Format
Sketches
''Square One'' comprised short sketches that introduced and applied concepts in mathematics such asGame shows
Several segments featured child contestants competing to win prizes. * ''But Who's Adding?/But Who's Multiplying?'': the show's first original game, hosted by Larry Cedar. Two players captured spaces on a gameboard by adding or multiplying two digits at a time, trying to be the first to complete a row/column/diagonal. * ''But Who's Counting?'': hosted by Monty Carlo (played by Arthur Howard), with Reg E. Cathey as announcer. Two pairs of players (mainly Cynthia Darlow and Cris Franco vs. Larry Cedar and Luisa Leschin, except for one episode in which real kids were the contestants; season 1)/two players (seasons 3-4) (played by the cast members) tried to make the smallest/largest five-digit number possible (seasons 1 and 3), smallest/largest pair of fractions in season 4, placing one digit at a time as it was spun on a carnival wheel. Also in season 1, Beverly Mickins played assistant Amber Jeannette. * ''Piece of the Pie'' (Introduced in season 2, lasted until season 4): a opinion poll, survey-based game similar to ''Family Feud'', using pie charts and teaching percentages. The game was hosted by Cris Franco in seasons 2 and 3, (with Arthur Howard as co-host in season 2) who was replaced by Beverly Mickins in season 4. The set was designed like a hole-in-the-wall pie shop for Season 2, and in Seasons 3 and 4, it was designed like a diner. * ''Close Call'': a game about estimation, using "how many beans are in this big jar"-type of questions, and bearing a similarity to ''The Price Is Right (U.S. game show), The Price Is Right''. Arthur Howard was the original host, replaced at the beginning of Season 4 by Luisa Leschin (who was co-host the previous season). Leschin's co-host was Reg E. Cathey. The game was originally played as a direct-knockout tournament; it was later changed to a game played for points. * ''Triple Play'': players spun wheels to choose two digits, then had to add/multiply them in order to match numbers on the gameboard, trying to complete a triangle. The game was hosted by Cynthia Darlow, and only lasted one season (Season 2). * ''Square One Squares'': a tic-tac-toe game similar to ''Hollywood Squares'' and ''To Tell the Truth''. The game was later replaced by ''Square One Challenge,'' which was played for points, but kept the correct/bluffing elements of Hollywood Squares and To Tell the Truth. Both were hosted by Larry Cedar. All game shows featured Reg E. Cathey as announcer, except for ''But Who's Adding/But Who's Multiplying?'', which had Cynthia Darlow announcing. Season 5 did not feature any game show segments."Mathman"
"Mathman" is a video game segment on ''Square One TV''.Segment format
A parody of ''Pac-Man'', "Mathman" was a fictional arcade game starring a character of the same name. "Mathman"'s objective was to run around a ''Pac-Man''-like maze board (the traditional dots were replaced with + and - signs) and eventually encounter a number or polygon. He would then have until the count of three to determine if that number/polygon was consistent with a given category (see examples below), and if so, eat it. If he made a mistake, his enemy Mr. Glitch (a parody of the multi-colored Ghost enemies of ''Pac-Man'') would eat him, ending the game. If Mathman was able to eat all the correct numbers/polygons, he was awarded a free game. However, Mathman accomplished this feat only a handful of times (i.e., "Multiples of 3," "Factors of 24," "Symmetrical Polygons," "Rectangles" and "Fractions Greater than 1"). On at least one such occasion, a giant Mr. Glitch ate Mathman as soon as the free game began. During Season 4, the format of the game was changed so that Mathman would have to decide if a certain statement (read aloud by the game's announcer) was true or false, and then eat the letter T or F. He would then have until the count of seven to make his decision. These were usually general-knowledge statements about math (e.g., "True or False? Mathematics and arithmetic are the same thing") rather than questions that required actual problem-solving skills. He had until the count of seven to make a decision in this version, but sometimes lost because he wasted too much time explaining his rationale for his decision before making it. Usually two or three correct answers would win a free game. Occasionally, Mathman did not play the game himself, making Mr. Glitch the contestant. If he answered incorrectly, he would be eaten by Mathman (or on one occasion, Mathman's dog Mathdog). On one occasion, Mr. Glitch got away with an incorrect answer, but on the ''second'' incorrect answer, he was eaten by a giant Mathman.Common categories
*Polygons (e.g., Symmetrical Polygons, Pentagons, etc.) *Multiple (mathematics), Multiples or divisor, factors of a certain number *Inequality (mathematics), Inequalities (involving either numbers or formulae) *Even numbers or Odd numbers *True or False questionsCharacters
Mathman
Mathman was a green, Pac-Man-like character with a big mouth, a Winged Football Helmet, winged American football, football helmet patterned after that of the University of Michigan Michigan Wolverines, Wolverines, and a single foot on which he walked around the game maze. When he moved around the maze, he would repeat the phrase "Mathman, Mathman, Mathman," similar to Pac-Man's familiar "wakka-wakka-wakka". In a few episodes, Mathman was delayed arriving at the beginning so The Announcer gave the mission to Mr. Glitch. Mathman arrived later in Mr. Glitch's role as the nemesis.Mathdog
Mathdog was Mathman's flatulent pet dog and wore a football helmet like that of Mathman. When he went around the maze, he would say "Mathdog, Mathdog, Mathdog, pfffft."Mr. Glitch
Mathman's nemesis was Mr. Glitch, a cranky tornado who was always described with a different negative adjective. He was a parody of the multi-colored Ghost enemies of ''Pac-Man'' and would appear whenever Mathman had to make a decision. If Mathman ate an incorrect number or polygon, answered a question incorrectly, or used up too much time, Mr. Glitch would "power up" (with lightning bolts and thunder crashing), chase after Mathman, and then eat him. He won this right the majority of the times the game was played, only being defeated a handful of times. Mr. Glitch took over Mathman's role in a few episodes when Mathman was delayed arriving at the beginning.The Announcer
At the beginning of each sketch, an off-screen voice told either Mathman or Mr. Glitch what his mission would be. Then, a warning was issued to the playing character stating "He will eat you if you are wrong." He also congratulated Mathman and awarded him a free game if he finished the game perfectly.Dirk Niblick of the Math Brigade
''Dirk Niblick of the Math Brigade'' is a cartoon segment on the PBS television show ''Square One TV''. The title character, Lt. Dirk Niblick, is tasked in each segment with helping friends through practical dilemmas through the use of mathematics. Episodes frequently center on outsmarting scam artists who use deceptive language to attempt to trick the protagonists out of money or property. Most episodes also feature Dirk having one or more telephone conversations with his mother. Supporting characters on the show include Dirk's two young friends, the brother-and-sister pair Fluff and Fold Noodleman, and Dirk's neighbor, Mr. Beasley. The Dirk Niblick segments are similar in appearance to the 1965 cartoon ''Roger Ramjet''; Fred Crippen animated for both, and Gary Owens voiced both title characters.Cast
* Gary Owens — Dirk Niblick * Bob Arbogast — Mr. Wallace C. Beasley, additional voices * Joan Gerber — Fluff Noodleman, additional voices * Gene Moss — Fold Noodleman, additional voices * Jim Thurman — additional voicesMathnet
Each episode featured a closing segment titled ''Mathnet'', starring Joe Howard (actor), Joe Howard as George Frankly and Beverly Leech as Kate Monday. A parody of ''Dragnet (1951 TV series), Dragnet'', the storyline of each skit featured the detectives attempting to solve a crime by using math. Each ''Mathnet'' story line spanned five episodes, or one complete broadcast week (Monday through Friday). Originally set in Los Angeles, the skit was later expanded to New York City as a secondary setting. Leech left the show after the third season; she was replaced by Toni DiBuono, playing Pat Tuesday.References
External links
* * {{Former PBS Kids shows Square One Television, Mathematics education television series 1980s American children's television series 1990s American children's television series American children's education television series PBS original programming Television shows filmed in New York (state) Television series by Sesame Workshop 1987 American television series debuts 1991 American television series endings 1995 American television series debuts 1996 American television series endings American television series revived after cancellation American television series with live action and animation PBS Kids shows English-language television shows