Cyberchase

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CyberChase
CyberChase cybersquad clockwise from left: Jackie, Inez, Matt and Digit
Genre	Animated television series
Running time	30 Minutes
Creator(s)	Sandra Sheppard Kristin Laskas Martin Larry Jacobs
Starring	Christopher Lloyd Gilbert Gottfried
Country of origin	United States
Original channel	PBS
Original run	January 21, 2002–present
No. of episodes	72 (as of season five)

CyberChase is a children's American animated television series PBS Kids and PBS Kids GO!, produced by Thirteen/WNET New York and Nelvana. This television series premiered January 21, 2002, although the episode "The Poddleville Case" was shown as a pilot on WNET in 2000. This show is for children ages 8 to 12, and teaches Discrete Mathematics.

Contents 1 Plot 1.1 Season One 1.2 Season Two 1.3 Season Three 1.4 Season Four 1.5 Season Five 2 "For Real" 3 Cybersites 4 Cyberspace's Leaders 5 Running Gags 6 Cast 6.1 Voice actors 6.2 "For Real" cast 7 Cultural References 8 Goofs 9 External links

[edit] Plot

The show stars three Earth children, Matt, Jackie (CyberChase)|Jackie]], and [[Inez (CyberChase)|Inez, and Digit who is a cyboid - a bird-like cyborg. The three kids and Digit work to stop the evil deeds of the Hacker and his two cyborg henchmen, Buzz and Delete.

The series takes place in Cyberspace, with planetlike bodies called "Cybersites." Each cybersite is inhabited by "Cyborgs", the virtual inhabitants of Cyberspace. Some are based on real-world places, such as ancient Egypt and the American Old West, or fantasy worlds, such as mythological Greece. The guardian of all Cyberspace is Motherboard; her repairman is Dr. Marbles.

[edit] Season One

List of episodes (season 1)

In the pilot, "Lost My Marbles", Hacker infects Motherboard with a computer virus. At a library on Earth, while looking at a computer, Matt, Jackie, and Inez are sucked through a dimensional portal into Cyberspace. In their first adventure they go to an island to rescue Dr. Marbles. In subsequent adventures, they return to Cyberspace to thwart Hacker's evil plans, which vary from ruining Motherboard to trying to take over a Cybersite.

Throughout the season, the cybersquad searches for a new encryptor chip for Motherboard. In one episode the kids nearly retrieved the encryptor chip but lose it in a dust storm.

[edit] Season Two

List of episodes (season 2)

The kids continue their quest to stop Hacker and find the encryptor chip. One episode featured the cybersquad retrieving the encryptor chip, but losing it again when a cyber-frog took it as part of a ransom deal for Digit.

[edit] Season Three

List of episodes (season 3)

In the third season, the kids meet Slider, a rebel-style skateboarder who lives in the cybersite Radopolis. He first appears in the episode The Borg of the Ring where he retrieved the Totally Rad Ring of Radopolis from Hacker. The kids are told his father, Coop, had abandoned him.

The most dramatic event in the season happened in a two part miniseries called The Snelfu Snafu. While Slider was searching for his father, he stumbled across the location of the elusive encryptor chip. When he alerted the cybersquad, they soon discovered it was in the hands of an auctioneer. The kids eventually earned enough snelfus to win it, but they discovered the chip was infected to override Motherboard, replacing her with Hacker. The kids then searched for the real chip. Upon finding it, they also rescued Dr. Marbles. However, when they attempted to put the chip in the circuits, the hardware rejected it because it was corrupt. Dr. Marbles was forced to reboot Motherboard destroying the chip in the process.

[edit] Season Four

List of episodes (season 4)

In season four, Hacker attempts another scheme at bring chaos to Cyberspace. He steals the Electric Eel of Aquari-yum as a power source, and the Pedistal of Penguia as a relay for the powew-flow, and combines these items with other gizmos and gadgets to form the Transformitron, a device with the capability of transforming anyone into anything. After taking the NIC (Nural Interface Card) from Slider's dad Coop, and Kidnaping Slider, the device was complete. However, the CyberSquad was able to thwart Hacker's plans again by dismantling the device so it could not be used again and allowing the affects of the Transformitron to wear off.

[edit] Season Five

List of episodes (season 5)

During this season, they had a special two hour program called CyberChase: My Big Idea! This program dealt entirely around the theme of inventions. Four back to back episodes (episodes #502-#505) were shown, each dealing with a different topic about inventions. The program was hosted by Bianca and Harry from Cyberchase For Real! and in between episodes, they talked about inventions that were made by kids, and showed clips of kids who had made inventions of their own.

[edit] "For Real"

Each CyberChase episode is followed by "CyberChase For Real!", a live-action educational supplement linking concepts learned in the show to real life experiences. The actors are in their twenties, but amusingly act in a manner similar to the age of the target audience. "For Real" is produced by WNET on location in and around New York City after production is completed on the animated segments. These "For Real" segments are broadcast exclusively on PBS in the United States where the program runs longer because public television does not show commercials. "For Real" segments can also be viewed at CyberChase Online.

[edit] Cybersites

There are several cybersites shown throughout the seasons. Each one has its own unique qualities which are dealt with through the discrete mathematics concept within the show, but also through various cultural references or even historical references. Here is a list of identified cybersites in alphabetical order with the exception of the first:

• Cyberspace Control Central

One of the first cybersites to appear on the show, and appearing in most of the show's episodes, this is where the wise and powerful leader of Cyberspace Motherboard looks after all of Cyberspace.

• Aquari-yum

This cybersite made its first appearance during season one in episode #116 and later during seasons three and four in episodes #306 and during season four in episode #402. The entire site is underwater inside a giant fishbowl. It contains numerous rock formations that have the appearance of food (e.g. pizza, croissant, hot dog, french fries, etc.).

• The Blackhole of Cyberspace

This cybersite has made two appearances, the first during episode #310 when Hacker needed to dispose of the encryptor chip, and the second, during the current season five in episode #503. This cybersite is a blackhole, but it is also a portal to the Neither World of Cyberspace.

• Castleblanca

This cybersite's first appearance was in the second episode of the entire series. It appeared again, later in the same season, in episode #114, and while having brief appearances here and there, doesn't fully show up again until the season premiere of season five with episode #501. This cybersite is themed to Halloween and various monsters (e.g. Dracula, Frankenstein's Monster, etc.) and is full of castles, hence the name Castleblanca.

• The Cyber Grand Council Building

A multi-purpose building with a top and a bottom set of levels that were look identical to one and other. In episode #121, Dr. Marbles held a council of the leaders of Cyberspace here.

• Cyberia

This cybersite is one of the new ones to appear on the show, with only one appearance during season four in episode #403. This cybersite is winter all the time, and has a very arctic atmosphere about it. Its inhabitants are all penguins.

• The Cyberspace Junkyard

This cybersite made its first and only appearance during season four in episode #405. It is where all the garbage from every cybersite in Cyberspace goes when they are through with it.

• The Cybrary

This cybersite made its first appearance during season two in episode #210 and appeared again during season three in episode #308. The Cybrary contains all the information on everything there is to know about everything there is about Cyberspace.

• EcoHaven

This cybersite made its first appearance during the season premire or season three in episode #301 and more reciently during the current season five in episode #504. This cybersite is a wildlife santuary for all kinds of rare and wonderful animals, especially dinosaurs.

• Eureeka

This cybersite made its first appearance during season one in episode #113 and later appeared briefly during season two in episode #204. This cybersite is the home of Professor Archimedes, creator of the encryptor chip, and his assistants Yuki and Rika. Until recently it was a barren wasteland- however, this changed when Hacker irrigated and forested it while trying to prove he had turned over a new leaf. Unfortunately his niceness turned out to be a sham created to swing voters toward him in an election against Motherboard.

• The Forest

This cybersite made one appearance in episode #112 where Buzz and Delete were sent to find the last Good Luck Charm of Cyberspace so that Hacker would become super-lucky and take over Cyberspace purely by chance. It was later one of the cybersites that was polluted by cyberstatic in episode #125.

• Frogsnorts

This cybersite made its first appearance during season three in episode #311 and during the season premiere of season four. It is a school for teaching magic and sorcery to any cybercitizen interested, as well as a parody of Hogwarts.

• Gollywood

This cybersite made its first and only appearance during season three in episode #303. It is a complete parallel to Hollywood, California.

• Happily-Ever-After

This cybersite made its first appearance during season one in episode #108 and later appeared during the same season in episode #122. It has made other brief appearances throughout the series, and has only just reciently made a major appearance in the current season five in episode #505. This cybersite is a fairytale world, full of fairytale characters such as the Three Little Pigs, Humpty Dumpty, Mother Goose, and many others.

• Helping Hand Land

A very happy-go-lucky cybersite appears during season two in episode #203; home of Harriet Hippo, a warm and carring cybercitizen.

• Mount Olympus

This cybersite made its first appearance during season one in episode #106 and during the season finale - episode #126. It has also made brief appearances throughout the series. This cybersite is based completely on Greek mythology, ruled over by Zeus.

• Mobius

This cybersite made its first and only appearance during season one in episode #113. When Hacker was chasing after Dr. Marbles, he eventually evaded him, but crash-landed on Mobius, an extremely small cybersite with zero inhabitants. The cybersite is shaped as a Mobius strip.

• The Neither World of Cyberspace

This cybersite does not make an appearance but is rather mentioned during the season premiere of season two. No one knows what it is like there, and frankly, no one wants to know.

• The Northern Frontier

This cybersite has appeared throughout the series. It is a barren wasteland at the far reaches of Cyberspace. It is home to the Hacker.

• Nowhere

This cybersite made its first appearance during season one in episode #120. It is a barren landscape surrounded by mountains and the only cybersite in such a state that is populated by several cybercitizens. All citizens of this cybersite deal with a currency of old donuts: plain = 1, donut-stick (of plain) = 10, chocolate = 20, but some also deal in trade: if they have something you want, you must have something they want. The Cyberchase website has also referred to the cybersite from episode #304 as Cybersite Nowhere. Based on this, this cybersite is also home to the Scritters. It also appears to be geologically rich, with Magnetite and power crystals on the surface.

• Poddleville

This cybersite made its first appearance during season one in episode #107. It makes a brief appearance during season two in episode #204 and a main appearance during the same season in episode #212. This cybersite is entirely composed of geometric shapes, including its citizens.

• Pompadouria

This cybersite made its first, brief appearance during season two in episode #204;its first main appearance was during the same season in episode #211. This cyber-monarchy wields tremendous social and economic power.

• Proportiona

This cybersite made its first and only appearance during season one in episode #124. It centers on extremes in proportions- the main site is full of giants and giant-sized objects, but there is also a small pond-locked island full of tiny citizens and their tiny town.

• Radopolis

This cybersite made its first appearance during season two in episode #202. It has made several other appearances throughout the series due to the introduction of a major character named Slider. The entire site is a giant skate park for skateboarders, rollerbladers, and bikers, ruled over by King Dudeicus.

• R Fair City

This cybersite made its first appearance in the third episode of the series. It later made appearances during season one in episode #119 and during season two in episode #208. This cybersite is a giant amusement park full of 100% fair games of chance, fun rides, spectacular shows, and so much more.

• Sensible Flats

This cybersite made its first appearance in the fifth episode of the series. It later made appearances during season one in episode #117, and other brief appearance throughout the rest of the series. This cybersite is themed to the wild west.

• Shangri-La

This cybersite made its first appearance during season one in episode #118. It has made other appearances during season two in episode #209 and briefly throughout the rest of the series. It is a cybersite of peace, tranquility and harmony, completely at balance thanks to the Good Vibrations, a giant tuning fork located in the center of the site.

• Solaria

This cybersite made a brief appearance in the second episode of the series; however, its main appearance was in the fourth episode of the series, and has only since made a brief appearance in episode #405. A tropical resort paradise, Solaria is kept warm by the powerful Sunasphere, an orb that is located atop its central mountain.

• Symmetria

This cybersite made its first and only appearance during season one in episode #110. This cybersite is a factory which manufactures everything symmetrical in Cyberspace thanks to a device known as the symmetries.

• Teraswampa

This cybersite has made its first and so far only appearance in the current season five during episode #503. This is a cybersite within a cybersite, directly within Happily-Ever-After. It is a giant swamp with an island in the middle of it, with steep cliffs all the way around, and an old shack on top. Aside from the island, everything else in Teraswampa is green.

• Thornia

In episode #206 of season two, the CyberSquad go to a cybersite that is completely dedicated to Mother's Day. in this site, they grow and harvest a rare flower known as the Madre Bonitas. This flower symbolizes the spirit of Mother's Day, and the CyberSquad are there to get some for Motherboard.

• Ticktockia

This cybersite made its first and only appearance during season four in episode #408. This is a very mysterious cybersite. The only way in is a gate that only opens at 9:00 every time. The problem is that the time passes slower in Ticktockia, so if you go in, it is very hard to get out. The cybersite's citizens are all things related to time (namely clocks for the most part), and much of what goes on in the site is run by a gear system. The one citizen who is wise and all knowing about everything in Ticktockia is Father Time.

• Tikiville

This cybersite made its first appearance during season three in episode #305 and appeared again during the season finale of season four. This cybersite is based a lot on Hawaiian and Central American cultures and lifestyles.

• Tomb of Rom

This cybersite made its first appearance during season one in episode #109 and later appeared during season two in episode #207 and briefly during season three in episode #306. This Egyptian-themed cybersite, run by Bink the cat, centers around the pyramidalTomb of Rom. Rom, residing as a mummy in his tomb, sleeps most of the time and leaves the work to Binky.

• Topsy-Turvy Island

This cybersite was one of the first cybersites to make an appearance in the show, appearing in the first episode and later appearing for a second time in episode #115. It's a jungle island that turns inside-out everyday at dusk, and outside-in at dawn.

• U-WANT, U-BID

This cybersite made its first and only appearance during season three in episode #309. This cybersite is a popular cyberauction.

There are other cybersites that appear during the series, but they are not identified by any name. Here's a list of them in chronological order:

• A jungle cybersite that has appeared in episode #120 of season one, episode #203 of season two, and episode #307 of season three.
• In episode #205 of season two, the CyberSquad is sent to find the treasure of Cyberspace's most notorious pirate, Ivanka the Incincible before Hacker does. The treasure is said to contain the secret to Ivanka's invincibility. They are sent to a cybersite with no name, but appears to be some strange island full of a kinds of inmteresting things.
• In episode #213 of season two, there is the appearance of a very interesting cybersite, where the popular gameshow The Fearless Chef takes place.

[edit] Cyberspace's Leaders

Throughout the series, numerous characters appear that are in some fashion or another, considered leaders of Cyberspace, usually because they are head of their very own cybersite. Here is a list of Cyberspace's leaders (in alphabetical order after the first two):

• Motherboard - Leader of Cyberspace
• Dr. Marbles - Motherboard's main assistant and liason
• Professor Archimedes - only influential resident of Eureeka
• Ava - head of Symmetria
• Binky the Cat - Rom's main assistant and liason
• Creech - Big Kahuna of Tikiville
• Father Time - wise, all-knowing elder of Ticktockia
• Ms. Fileshare - head librarian of the Cybrary
• Judge Trudy and Sheriff Judy of Sensible Flats
• King of the Crab Kingdom in Aquari-yum
• King Dudeicus - king of Radopolis
• King Mitus - king of Happily-Ever-After
• King Penguia - king of the pinguins of Cyberia
• Mayor of Poddleville
• Master Pi - wise master of Shangri-La
• Mister Z - Master of Zero from Gollywood
• Ollie - head manager of Solaria
• Shah - king of Pompadouria
• Professor Stumblesnore - Headmaster of Frogsnorts
• Rom - dweller of his own tomb
• Zeus - Leader of Mount Olympus

[edit] Running Gags

CyberChase has had a reputation for its many running gags. Among them are:

• Whenever Matt calls Inez "Nezzie", Inez responds angrily "Don't call me Nezzie!"
• After coming close to or in contact with slimy, icky things Jackie would scream "Ew, ew, and double eww!"
• If there is something going amuck (most likely to the dismay of Hacker's havoc) Inez would say "This is not good. This is not good at all!"
• Jackie says "Make room, I gotta pace." whenever she needs to think deeply.
• Theme Song is similar to "Relax" by "Frankie Goes To Hollywood".
• When someone calls Hacker, he yells back, "That's 'the Hacker' to you!"
• Jackie is a "drama queen" with a reputation for greatly exxaggerating anything bad happening to the cybersquad

[edit] Cast

Main article: List of CyberChase characters

[edit] Voice actors

• The Hacker, dastardly villain - Christopher Lloyd
• Digit, cyborg bird helper for the kid heroes - Gilbert Gottfried
• Matt - Jacqueline Pillon
• Jackie - Novie Edwards
• Inez - Annick Obonsawin
• Buzz, Hacker's minion - Len Carlson (Seasons 1-4, Season 5: 4 episodes), Philip Williams (Seasons 5 - )
• Delete, Hacker's minion - Rob Tinkler
• Motherboard, the benevolent ruler of Cyberspace - Kristina Nicoll
• Dr. Marbles, inventor who works with Motherboard - Richard Binsley
• Slider, a skateboarder - Tim Hamaguchi
• Coop, Slider's father - Tony Hawk
• Wicked, a witch who is Hacker's love interest and sometimes nemesis - Linda Ballantyne
• Sam Vander Rom, newsman - Al Roker

[edit] "For Real" cast

• Bianca DeGroat - Bianca DeGroat
• Harry Wilson - Matt Wilson
• Kareem - Kareem Blackwell (pilot episode)

[edit] Cultural References

• Several episodes of CyberChase are a spoof of Harry Potter called Sharri Spotter. The head wizard Professor Stumblesnore is a spoof of Professor Dumbledore, and the school Hogwarts was called Frogsnorts.
• The 19th century mathematician, and early computer programmer, Lady Ada Lovelace is a character in the Valentine's Day episode "Hugs and Witches". She is voiced by Saturday Night Live founding cast member Jane Curtin.
• "Chewcroca", a dinosaur is a reference to Chewbacca, a hairy creature from Star Wars.
• In the episode "Codename: Icky", the gatekeeper mermaid's name is Binary.
• The episode, "The Wedding Scammer", parodies The Today Show weddings and features the voice of The Today Show's weatherman Al Roker.
• The episode "The Borg of the Ring" is a spoof off the popular book and movie series, "The Lord of the Rings."

[edit] Goofs

• In the episode "Cool It", Digit is seen holding a bottle of green liquid with the end open, in the next shot there's a cork on the end.
• Jackie and Digit have similar shoes. In some episodes, Digit's shoes are like Jackie's or vis versa in certain shots.
• Jackie has a hair scruchie that is yellow. In one episode, Jackie is seen with yellow hair above the scrunchie. The color returns to normal in the rest of the episode.
• Many things in cyberspace, including Ava's hair, Cryoxide and The Crab Prince, change from blue to green.

[edit] External links

Official sites

• Official website - games, video, downloads, and more
• Cyberchase News page - the latest news about Cyberchase: new episodes, online features, museums...
• CyberChase Parents and Teacher Website - lessons, video, and tools to use CyberChase to teach math; includes each episode's description

Unofficial sties

• Cyberchase at the Internet Movie Database
• Cyberchase at TV.com
• CyberChase Central newsgroup archived at Google
• Delete Lovers Shrine Forum (Some Adult Content)