''The Big World of Little Adam'' was a series of

television Television, sometimes shortened to TV, is a telecommunication medium for transmitting moving images and sound. The term can refer to a television set, or the medium of television transmission. Television is a mass medium for advertisin ...

cartoon A cartoon is a type of visual art that is typically drawn, frequently animated, in an unrealistic or semi-realistic style. The specific meaning has evolved over time, but the modern usage usually refers to either: an image or series of images ...

s that debuted in

syndication Syndication may refer to: * Broadcast syndication, where individual stations buy programs outside the network system * Print syndication, where individual newspapers or magazines license news articles, columns, or comic strips * Web syndication, ...

in 1964. In the early 1960s, producer

Fred Ladd Fred Laderman (February 19, 1927 – August 3, 2021),''Tol ...

acquired a large number of

NASA The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA ) is an independent agency of the US federal government responsible for the civil space program, aeronautics research, and space research. NASA was established in 1958, succeeding t ...

documentary

short subjects A short film is any motion picture that is short enough in running time not to be considered a feature film. The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences defines a short film as "an original motion picture that has a running time of 40 minutes ...

and packaged them as 110 five-minute episodes. Inexpensive animated wraparounds, featuring the inquisitive Little Adam and his younger brother Wilbur, were added to open and close the segments. The episodes were made available in syndication either as half-hour blocks or individually, often appearing interspersed within blocks of cartoons on local TV stations. The early 60s shorts became outdated after the

Apollo 11 Apollo 11 (July 16–24, 1969) was the American spaceflight that first landed humans on the Moon. Commander Neil Armstrong and lunar module pilot Buzz Aldrin landed the Apollo Lunar Module ''Eagle'' on July 20, 1969, at 20:17 UTC, an ...

moon landing in 1969, and the show fell out of syndication by the early 1970s. Little Adam's voice was performed by

John Megna John Anthony Megna (November 9, 1952 – September 5, 1995) was an American actor, director and teacher. His best known role is that of "Dill" in the film ''To Kill a Mockingbird''. Early life John Anthony Megna was born in Ozone Park, Quee ...

; Wilbur was played by Craig Sechler.

Partial list of episodes

*Aerospace Ship *A Far-Away Cry"The Big World of Little Adam," YouTube
/ref> *Aim for the Stars *Aim for the Sun *Blueprints from Space *Breathing in Space *Echo in Space *Flying the Blizzard *Gemini: The Space Twins *How Not to Fly to Venus *Kitty Hawk to Mars *Man in a Spacesuit *Man on the Moon *Mercury in Orbit *Mercury Man in Space *Missing Spaceman *OAO-Telescope in Space *Our Wandering Planet *Pictures from Space *Recovery at Sea *Star Glazers *The Amazing Maser *The Dust Storm *The Flaming Re-entry *The Highest Wind *The Middle Ear *The Space Tug *The World Tomorrow *To Take the Moon *Track of the Capsule *Voice from Space *Voices from the Moon *War of the Satellites *What Scares You *Zero Gravity *Zero Plus Five!

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Big World Of Little Adam 1960s American animated television series 1964 American television series debuts American children's animated adventure television series First-run syndicated television programs in the United States Year of television series ending missing