Debuting on the ABC One Saturday Morning lineup in 1997, the animated series, Squigglevision took its strange name from the unique (and patented) animation approach it employed. The show had originally been called Science Court, but that name made the premise seem a little more serious than it actually was. Sure, there was plenty of science and courtroom action, and sure kids learned a thing or two, but that didn’t mean that there wasn’t room for plenty of zany fun. And that is what makes Squigglevision so memorable.

Squigglevision was the result of a collaboration between producer Tom Snyder (not the news anchorman) and Jonathan Katz, who, together, had previously brought the world Dr. Katz, Professional Therapist on Comedy Central. Their newest endeavor was Science Court, a show based on a series of educational CD-ROMS that had been developed by Tom Snyder Productions.

Science Court took the wonders of science – Inertia, Gravity, etc. – and gave them their day in a courtroom. Each show would present a dispute between two parties, usually a corporate bigwig and an average Joe, and in the course of presenting the case, plenty of scientific exploration would take place. Many of the cases involved such lofty questions as “What takes more work, reading a book or pushing a wall that won’t move?” or “Can you hear an explosion that occurs in outer space?”

Hearing each of these provocative cases was the always stern but fair-minded Judge Stone - and each were dutifully recorded by his dim-witted but loveable stenographer, Fred. On the side of the prosecution was the inept Doug Savage, who faced off against well-prepared defense attorney Alison Krempel, who seemed to never lose a case. Jen Betters was the court reporter that kept home viewers up to speed on the details of the trial, and the resident genius, Professor Parsons, provided expert witness testimony whenever it was needed. A trio of young science enthusiasts - Julie Bean, Tim and Macaela provided help whenever necessary.

In the second season, Science Court got a new name, Squigglevision – a nod to the animation technique used on the series. To achieve the unique look of the series, figures were first drawn manually five times. Then a computer would meld these images into one quivering being. The technique had already been perfected on Dr. Katz, Professional Therapist and gave Science Court that patented Squigglevision look.

Science Court found initial popularity with kids, parents and educators but it was starting to fade by the end of the first season. The show was re-christened in an attempt to bolster its success, with segments added such as “See Ya Later, Estimator” featuring Professor Parson. Unfortunately, the end of the first season also meant an end to new episodes and with Squigglevision now consisting entirely of reruns, it’s days were sorely numbered. It remains a fond memory, however, for all of those who had a chance to watch science get its day in court on this ingenious and underappreciated bit of children's programming.