The Zone (YTV) facts for kids
| Network | YTV |
|---|---|
| Launched | September 2, 1991 |
| Country of origin | Canada |
| Owner | Corus Entertainment |
| Headquarters | Toronto, Ontario |
| Formerly known as | Afterschool Zone (1991-1994) |
| Format | Daily afternoon programming block |
| Running time | 4:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m. |
| Original language(s) | English |
The Zone is the flagship weekday afternoon programming block on the Canadian television channel YTV. It airs between 4:00 p.m. and 6:00 p.m. ET and PT in Canada. On Saturday mornings, it is called The Zone Weekend (formerly Crunch).
Contents
Current version
Currently, the hosts of The Zone are Spencer Litzinger, Tyra Sweet, and Alex Wierzbicki.
The program usually features the hosts and the addition of one guest host. The "guest host" is sometimes an inanimate or personified object that is spoken to by Nayan Patel. Some examples would be "The Hand in the Toilet" (the toilet was embedded in the wall; a hand came out the hole once in a while) and "The Camera Man".
Another voice on the show was Egghead (the director Greg Dickinson, who worked on The Zone from 1993-2008) Egghead's face was never seen. He also appeared several times as "the guy in the gorilla suit".
In its early history, the Zone had featured a group of puppets known as Grogs as the co-hosts. A large television with a frame resembling a piece of purple bubble gum with eyes and other mechanical miscellany called Snit (Atul N. Rao) was once a "host" on The Zone; after him came Elvayz, a talking bust of Elvis Presley, although this character has been removed as well. Occasionally, guest hosts would appear on The Zone, such as children's author Robert Munsch and environmentalist David Suzuki.
While usually following a certain theme throughout the week, there are scheduled events that have occurred during The Zone, such as:
| Event | Description |
|---|---|
| Music Mondays | Carlos interviews musicians; he has also played songs on a guitar. |
| Quirky But True News Tuesdays | Carlos brings up some funny and bizarre stories from the Internet, as well as weird stories from viewers and tells them on the air in a news style format. |
| Game Drop Wednesdays | A new game will be released on The Zone's website on YTV.com, every Wednesday. Carlos also shows fan art sent in by viewers. |
| Throwdown Thursdays | Carlos tries to perform challenges sent in by viewers online. |
Pranks
1991
| Day | Prank |
|---|---|
| September 2nd | To make a gooey experament |
| October 9th | To carve a pumpkin |
| November 4th | To slice a pie |
| December 16th | To eat a candy cane |
1994
- This year saw a new logo. Also, the set was enhanced into an all-blue set.
| Day | Prank |
|---|---|
| September 5th | To touch the 1994–1995 YTV wordmark |
| October 5th | To make a cutout short |
| November 9th | To text an SMS |
| December 12th | To put a wreath on the wall |
1999
- This year saw the introduction of a subway stage.
| Day | Prank |
|---|---|
| September 1st | To write "Day of Firsts" on the ceiling |
| October 9th | To make a moon made out of tin foil |
| November 7th | To put whipped cream on pie |
| December 25th | To tell that its Christmas Day |
2002
- This year got an updated logo along with an updated subway stage.
| Day | Prank |
|---|---|
| September 5th | To buy a Christmas tree |
| October 17th | To tell that it's Halloweenie |
| November 23rd | To play Operation |
| December 5th | To run a course |
2007
- The subway stage is replaced with a new set.
| Day | Prank |
|---|---|
| September 7th | To make a card reading "We miss you, Sugar!!!" |
| October 1st | To make pumpkins out of construction paper |
| November 12th | To throw trash on the set |
| December 14th | To make a Christmas tree made out of cardboard |
2010
- The set was completely redesigned as a space station-like set.
| Day | Prank |
|---|---|
| September 22nd | To make green slime with googly eyes |
| October 31st | To make a witch flying by on a broom |
| November 17th | To see Raffi in Broadway |
| December 31st | To celebrate New Years Eve |
2013
- This year has an all-new logo and the space station-like set was changing its color from multicolor to green.
| Day | Prank |
|---|---|
| September 28th | To light up a neon sign reading "THE ZONE WEEKEND IS COMING!" |
| October 24th | To make Peter Griffin on the drawing board |
| November 15th | To make a sign reading "Ǐ ŁǪVË ỸǑŨ!" |
| December 9th | To say that it's Christmas in July |
2019
- This year saw Action's relaunch as Adult Swim.
| Day | Prank |
|---|---|
| April 1st | To get Spencer Litzinger slimed |
Set Changes
When The Zone began as a regular block on September 2, 1991 we a multicolored living room with abstract shapes and a map of Canada.
Sometime in 1994, the set was changed to a more-common, all blue set with graffities and eyeballs. In this set, you can see the red lizard with the 1991–1994 YTV wordmark. In 1995, Snit was added.
In 1999, it was changed to a subway train set that featured a TV set and Metro print ads-styled block bumpers of The Zone. There is also an orange checkerboard floor.
Sometime in 2002 or something, by the end of Sugar run, the set was changed to match YTV's 2002 look. The set was redesigned to feature a new logo of The Zone. There is also a silver fan.
In 2007, after Sugar left, the subway train set from 1999 to 2007 was gone, so the set was redesigned as a center stage with liquid stuff on it, and featuring the block's logo in the middle of the floor. There were also HDTVs that were standing through the set. The walls also gained a green color scheme.
In 2010 or something, the set was simplified, the set now has lights under it and the words The Zone are put back. The walls are now glowing purple, sometimes other colors for certain occasions. The TVs are now put to the shelf again. In 2013, the entire set gained a green color scheme.
Logo changes
On September 2, 1991, TBA.
In 1994, a circle background was used with a blue eyeball. Then it featured upcoming clips from the block's old shows. Then, it turns into a purple background with the red word "ZONE", followed by PJ Phil's entrance.
In 1996, TBA.
In 1999, a swirly yellow background was used with the green word "ZONE" and the word "The" on top of "ZONE". Then the Photonic YTV logo appears below the logo.
In 2002, the logo was updated with a redesigned background and a purple outline on the entire logo. The YTV logo below was removed.
In 2003, the same intro was used, except to show the upcoming clips, a small black glowing TV set was used.
In 2004, a wavy ray background was used as the words "The" and "ZONE" dropped down at once. The same small black glowing TV set was used for upcoming clips.
In 2005, the TV set only glowed when it zoomed in. When it showed the block's clip, it was normal.
In 2006, the TV set's screen became wider.
In 2007, a new CGI logo was created with a new look, and a CGI version of the logo. This new look featured purple and green liquid stuff, and black zigzag shapes with past clips from the Snit era. Also, the TV set sparkled, its hue became lighter and the screen was more stretched. When alternating videos, the screen turned white at times.
In 2008, the purple eyeballs flying were added to the green background.
In 2011, the background screen was changed to purple and green. Also, past clips from the Snit era was eliminated and replaced with squares.
In 2013, The Zone underwent a format logo and brand refresh, with a new green logo with a black eyeball instead of a purple one.
Opening spiels
The Zone Debut Spiel: Today in The Zone, you might see your brother working on lily pads. Your sister dancing! Your carpet man flooring! And your dad cleaning your car! You're in The Zone! And now, here's the star of the show, PJ Phil!
1991–1994 Spiel: (insert upcoming clips [from the block's old shows], followed by the theme of The Zone being played with upcoming clips being shown, and then up until 1993, a scene of high school teens doing foolish activity in Grade 10, and they see The Zone on a TV screen. (Each episode begins with actors seeing The Zone on their TV on any locations followed by a spotlight revealing a stage appearing on a wall made with cloth and the camera pans to the right through the wall, or zooming through the TV screen. No skits are shown in 1993.) Ladies and gentlemen, PJ PHIL!
1994–1999 spiel: You've entered The Zone, and you're here to be in the vandalism room, and we'll try to make sure you be on your behavior. Cause now, you're on The Zone. Ladies and gentlemen, PJ PHIL!
1999–2003 spiel: Hey, The Zone is on! (insert name of clip here) Today, on The Zone! (insert description of upcoming clips), only on The Zone! And now, (insert funny comment here)...
- Giancarlo Caltabiano! (1999–2001)
- (It's) Sugar Beard! And, (insert funny comment here), Giancarlo Caltabiano!
- Sugar Beard and Carlos Bustamante! (2001–2003)
2003–2007 spiel: Previously on The Zone: (insert upcoming clips from the block's 2000s and 2010s shows) Today in The Zone! (insert description of upcoming clips). We're The Zone! And now, here they are, (insert funny comment here), Sugar and Carlos!
2007–2012 spiel: Previously in The Zone: (insert upcoming clips from the block's same 2000s and 2010s shows) This afternoon, in The Zone! (insert description of upcoming clips). You are in The Zone! And now, here he is, (insert funny comment here), (it's) Carlos Bustamante!
2012–2018 spiel: When you come to The Zone, here's a sneak peek of shows we aired previously. (insert upcoming clips from the block's 2010s shows) Welcome to The Zone! And now, he is the host of our show, Carlos Bustamante!
2018–present spiel: It's The Zone! Direct from Toronto, the block of afternoon daily! And you've got The Zone! And now, here they are, the host of the block, Spencer Litzinger, Tyra Sweet, and Alex Wierzbicki!
Slogans
"So until next time, if you always do some things, keep the cameras rolling. We'll see you next week." (1991–1994)
"Uh oh, gotta go, good night." (PJ Phil's last day on The Zone only)
"Remember, here at The Zone, (insert funny comment). This is us signing off. Good night." (1999–2002)
"Congratulations to YTV. We hope you all enjoyed watching The Zone. Please be sure to check back next time for more fun and updates. Give a slice, give a life. I'm Carlos, and I'm Sugar. Good night." (2003–2007)
"That's it for The Zone, and we will be back next time with more updates, and fun, so you can just relax forever. And remember..." (2007–present)
- "If you want to see more shows, log on to ytv.com, keyword: The Zone." (2007–2010)
- "..in this update if you send us a video, and it airs on the daily show, we'll send you skull shirt." (2010–present)
"If you get it on tape, you get it in cash. Good night everybody." (2007–2010)
"So upload to us. Get rich, get famous. Good night everybody." (2010–2018)
"So if you don't get it in tape, you got to be in cash. Good night everybody." (2018–present)
Current schedule
The schedule for The Zone is:
- Grojband - Weekdays at 3:00 p.m., 3:30 p.m., 4:00 p.m., and 4:30 p.m.
- It's Pony - Weekdays at 5:00 p.m. and 5:30 p.m.
The Zone Weekend schedule
Saturday (as of 2020)
- SpongeBob SquarePants - Saturdays at 7:00 a.m., 7:30 a.m., 8:30 a.m., 9:00 a.m., and 9:30 a.m.
- Ollie's Pack - Saturdays at 8:00 a.m.
- The Loud House - Saturdays at 10:30 a.m.
- The Casagrandes - Saturdays at 11:00 a.m.
- Lego City Adventures -- Saturdays at 11:30 a.m. and 11:45 a.m.
