Tommy Zoom began life as a character on the CBeebies website and proved so popular, it was made into a part live-action, part animation show.
Tommy lives with his mum and dad, baby sibling and faithful friend, Daniel the hound. In each episode, Tommy is faced with a dilemma. These dilemmas are usually flavoured by green or broad environmental themes - such as conserving water, not wasting food, using a compost and eating healthily. As Tommy tries to work out the best thing to do he thinks... "What would Tommy Zoom do?"
At this point he and his dog Daniel are whisked off into the fantasy animated world of Tommy Zoom - where Tommy has magical powers such as his 'zoom' which allows him to fly into space at high speeds and the ability to zap from his finger, as well as create whirlpools and blow storms with his breath!
He uses these powers to battle the embodiment of slovenliness, Polluto - who wants to ruin the world in a variety of ways by covering it in mud, blocking out the sun and creating a plethora of junk food. A purple imp with rotten teeth, Polluto is always accompanied by his lazy cat, Smogg.
Tommy defeats Polluto each time, and Tommy and Daniel return to the live action 'reality' where Tommy puts his new-found knowledge to 'domestic' use!
In each show there is evidence of the animated adventure within the live action - eg a model of Polluto's submarine in the bath.
The website has been brought up to date to tie in with the show and features two games, 'Save The World in a Zoom', an easy flying game where users have to run into some objects and avoid the others. This is aimed at younger CBeebies users, while 'Super Zoom' is a platform game allowing users to collect Tommy Trumps as they pass through the levels. The website also allows users to watch one-minute clips of the Tommy Zoom show, read character profiles, print out drawings to colour in and download wallpapers.
The educational value of the show
Tommy Zoom helps children to:
- Learn how to help the environment.
