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Cool and Collected

Collecting pop culture toys, comics, and collectibles collections

September 26, 2016 By Brian 6 Comments

Draw, draw, draw. Practice every day.

During a visit to a used bookstore recently, I stumbled across a copy of Mark Kistler’s Draw Squad and a flood of long lost memories came bursting to the surface.  If you’re like me, when you were a kid, Mark Kistler was the Man. I couldn’t wait to get sick so I could stay home from school and watch his show, The Secret City. A quick Google search revealed that Mark Kistler is still an active illustrator and appears regularly at conventions — now, that is something that might finally get me to crawl out from under my nice cozy rock.

The Secret City was a PBS show that taught kids to draw things in 3-D. Commander Mark was the mustachioed host, and he was an absolute wizard, or maybe an alien, who could sling a black marker across a blank page and bring aliens to life right before your eyes. In each episode, he would add to a massive mural on the wall that depicted the Secret City, an alien environment based on nothing but his creativity. I wanted to live in the Secret City.

Many people have fond memories of Sesame Street, or Mr. Roger’s hood, but all my grilled cheese and tomato soup memories recall the hours spent within the Secret City. I honestly credit this show (and Ed Emberley) with making me pursue a career in art later in life. Anyone else out there remember Commander Mark and his Secret City?


If aliens were to invade this planet, I would want them to be the friendly inhabitants from the Secret City.  Read about more alien invasions in this Pop Culture League challenge.

Filed Under: TV & Movies

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Jon says

    September 27, 2016 at 10:52 am

    Oh man, I loved his show! I used to doodle 3D archways and such for hours after watching!

    Reply
    • Brian says

      September 27, 2016 at 7:48 pm

      Yes! Bridges and archways in the sky!

      Reply
  2. Tony says

    September 27, 2016 at 7:07 pm

    You just took me back,I remember this guy!He was around during my drinking days.I’d wake up the next morning,flipping through channels hungover,and always stopped on this guy’s show to see what the hell he was up to next,lol.It baffled me me how well he’d draw things while simultaneously looking at the camera.

    Reply
    • Brian says

      September 27, 2016 at 7:48 pm

      Ha! I thought I was the old man around here. 😉

      Reply
  3. George says

    September 30, 2016 at 8:07 am

    Never heard of this, but wish I had. Very cool.

    Reply
  4. Karen says

    March 11, 2017 at 10:29 am

    Draw! Draw! Draw! Practice every day….Blast across that paper.. I had daycare in my home and even my 5 year olds could produce good work as they watched Draw Squad. They all had their pad of paper, crayons, and sat on the floor mesmerized. It was amazing how fast they learned and put their new knowledge to work in their own drawings weeks later.

    Reply

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