90 Comments. Add your own...

• 1. mark taylor | January 10th, 2010 at 10:23 pm

  hello mark here from flint michigan usa and yes when 1990 rolled in i started to watch wdiv when i had cable and when sat came i would watch kidbits but i would like to know is did wdiv have the rights to the song always there by brass wood steel

• 2. CHRIS | February 1st, 2010 at 9:04 pm

  THAT SHOW WAS SO THE EFFIN SHIT!!!!….use to watch that from the house in Waterford…i would wake up early just to watch that ish

• 3. Paula | June 27th, 2010 at 8:24 pm

  In late december of 2009, someone posted 3 sections of one episode on Youtube. I wish there were more, but that’s it. This show had to be good to get me up at 5am every saturday morning. I wish you could find it elsewhere.

• 4. Alex | August 1st, 2011 at 12:56 pm

  It’s great to read all of these comments and adoration for Gary Ed Mach, since he’s my UNCLE! I also loved KidBits and am fortunate enough to have Gary as part of my family and would like all to know that he’s as wonderful and gracious and certainly as entertaining in life as he was when behind the camera (you should see him MC a family reunion auction!). It warms my heart to see so many fond of my uncle and the show that brought him this brief but lasting fame.

• 5. David | August 4th, 2011 at 12:51 pm

  There are some episodes of Kidbits on YOUTUBE. That was one of my all-time favorite shows when I was a kid…. Gary keep it simple and easy to understand…..and fun.

• 6. josh | December 9th, 2012 at 2:08 pm

  Hey y’all, I put up a post on MetaFilter about Kidbits (after falling down the YouTube hole).

  http://www.metafilter.com/122601/We-now-return-to-Kidbits

• 7. Jennifer B | September 16th, 2013 at 10:00 pm

  Hi, I was wondering about Kidbits myself.. lol. I remember waking up for school in the early 80’s and watching the show, I really enjoyed it. I also use to enjoy the Windsor channel 9 shows to, after Kidbits was over I’d change the channel to 9.. for shows like Cooking with Wok, Friendly Giant, ect… lol… Well anyway, thanks Gary for having a cool and educational show that was very entertaining for me, lol.. Just wondering, I had some friends that said they went to school with you (Gary).. by chance did you go to Ferndale High or around that area ?

• 8. Gary Ed Mach | September 20th, 2013 at 8:22 am

  Jennifer – Sure did! FHS Class of ’72! We had our 40th Class reunion at the School last year. Too much grey hair!! Thanks for watching the show back in the day. And thanks for looking up KIDBITS!

• 9. Tiffiny | May 30th, 2014 at 4:18 pm

  A friend just mentioned Gary and Kidbits on Facebook, and I had to search because I wondered what happened to him. I can’t believe he’s actually commented on this post! I also used to wake up early just so I could see Kidbits in the early to mid 80s. I had even recorded the theme song with my “ghetto blaster”, and it had a bit of Gary speaking after the song faded.

  I was so enamored with Gary! Thank you for setting my mind toward the sciences. And thank you for the vids whoever got them up there! I’ll be checking them out with my kids this weekend. Sunny regards from Finland!

• 10. Tiffiny | May 31st, 2014 at 2:51 am

  Also, a question if Gary still follows this thread any more. My mom reminded me that when we saw Les Mis in Detroit back in 89 or so, Gary’s name was in the playbook for the sets. Was it the one and same, you, Gary?

• 11. Gary Ed Mach | June 3rd, 2014 at 8:26 am

  Tiffany: Finland, eh? That is a stretch! Thanks for remembering the show. Glad you enjoyed it, and it sounds like it was an early influence for you. I was not involved in “Le Mis”, but I did work on the Detroit Symphony production of “The Nutcracker Ballet” for some 20 years from the late 70’s into the 90’s as the Technical Director and Stage Manager. Lately I have been helping charities with their fund-raising efforts as an auctioneer. Here is a clip:

  Thanks again for the kind thoughts!! – Gary

• 12. china product procurement&hellip | June 4th, 2016 at 11:33 am

  china product procurement

  Go here for the top electronics fair currently in stock on the market and reasonably priced..

• 13. Kristina | July 25th, 2016 at 2:54 pm

  Thank you so much for your show! I used to watch the show every Saturday morning(I think it aired at 6:30AM). I loved the experiments, the theme song(“Always There” by Wood, Brass, & Steel…I have the original from Ronnie Laws), and how much it taught me. I attended Detroit Public Schools and graduated from Renaissance in 1995. My classmates and I used to reminisce about this show all the time back in school. We all had fond memories of (voluntarily) getting up at the crack of dawn on Saturday morning just to be ready for your show. Thank you, Mr. Mach and Detroit Science Center, for enhancing our lives.

• 14. Gary Ed Mach | August 30th, 2016 at 3:59 pm

  Kristina: Thank you so much for the kind comments, and for remembering KIDBITS. There are a few episodes out on YouTube of you want to take a walk back to the 80’s. It is always a pleasant surprise to find out that the show is still remembered, and that it was enjoyed in its’ time. Thanks again, and “keep on experimenting!”

  Gary

• 15. Dean | February 26th, 2017 at 6:18 pm

  Gary, I wanted to thank you. as a kid in the 80’s I grew up watching kidbits on Saturday morning i would wake up early to watch the show. your show gave me a love of science that has stayed with me all these years. does wdiv still have the master tapes. I would be cool if they put them up on you tube. my son would get a kick out of it.

  anyways Thank you Gary.

• 16. Gary Ed Mach | February 27th, 2017 at 8:08 am

  Dean – Thank you for the kind remembrances of back in the day. I am flattered you remember the show, and grateful it had the intended effect of creating an interest in science among young viewers. Speaking of back in the day, those WDIV masters would have been recoded on 2″ wide reel-to-reel video tape! The show was re-run from 1981 to 1997. By then the tapes were worn out I am sure. Sadly (for some) nothing was kept by WDIV. There are a few episodes of the show out on YouTube (Search KIDBITS), and some where someone has a VHS video tape on a shelf. Thanks again for the memories!! Gary

• 17. sleep apnea mask | March 23rd, 2017 at 3:10 am

  It’s awesome for me to have a web page, which is good in support of my knowledge.
  thanks admin

• 18. Ellis Low (Michael Cyrulnik) | March 29th, 2017 at 9:26 am

  Wow! Kidbits was my favorite. I’d get up with instructions not to wake mom and dad, go down to the TV and turn on Kidbits. It was my favorite show. I am so glad I get the chance to say how much I enjoyed it! Thank you! I went on to attend a very prestigious engineering and science school and that achievement for me was in part due to a start with Kidbits. North Farmington ’94 KIDBITS FOREVER (so glad I found it online after all this time! thanks for putting this up!)

• 19. Gary Ed Mach | March 29th, 2017 at 10:00 am

  Michael – Thanks for your comments! It is great to know that the show reached the target audience. It was all about getting kids interested in the STEM subjects. You did not mention what you do now? Are you in the Detroit area? I continue to do some work for the Engineering Society of Detroit in children’s TV Programming. Later this summer we wil be shooting an episode of SciEngiMathePloration (THe ESD kids science TV Show) about autonomous cars. We hope to shoot both at U of M and Willow Run. If you get a chance, I will be hosting the ESD Annual Dinner/Awards Show on June 21 in Livonia. visit http://www.esd.org for details.

• 20. Ellis Low (Michael Cyrulnik) | March 29th, 2017 at 5:42 pm

  Gary, I am a software engineer. I no longer live in the Detroit area but I visit regularly. I’m hoping to do more to make the world a better place than just writing code. Reconnecting with Kidbits is inspiring for that. Thanks for letting me know about ESD and SciEngiMathePloration, I’ll check back for the autonomous cars episode. It completely made my day to see your reply!

• 21. Ethan Stanton | July 7th, 2017 at 9:54 am

  Hi Gary,
  I used to watch you every Saturday bright and early! I tried to do every hands-on experiment on your show that i could find the parts for around my folks home . I think the curiosity and hands on expierience of your show has carried with me to my adulthood.
  “when is a bug not a bug? when it’s a lady bug” Thanks for passing down the knowledge!

• 22. angelique Madison | November 9th, 2017 at 10:10 am

  Thank you so much. Gary was my Saturday morning date through my childhood. My mom never got to sleep in because I’d need to get help from my parent. My curiosity plus this show eventually led me to a degree in the sciences and an early career in reasearch and development! Thank you for enriching my Saturday mornings!

• 23. Kathy Berry | March 12th, 2018 at 10:44 am

  I was just talking about how this was the best show ever. I’ve mentioned it a lot over the years. I just did a search and came across info that this is a place Gary might see how much we appreciate him. BEST SHOW EVER! Wish there were more available to share with my kids.

• 24. Gary Ed Mach | March 12th, 2018 at 1:37 pm

  Hi, Kathy – Thanks for your very kind thoughts and remembrances of KIDBITS. There are three episodes available on You Tube, under a search for KIDBITS. I think all of the rest (there were 65 five minutes shows, later combined into 13 half hour shows) are lost to time. If you read the blog string above, there is some news about other projects in which I have been involved. Mostly these days, I am helping not-for-profits raise funds as a charity gala auctioneer! Once gain, thanks, and keep on experimenting! – Gary

• 25. Chris | March 31st, 2018 at 1:23 pm

  Gary,
  Did you ever travel outside of Detroit for your show? I remember someone coming to my 4th grade class in NH from the show called Kidbits (as I can recall). This would have been around 1984

• 26. Gary Ed Mach | April 1st, 2018 at 8:17 am

  Hi, Chris – NH as in New Hampshire? No, we did not travel quite that far afield. The show aired (pre-cable days) all across Michigan and into northern Ohio and Southern Ontario. I did make a limited number of live appearances, mostly around the Detroit area. Hopefully, who ever you saw in the 4th grade inspired your interest in science! Thanks for the contact! – Gary

• 27. john Slowik | October 3rd, 2018 at 12:37 pm

  Sometimes I wouldnt even watch the cartoons and only looked for KidBits.

• 28. Dejan Jancevski | March 6th, 2021 at 10:26 am

  Gary…

  Thank you for the memories. I LOVED watching you each and every morning. I know that everyone says this, but you really made me LOVE and pursue my education in the sciences. I doubt I would have excelled in physics, chemistry, biology and even mathematics as well as I did had I not watched “Kidbits”.

  I thank you and hope you know how much you and your program were and still are appreciated. God bless!

• 29. Gary Mach | March 6th, 2021 at 10:38 am

  Dejan – Wow! Thank YOU for remembering KIDBITS! That was at least a few lifetimes ago. It means everything to hear that the show was well received and met the goal of getting kids interested in the STEM subjects. We need to keep chasing that goal even more today! Science counts! Thanks again and Keep on Experimenting! Gary

• 30. Andrew M Davidson | April 26th, 2021 at 10:58 pm

  I loved getting up Saturday mornings with my sister and frantically running around for the ingredients and components you had told us to gather the week before for that mornings experiments. Without a doubt inspired my love of science.

  And didn’t you then become an attorney in St Clair County? I have this memory of you being on the bar association bus with me and my dad for a Tiger game on opening day and I I was beside myself to be in the presence of one of my favorite celebrities 🙂

• 31. Gary Mach | April 27th, 2021 at 8:18 am

  Andrew – Davidson, as in Mark Davidson? Yes, I, too remember the Tiger game. Seems like it snowed a bit that day, not too unusual for Detroit baseball in April. I am flattered to hear you thought of me as a celebrity! I spent a number of good years in Port Huron mostly working for Legal Aid. Met my wife there, served a term on City Council. I still pass through every once in a while and am always sure to stop for lunch at the Zeeb. Thanks for checking in and giving me a chance to relive those “good old days!”

• 32. Nicole Safin | January 31st, 2022 at 10:50 am

  Gary… you were such an important part of developing my young, curious mind. I can’t tell you how impressionable you were and as I see it from this thread – you’re getting the idea 😉 Ha ha… I’ve held onto the wonder and interest all these years and I can tell you that the Kitbits show always trumped Mr. Wizard and Bill Nye for sure! You’re so kind and gracious to respond to everyone here. I hope that it brings your heart happiness knowing that the show is part of the fabric of our lives; I wish kids these days could see the program because it was so much fun! Thank you Sincerely for being such a wonderful part of my youth.

• 33. Gary Ed Mach | January 31st, 2022 at 11:02 am

  Nicole – Thank you so much for your kind words. I am so glad that Kidbits was seen and appreciated by so many during its; run. Hard to believe that it first aired more than 40 years ago in 1979!! As I age it is nice to know that at some small level, I might have made a difference and brought a smile to some folks… like YOU!

• 34. Chris Pomeroy | September 16th, 2022 at 8:56 pm

  Hi Gary. Like so many others here, you inspired me as a kid. So happy to see you’re doing well.

  Cheers,
  -Chris

• 35. Gary Ed Mach | September 17th, 2022 at 7:48 am

  Chris – Wow! Thanks for reaching out! I am always flattered that folks remember that show. Did you know there are a few episodes out on You Tube? … in case you want to take a trip back thru time. Anyway … keep on experimenting!
  Gary

• 36. Andy S. | September 29th, 2022 at 8:36 pm

  Gary,
  Your Kidbits show and contribution to the community are bigger than you realize. For every one person making a post here, there are 100+ more who feel the same and were positively impacted by your presentations.

  Yes there are a couple episodes on youtube, but I challenge others to name their favorite(s). Does anyone remember the experiment which required scissors, a bucket of water, a piece of paper and some dishsoap? Gary masterfully showed us how to power a speedboat with that. How about making a chair out of 3 baseball bats?. 100% mind blown as a kid.

  Thank you so much for peaking interest in the sciences with so many. Your show was EPIC.

• 37. Sage | April 8th, 2023 at 3:32 am

  Hey, does anybody know what years (span?) the original Kidnits show was filmed? I know Gary said it was first aired in 1979… so I’m wondering how long did filming go on for? 1979 to 1980?… 1981? …1982?

  Can anyone help answer this question for me?
  Thanks!

  PS- The show is a timeless remembrance for me of the happiest times of my life. It kicked off my Saturday mornings, from Kidbits to WWF Superstars, I was glued to the TV.

• 38. Gary Ed Mach | April 8th, 2023 at 8:32 am

  Sage – Here is the answer from the “horses mouth…” There was only one “season” of Kidbits filmed at WDIV in 1979. We shot 65 five minute episodes. When first aired, the show ran at 6:55 a.m on .M – F. The 65 episodes represented a 13 -week series. After several re-run cycles, the show was repackaged as an hour long Saturday morning show, with five experiment segments interspersed with Bugs Bunny Cartoons. It ran in this format for several more years. Then the cartoons were removed, and the show was formatted as a half hour show with five experiment segments. However, throughout all of these versions, it was still just the same original 65 experiment segments, over and over again. The nice thing about 17 years of re-runs, is that I never got any older!! (Until NOW!! – Age 68) – Thanks for watching! – Gary

• 39. Sage | May 22nd, 2023 at 12:52 pm

  wow! So it was all filmed in 1979. As it was first aired in a M-F 13 week series format, do you remember the general timeframe of those 13 weeks? Like summer 1979? Fall 1979? Into Winter 1980? Thanks for the great info!

• 40. Gary Ed Mach | May 22nd, 2023 at 2:13 pm

  Sage – As I recall we started shooting in early spring of 1979. March? I think the show first aired in April and ran in the 6:55 a.m. time slot until at least 1981. The theory was to give the kids (viewers) a dose of science on their way to the classroom. I do not recall when it was reformatted to the 1-hour Bugs Bunny show.
  Here is a KIDBITS blooper for you. On the background of the show is one of Einstein’s theories… E=MC. However, it is wrong as it should have read E=MC2!! Ooops!!!

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