PythagoraSwitch

PythagoraSwitch is a 15-minute Japanese children's puppet animated preschool educational television program that has been aired by NHK since April 9, 2002. It encourages augmenting children's "way of thinking" under the supervision of Masahiko Satō and Masumi Uchino. A five-minute format called PythagoraSwitch Mini is also available.
During the beginning and ending of each episode, and between each corner, there are Pythagoras. "Pythagorean device" is the equivalent Japanese colloquialism for the American "Rube Goldberg machine" and British "Heath Robinson" contraption. The main focus of the program is a puppet show, but the subject is mainly advanced by small corners''. World phenomena, principles, characteristics, and the like are introduced in an entertaining way. At the end of each segment, the show's title is sung as a kind of punchline.

Segments

In the show, segments are called "corners".

Today's Topic

A puppet show in which Uncle Encyclopedia explains the structure of the world to young penguins, Pita and Gora. A recurring situation is that, while discussing each topic, Encyclopedia will say "The details are here on my Nth page.", to what the penguins, after looking at said page, respond "We're children, so we can't read!" After that, the three call upon Televi-John an anthropomorphic dog-like TV, who shows them a video about the topic. A mouse called Suu is also featured.

Underground Gora Switch

A puppet show similar to Today's Topic in which a little mole, who lives underground in Pita and Gora's basement, named Gurao observes the way world works through a periscope. A common occurrence is that Gurao's periscope will run out before he can see how whatever he's looking at works and when this happens, Gurao calls for his father Chikada Mogurou, asking to learn more. The two then call for Tabletton, an anthropomorphic pig-like tablet who shows them a video about the topic. Suu from Today's Topic sometimes appears interacting with Gurao and Chikada Mogurou. This segment appears infrequently.

Pythagora Devices

Pythagora Devices are frequently featured.

Algorithm Exercise

Algorithm Exercise
A corner broadcast since 2002. It stars the duo Itsumo Kokokara. It is algorithm themed, so that the movements that are done side by side are related. Usually, the duo does the exercise with special guests, such as NHK announcers, baseball players, sumo wrestlers, etc.
There are also individual versions for each member: the "Yamada version" and the "Kikuchi version".

Algorithm March

Father Switch

Father Switch
A segment in which a father and his child act out sequences and play games based on any of the Japanese letter sounds.

Other Corners

Bend the Stick Anime：A segment in which a straight line bends into different shapes, forming different things.
# Sumo wrestler
# Tea kettle
# Chicks
# Hammer Thrower
# Pteranodon
The Black Box Person Question: A segment in which a black box asks the viewer a question about objects inside it.
Botejin: A potato shaped like a dice moves forward and backward and to the left and right in the tiles drawn on the ground, with words written on each side of him. He can move even if he is out of the tiles.
The Circles and Triangles : A segment where different things appear with circles and triangles above them. The triangle groups usually disappear.
# Pigeons that flew away.
# Sushi taken by customers.
# People with hand warmers in their pockets.
# Ice hockey players.
Do Your Best!! Product Test: This segment introduces the stages of product testing before the shipment of industrial products.
# Office chairs
# Ballpoint pens
Framy: Animated shorts about a dog named Framy, who is made out of clear squares. Other characters that are composed of simple figures, but they are not transparent. Sometimes; Framy's brothers, Painty and Spotty, appear in their own stories or interacting with Framy.
How the Trick Works! By Ms. Hammer Critic! aka Ms. Hammer Critic's Time: a critique of Pythagorean Devices by Ms. Hammer Critic, in some segments a dissection of the Pythagora Devices are demonstrated to show “how the trick works”.
# Equipment No. 147: 3 Cups
# Equipment No. 175: The Come Back Car
# Equipment No. 144: The Toothpick
# Equipment No. 107: Egg 2
If You Don't Believe it, Just Try it!: A segment in which the viewer is taught a different experiment.
# The Tale of the Egg and Salt: an egg floats on a cup filled with water mixed with salt
# Matsugoro the Pinecone: a pine cone dipped in a glass of water contracts, and when dry it expands back to normal.
# Nori seaweed on the diving board: a nori seaweed in a clear package becomes transparent when dipped in a glass of water.
# Ice cube in a construction site: lifting a salted ice cube with a string.
# The cup kid's naming practice: pouring water to a cup in front of a paper inscribed reverses that letter's image.
# "Mini" segment: whiteboard art on a mirror floats when dipped on a tub of water.
# "Mini" segment: A boiled egg can spin around.
# "Mini" segment: See the inside of an aluminum bag with your smartphone's flashlight when you turn off the lights.
The Invisible Man X: A segment where a man can turn himself invisible and challenges the viewer to try to follow him around. The segment ends, usually, with a dog barking and the Invisible Man declaring that he "can't stand dogs!".
# He challenges the viewers to find him on top of a building.
# He challenges the viewers to find him in the ground where he fell after rescuing a cat.
It Can't Be Done: Tsutomu Sekine and Jonio Iwai perform what seems to be physically impossible feats using stop-motion photography. At the end of each segment, the title of the corner changes to "It.
Nendore Nandore Mr. Clay, What's Stuck on You Today?: A claymation featuring clay characters named Nendore and Nandore tripping on various objects resulting in impressions:
# TV remote and peanuts
# Colored pencils and a piece of cheese
# Cellophane tape dispenser and magnet
# Bottle opener and clothespin
# Acorns and dice
# Mosquito coil and seashells
# Marbles and shogi pieces
A New Creature: A stop-motion animation segment featuring ordinary objects being brought to life.
# Erasersaurus, eraser
# Strawceraps, drinking straw
# Rubbernnus, rubber band
# Boltnodon, bolt
# Sugarcubeton, sugar cube
# Stickynus, sticky note
# Chopsticknodon, chopsticks
# Brushnodon, shoe brush
# Matchboxnus, matchbox
# Aluminumfoilps, aluminum foil
: Also includes Afterwards and Evolution segments for some of the above creatures.
Pythagora Equipment Academy: This segment teaches how to make gadgets and gimmicks included in Pythagora Devices.
* Beginner Course
*# Zigzag Sloping Road
*#Time Lag Device
*#Flip-flop Top
* Intermediate Course
*# A Winding Road
*# Marble Accelerator
* Advanced Course
*#A catapult.
PythagoraSwitch Folding Handkerchief Theater: A segment featuring handkerchiefs with the characters, Pita and Gora, on them. These handkerchiefs tell a story about the characters.
#Let's All Play Hide and Seek
#Pita and Gora Play Shiritori
#Let's All Climb The Mountain
#Pita and Gora Fight
See the Wiggle Men! What's Different?: A segment in which the viewer has to spot three differences in two pictures.
Tape Measure Jackie: An animated segment about a tape measure named Jackie, who helps his friends or plays with the viewer.
# Measuring the TV Screen Episode
# Let's Go Mr. Remote Episode
# Is Anyone Nine Centimeters Tall? Episode
# Measuring the Vacuum Cord Episode
# Measuring the Kitchen Scale Episode
# The Lookalike Episode
# The Wind Around Tape Episode
10-Stick Anime: Ten small sticks join together and transform into various things.
Then the Bridge Thought of What to Do: A segment that introduces different, interesting bridges.
# Swing bridge
# Bascule bridge
# Lift bridge
# Transporter bridge
# Submersible bridge
# Rolling bascule bridge
Today's Counting Numbers: A segment in which the viewer is invited to count different objects.
Today's Switch: In a certain place, a start switch is pressed in a machine, which introduces something happening.
# A Ferris wheel being lit up at night.
# A roller coaster.
# The spotlights onstage of an opera house.
Today's Just Barely: A segment in which an object is pushed through a shape it can just barley pass through on a conveyor belt, there's also a "turning version".
Today's Robot: A segment which introduces various robots.
# Sentry robot
# Bicycle parking
# Automatic milking
# A robot that goes into rocky gaps to save people's lives.
# A robot that moves red hot metals.
# A robot that puts books onto a book shelf.
Understand in 5 Seconds: A segment in which different concepts are introduced in 5 seconds.
What Animal is This?: Motion capture animation, in which dots appear one by one, inviting readers to guess what animal is depicted in the initial film.
# An inchworm
# A monkey
# A crab
# A pigeon
What Numbers are They?: A segment in which the viewer has to guess what kind of object something is based on its numbers.
# The dates on a calendar
# The numbers on a grocery store salespaper
What on Earth is This?: Different shapes appear on a turntable and turn into different objects.
# A horse
# Fish bones
# Walking the dog
# A Squid
What are These Points?/'What's this Person's Doing?: An inlay of dots, as in What Animal is This?, together with motion capture, invites viewers to guess what these dots form or person is doing.
# Bullfighting
# Conducting
# Rhythmic Gymnastics
# Air hockey
# A ladybug walking on a leaf
# Eggs being sorted
Which One is Real?: A segment in which the viewer has to guess which object is real and which one is not.
# Tangerines
# Pencils
# Teacups
Pythagora Rock-Paper-Scissors Device: The viewer is invited to play rock paper scissors with a Pythagora device.
Helper Robo: A segment featuring a game where a kid does chores based around the Japanese letters, similar to Father Switch.
100 Gram Challenge!: A segment in which a kid plays a game, putting toys or household items on a character named Mr. Scale. 100 grams is achieved by getting up to 95-99 grams then offered 1 or more yen coins from the Helpful Box and placing the coins on the scale.
Letter Device: A segment in which the Japanese letters form a word using an animated Pythagora device.
Letter Conveyor: Japanese letters form a word on a conveyor belt.
Mekanuka: A segment featuring song in which the viewer has to guess which similar Japanese symbol is forming. There's also versions called はかけか,るかろか and ねかわか.
Pythagora Code Stick: A segment in which a kid writes a "secret message" that can only be read by wrapping the paper around a cylinder shaped stick to their father, requesting to do an activity with him.
Tatehiko and Yokohiko: Two friends named Tatehiko and Yokohiko draw pictures together. Yokohiko can only move left and right while Tatehiko can help him move up and down.
Now, What is Passing?: A segment in which an image passes by a gap and the viewer has to guess what it is.
# A soccer ball.
# A pinecone.
# A wooden carved bear.
# A watering can.
Who's This?: A segment in which Botejin appears, meeting other similar creatures.
# Tissue Box Person
# Battery Person
# Cardboard Box Person and Duct Tape Person
Inuten Program: A segment similar to a computer game. It has a cube like dog named Inuten, directions such as "left", "right", "up" and "down" are called to help him reach a certain goal.
Animal Program: A segment in which an animal reaches a certain goal.
# A ladybug walks across Japanese words to form sentences.
# A lizard goes into his cage by following the sunlight.
Animal Algorithm: A segment similar to Animal Program in which an animal reaches a certain goal.
# A ladybug goes up and down a ramp.
# A bug goes through a maze.
What is this Imprint?: The viewer is asked to guess a certain kind of imprint.
# A track runner.
Paper Cup Cup Code: Similar to "Pythagora Code Stick", a child writes a secret message to their father using paper cups.
Pythagora 1 Minute Crafts: A segment introducing "one minute crafts" that the viewer can try at home.
# Today's Snack Device
# CD Case Person
Pythagora Equipment Try and Error: Ms. Hammer Critic explains how to fix errors in Pythagora Equipment.
What are you doing, Mister?: A boy and his friends observe a man miming different actions. The boy asks the man what he is doing and the viewer sees a video of it.
# Brushing a tortoise's shell.
Sugar Cube Anime: A stop motion animation where 10 sugar cubes arrange into different shapes, similar to "10 Stick Anime".
Deji Deji Tile Person': An animation in which a digital person shaped like tiles can move around on tiled surfaces.
Actors

Dankichi Kuruma, Jun Inoue, and Tsuyoshi Kusanagi, are some of the voice actors who perform and call out the topics. Akira Tokuda provides narration and voices a character named Tokuda Nezumi, a mouse who sometimes introduces the show or introduces segments.

Broadcast

Outside Japan, NHK World Premium broadcasts PythagoraSwitch Mini. In Brazil, TV Cultura has been broadcasting it under the title Viva Pitágoras! since at least 2006. Starting April 2015, an English version of PythagoraSwitch Mini has been broadcast on NHK World TV. In addition, some PythagoraSwitch videos are also available on Google Video, YouTube and DailyMotion.

Awards

At the 30th Japan Prize International Educational Program Contest, in 2003, episode 25 "Let's Look at It Another Way" won top prize, the Prime Minister's award, of the Early Education category.
At Prix Jeunesse 2004 in Munich it won top prize in the age 6 and below non-fiction category.