Small Wonder
Encyclopedia
Small Wonder is an American science fiction
sitcom that aired in first-run syndication from September 7, 1985 to May 20, 1989. The show chronicles the family of a robotics engineer who, after he secretly creates a robot modeled after a real human girl, tries to pass it off as their daughter. Although the show was created under Metromedia Productions
, the rights to the show were acquired by 20th Century Fox Television
in 1986.
outlet under her right arm, a serial port
under her left arm, and an access panel in her back. Despite this, the Lawson family tries to pass the robot off as their adopted daughter.
The Lawson family tries to keep the robot's existence a secret, but their disagreeable neighbors, the Brindles, keep on popping up at the most unexpected moments — especially nosy red-headed girl-next-door Harriet and her parents, Bonnie and Brandon; the latter just happens to be Ted Lawson's co-worker. The show's humor frequently derived from V.I.C.I.'s attempts to learn human behavior, V.I.C.I's literal interpretation of speech and the family's efforts to disguise the robot's true nature.
To explain child actress Tiffany Brissette's aging during the show, Ted gave V.I.C.I. an upgrade in the series' third season. He aged her face, dressed her in modern clothes, and allowed her to eat and drink. The food passed through her naturally and the drink cooled her internal system.
, Tiffany Brissette appeared in-studio as a guest for a "Where Are They Now?" segment; unbeknownst to her until the segment began, Dick Christie
, Marla Pennington
, and Edie McClurg
were all present for the interview via satellite. Fond remarks and memories were shared about Brissette in the very brief segment. On the show, Brissette had stated that she was living in Boulder, Colorado
and attending nursing school
.
Network and in the early 1990s on Sky One
. In Italy, the show appeared in the mid-1980s on Italia 1
network and was titled "Super Vicky". In France, the series was shown as "Petite merveille" on Canal+
, starting in November 1985. In Spain, the show was broadcast on Antena 3 Televisión
as Un robot en casa in December 1995. In India, China, Pakistan and other Asian countries, Small Wonder was syndicated on local TV stations and the Star TV Network
in the mid-1990s. In Latin America, the show appeared on Rede Globo
and, later, TV Record in Brazil and was called "Super Vicky", VTV (Venezolana de Television) in Venezuela between 1987 and 1990, Canal 13 in Argentina, and Frecuencia Latina
in Peru, where it was called La pequeña maravilla. It aired on GMA Network
in the mid-1980s, and on ABC
in 1992. In Saudi Arabia, it was aired during the '80s as a daily family show during the month of Ramadhan on Saudi TV (Channel 2). India (year unknown)
In 2002, Robert Bianco, TV critic for USA Today
, listed it as a contender for one of the worst TV shows of all time. This was repeated in 2003 by Mark Lewisohn of the BBC who referred to the program as, "widely considered one of the worst low-budget sitcoms of all time."
has released the first two seasons of Small Wonder on DVD in Region 1. Season 2 was released as a Shout! Factory select title, available exclusively through their online store.
♦ - Shout! Factory select title, sold exclusively through Shout's online store as well as eBay and Amazon.
Science fiction
Science fiction is a genre of fiction dealing with imaginary but more or less plausible content such as future settings, futuristic science and technology, space travel, aliens, and paranormal abilities...
sitcom that aired in first-run syndication from September 7, 1985 to May 20, 1989. The show chronicles the family of a robotics engineer who, after he secretly creates a robot modeled after a real human girl, tries to pass it off as their daughter. Although the show was created under Metromedia Productions
Metromedia
Metromedia was a media company that owned radio and television stations in the United States from 1956 to 1986 and owned Orion Pictures from 1986-1997.- Overview :...
, the rights to the show were acquired by 20th Century Fox Television
20th Century Fox Television
20th Century Fox Television is the television production division of 20th Century Fox Film Corporation, and a production arm of the Fox Broadcasting Company...
in 1986.
Premise
The storylines revolve around V.I.C.I. (an acronym for "Voice Input Child Identicant", pronounced Vicki), an android in the form of a 10-year-old girl, built by Ted Lawson, an engineer/inventor for United Robotronics, in an effort to assist handicapped children. The robot is taken home by Lawson so that it can mature within a family environment. V.I.C.I.'s features include superhuman strength and speed, an ACAlternating current
In alternating current the movement of electric charge periodically reverses direction. In direct current , the flow of electric charge is only in one direction....
outlet under her right arm, a serial port
Serial port
In computing, a serial port is a serial communication physical interface through which information transfers in or out one bit at a time...
under her left arm, and an access panel in her back. Despite this, the Lawson family tries to pass the robot off as their adopted daughter.
The Lawson family tries to keep the robot's existence a secret, but their disagreeable neighbors, the Brindles, keep on popping up at the most unexpected moments — especially nosy red-headed girl-next-door Harriet and her parents, Bonnie and Brandon; the latter just happens to be Ted Lawson's co-worker. The show's humor frequently derived from V.I.C.I.'s attempts to learn human behavior, V.I.C.I's literal interpretation of speech and the family's efforts to disguise the robot's true nature.
To explain child actress Tiffany Brissette's aging during the show, Ted gave V.I.C.I. an upgrade in the series' third season. He aged her face, dressed her in modern clothes, and allowed her to eat and drink. The food passed through her naturally and the drink cooled her internal system.
Characters
- Victoria "Vicki" Ann Smith-Lawson (Tiffany BrissetteTiffany BrissetteTiffany Michelle Brissette is a former American actress. She is best known for her role as V.I.C.I. the Robot on the syndicated American sitcom Small Wonder, which aired from 1985 to 1989.-Career:...
) - A robot modeled after a real human girl. The robot was a Voice Input Child Identicant (V.I.C.I.), but was nicknamed Vicki. She has real hair and realistic skin. She possesses super human strength and speed and runs on atomic power. Vicki has an access panel in her back, an electric socket in her right armpit, and an RS-232 serial portSerial portIn computing, a serial port is a serial communication physical interface through which information transfers in or out one bit at a time...
under her left armpit. Vicki's artificial intelligence is not perfect. She is incapable of emotionEmotionEmotion is a complex psychophysiological experience of an individual's state of mind as interacting with biochemical and environmental influences. In humans, emotion fundamentally involves "physiological arousal, expressive behaviors, and conscious experience." Emotion is associated with mood,...
, speaks in a monotone voice, and interprets most commands literally. She does manage to blend in to the real world to a point. Vicki attends school, and no one but her family members and a few trusted friends know her secret. Occasionally Vicki had rare abilities that seemed to only appear in one or two episodes, such as elongating her neck to reach a door's peephole, shrinking her size to become as small as a doll or making herself ten feet tall to get noticed by everyone. One recurring theme was that Vicki had a super-powered learning system which enabled her to improve upon something such as a new detergent or to greatly increase the gas mileage of cars, which Ted and Jamie often saw as a chance to get rich quick, only to find her improvements were not perfect. Vicki lives in a large cabinet in Jamie's bedroom, and becomes more human over the course of the show. - Jamie Lawson (Jerry SupiranJerry SupiranJerry Michael Supiran is a former American child actor. Supiran is best known for playing Jamie Lawson on the situation comedy Small Wonder, which aired from 1985 to 1989....
) - The 12 year old son of Ted and Joan. - Ted Lawson (Dick ChristieDick ChristieDick Johnson is an American actor. He is best known for portraying Ted Lawson on the 1980s situation comedy Small Wonder....
) - Jamie's father. Vicki's creator. A robotics engineer who originally created Vicki as a domestic servant whose girl-child appearance was only meant to be a selling point. - Joan Lawson (Marla PenningtonMarla PenningtonMarla Lynn Pennington is an American actress. She is best known for her role as Joan Lawson on Small Wonder, her last acting role to date....
) - Ted's wife. Joan regards Vicki as a real person more than anyone else on the show does. - Harriet Brindle (Emily SchulmanEmily SchulmanEmily Hope Schulman is a former child actress and commercial agent, and current acting instructor...
) - The young and nosy little neighbors' daughter who has a crush on Jamie.
Recurring
- Brandon Brindle (William BogertWilliam BogertWilliam Bogert is an American character actor best known for his semi-regular role of Brandon Brindle on Small Wonder from 1985 to 1989. He also portrayed Kent Wallace, the host of Chappelle's Shows Frontline spoofs...
) - Harriet's father. Becomes Ted Lawson's boss after stealing Ted's ideas. - Bonnie Brindle (Edie McClurgEdie McClurgEdie McClurg is an American character actress. She is known for her perky North Central dialect , common to persons from Middle America.-Career:...
) - Harriet's mother. Written out after the second season. - Ida Mae Brindle (Alice GhostleyAlice GhostleyAlice Margaret Ghostley was an American actress. She was best known for her roles as housekeeper Esmeralda on Bewitched, as Cousin Alice on Mayberry R.F.D., and as Bernice Clifton on Designing Women, for which she received an Emmy Nomination for Best Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series in 1992...
) - Brandon's outspoken, know-it-all sister, who is nearly identical to his wife Bonnie. - Reggie Williams (Paul C. Scott) - Jamie's best friend.
- Jessica (Lihann Jones) - Jamie's sometime girlfriend.
- Warren Enright (Daryl Bartley) - Jamie's sometime school friend.
- Vanessa (Tiffany BrissetteTiffany BrissetteTiffany Michelle Brissette is a former American actress. She is best known for her role as V.I.C.I. the Robot on the syndicated American sitcom Small Wonder, which aired from 1985 to 1989.-Career:...
) - Evil robot who looks identical to Vicki, but does not speak in monotone. (Seen in seasons 3 and 4)
2009 reunion
On January 14, 2009, on Fox's The Morning Show with Mike and JulietThe Morning Show with Mike and Juliet
The Morning Show with Mike and Juliet is an American syndicated morning talk show. Produced by Fox, the show first aired on January 22, 2007 to a number of markets originally through Fox and MyNetworkTV, most in the Fox Television Stations Group...
, Tiffany Brissette appeared in-studio as a guest for a "Where Are They Now?" segment; unbeknownst to her until the segment began, Dick Christie
Dick Christie
Dick Johnson is an American actor. He is best known for portraying Ted Lawson on the 1980s situation comedy Small Wonder....
, Marla Pennington
Marla Pennington
Marla Lynn Pennington is an American actress. She is best known for her role as Joan Lawson on Small Wonder, her last acting role to date....
, and Edie McClurg
Edie McClurg
Edie McClurg is an American character actress. She is known for her perky North Central dialect , common to persons from Middle America.-Career:...
were all present for the interview via satellite. Fond remarks and memories were shared about Brissette in the very brief segment. On the show, Brissette had stated that she was living in Boulder, Colorado
Boulder, Colorado
Boulder is the county seat and most populous city of Boulder County and the 11th most populous city in the U.S. state of Colorado. Boulder is located at the base of the foothills of the Rocky Mountains at an elevation of...
and attending nursing school
Nursing school
A nursing school is a type of educational institution, or part thereof, providing education and training to become a fully qualified nurse. The nature of nursing education and nursing qualifications varies considerably across the world.-United Kingdom:...
.
International airings
In the United Kingdom, the show was screened regionally on the ITVITV
ITV is the major commercial public service TV network in the United Kingdom. Launched in 1955 under the auspices of the Independent Television Authority to provide competition to the BBC, it is also the oldest commercial network in the UK...
Network and in the early 1990s on Sky One
Sky One
Sky1 is the flagship BSkyB entertainment channel available in the United Kingdom and Ireland.The channel first launched on 26 April 1982 as Satellite Television, and is the fourth-oldest TV channel in the United Kingdom, behind BBC One , ITV and BBC Two...
. In Italy, the show appeared in the mid-1980s on Italia 1
Italia 1
Italia 1 is an Italian commercial television channel on the Mediaset network. It is oriented especially at young people.Italia 1 was launched in January 1982 and, originally, was owned by Rusconi; after a few months, however, due to the aggressive dumping practices of Silvio Berlusconi's rival...
network and was titled "Super Vicky". In France, the series was shown as "Petite merveille" on Canal+
Canal+
Canal+ is a French premium pay television channel launched in 1984. It is 80% owned by the Canal+ Group, which in turn is owned by Vivendi SA. The channel broadcasts several kinds of programming, mostly encrypted...
, starting in November 1985. In Spain, the show was broadcast on Antena 3 Televisión
Antena 3 (Spain)
Antena 3 is a Spanish terrestrial television channel owned by Antena 3 de Televisión. Some of the more popular programmes broadcast by Antena 3 include Aquí no hay quien viva, El Barco, Los Protegidos, Los Simpson and El Internado....
as Un robot en casa in December 1995. In India, China, Pakistan and other Asian countries, Small Wonder was syndicated on local TV stations and the Star TV Network
STAR TV (Asia)
Satellite Television Asian Region is an Asian TV service owned by Rupert Murdoch's News Corporation.In 2009, News Corporation restructured STAR Asia into four units – STAR India, STAR Greater China, STAR Select and Fox International Channels....
in the mid-1990s. In Latin America, the show appeared on Rede Globo
Rede Globo
Rede Globo , or simply Globo, is a Brazilian television network, launched by media mogul Roberto Marinho on April 26, 1965. It is owned by media conglomerate Organizações Globo, being by far the largest of its holdings...
and, later, TV Record in Brazil and was called "Super Vicky", VTV (Venezolana de Television) in Venezuela between 1987 and 1990, Canal 13 in Argentina, and Frecuencia Latina
Frecuencia Latina
Frecuencia Latina , better known as Channel 2, is a Peruvian television network. The network was founded on May 31, 1962 by the Cavero Family Group who turned the station into a network filled with musical programs and variety shows...
in Peru, where it was called La pequeña maravilla. It aired on GMA Network
GMA Network
GMA Network is a major commercial television & radio network in the Philippines. GMA Network is owned by GMA Network, Inc. a publicly listed company...
in the mid-1980s, and on ABC
Associated Broadcasting Company
The Associated Broadcasting Company, Inc is a television network in the Philippines, with main broadcast facilities and transmitter located at 762 Quirino Highway, San Bartolome, Novaliches, Quezon City. The network was previously known as the , Associated Broadcasting Company remains the legal...
in 1992. In Saudi Arabia, it was aired during the '80s as a daily family show during the month of Ramadhan on Saudi TV (Channel 2). India (year unknown)
Awards and critical reception
| Year | Award | Category | Recipient |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1986 | Young Artist Award Young Artist Award The Young Artist Award is an accolade bestowed by the Young Artist Foundation, a non-profit organization founded in 1978 to recognize and award excellence of youth performers, and to provide scholarships for young artists who may be physically and/or financially challenged.The Young Artist... |
Best Young Supporting Actress in a New Television Series | Emily Schulman |
| 1987 | Exceptional Performance by a Young Actress in a Long-Running Series, Comedy or Drama |
In 2002, Robert Bianco, TV critic for USA Today
USA Today
USA Today is a national American daily newspaper published by the Gannett Company. It was founded by Al Neuharth. The newspaper vies with The Wall Street Journal for the position of having the widest circulation of any newspaper in the United States, something it previously held since 2003...
, listed it as a contender for one of the worst TV shows of all time. This was repeated in 2003 by Mark Lewisohn of the BBC who referred to the program as, "widely considered one of the worst low-budget sitcoms of all time."
First Season
| Episode # | Prod # | Episode Name | Original Air Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1-01 | 101 | Vicki's Homecoming | September 7, 1985 |
| 1-02 | 102 | The Neighbors | September 14, 1985 |
| 1-03 | 103 | The Sitter | September 21, 1985 |
| 1-04 | 104 | The Suitor | September 28, 1985 |
| 1-05 | 105 | Sibling Rivalry | October 5, 1985 |
| 1-06 | 106 | Spielberg, Jr. | October 12, 1985 |
| 1-07 | 107 | The Lie | October 19, 1985 |
| 1-08 | 108 | The Bully | October 26, 1985 |
| 1-09 | 109 | Slightly Dishonorable | November 2, 1985 |
| 1-10 | 110 | The Adoption | November 9, 1985 |
| 1-11 | 111 | Child Genius | November 16, 1985 |
| 1-12 | 112 | Ted's New Boss | November 23, 1985 |
| 1-13 | 113 | Brainwashed | November 30, 1985 |
| 1-14 | 114 | The Burrito Story | January 4, 1986 |
| 1-15 | 115 | The Camping Trip | January 11, 1986 |
| 1-16 | 116 | Love Story | January 18, 1986 |
| 1-17 | 117 | Substitute Father | January 25, 1986 |
| 1-18 | 118 | The Robot Nappers | February 8, 1986 |
| 1-19 | 120 | The Company Takeover | February 15, 1986 |
| 1-20 | 123 | Good Ol' Lou | February 22, 1986 |
| 1-21 | 121 | The Reluctant Halfback | March 1, 1986 |
| 1-22 | 122 | Show Biz | May 3, 1986 |
| 1-23 | 119 | The Real Facts of Life | May 10, 1986 |
| 1-24 | 124 | The Grandparents | May 17, 1986 |
Second Season
| Episode # | Prod # | Episode Name | Original Air Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2-01 | 215 | Chewed Out | September 13, 1986 |
| 2-02 | 201 | Money, Money, Money | September 20, 1986 |
| 2-03 | 203 | My Mother the Teacher | September 27, 1986 |
| 2-04 | 213 | Here Comes the Judge | October 4, 1986 |
| 2-05 | 209 | Homeless Causes | October 11, 1986 |
| 2-06 | 212 | Crazy Like a Fox | October 18, 1986 |
| 2-07 | 210 | The Older Woman | October 25, 1986 |
| 2-08 | 204 | Who's the Boss? | November 1, 1986 |
| 2-09 | 207 | P-P Paula | November 8, 1986 |
| 2-10 | 211 | You Gotta Have Heart | November 15, 1986 |
| 2-11 | 202 | The Shoplifter | November 22, 1986 |
| 2-12 | 208 | Thanksgiving Story | November 29, 1986 |
| 2-13 | 206 | Neighborhood Watch | December 6, 1986 |
| 2-14 | 205 | Movin' Up | January 10, 1987 |
| 2-15 | 221 | Top Secret | January 17, 1987 |
| 2-16 | 218 | The Personality Kid | January 24, 1987 |
| 2-17 | 216 | Matchmaker, Matchmaker | January 31, 1987 |
| 2-18 | 223 | Little Miss Shopping Mall | February 7, 1987 |
| 2-19 | 214 | Victor/ Vicki-toria | February 14, 1987 |
| 2-20 | 222 | Look into My Eyes | February 21, 1987 |
| 2-21 | 217 | Wally the Wimp | February 28, 1987 |
| 2-22 | 219 | The Cat's Meow | May 9, 1987 |
| 2-23 | 220 | Vicki Goodwrench | May 16, 1987 |
| 2-24 | 224 | Double Wedding | May 23, 1987 |
Third Season
| Episode # | Prod # | Episode Name | Original Air Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| 3-01 | 303 | Woodward and Bernstein | September 12, 1987 |
| 3-02 | 312 | Everyone Into the Pool | September 19, 1987 |
| 3-03 | 314 | Whodunit? | September 26, 1987 |
| 3-04 | 306 | Bride and Groom | October 3, 1987 |
| 3-05 | 302 | It's Okay to Say No | October 10, 1987 |
| 3-06 | 307 | Read My Lips | October 17, 1987 |
| 3-07 | 316 | The Promotion | October 24, 1987 |
| 3-08 | 320 | The Lawsonville Horror | October 31, 1987 |
| 3-09 | 308 | The Bad Seed | November 7, 1987 |
| 3-10 | 318 | Breakfast of Criminals | November 14, 1987 |
| 3-11 | 317 | The Fats of Life | November 21, 1987 |
| 3-12 | 309 | The Bank Job | November 28, 1987 |
| 3-13 | 305 | Oooga Mooga | December 5, 1987 |
| 3-14 | 301 | Here Today, Gone Tomorrow | January 16, 1988 |
| 3-15 | 304 | Bye Bye Brindles | January 23, 1988 |
| 3-16 | 319 | For Sale by Robot | January 30, 1988 |
| 3-17 | 411 | Ronald McDonald House | February 6, 1988 |
| 3-18 | 325 | The Russians are Coming, the Russians are Coming | February 13, 1988 |
| 3-19 | 311 | I'll Drink to That | February 20, 1988 |
| 3-20 | 313 | Big J, the D.J. | February 27, 1988 |
| 3-21 | 324 | The Rock Band | April 30, 1988 |
| 3-22 | 415 | Book-It | May 7, 1988 |
| 3-23 | 310 | Safety First | May 14, 1988 |
| 3-24 | 320 | When You Hear the Beep | May 21, 1988 |
Fourth Season
| Episode # | Prod # | Episode Name | Original Air Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| 4-01 | 409 | Divided We Stand | September 17, 1988 |
| 4-02 | 413 | Double Dates | September 24, 1988 |
| 4-03 | 315 | The Gang's All Here | October 1, 1988 |
| 4-04 | 422 | Rashomon | October 15, 1988 |
| 4-05 | 410 | Come Fly With Me | October 22, 1988 |
| 4-06 | 322 | Love at First Byte | October 29, 1988 |
| 4-07 | 405 | The Sheik | November 5, 1988 |
| 4-08 | 403 | Togetherness | November 12, 1988 |
| 4-09 | 416 | My Favorite Martian | November 19, 1988 |
| 4-10 | 406 | Mommie Dearest | November 26, 1988 |
| 4-11 | 407 | No Laughing Matter | December 4, 1988 |
| 4-12 | 401 | Tag, You're It | December 11, 1988 |
| 4-13 | 404 | The Jailbirds | January 7, 1989 |
| 4-14 | 408 | Riches to Rags | January 14, 1989 |
| 4-15 | 418 | Radio Days | January 21, 1989 |
| 4-16 | 421 | Kid-O-Grams | January 28, 1989 |
| 4-17 | 402 | More About L.E.S. | February 4, 1989 |
| 4-18 | 420 | Hooray for Hollyweird! | February 11, 1989 |
| 4-19 | 419 | Minnesota Vicki | February 18, 1989 |
| 4-20 | 417 | Vicki Doolittle | February 25, 1989 |
| 4-21 | 414 | The Tattletale | April 29, 1989 |
| 4-22 | 323 | The Strike | May 6, 1989 |
| 4-23 | 412 | See No Evil | May 13, 1989 |
| 4-24 | 326 | Thy Neighbor's Wife | May 20, 1989 |
DVD releases
Shout! FactoryShout! Factory
Shout! Factory is an entertainment company founded in 2003 that was started by Richard Foos , Bob Emmer and Garson Foos initially as a specialty music label...
has released the first two seasons of Small Wonder on DVD in Region 1. Season 2 was released as a Shout! Factory select title, available exclusively through their online store.
| DVD Name | Ep# | Region 1 |
|---|---|---|
| The Complete First Season | 24 | February 16, 2010 |
| The Complete Second Season♦ | 24 | June 22, 2010 |
| The Complete Third Season | 24 | TBA |
| The Complete Fourth Season | 24 | TBA |
♦ - Shout! Factory select title, sold exclusively through Shout's online store as well as eBay and Amazon.
See also
- Not Quite HumanNot Quite HumanNot Quite Human is the name of a series of young adult novels by Seth McEvoy about a widower scientist, Dr. Jonas Carson, whose lifetime work was to create an android. Dr. Carson names the android Chip. In order to conceal his project from those who would use Chip or Dr. Carson's skills for...
, a series of novels in which a scientist creates an android, passing him off as his son, telling only his daughter the truth. The series was made into several TV movies for the Disney ChannelDisney ChannelDisney Channel is an American basic cable and satellite television network, owned by the Disney-ABC Television Group division of The Walt Disney Company. It is under the direction of Disney-ABC Television Group President Anne Sweeney. The channel's headquarters is located on West Alameda Ave. in...
.