THIRTEEN/WNET NEW YORK'S CYBERCHASE INSPIRES KIDS TO TAP THEIR INNER INVENTOR WITH MY BIG IDEA, A FAR-REACHING INITIATIVE THAT APPLIES MATH AND PROBLEM-SOLVING SKILLS TO THE INVENTION PROCESS

Online Game, Hands-On Activity Guide For After-School Programs, And Materials For Children's And Science Museums Nationwide Expand The Reach Of New Episodes Premiering In November On PBS KIDS GO!

Actress Danica McKellar Guest-Stars In The Episode "Designing Mr. Perfect"

This fall, the award-winning math mystery cartoon CYBERCHASE launches its action-packed MY BIG IDEA initiative, featuring four new episodes in which the CyberSquad dives into the inventing process in order to thwart the dastardly plans of Hacker! Kids will brainstorm alongside Jackie, Matt and Inez as they overcome setbacks and creatively invent what they need to save the day in Cyberspace.

An original, immersive online game and a hands-on activity guide for after-school programs will broaden the scope of MY BIG IDEA, which launches Friday, November 24 on PBS KIDS GO! (check local listings) and at CYBERCHASE ONLINE. The initiative also rolls out at 20 children's and science museums nationwide with invention-based Activity Kits created by CYBERCHASE in partnership with The Children's Museum of Houston and in association with the Smithsonian's Lemelson Center.

"MY BIG IDEA continues CYBERCHASE's tradition of programming and outreach initiatives like Know Your Dough on financial literacy and Math in Science and Engineering," said series executive producer Sandra Sheppard, "this time combining problem-solving with the creativity of inventing in fun episodes and activities." Executive producer Frances Nankin added, "MY BIG IDEA is the perfect way to start Season Five, since it embodies CYBERCHASE's goal of actively engaging kids' minds in finding solutions to problems. This initiative will empower kids to come up with, test and refine their own ideas for successful and fun inventions."

Actress Danica McKellar, who will appear in the upcoming multimedia series for Lifetime Movie Network, Inspector Mom, and is known for her passionate advocacy of math skills and her roles in the television series The Wonder Years and The West Wing, provides the voice of Wanda, Wicked's talking wand, in the episode "Designing Mr. Perfect." "I love encouraging children, especially girls, to get excited about math, which is what CYBERCHASE does so well," said McKellar. "The MY BIG IDEA inventions theme is a great way to convey the relevance of both math and problem-solving to kids."

Each of the four episodes of MY BIG IDEA focuses on a different aspect of inventing. "A Clean Sweep," in which the kids and Digit invent a giant vacuum to foil a dastardly scheme of Hacker's, highlights the role of trial and error in inventing and how failure often precedes success. "Designing Mr. Perfect" focuses on inventing to meet particular needs, as the kids must design something to both navigate a perilous swamp and climb to the top of a cliff in order to rescue Digit, who's been kidnapped by Hacker - and is about to marry Wicked!

Episode three, "EcoHaven Ooze," shows the benefits of using three-dimensional models to understand an invention's functions and test its performance. Here, the CyberSquad test a model of their inventive "Trojan Ducky," which they want to use to get inside Hacker's fort on EcoHaven and prevent him from draining its precious ooze pond! Finally, "The Fairy Borg Father" teaches kids to refine and optimize a successful invention to make it the best it can be. When Matt becomes trapped half-way down a dangerous chasm along with Delete's Fairy Borg Father, the CyberSquad must refine and optimize Delete's ingenious - but imperfect - Bunny-copter in order to rescue them and restore order to cyberspace!

Since its premiere on PBS KIDS in 2002, the award-winning math mystery cartoon CYBERCHASE has made math and problem-solving come alive for children across the country through humor, action and adventure. Targeting 8- to 11-year-olds, CYBERCHASE features a team of curious kids and their cyberbird pal Digit (Gilbert Gottfried) who outwit and outsmart the ultimate bad guy - Hacker (Christopher Lloyd) - as he tries to take over Cyberspace. CYBERCHASE appears on more than 340 PBS stations and digital channels across the U.S. and reaches more than five million viewers weekly.

As part of this programming, CYBERCHASE is inviting "kid inventors" ages 6 -12 years old to send home videos of themselves and their inventions as part of MY BIG IDEA: CYBERCHASE Inventions Initiative. Selected videos will be shown on our website and possibly on TV too!

All the details can be found at CYBERCHASE Online. Visit the site and click on "MY BIG IDEA." There, kids can read about how to make and send in their video, and get an exclusive sneak preview of the brand NEW "inventions" FOR REAL segments starring Harry & Bianca. We also have special "Tips For Kid Inventors" sure to inspire kids to get inventive. All videos must be received by CYBERCHASE no later than Sept. 30th, 2006.

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