ZOOM was an American educational television show, created almost entirely by children, which aired on PBS from January of 1972 to March of 1978. A new version of the show, also on PBS, premiered in 1999 and ended production in 2005. Both versions were produced by WGBH-TV in Boston. Christopher Sarson was ZOOM's creator and original producer (1972-1974).

ZOOM encouraged children to "turn off the TV and do it!" On the show, a cast of (usually) seven kids (known as ZOOMers) performed various activities such as games, plays, poems, recipes, jokes, and science experiments, all suggested by viewer contributions. The performers in the original series were known for wearing striped rugby shirts and jeans, and for performing the show barefoot. The mail-in request became a pop culture reference for its music exhortation to, "Write ZOOM, Z-Double-O-M, Box 3-5-0, Boston, Mass 0-2-1-3-4: send it to ZOOM!". There was also a language game on the show called Ubbi-Dubbi and another called Fannee Doolee.

ZOOM was a new kind of series when it premiered on January 3, 1972. Unlike other children's fare at the time, it was for the most part unscripted. Far from seeking to capitalize by making stars of the child actors, the contracts prohibited them from making any television appearances or doing commercials for three years after they left the show.

ZOOM was intended to inspire children to be active investigators, creators, and problem-solvers as well as introduce them to the principles of ethnic diversity. The show's ZOOMSci segment, for example, featured on the later incarnation, encouraged viewers to try the activities shown on ZOOM and to send in their results.

When ZOOM made a comeback in 1999, parents who had grown up watching the show could now share it with their own children, and found that it was very much the same as it had been in the 1970s. The theme song was similar, there was still Ubbi-Dubbi, and the ZOOMers continued to play games and perform skits suggested by other children. While the ZOOMers would occasionally appear barefoot for certain games and skits, the entire show was no longer performed barefoot. With the advent of the Internet, the "0-2-1-3-4" jingle was rarely sung, supplanted by one that emphasized "PBSKids, dot org!" Also, when reading aloud the names of contributors, the later version provided only first names and abbreviated surnames (e.g., "Paul T."), presumably as a compromise between crediting the children and meeting modern privacy expectations for child safety.

The show was last filmed during the summer of 2004, many episodes taking place off of the ZOOM set. The decision to cancel the show was largely due to failing ratings, with the last season's ratings down almost a fifth from the previous year. There is currently talk of putting ZOOM on either PBS Kids Sprout or soon-to-be 24-hours digital PBS Kids Go! channel.

The first ZOOM series lasted six seasons (1972-1978) and featured 49 ZOOMers. The second ZOOM series lasted seven seasons (1999-2005) and featured 32 ZOOMers. At the end of every season of the second series, cast members who had grown too old were replaced by new cast members.

Zoom (also known with its subtitle Academy for Superheroes) is a 2006 film released on August 11, 2006. It is based upon the graphic novel Zoom's Academy by Jason Lethcoe. Directed by Peter Hewitt, the film stars Tim Allen, Kate Mara, Spencer Breslin, Michael Cassidy, Kevin Zegers, Courteney Cox Arquette, Chevy Chase and Ryan Newman. The film is rated PG by the MPAA for brief rude humor, language, and intense action.

The film's release was held up due to a lawsuit filed by Fox and Marvel Comics. Zoom was initially intended to premiere two weeks before X-Men: The Last Stand but it was alleged that the script for Zoom was too similar to the X-Men film franchise and would 'confuse' viewers.

The film was shot in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada.

Rupert Gregson-Williams was hired to compose the film's score, but he had to drop out due to a scheduling conflict with Over the Hedge (2006). He was replaced by Christophe Beck.

In the only photo of the old Zenith team, in addition to Tim Allen (I) (Zoom) and Kevin Zegers (Concussion), the other teammates are portrayed by Alexis Bledel (Ace?), Wilmer Valderrama (Marksman?) and Devon Aoki (Daravia?).

The DVD cover shows Zoom (Tim Allen) clean shaven. He always appears in the movie with a mustache and goatee.

Come on and Zoom!

If you like what you see turn off your TV and do it.