Mr. Know It Owl

Mr. Know-It-Owl's Video School was a series of videos released on videocassette and is hosted by a purple owl puppet. The Mr. Know-It-Owl series was copyrighted by Apollo Educational Video (the home video arm of AIMS Media). Aimed at younger children, Mr. Know-It-Owl (a play on "know-it-all"), attempts to educate children in safety, health, grammar, and the three Rs. There were over 10 videos released. The main characters were Phineas (a bee), Scooter McGruder (a puppet child with red hair), and of course, Mr. Know-It-Owl (the purple owl with glasses).

Main characters

Mr. Know-It-Owl

Mr. Know-It-Owl mostly has purple feathers but has shiny blue ones over his chest area and wears yellowish circular glasses. He lives inside a tree hollowed out to be his home. It includes a bookshelf with several books. He also has a globe, on which the bee perched from time to time. A chalkboard appeared in one episode. While teaching a lesson, Mr. Know-It-Owl uses "the window of knowledge," which is a round window near the top of his tree that opens up before the video tutorial begins.

Scooter McGruder

Scooter is a curious young boy with red hair, green eyes, and a yellow shirt with the letter "E" on it in red. He is often the one that is instructed by Mr. Know-It-Owl.

Phineas

Phineas is a honeybee that lives with Mr. Know-It-Owl in his tree.

Videos

Over 10 videos of the Mr. Know-It-Owl series were made. The following video titles are listed below, along with their summaries.

• "African Animals (Animals of Africa)"

• "All About Animals"

• "Arithmetic for Kids"

• "Dinosaurs and Strange Creatures" (1988)

In this video, Mr. Know It Owl introduces dinosaurs, using stop-motion animation dinosaur figures. Among the dinosaurs shown are Coelophysis, Ankylosaurus, Monoclonius, Styracosaurus, Triceratops, and Tyrannosaurus rex. Afterwards, is a segment about prehistoric mammals. Once again, stop-motion animation figures are used. Some of the creatures which are shown are Eohippus, Diatryma, Platybelodon, Baluchatherium, Glyptodon, Megatherium, Smilodon, and the Wooly Mammoth. Finally is a segment about various animal adaptations, including anteaters, and chameleons.

• "Dragons and Sailboats"

• "Grammar as Easy as ABC"

• "Learning As We Play"

• "Letters, Colors, and Ducks"

• "MacDonald's Farm"

• "Make Your Own Toys - Toys At Your Fingertips"

• "Nature's Systems"

• "Health Tips" (1986)

The following videos are shown. "The Junk Food Man," which lasts 10 minutes. "Nutrition: Try It, You'll Like It," runs for 11 minutes. "Magic Weapons For Healthy Teeth," lasts for 15 minutes, and finally, "Ear Care," lasts for 9 minutes. The total running time for this video is approximately 45 minutes.

• "Safety Tips" (1986)

When Scooter moves, Mr. Know-It-Owl gives him several important safety tips. A total of four short videos are shown. The first one ("Emergencies: What Would You Do?" (1977)) deals with handling emergencies like drowning, ingesting chemicals, bleeding, and falling. The second one features "Roscoe's Rules (1973)," in which a drumming bear toy offers tips on how to avoid strangers. The third one is called "Hush Puppy's Bright Idea" (1976), and in this one, the puppets emphasize the importance of wearing reflective materials and being careful at night. The fourth and final video ("Electrical Safety: A to Zap" (1970)) was an animated spiel about a naive housecat who receives a long lecture from a pink mouse about electrical safety.

• "Under the Sea"

• "Weather" (1987)

Mr. Know-It-Owl's tutorial involves weather and how nature acts to cause the various weather patterns. It is 32 minutes long.

External links

• http://www.ccsu.edu/library/nadeau/Bibliographies/Nutrition.htm
• http://web.ccsu.edu/library/nadeau/videolist2001/videofivehundred3.htm
• http://www.henry.k12.ga.us/cur/mybodjbh.htm
• http://www.videolearning.com/S0705.HTM
• http://dbweb.nebo.edu/zz1/IMC/lookup.php?PHPSESSID=&catalog=40530&new=0
• Apollo Educational Video and AIMS Media