Richard Sandomir reviews the technology that makes Phineas J. Whoopee’s idea a reality.

Tennessee and Chumley regularly escaped from the zoo, only to find trouble in the outside world. When faced with more trouble than they could bear, the pair would turn to their friend, a college professor named Phineas J. Whoopee (voiced by Larry Storch), the “Man with All the Answers”. Mr. Whoopee, as he was known, was extremely knowledgeable on all subjects, and would frequently lecture the pair on such diverse topics as the physics behind the hot air balloon, to how musicians become popular. His lectures were illustrated and animated on the Three Dimensional Blackboard (3DBB for short), that he would retrieve out of an avalanche of junk from his overstuffed hallway closet. Other times the pair would have to overcome a personal problem, such as Chumley requiring treatment for a toothache but expressing his fear of the dentist (a common fear in many children). Mr. Whoopee used his blackboard to explain the history of dental science and how dental students must undergo much training to be very skilled with teeth. After Chumley overcame his fears and realized the dentist is his friend, Tennessee makes a suggestion that perhaps the duo should study dentistry, which a woman overhears them to be doctors and conscripts them into extra work, causing Tennessee to remark he ought to keep comments to himself. At the end of each lecture, Tennessee praised his mentor with the line, “Phineas J. Whoopee, you’re the greatest!”