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What in the World? was broadcast from the studios at WCAU, the Philadelphia Bulletin Radio and Television Stations, located on City and Monument Avenues in Cynwyd. Read an account written by George Dessart, producer.

Each segment of What in the World? began with an object seeming to emerge from a mysterious looking mist. Dry ice, here in a tin basin, was used to create the mist.
One camera shot the reflection of the mist in an overhead mirror while another shot the object. The shots were then superimposed.

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"Since television is primarily a visual medium, it would seem that museums represent the best possible sources of visual materials, and that their mere presentation on television would ensure that the broadcasting medium would be put in the services of the highest culture. All that would be required would be to move the television cameras into a museum, warm them up, and walk down the halls. The fallacy in this thinking is readily apparent... Television exists in confrontation... it is this sense of confrontation which is responsible for What in the World's continuing interest for an audience."
--George Dessart

Special Effects Clip
in RealVideo

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a two-headed hippo emerging from the mist
Early TV animation: the cameraman shoots while an assistant moves the magnetic black arrow on the map from behind
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photos, video + text: Museum Archives

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