The History of Encyclopedia Brown: The Iconic Children's Book Series

Рет қаралды 67,315

Жыл бұрын

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Join us as we explore the history of Encyclopedia Brown, the beloved children's book series written by Donald J. Sobol. From its humble beginnings in the 1960s, to its lasting impact on generations of young readers, we delve into the world of Encyclopedia Brown and his sidekick Sally Kimball. With clever mysteries and brain-teasing puzzles, these books have captured the hearts and minds of readers for decades.
Along the way there were lawsuits possibly keeping Encyclopedia Brown from becoming a more recognized property and an HBO TV series that was mysteriously cut short.
And its influence on modern media in the form of movies like Mystery Team and The Kid Detective
SOURCES:
Craft Services podcast episode: podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast...
crimereads.com/encyclopedia-b...
www.theatlantic.com/entertain...
www.mentalfloss.com/article/7...
lawprofessors.typepad.com/evi...
www.nytimes.com/2005/10/22/mo...
www.vulture.com/2012/07/encyc...
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Пікірлер: 507

@scottskene8387 Жыл бұрын

Encyclopedia Brown inspired 10-year-old me to open my own detective agency. My cases were mainly about missing tv remotes.

@Michael-bk5nz Жыл бұрын

Was every case solved by asking “did you look under the couch?”

@glennwelsh9784 Жыл бұрын

You had more cases than mine did. I ran a kid detective agency out of the front porch of my house, but no one ever came to me to solve the mystery of their missing remote. I had a magnifying glass, which I guess was pretty sweet. It had a pen inside the handle so I could write down clues.

@Negatory5 Жыл бұрын

Same here. I got a sign and some business cards for Christmas one year. I still have them somewhere.

@fireflare260 Жыл бұрын

Man, my detective agency at least solved a stolen bike case. We didn't follow throw on reporting it to the owner, because we were scared of the adult who stole the bike.

@karldomogalla2058 Жыл бұрын

Three or four years ago, I got an ‘Encyclopedia Brown’ book from the library, and I can’t express the level of despair I felt being in my 30’s and still not being able to solve the mysteries.

@fr.jeremiahcaughran6191 Жыл бұрын

Truth! I’m in my forties and they frustrate me 😂

@Michael-bk5nz Жыл бұрын

This is because the “solutions” are usually idiotic and counter intuitive

@castironchaos Жыл бұрын

@@Michael-bk5nz actually, I remember the solutions as very logical, such as encyclopedia brown, looking at a $20 bill with a magnifying glass, and seeing it was fake, because it did not have red and blue fibers in the paper. Or proving that Bugs Meany stole a hunk of valuable ambergris, because Bugs claimed he found it on the bottom of the ocean floor at the beach. Ambergris floats in water.

@darthpaul99 Жыл бұрын

@@Michael-bk5nz Yes, I remember enjoying the books, but often seeing the solutions and thinking, wow that was stupid! 😂

@Michael-bk5nz Жыл бұрын

@@darthpaul99 the dumbest one claims that it is impossible to put your left hand into your right pocket while running, while this is indeed difficult it is far from impossible, and sometimes I do it just to remind myself how wrong it is

@seancallaway5204 Жыл бұрын

LOVED Encyclopedia Brown as a kid. Still remember the story where he caught some kid in a lie when he said he saw pigs look up at a plane overhead, but pigs can't look up. 😅

@TitularHeroine Жыл бұрын

Still think about the stolen garlic bread and the bullies chewing parsley😂

@BenDaresAll Жыл бұрын

I remember that! A kid was trying to get into an animal club (for a pass for a show or something) so the members asked him animal related questions. There were ... four questions and Encyclopedia Brown noticed four mistakes the kid said about animals.

@seancallaway5204 Жыл бұрын

@@BenDaresAll I think that might have been a different book. As I recall, the story the kid told about seeing pigs looking up was part of his alibi, which EB busted. Then again, I haven't read any of the books in almost 40 years. 🤪

@SolitaryWolf Жыл бұрын

I was addicted to these in the 70's. Always looked forward to the next one to arrive from my Scholastic book orders in school.

@Mark.G475 Жыл бұрын

Me too, loved the Scholastic book orders.

@Ideo7Z Жыл бұрын

Same

@TheProfessorTolkien Жыл бұрын

Book series like Encyclopedia Brown, The Great Brain, Wayside School, and Choose Your Own Adventure were a huge part of my childhood. I’m glad you are finally covering some of these on the channel.

@StevenMatthewsTFI Жыл бұрын

Sideways stories from Wayside school. I remember one of the stories in that book, or maybe the follow-up if there was one, where one of the kids had to decide which tattoo he wanted to get, because his parents were going to get him one. Everyone in the class had all these ideas, and the next day he showed up with the tattoo of a potato. I think one of the floors in the school was missing or haunted or something too.

@toyotter Жыл бұрын

The Great Brain! Also McGurk mysteries!

@texasbeast239 Жыл бұрын

Zork. And the D&D choose your own adventures.

@floridaman5125 Жыл бұрын

@Pumpkin Spice what a walk down memory lane, I loved them too!

@geekdetritus5503 Жыл бұрын

@@StevenMatthewsTFI The 19th Floor was missing. 😄 I loved those books! 📚

@liljenborg2517 Жыл бұрын

If there is one TV series that owes it's existence to Encyclopedia Brown, it's Psych.

@SuperCosmicMutantSquid 11 ай бұрын

Being a massive Psych fan, this makes the show even more hilarious. "What if Encyclopedia Brown just became an immature asshole but still was smart enough to solve crimes but not know how a cable bill works?"

@StevenMatthewsTFI Жыл бұрын

I think I read all the Encyclopedia Brown books when I was a kid. Those books taught me an eye for detail that I don't think I ever would have had without them. Also, the civil war sword was a fake.

@mrgreatbigmoose Жыл бұрын

But how did Encyclopedia know???

@StevenMatthewsTFI Жыл бұрын

@@mrgreatbigmoose if memory serves, the sword was a gift from one General to another. It had an inscription on it, referring specifically to the "first" battle of Bull run. The inscription had a date which was before the Second Battle of Bull run. Encyclopedia deduced that since the Second Battle had not taken place when the sword was inscribed, there would have been no logical reason to label it the "first" battle of Bull Run, so it was a fake.

@TheGolux Жыл бұрын

@@StevenMatthewsTFI Can confirm this, I remember that one too.

@StevenMatthewsTFI Жыл бұрын

@@TheGolux word. thanks yo.

@orcsmash9 Жыл бұрын

One of the things Encyclopedia Brown taught me was how to read backwards looking for an answer to the mystery.

@TA3DArtist Жыл бұрын

I loved Encyclopedia Brown as a kid. Fun books.

@mrf19741 Жыл бұрын

I loved reading the Encyclopedia Brown series as a kid growing up in the 80's. I was hooked as soon as I finished the first book my Mother gave me.

@mooncaketin Жыл бұрын

Read all of the "Encylopedia Brown" and "Danny Dunn" books in my elementary school library back in the day. I didn't realize how much pop cultural relevance "Encylopedia Brown" had, at least to my generation, until I read the script for "Pulp Fiction". There was a deleted scene where Mia videotaped Vincent before their "date" and conducted a mock interview. When she asked him if he ever fantasized about being beat up by a woman, he admitted he imagined being beat up by Sally Kimball 😄

@originaluddite Жыл бұрын

I was surprised that Encyclopedia Brown _only_ started in 1963. I was sure it was older. Then I saw your mention of Danny Dunn and turns out I conflated the two series (the latter having been started in 1956). Thanks for knocking my memory into gear. I can easily imagine someone like Sally Kimball. The girls at my school (presumably at all schools) got a growth spurt around that age and were initially bigger than the boys. Some of them made sure the boys knew it too. You would hope they were on your side. :)

@saiberunato Жыл бұрын

Egads, you remind me of... me!

@Currentlyprocrastinating37 Жыл бұрын

I shipped Encyclopedia with Sally before I knew what shipping even was.

@TrueYellowDart Жыл бұрын

While I almost never solved the mystery, I started to learn how think around corners and scrutinize the info the author was presenting thanks to the early books. THIS IS…EDUTAINMENT!

@Gappasaurus Жыл бұрын

Definitely read a bunch of Encyclopedia Brown as a kid, but then my older brothers got me into The Three Investigators and i was hooked 😄

@upstartfilmworks Жыл бұрын

Coming here to say the same! I always wanted a trailer home base hidden in a junkyard!

@MarquisdeL3 Жыл бұрын

I loved The Three Investigators so much! And as a kid growing up in the country, I could deeply sympathize with the books where they had to deal with limits on their transportation options.

@Gappasaurus Жыл бұрын

@@MarquisdeL3 Lol, right? I always had mixed feelings about the gold-plated Rolls-Royce, it was cool on some levels but way over the top in others 😄 I did like Worthington tho.

@neosquirrel Жыл бұрын

Every single book I came across in my school library or any other library I snatched up. I was enamored by Sobol’s ability to offer interactive mysteries. The illistrations were also largely timeless (vehicles not withstanding) and gave that Mayberry kind of good time feel I loved watching Andy Griffith as a kid. The series also set a precedent for me with film or tv mysteries: I want to be able to follow the clues along with the investigators to see if I can figure out how to solve the case. When crucial details are left out it leaves a sour taste in my mouth that I couldn’t possibly have known how or who the crime could be pinned on. (Case in point the newly released “See How They Run” with Saorise Ronan and Sam Rockwell don’t reveal the crucial clues until about 3 minutes before the case is solved, leaving the audience to try and connect everything while the story is still happening to literally race to the conclusion.) I collect the original print books now if I find them in book sales and I appreciated that Sally wasn’t just a pretty face, that she could intimidate Bugs or anyone else in the search for truth was refreshing; no damsel in distress there!

@scottsmartky Жыл бұрын

I read every single Hardy Boys, Nancy Drew, and Encylopedia Brown books our public library had in the early 80s. I can still see the shelf with all of them on it, and that library hasn't been there in at least 20 years (moved to a new building). I am still mad that the hedge fund that really doesn't want The CW bought the network and canceled pretty much every single good show they had.

@michaelleary9233 Жыл бұрын

Same here, our old library was in such need of repair the city cancelled the lease and just started a small one in the administration building. It just isn't the same as reading in that spooky old building during a summer thunderstorm.

@jfernsten Жыл бұрын

My first (and most cherished) foray into a 2 minute mystery format was "The Bloodhound Gang" which was part of 3-2-1 Contact. What hooked me on that was the incorporation of science, instead of relying on rote memorization. How else would I have ever learned that the image from a pinhole camera is inverted, and why?

@ryanspengler4877 Жыл бұрын

The HBO theme is already in my head. I started my own damn nine-year-old detective agency in the garage thanks to these books. Found the dog, 🐕, mom...

@raym1477 Жыл бұрын

I grew up reading the books, and I would love there to be a new tv show to remind people about the books and character.

@TrueYellowDart Жыл бұрын

Heck yeah. Modernize it some to incorporate using the internet, but focus on things like being curious, paying attention to your environment, and helping others - you’ve some yourself an edutainment stew, baby!

@TitularHeroine Жыл бұрын

@@TrueYellowDart Hell ya! Encyclopedia Brown vs Edutainment Stu! ....sorry!😃 Great idea for real tho. Loved those books

@gezeo750 Жыл бұрын

I never read them all, but I used to LOVE these books when I was a kid. I'd check them out of my school's library. I never could solve the mysteries, and always had to look up the answers.

@doubledown0411 Жыл бұрын

Fun fact: On the HBO show Entourage, Penny Marshall was producing an Encyclopedia Brown movie franchise. Ari convinces her to cast a kid actor he doesn't like because the kid moved across the street and Ari's daughter had a crush on him.

@brettremsberg2247 Жыл бұрын

Came here to post the same thing.

@eelliott74 Жыл бұрын

I read every book I could find in the library. They even had a Book of Facts. I tried reading them to my own kids but now they seem very outdated.

@redbyrd64 Жыл бұрын

As a child I read quite a few Encyclopedia Brown stories. I had forgotten about him until I saw this video

@chrisconnors7418 Жыл бұрын

I started EB in early 70s in grade four. Reread them many times to learn his detective tricks and ways to ask questions. When my bike was stolen I didn’t say a word to anyone because I wanted to see if someone would approach me and ask about my bike (bikes were a big deal in our town back then…nearly all the kids had them). In the afternoon a kid said, I heard your bike was stolen. He said he heard that from other kids. I knew he was lying because no one knew, not even my close friends. I was pretty proud of that bit of “detective” work on my part. Think I was 10 at the time because the bike was a birthday gift (my first brand new bike, not a hand-me-down) for a special birthday number (ie first double-digit age). I still have fond recollections of that series (Danny Dunn was another), and still remember some of the tricks Brown used (introducing a kid as Al to Bugs; when Bugs later used Al’s (Alphonse?) full name, Brown knew Bugs had lied when he said he’d never met Al).

@wstine79 Жыл бұрын

Dan Larson is the Encyclopedia Brown of the Toy Field.

@tridoc99 Жыл бұрын

I am a child of the 80s and I loved Encyclopedia Brown books. I read everything that had been put out at the time.

@deadpan80 Жыл бұрын

Encyclopedia Brown was the shit in my day. Hard to get them from my school library. Always taken out by someone else

@crabbieappleton Жыл бұрын

Always loved how Bugs Meany just confessed and gave up when caught in a lie. If only all bullies were so easily defeated by logic. And the threat of Sally Kimball.

@bradleslie2619 Жыл бұрын

I loved these books and The Three Investigators series as a kid.

@JOFOTV Жыл бұрын

💯

@darktoylord Жыл бұрын

Never read the books but I remember seeing the first episode of the show on HBO. At the time I didn't know what a time capsule was so I was super disappointed to find out there was no time travel in the show 😆

@tokenstandpoint93 Жыл бұрын

I loved Encyclopedia Brown! I didn't know he had a TV show!

@Jumbleman5 Жыл бұрын

I never read the series since I was more of a Nate the Great kid. Thank you for the video, since I had always known the name Encyclopedia Brown but never knew anything about the series.

@KMNixon Жыл бұрын

I read and enjoyed Encyclopedia Brown then graduated into The Three Investigators novels. All were great books.

@outletpro Жыл бұрын

I watched the HBO episodes as a kid and that's actually what got me to read the books. Hell, it showed me that I enjoyed reading compared to the books my school made me read. I got a bunch of stars for Book It because of these books.

@williamcrowe2576 Жыл бұрын

That's a book series I vaguely remember. In fact, the only other young detectives I grew up with were Mystery Inc, Clue Club, and the Edison Twins.

@BigEpinstriping Жыл бұрын

I remember the Edison Twins...

@MJ-to4mc 6 ай бұрын

😊😊😊😊

@saiberunato Жыл бұрын

As a little kid, my favorite book series. Was a joy to read.

@robinmichel9048 Жыл бұрын

My 4th grade teacher would award stars for doing well in class. Once you had a few stars saved up, you could pick an item from her "treasure chest." I always saved and saved so I could get an Encyclopedia Brown book from the chest. I could not believe the other kids didn't want them. A whole book! And I loved Encyclopedia Brown. It's where my love of mysteries got started.

@walterwhitejr.445 Жыл бұрын

I was part of a generation blessed with some exceptional kid's series: Encyclopedia Brown, The Mad Scientist's Club, The Three Investigators, Danny Dunn... loved 'em all, still re-read them now and again. Oddly, I never cared as much for the Hardy Boys or Nancy Drew. I always saw "Encyclopedia Brown" as a short-story kid's version of Ellery Queen mysteries - where, at some point in the book, Ellery would break the fourth cover and talk to you directly for a page or two about what you know so far, challenging you to solve it before reading on. The TV show copied this well, and was well-produced - but to have to solve it in one commercial break wasn't easy. The concept would do better now where people can hit pause, or come back to it later.

@joshuabekel9700 Жыл бұрын

I LOVED Encyclopedia Brown as a kid.

@LeoLewis Жыл бұрын

The Kid Detective is a great movie. I was a huge Encyclopedia Brown fan as a kid and the movie just really struck me. Definitely worth a watch and go in spoiler free.

@Belgand Жыл бұрын

Dicktown has basically the same premise. John Hodgman is perfect as an adult version of a Brown-like character who never quite moved on and still solves mysteries for teenagers.

@blahlbinoa Жыл бұрын

I read a few of these books in school when they where assigned reading. Just like Dan said, I don't really have any nostalgic reminiscing about it thinking about it. Would be cool to see a show about it, could be an awesome netflix series if done right.

@macsnafu Жыл бұрын

What's interesting about the books is there is a bit of formula to the stories presented. The first story is always a mystery Leroy's father brings home for him to solve at the dinner table. The second story is always about the detective agency he runs out of the garage and introduces Sally as his partner. The third story, IIRC, is always a story where Bugs tries to get Encyclopedia in trouble in some way. After that, the stories don't follow any particular pattern that I've noticed, but maybe I missed something, just like I missed the HBO TV show. And if there's no big budget production in the works, maybe a small budget or even fan production could be done on the internet somewhere. Encyclopedia Brown doesn't need any special effects, and might only need to remove references to newer technologies such as smart phones and such. Given enough time, it might be a historical production deliberately set in the 1960s or 70s, kind of like Stranger Things.

@jamesfrancis7464 Жыл бұрын

I’m almost 50. I was obsessed with Encyclopedia Brown books when I was a kid. I still have most of my original hardbacks with illustrations by Leonard Shortall.

@Welshbot Жыл бұрын

Dan creates a perfect heartshape with that thing at 0:55

@texasbeast239 Жыл бұрын

My grandmother had a set of the books that she encouraged us grandkids to enjoy whenever we visited her house. I loved them. But over time, other grandkids either stole or seriously damaged a bunch of the individual books, and it just wasn't much fun to keep reading the same simple stories that were left.

@ZorValachan Жыл бұрын

Out of all the "kid detective" books I was exposed to in the 1980s, The Three Investigators (between Encyclopedia Brown and the hardy Boys in age) were my favorite

@pyrusaer Жыл бұрын

I remember playing these audio tapes /games in the elementary school library. The theme is forever stuck in my head

@GleekNicolas Жыл бұрын

I loved this book series from the moment I found it around 9 / 10. I would come back to this series every two years at my local library and was proud of myself every time I solved a mystery without having to look at the back. Still haven’t finished the whole series because there were books missing after #11 but it is still one of my favorite series.

@cycotyk189 Жыл бұрын

God these books were such a huge part of my childhood, ty for covering this.

@HunterXWorld95 Жыл бұрын

Fun fact. Somewhere between the late 90s to early 2000s, the encyclopedia brown audiobooks were red by Jason Harris, host of the Nickelodeon Double Dare 2000 reboot.

@billsimonis Жыл бұрын

I read these books growing up in the 70s and 80s. Now I have kids of my own and have intoduced them to the books. I watched a few of the Encyclopedia Brown episodes on you tube. Its a shame they haven't released any on DVD. Or included them on HBO Max.

@IronChuck Жыл бұрын

Wow... I don't think I've thought of Encyclopedia Brown in some four decades. I loved them so much as a kid.

@TitularHeroine Жыл бұрын

I was recently talking with different friends in unconnected conversations about these books! As well as the mystery series you mention, and The Girl With the Silver Eyes, and the Danny Dunn series. Those are some fantastic young reader sci fi if you'd care to look! Thanks always and stay safe Edit: stoopid auto-correct robot throwing fits. Fixed typos

@HarryBuddhaPalm Жыл бұрын

"The Kid Detective" is one of the best movies I've seen in years. I highly recommend it.

@ebony1442 Жыл бұрын

I read both the Encyclopedia Brown and the Two-Minute Mysteries in my youth. In addition to the more mainstream media, the Encyclopedia Brown mysteries were printed in "Boy's Life" (now "Scout's Life"), the monthly magazine for the Boy Scouts of America, during the 80s.

@sailoritaly Жыл бұрын

Oooh that reminds me! You think you could do an episode on the Fudge books? They got a short lived tv show in the 90s

@mechaotaku394 Жыл бұрын

Loved this series when I was growing up.

@BillDoughty Жыл бұрын

I was a huge Encyclopedia Brown fan as a kid. Loved the books, was lukewarm on the TV series... I liked the Savage Steve Holland quirkiness, but they tried to make Encyclopedia too cool. I would love to be able to read more than just the few examples of the comic strip that are online. There were two small collections put out to match the look of the books in the early 80s, but they are NOWHERE to be found anymore, not even on used book sites.

@st.anselmsfire3547 Жыл бұрын

I remember one where the solution was palindromes, because the kids who did something bad were named Anna and Bob. It was amazing. The whole thing was so contrived but I loved it anyway because I was ten.

@BenDaresAll Жыл бұрын

That was a crazy mystery! The crime was a broken globe and the kid snitch answered a test with five answers like 'level'. It clued Encyclopedia that the vandals had palindromes for names. But while Anna was written on the class list, Bob is written as Robert.

@aaronorenstein5963 Жыл бұрын

Neat choice for a subject. I remember reading a couple of the books as a kid, and years later when I got into the show "Leverage", I was watching the episode where the team goes undercover at a murder mystery costume party, and Hardison's costume? Encyclopedia Brown! (Also featured a nice in-joke where Timothy Hutton's character is dressed as Ellery Queen, a role his father Jim Hutton was known for.)

@ProfNight Жыл бұрын

My wife loved these books. Thanks for covering this.

@andrewcarter803 Жыл бұрын

Encyclopedia Brown was a big part of my early reading. It, Hardy Boys, The Big Brain and heroic dog books like Big Red were my graduation from Dr. Seuss and The Bernstein Bears. I eventually when to fantasy and sci-fi but I always had fond memories of these series Let's hope someone picks up the baton and starts running with this series again.

@Tonia682 Жыл бұрын

I absolutely loved these books as a kid! I’d forgotten about this series.

@ErrinT80 Жыл бұрын

We had to watch the Encyclopedia Brown HBO show in 4th and 5th grade Homeroom, the theme was utterly awesome.

@freddyvidz Жыл бұрын

I wish the show was on HBO Max

@NevTheDeranged Жыл бұрын

Oh dang, I loved Encyclopedia Brown as a kid. And Hardy Boys, and Nancy Drew, and Three Investigators, and Boxcar Children, and... there was one other kids-solve-mysteries series with a boy and girl team, and the boy always drew a sketch that helped you solve the mystery, but I don't remember what that one was called. At least a few of them printed the answers backwards, you were supposed to hold them up to a mirror to read them, but I just taught myself to read backwards. That's come in handy once or twice.

@floridaman5125 Жыл бұрын

Boxcar children!

@Dan4CW 2 ай бұрын

The boy and girl team where the boy always drew a sketch that helped you solve the mystery might have been the "Amy Adams and Hawkeye Collins "can you solve the mystery series. Quite popular, and went into a 2nd edition in the early 2000s.

@NevTheDeranged 2 ай бұрын

@@Dan4CW yeah! That's the one. Good stuff.

@AnEpicNguyen Жыл бұрын

The explanation of what an encyclopedia was broke my creaking bones 😵‍💫

@chrisgenson2278 Жыл бұрын

Who didn't love Encyclopedia Brown!? My elementary school used to sell books to kids by way of take-home fliers. Very good deals. I was always allowed to buy a few. One other mystery series I remember is the Brains Benton series. They were full novels. I didn't get to read all of them (I think there were only 6), but they were full books, not short stories.

@dendostar5436 Жыл бұрын

Lol I’m 40 and FINALLY learning about Encyclopedia Brown!

@VictorHernandez-nj2lo Жыл бұрын

Back in Early 2000, I was in an after school program. While waiting for the remainder of the students to get picked up at the end of the day, my school would show cassette tapes of Encyclopedia Brown

@nicksavia3581 Жыл бұрын

Thank you for this! More so than any video you have done, this was my childhood. I'm going to cry now

@christiancsq Жыл бұрын

This holds a special place within my heart

@jim073 Жыл бұрын

Your book reviews are top notch! Keep them coming. I love books from this era. This channel has some great book reviews!

@johnandrewliem Жыл бұрын

as an early 2000s kid I had no idea this exist at all, so true no nostalgia connection whatsoever with this one

@mflorer1 Жыл бұрын

I read these all the time as a kid. Was pleasantly surprised to see you doing a video about it. Never knew anyone else who read them back then.

@michaelk8860 Жыл бұрын

I agree - learning Savage Steve Holland directed the episodes along with two of the greatest John Cusack movies ever is really neat to know!

@AdolphisMalomar Жыл бұрын

8:04 I believe that's Billy West doing the voice over in the commercial. I met him once, funny dude, great guy. Also, I read so many of these books as a kid, damn Scholastic Book Fair!

@xcar0982 Жыл бұрын

Agree, I just bought Anne Miller's "Mickey and the animal spies", a book that includes codes that you, the reader, must solve, or just jump to the next page.

@Justin-ug2uc Жыл бұрын

I have never heard of Encyclopedia Brown before this video. And I live in Florida where these stories take place.

@Daminite Жыл бұрын

I don't usually laugh at cutaway gags but the timing of the vomit ones were perfect.

@BigEpinstriping Жыл бұрын

My best friend introduced me to the books as a kid, lots of fond memories.

@CommanderCronus Жыл бұрын

Encyclopedia Brown and The Three Investigators helped me learn how to read when I was a kid.

@michaelleary9233 Жыл бұрын

Me too, my mom loved Sherlock Holmes books, and I thought I was reading them too since he was The Three Investigators mentor.

@OperativeD Жыл бұрын

I was a huge fan of the HBO show. Pretty sure I still have the pilot on VHS somewhere. When I got nostalgic for it awhile back, wondering if I was the only person who remembered it at all, I was sad to learn that the star Scott Bremner died in 1998 in a car crash.

@CosmicHarmony78 Жыл бұрын

I too was a huge fan of the HBO show as it was a big part of my childhood…a few years ago I searched out some of the episodes for nostalgia and yeah it crushed me when I found out Scott died as I always wondered what happened to him and what he did after the show.

@sandrafaith Жыл бұрын

I'm pretty sure my love of mystery books started with Encyclopedia Brown (I'm sure my parents spent a small fortune at the Scholastic Book Fair). Love hearing this backstory!

@SaturmornCarvilli Жыл бұрын

This video seemed to really end on a truthful, but somber note. As a kid, I knew of Encyclopedia Brown. And I am pretty sure I read at least one of the books. However, while I like the idea of mystery books and short stories; I can't say I am that great at solving them. Still, it's kinda sad a character, such as EB, that was a household name in my generation is likely to fade away, perhaps within my lifetime.

@threeer02 Жыл бұрын

Such a huge part of my childhood! Went to the library on base often to check out Encyclopedia Brown books!

@Atalas5 Жыл бұрын

I did not know there were more than the books. But I fondly remember these books. It's a shame how it was effectively stifled, and had all but forgotten about it until this video.

@henrikharbin5521 Жыл бұрын

I read almost all of them as a kid in the 70s. I'm convinced they helped me to boost my brain power.

@anyaabusable9888 Жыл бұрын

I adored this series as a kid. I got a new box set every Christmas and I must have read each cover to cover dozens of times.

@SaturdayAdventures Жыл бұрын

Elementary school in the mid-80's, my teachers and librarians would read these in class. I don't think I had any, but I definitely read them in the school library.

@jeffhorne2501 Жыл бұрын

Loved reading Encyclopedia Brown as a kid. Has directly lead to my love for mysteries to this day! 🙂

@jamesbrooks5391 Жыл бұрын

I know absolutely nothing about this character or series. BUT…I loved the 2 Minute Mysteries books! Read them all the time. I had no idea it was the same author.

@ChanningKing Жыл бұрын

Have to credit both Encyclopedia Brown and The Three Investigators series with hooking me on mysteries when I was a kid. “Kid Detective” sounds like it also owes a tip of the hat to an Onion article from 2003: “Idaville Detective 'Encyclopedia' Brown Found Dead In Library Dumpster”

@HarryBuddhaPalm Жыл бұрын

I don't know about that, but it's a really good movie.

@glennwelsh9784 Жыл бұрын

I do remember the Encyclopedia Brown show on HBO. I always wanted to watch but would always forget what time it aired, so I never got to see many episodes before it got canceled. Plus, it was on HBO, so my parents didn't want me watching HBO and accidentally see some R-rated movie lewdness if I were to flip on the channel without their supervision. There was also Ghost Writer (or is it one word - "Ghostwriter"?) about a team of teen detectives solving neighborhood mysteries with the help of a ghost who could only communicate by rearranging written words. I remember getting into that show a lot, having my own pen on a lanyard and detective journal to write down clues, just like the kids on the show.

@kevinmahernz Жыл бұрын

Thank you for this history of Encyclopaedia Brown, plus a brief history of the Hardy Boys and Nancy Drew, all of which I've heard of but never read any of their books (at least I don't think I have). Also wasn't aware that there were mystery books prior to Sherlock Holmes, so thank you for that bonus factoid! Keep up the great works youre creating!

@freddyvidz Жыл бұрын

MY ABSOLUTE FAVORITE!!!

@GeneSimmonsBoots Жыл бұрын

I loved Encyclopedia Brown and The Hardy Boys growing up. I never knew anything about the Brown series other than how fun they were to read. I didn't even know there was a newspaper strip or show. What a great, informative episode!

@mightyfilm Жыл бұрын

Savage Steve Holland was also one of the two creative minds behind 90's Saturday Morning standby Eek! the Cat and was also the voice of Elmo the Elk in that series.

@the_kilted_fett156 Жыл бұрын

Loved Encyclopedia Brown (and Tom Swift) in the 70's and early 80's. Between comics they were my go-to. And most volumes readily available at my local library. Guess it's time for someone to update him as Wikipedia Brown.

@MrSmmou812 Жыл бұрын

Loved these stories, and the Three Investigators when I was a child. Primed me for Nero Wolfe when I grew up.

@DarthPerkins Жыл бұрын

I just have to mention this; there was an old radio series called 'Five Minute Mysteries' which was exactly the same premise as 'Two Minute Mysteries'. Except three minutes longer.