth week focuses on backyard science. The seventh week focuses on the human body. The eighth week focuses on weather. The Friday shows are designed to review, reinforce and summarize the central concept of the week.
Segments
Breakfast Time
Breakfast Time is when Sid runs down the hall shouting the title. Then his parents Alice or Mort teaches him something that has anything to do with the problem.Looking for my friends
When Sid arrives at school, he goes to the playground to look for his friends May, Gerald, and Gabriela. When he finds each friend, he/she does a cool move. Then, when everyone found each other, they all dance together.What's the Big Idea?
What's the Big Idea? is a question that Sid has with anything that has to do something with the problem.The Sid Survey
The Sid Survey is the segment where Sid asks questions to May, Gerald, and Gabriela.Rug Time
Rug Time is where Sid shows his friends and his teacher something with the problem.Super Fab Lab
The Super Fab Lab is where the scientists do the lab along with a live-action class performing the experiment of the day.Good Laughternoon
Good Laughternoon features the kids opening panels in a brightly colored playground structure and telling jokes. The format and set borrows heavily from the closing "joke wall" of Rowan & Martin's Laugh-In, the Groaning Wall from Square One TV, and "locker jokes" from You Can't Do That on Television, but for a pre-school audience and Sid would end the segment by saying, "Now that's funny!" along with a pre-recorded laughter from his toy microphone.Playtime/Let's Play Pretend
Playtime is when the class finished an experiment, the kids would either play in the classroom or on the playground.Singing with Susie
Singing with Susie is where teacher Susie sings a song related to the experiment or topic during the end of the school day.Backseat Driving with Grandma
Backseat Driving with Grandma is where Grandma tells a story about when she was little while driving Sid home from school. Sometimes, she drives Gabriela or May with Sid.Scientist in the House!
Scientist in the House! is when Sid solves the problem and/or plays with his family after school. Sometimes, Sid would have his play date with Gabriela or May after school making it "2 Scientists in the House!"Sid's Super-Duper-Ooper-Schmooper Big Idea!
Sid's Super-Duper-Ooper-Schmooper Big Idea! is where Sid would think about what will he do to solve a problem like the one he had from school.Characters
- Sid ; Udonis Roberts ) always wished about being a scientist when he grows up. Sid is the most practical character on the show and is often portrayed as a very supportive friend and leading scientist in his group. He got so many questions every single day while at his school after he think questions the night before. His special item is a toy microphone with four different colored buttons. When pressed, the blue button plays the recorded laughter of people, the yellow button plays the recorded applause, the red button makes a cow noise, and the white button records echoes. He wants to know "everything about everything". He enjoys singing and dancing as well. He is a well-noted observer, and possibly the brightest of the group. His daily activities always consist of breakfast, school, seeing his friends, asking his friends questions, addressing the main question of the day to his teacher, do experiments in Super-Fab-Lab, then finally wrapping up with a daily song from the teacher before heading home for the day. Sid's mother is of African descent and mainly does research as noted in every single episode and his father grew up Jewish as noted in the Hanukkah/Christmas/Kwanzaa episode.
- May is one of Sid's best friends, marked by her striped stockings and fairness. She is an Asian that suffers from really poor far vision. She is one of the friendliest characters in the group. She is very polite and is characterized by her charming, courteous ways. May often sympathizes with everyone, appreciating even inanimated objects like decayed pumpkins and brown, mushy bananas that exist in reality. May has a cat named Mooshu. May is smarter than her other three friends.
- Gerald is Sid's airhead best friend. Although he often procrastinates at the start of Rug Time, he's still an amazing person. He has a dog called Chester. He is a very valued character of the quartet, perhaps the most vivid character of the group, often being the life and soul of activities. A running gag is that he is always trying to be funny, but fails miserably.
- Gabriela is yet one of the three best friends Sid got. Unlike her friends, Gabriela is the most sensible character and often comes up with the most reasonable jokes during Good Laughternoon. She is the most authoritative figure of the quartet, often being the leader of the group activities. She is usually the one that likes to come up with playing Pretend, always opting to be a mommy parent. She can allegedly read and potentially help with others in her group that don't understand something in a lab or any other academic activity. Rarely she comes over to Sid's house to have a play date with him but must have her parent's permission to do so. She has an older brother named Mateo.
- Susie is the Mexican-accented teacher at Sid's school. She begins the day with "Rug Time," where she calls her students over to sit in a circle and ask them if they have anything to share with the class. Usually the theme that gets everyone's attention is what was discussed during "Sid's Survey" and what Sid was thinking about earlier in the day. She demonstrates the experiments with her class each and every day that her students are there that follows Sid's main question theme. She sings to the children during the "Singing With Susie" segment at the end of the school day.
- Mort is Sid's father. Mort works in construction and often relates Sid's observations to his work experiences.
- Alice is Sid's African-American mother. Alice is a website designer and children's computer game developer. She also frequently searches up the web for Sid to answer his main question before dropping him off for school. Her name is probably an allusion to her voice actress.
- Rose is Sid's paternal grandmother and Mort's mother. She likes to tell Sid stories about herself when she was younger while driving Sid home from school.
- Dr. Rosalinda Cordova is Gabriela's mother. Her job is working at the Science Center that kids often visit. She helps to explain the various exhibits at the center and how they relate to the school lessons the children are having. On occasion, she will visit the other preschool students at school and collaborate with Teacher Susie. She is very proud of her daughter Gabriela for doing well in school.
- Zeke is Sid's baby brother. He's almost 1 year old and doesn't know anything yet although he'll know more and more as he gets older and enters preschool.
Episodes