text:
Solar flare

A solar flare is a relatively intense, localized emission of electromagnetic radiation in the Sun's atmosphere. Flares occur in active regions and are often, but not always, accompanied by coronal mass ejections, solar particle events, and other eruptive solar phenomena. The occurrence of solar flares varies with the 11-year solar cycle.

Solar flares are thought to occur when stored magnetic energy in the Sun's atmosphere accelerates charged particles in the surrounding plasma. This results in the emission of electromagnetic radiation across the electromagnetic spectrum.

The extreme ultraviolet and X-ray radiation from solar flares is absorbed by the daylight side of Earth's upper atmosphere, in particular the ionosphere, and does not reach the surface. This absorption can temporarily increase the ionization of the ionosphere which may interfere with short-wave radio communication. The prediction of solar flares is an active area of research.

Flares also occur on other stars, where the term stellar flare applies.

Description
Solar flares are eruptions of electromagnetic radiation originating in the Sun's atmosphere. They affect all layers of the solar atmosphere (photosphere, chromosphere, and corona). The plasma medium is heated to >107 kelvin, while electrons, protons, and heavier ions are accelerated to near the speed of light. Flares emit electromagnetic radiation across the electromagnetic spectrum, from radio waves to gamma rays.

Flares occur in active regions, often around sunspots, where intense magnetic fields penetrate the photosphere to link the corona to the solar interior. Flares are powered by the sudden (timescales of minutes to tens of minutes) release of magnetic energy stored in the corona. The same energy releases may also produce coronal mass ejections (CMEs), although the relationship between CMEs and flares is not well understood.

Associated with solar flares are flare sprays. They involve faster ejections of material than eruptive prominences, and reach velocities of 20 to 2000 kilometers per second.

Frequency
The frequency of occurrence of solar flares varies with the 11-year solar cycle. It can typically range from several per day during solar maximum to less than one every week during solar minimum. Additionally, more powerful flares are less frequent than weaker ones. For example, X10-class (severe) flares occur on average about eight times per cycle, whereas M1-class (minor) flares occur on average about 2000 times per cycle.

Erich Rieger discovered with coworkers in 1984, an approximately 154 day period in the occurrence of gamma-ray emitting solar flares at least since the solar cycle 19. The period has since been confirmed in most heliophysics data and the interplanetary magnetic field and is commonly known as the Rieger period. The period's resonance harmonics also have been reported from most data types in the heliosphere.

The frequency distributions of various flare phenomena can be characterized by power-law distributions. For example, the peak fluxes of radio, extreme ultraviolet, and hard and soft X-ray emissions; total energies; and flare durations (see ) have been found to follow power-law distributions.

Duration
The duration of a solar flare depends heavily on the wavelength of the electromagnetic radiation used in its calculation. This is due to different wavelengths being emitted through different processes and at different heights in the Sun's atmosphere.

A common measure of flare duration is the full width at half maximum (FWHM) time of soft X-ray flux within the wavelength bands 0.05 to 0.4 and measured by the GOES spacecraft in geosynchronous orbit. The FWHM time spans from when a flare's flux first reaches halfway between its maximum flux and the background flux and when it again reaches this value as the flare decays. Using this measure, the duration of a flare ranges from approximately tens of seconds to several hours with a median duration of approximately 6 and 11 minutes in the 0.05 to 0.4 and 0.1 to 0.8 nanometre bands, respectively.

Post-eruption loops and arcades
After the eruption of a solar flare, post-eruption loops made of hot plasma begin to form across the neutral line separating regions of opposite magnetic polarity near the flare's source. These loops extend from the photosphere up into the corona and form along the neutral line at increasingly greater distances from the source as time progresses. The existence of these hot loops is thought to be continued by prolonged heating present after the eruption and during the flare's decay stage.

In sufficiently powerful flares, typically of C-class or higher, the loops may combine to form an elongated arch-like structure known as a post-eruption arcade. These structures may last anywhere from multiple hours to multiple days after the initial flare. In some cases, dark sunward-traveling plasma voids known as supra-arcade downflows may form above these arcades.

Cause
Flares occur when accelerated charged particles, mainly electrons, interact with the plasma medium. Evidence suggests that the phenomenon of magnetic reconnection leads to this extreme acceleration of charged particles. On the Sun, magnetic reconnection may happen on solar arcades – a type of prominence consisting of a series of closely occurring loops following magnetic lines of force. These lines of force quickly reconnect into a lower arcade of loops leaving a helix of magnetic field unconnected to the rest of the arcade. The sudden release of energy in this reconnection is the origin of the particle acceleration. The unconnected magnetic helical field and the material that it contains may violently expand outwards forming a coronal mass ejection. This also explains why solar flares typically erupt from active regions on the Sun where magnetic fields are much stronger.

Although there is a general agreement on the source of a flare's energy, the mechanisms involved are not well understood. It is not clear how the magnetic energy is transformed into the kinetic energy of the particles, nor is it known how some particles can be accelerated to the GeV range (109 electron volt) and beyond. There are also some inconsistencies regarding the total number of accelerated particles, which sometimes seems to be greater than the total number in the coronal loop.

Soft X-ray
The modern classification system for solar flares uses the letters A, B, C, M, or X, according to the peak flux in watts per square metre (W/m2) of soft X-rays with wavelengths 0.1 to 0.8 nm, as measured by GOES satellites in geosynchronous orbit.

The strength of an event within a class is noted by a numerical suffix ranging from 1 up to, but excluding, 10, which is also the factor for that event within the class. Hence, an X2 flare is twice the strength of an X1 flare, an X3 flare is three times as powerful as an X1. M-class flares are a tenth the size of X-class flares with the same numeric suffix. An X2 is four times more powerful than an M5 flare. X-class flares with a peak flux that exceeds 10−3 W/m2 may be noted with a numerical suffix equal to or greater than 10.

This system was originally devised in 1970 and included only the letters C, M, and X. These letters were chosen to avoid confusion with other optical classification systems. The A and B classes were added in the 1990s as instruments became more sensitive to weaker flares. Around the same time, the backronym moderate for M-class flares and extreme for X-class flares began to be used.

Importance
An earlier classification system, sometimes referred to as the flare importance, was based on H-alpha spectral observations. The scheme uses both the intensity and emitting surface. The classification in intensity is qualitative, referring to the flares as: faint (f), normal (n), or brilliant (b). The emitting surface is measured in terms of millionths of the hemisphere and is described below. (The total hemisphere area AH = 15.5 × 1012 km2.) A flare is then classified taking S or a number that represents its size and a letter that represents its peak intensity, v.g.: Sn is a normal sunflare.

Duration
Solar flares can also be classified based on their duration as either impulsive or long duration events (LDE). The time threshold separating the two is not well defined. The SWPC regards events requiring 30 minutes or more to decay to half maximum as LDEs, whereas Belgium's Solar-Terrestrial Centre of Excellence regards events with duration greater than 60 minutes as LDEs.

Effects
The electromagnetic radiation emitted during a solar flare propagates away from the Sun at the speed of light with intensity inversely proportional to the square of the distance from its source region. The excess ionizing radiation, namely X-ray and extreme ultraviolet (XUV) radiation, is known to affect planetary atmospheres and is of relevance to human space exploration and the search for extraterrestrial life.

Solar flares also affect other objects in the Solar System. Research into these effects has primarily focused on the atmosphere of Mars and, to a lesser extent, that of Venus. The impacts on other planets in the Solar System are little studied in comparison. As of 2024, research on their effects on Mercury have been limited to modeling of the response of ions in the planet's magnetosphere, and their impact on Jupiter and Saturn have only been studied in the context of X-ray radiation back scattering off of the planets' upper atmospheres.

Ionosphere
Enhanced XUV irradiance during solar flares can result in increased ionization, dissociation, and heating in the ionospheres of Earth and other Earth-like planets. Excess photoionization from incident high-energy flare radiation can temporarily increase electron densities at all altitudes with the greatest changes occurring in the lower ionospheric sub-layers: Earth's dayside E and D layers and Mars's M1 layer.

On Earth, these changes to the upper atmosphere, collectively referred to as sudden ionospheric disturbances, can interfere with short-wave radio communication and global navigation satellite systems (GNSS) such as GPS, and subsequent expansion of the upper atmosphere can increase drag on satellites in low Earth orbit leading to orbital decay over time.

Radio blackouts
The temporary increase in ionization of the daylight side of Earth's atmosphere, in particular the D layer of the ionosphere, can interfere with short-wave radio communications that rely on its level of ionization for skywave propagation. Skywave, or skip, refers to the propagation of radio waves reflected or refracted off of the ionized ionosphere. When ionization is higher than normal, radio waves get degraded or completely absorbed by losing energy from the more frequent collisions with free electrons.

The level of ionization of the atmosphere correlates with the strength of the associated solar flare in soft X-ray radiation. The Space Weather Prediction Center, a part of the United States National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, classifies radio blackouts by the peak soft X-ray intensity of the associated flare.

Solar flare effect
The increased ionization of the ionosphere's D and E layers during large solar flares increases their electrical conductivity thereby facilitating the flow of electric currents. These ionospheric currents induce a magnetic field which can be measured by ground-based magnetometers. This phenomenon is known as the solar flare effect (sfe) or historically as a magnetic crochet. These disturbances are on the order of a few nanoteslas, which is relatively minor compared to those induced by geomagnetic storms.

Low Earth orbit
For astronauts in low Earth orbit, an expected radiation dose from the electromagnetic radiation emitted during a solar flare is about 0.05 gray, which is not immediately lethal on its own. Of much more concern for astronauts is the particle radiation associated with solar particle events.

Mars
The impacts of solar flare radiation on Mars are relevant to exploration and the search for life on the planet. Models of its atmosphere indicate that the most energetic solar flares previously recorded may have provided acute doses of radiation that would have been almost harmful or lethal to mammals and other higher organisms on Mars's surface. Furthermore, flares energetic enough to provide lethal doses, while not yet observed on the Sun, are thought to occur and have been observed on other Sun-like stars.

Observations
Flares produce radiation across the electromagnetic spectrum, although with different intensity. They are not very intense in visible light, but they can be very bright at particular spectral lines. They normally produce bremsstrahlung in X-rays and synchrotron radiation in radio.

Optical observations
Solar flares were first observed by Richard Carrington and Richard Hodgson independently on 1 September 1859 by projecting the image of the solar disk produced by an optical telescope through a broad-band filter. It was an extraordinarily intense white light flare, a flare emitting a high amount of light in the visual spectrum.

Since flares produce copious amounts of radiation at H-alpha, adding a narrow (≈1 Å) passband filter centered at this wavelength to the optical telescope allows the observation of not very bright flares with small telescopes. For years Hα was the main, if not the only, source of information about solar flares. Other passband filters are also used.

Radio observations
During World War II, on February 25 and 26, 1942, British radar operators observed radiation that Stanley Hey interpreted as solar emission. Their discovery did not go public until the end of the conflict. The same year, Southworth also observed the Sun in radio, but as with Hey, his observations were only known after 1945. In 1943, Grote Reber was the first to report radioastronomical observations of the Sun at 160 MHz. The fast development of radioastronomy revealed new peculiarities of the solar activity like storms and bursts related to the flares. Today, ground-based radiotelescopes observe the Sun from c. 15 MHz up to 400 GHz.

Space telescopes
Because the Earth's atmosphere absorbs much of the electromagnetic radiation emitted by the Sun with wavelengths shorter than 300 nm, space-based telescopes allowed for the observation of solar flares in previously unobserved high-energy spectral lines. Since the 1970s, the GOES series of satellites have been continuously observing the Sun in soft X-rays, and their observations have become the standard measure of flares, diminishing the importance of the H-alpha classification. Additionally, space-based telescopes allow for the observation of extremely long wavelengths—as long as a few kilometres—which cannot propagate through the ionosphere.

Examples of large solar flares

The most powerful flare ever observed is thought to be the flare associated with the 1859 Carrington Event. While no soft X-ray measurements were made at the time, the magnetic crochet associated with the flare was recorded by ground-based magnetometers allowing the flare's strength to be estimated after the event. Using these magnetometer readings, its soft X-ray class has been estimated to be greater than X10 and around X45 (±5).

In modern times, the largest solar flare measured with instruments occurred on 4 November 2003. This event saturated the GOES detectors, and because of this, its classification is only approximate. Initially, extrapolating the GOES curve, it was estimated to be X28. Later analysis of the ionospheric effects suggested increasing this estimate to X45. This event produced the first clear evidence of a new spectral component above 100 GHz.

Prediction
Current methods of flare prediction are problematic, and there is no certain indication that an active region on the Sun will produce a flare. However, many properties of active regions and their sunspots correlate with flaring. For example, magnetically complex regions (based on line-of-sight magnetic field) referred to as delta spots frequently produce the largest flares. A simple scheme of sunspot classification based on the McIntosh system for sunspot groups, or related to a region's fractal complexity is commonly used as a starting point for flare prediction. Predictions are usually stated in terms of probabilities for occurrence of flares above M- or X-class within 24 or 48 hours. The U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) issues forecasts of this kind. MAG4 was developed at the University of Alabama in Huntsville with support from the Space Radiation Analysis Group at Johnson Space Flight Center (NASA/SRAG) for forecasting M- and X-class flares, CMEs, fast CME, and solar energetic particle events. A physics-based method that can predict imminent large solar flares was proposed by Institute for Space-Earth Environmental Research (ISEE), Nagoya University.

title: Solar flare


text:
Talk:Dining cryptographer

I'm not sure about singular title. It could suggest that one node (cryptographer) is enough. May be the correct title could be Dining cryptographers protocol?
 * I like it. --maveric149
 * Done (no need to move this talk). --maveric149

license: Creative Commons - Attribution Share-Alike - https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/

title: Talk:Dining cryptographer


text:
Chromosphere

A chromosphere ("sphere of color") is the second layer of a star's atmosphere, located above the photosphere and below the solar transition region and corona. The term usually refers to the Sun's chromosphere, but not exclusively.

In the Sun's atmosphere, the chromosphere is roughly 3,000 to 5,000 km in height, or slightly more than 1% of the Sun's radius at maximum thickness. It possesses a homogeneous layer at the boundary with the photosphere. Hair-like jets of plasma, called spicules, rise from this homogeneous region and through the chromosphere, extending up to 10,000 km into the corona above.

The chromosphere has a characteristic red color due to electromagnetic emissions in the Hα spectral line. Information about the chromosphere is primarily obtained by analysis of its emitted electromagnetic radiation. The chromosphere is also visible in the light emitted by ionized calcium, Ca II, in the violet part of the solar spectrum at a wavelength of 393.4 nanometers (the Calcium K-line).

Chromospheres have also been observed on stars other than the Sun. On large stars, chromospheres sometimes make up a significant proportion of the entire star. For example, the chromosphere of supergiant star Antares has been found to be about 2.5 times larger in thickness than the star's radius.

Physical properties
The density of the Sun's chromosphere decreases exponentially with distance from the center of the Sun by a factor of roughly 10 million, from about $2 kg/m^{3}$ at the chromosphere's inner boundary to under $1.6 kg/m^{3}$ at the outer boundary. The temperature initially decreases from the inner boundary at about $6,000 K$ to a minimum of approximately $3,800 K$, but then increasing to upwards of $35,000 K$ at the outer boundary with the transition layer of the corona (see ).

The density of the chromosphere is 10−4 times that of the underlying photosphere and 10−8 times that of the Earth's atmosphere at sea level. This makes the chromosphere normally invisible and it can be seen only during a total eclipse, where its reddish colour is revealed. The colour hues are anywhere between pink and red. Without special equipment, the chromosphere cannot normally be seen due to the overwhelming brightness of the photosphere.

The chromosphere's spectrum is dominated by emission lines. In particular, one of its strongest lines is the Hα at a wavelength of $656.3 nm$; this line is emitted by a hydrogen atom whenever its electron makes a transition from the n=3 to the n=2 energy level. A wavelength of $656.3 nm$ is in the red part of the spectrum, which causes the chromosphere to have a characteristic reddish colour.

Phenomena
Many different phenomena can be observed in chromospheres.

Plage
A plage is a particularly bright region within stellar chromospheres, which are often associated with magnetic activity.

Spicules
The most commonly identified feature in the solar chromosphere are spicules. Spicules rise to the top of the chromosphere and then sink back down again over the course of about 10 minutes.

Oscillations
Since the first observations with the instrument SUMER on board SOHO, periodic oscillations in the solar chromosphere have been found with a frequency from $3 mHz$ to $10 mHz$, corresponding to a characteristic periodic time of three minutes. Oscillations of the radial component of the plasma velocity are typical of the high chromosphere. The photospheric granulation pattern usually has no oscillations above $20 mHz$; however, higher frequency waves ($100 mHz$, or a $10 s$ period) were detected in the solar atmosphere (at temperatures typical of the transition region and corona) by TRACE.

Loops
Plasma loops can be seen at the border of the solar disk in the chromosphere. They are different from solar prominences because they are concentric arches with maximum temperature of the order $0.1 MK$ (too low to be considered coronal features). These cool-temperature loops show an intense variability: they appear and disappear in some UV lines in a time less than an hour, or they rapidly expand in 10–20 minutes. Foukal studied these cool loops in detail from the observations taken with the EUV spectrometer on Skylab in 1976. When the plasma temperature of these loops becomes coronal (above $1 MK$), these features appear more stable and evolve over longer times.

Network
Images taken in typical chromospheric lines show the presence of brighter cells, usually referred to as the network, while the surrounding darker regions are named internetwork. They look similar to granules commonly observed on the photosphere due to the heat convection.

On other stars
Chromospheres are present on almost all luminous stars other than white dwarfs. They are most prominent and magnetically active on lower-main sequence stars, on brown dwarfs of F and later spectral types, and on giant and subgiant stars.

A spectroscopic measure of chromospheric activity on other stars is the Mount Wilson S-index.

title: Chromosphere


text:
Terror

Terror(s) or The Terror may refer to:

Politics

 * Reign of Terror, commonly known as The Terror, a period of violence (1793–1794) after the onset of the French Revolution
 * Terror (politics), a policy of political repression and violence
 * The Terror (Karlovo massacre), a massacre of Bulgarian civilians in Karlovo, followed by police and legal repression in the second half of 1878

Emotions

 * An extreme form of fear, the emotional response to a threat or danger
 * Angst, a form of anxiety or fear described in existentialist philosophy
 * Anxiety, a sense of dread
 * Panic, a sudden overwhelming fear

Fictional entities

 * Terror (Marvel Comics), a Marvel Comics character
 * Terror (New England Comics), a supervillain
 * Terror, a land/sea/airship in Jules Verne's novel Master of the World

Film

 * The Terror (1917 film), an American silent film
 * The Terror (1920 film), an American western film starring Tom Mix
 * Terror (1924 film), a French film starring Pearl White
 * The Terror (1926 film), an American western film
 * The Terror (1928 film), an American horror film directed by Roy Del Ruth
 * The Terror (1938 film), a British crime film
 * The Terror (1963 film), an American horror film directed by Roger Corman
 * Terror (1977 film), a Danish horror film
 * Terror (1978 film), a British horror film
 * (T)ERROR (2015), an American documentary
 * Terror (2016 film), an Indian film

Music

 * Terror (band), a band from California
 * Terror (demo), a 1994 demo tape by thrash metal band Evildead
 * Terrors (EP), a 2001 D'espairsRay EP
 * Terror (album), a 2004 album by Loudness
 * The Terror (album), a 2013 album by The Flaming Lips
 * "Terror", a song by Susumu Hirasawa from Detonator Orgun 2
 * "Terror", a song by My Ruin from Speak and Destroy
 * "T-Error", a song by Die Ärzte from Geräusch
 * "Terrifying" (song), a song by the Rolling Stones from their 1989 album Steel Wheels

Television

 * Terror (TV series), a Viceland documentary series
 * "Terror" (Bottom), an episode of the British sitcom Bottom
 * "Terrors", a 2011 episode of Young Justice
 * The Terror (TV series), a 2018 AMC-TV series based on Dan Simmons' 2007 novel
 * The Terror: Infamy, season 2 of the AMC-TV series The Terror

Other uses in arts, entertainment, and media

 * Terror Illustrated, a 1950s magazine
 * Terror Inc., a 1990s comic book series
 * The Terror (novel), a 2007 novel by Dan Simmons
 * The Terror (play), by the British writer Edgar Wallace

Places

 * Mount Terror (Antarctica)
 * Mount Terror (Washington), United States

Vessels

 * HMS Terror, several ships of the Royal Navy
 * Spanish destroyer Terror, a ship that fought in the Spanish–American War
 * USS Terror, several ships of the U.S Navy
 * Terror (boat), a British sailboat used to transport oysters ashore from larger vessels, built c. 1890

Sports

 * Houston Thunderbears, an Arena Football League team originally called the Texas Terror
 * Tampa Bay Terror, a defunct indoor soccer team based in Tampa Bay, Florida, U.S.

Other uses

 * Horror and terror, literary and psychological concepts, especially in Gothic literature
 * Terror, a rapper featured on the album My World, My Way

title: Terror


text:
You Can't Do That on Television

You Can't Do That on Television is a Canadian sketch comedy television series that aired locally in 1979 before airing in the United States in 1981. It featured adolescent and teenage actors performing in a sketch comedy format similar to America's Rowan & Martin's Laugh-In and Canada's Second City Television. Each episode had a specific theme, typically relating to the popular culture of the time.

During its original US run, the show was associated closely with the early years of the cable network Nickelodeon. It achieved high ratings, and is most famous for introducing the network's iconic green slime. The show was also notable for launching the careers of many performers, including alternative rock musician Alanis Morissette, filmmaker Patrick Mills, and television producer and screenwriter Bill Prady.

The show was produced by and aired on Ottawa's CTV station CJOH-TV. Initially a local program, it was marketed specifically for a North American-wide audience from its third season on. After production ended in 1990, Nickelodeon aired reruns in the United States through 1994, when they were replaced with the similarly-themed domestic sketch comedy variety program All That.

The show is the subject of the 2004 feature-length documentary You Can't Do That on Film, directed by David Dillehunt. The film was released in North America by Shout! Factory in 2012 and reissued in 2022 by MVD Entertainment Group. In 2021, the second season was available to watch on Paramount+, however, has since been removed, though a selection of 14 episodes remain available. The series has also never formally been released on any home media to date.

Local television
You Can't Do That on Television premiered on February 3, 1979, on CJOH-TV in Ottawa. It was a locally produced, one-hour, low-budget variety program with some segments performed live. The show consisted of comedy sketches, music videos, and live phone-in contests in which the viewer could win prizes such as transistor radios, record albums, model kits, etc. The format also included performances by local disco dancers and special guests such as Ottawa-based cartoonist Jim Unger. Each week, the show took its "roving camera" to hangouts around town, recording kids' jokes or complaints about life, which were played on the following week's broadcast. The show also benefited from links with popular Top 40 Ottawa radio station CFGO. For example, station personality Jim Johnson emceed the disco-dance segments and shared tidbits about the artists featured in music videos.

Veteran comedy actor Les Lye played numerous recurring characters and was initially the only adult to perform in the show's sketches. He was the only actor to appear for the entire series' run. Actress Abby Hagyard, who played the maternal character "Valerie" opposite Lye's paternal role "Lance," joined the series in 1982. Occasionally, the older children in the cast (including Christine McGlade, Sarah West or Cyndi Kennedy) played adult characters.

The show offered programming for children on Saturday mornings that made no attempt to be an educational program. The idea was successful, as (according to one episode) the show scored a 32 share of the ratings for CJOH in its 10:30 a.m. Saturday time slot. The studio masters for the first-season episodes no longer exist, and all but three of the episodes from the first season were believed lost until early 2013, when copies of the missing episodes from off-air recordings were contributed by Roger Price and posted on YouTube.

The format was similar to You Must Be Joking! and You Can't Be Serious, children's sketch variety shows that Price created and produced for Thames Television in Britain from 1974 to 1978.

National television in Canada
After a successful first season, a national network version of You Can't Do That on Television entitled Whatever Turns You On was produced for CTV and debuted in September 1979 (its hour-long pilot episode had aired in May). The show's creators shortened it to 30 minutes, removed local content, and added a laugh track. They replaced music videos with live performances from popular Canadian artists including Trooper, Max Webster, Ian Thomas, Ottawa's own Cooper Brothers (one of whose members, Dick Cooper, later became a writer for YCDTOTV) and disco singer Alma Faye Brooks. Ruth Buzzi joined the cast playing many of the adult female characters, including a strict schoolteacher named Miss Fidt and the studio secretary Miss Take. In addition, the 22 children from the first season were trimmed down to seven: Christine McGlade, Lisa Ruddy, Jonothan Gebert, Kevin Somers, Kevin Schenk, Rodney Helal and Marc Baillon. Another first-season cast member, Elizabeth Mitchell, only appeared in the pilot episode. The show was placed in the 7:00 p.m. timeslot on Tuesday nights, and some CTV affiliates opted not to carry the show, possibly because of concerns about its content. As a result, CTV cancelled the show in December 1979 following poor ratings after only 13 episodes.

In January 1981, production on YCDTOTV resumed, and a new set of episodes aired locally on CJOH through May 1981. The format of the 1981 episodes was similar to that of the inaugural 1979 season, but each episode featured sketches that revolved around a certain topic (something that carried over from Whatever Turns You On). As disco's popularity had waned, the dancers were replaced by video-game competitions.

At that time, Price and Darby tried to syndicate YCDTOTV. They edited each 1981 episode into a half-hour format similar to that of Whatever Turns You On. Some scenes were reshot to remove any specifically Canadian content, and the half-hour syndicated edits became entirely sketch comedy. The 1981 season was rerun on CJOH in early 1982 in the half-hour syndicated format. To compensate for the removal of local content, Price and Darby created a new local show for CJOH titled Something Else, which featured many of the YCDTOTV cast in a game show/variety format similar to that of The Price Is Right. The YCDTOTV team also made a pilot television film for Disney in 1981 titled Bear Rapids that was never picked up.

Four of the hour-long CJOH episodes from the 1981 season ("Strike Now", "Sexual Equality", "Crime and Vandalism", and "Peer Pressure") are available for public viewing on YouTube. The rest are only currently available in the half-hour edits.

Peak years
In 1981, the new American youth-oriented cable network Nickelodeon took an interest in YCDTOTV. Nickelodeon originally aired several episodes in the edited half-hour syndicated format as a test run. The response was positive, and in January 1982, Nickelodeon began airing the entire edited season. By 1983, YCDTOTV was the network's highest-rated show.

Production on new episodes of YCDTOTV resumed full-time in 1982 in the half-hour all-comedy format, with Nickelodeon and CJOH as production partners. Over the next few years, the series was screened nationally in Canada. CTV, the network CJOH-TV was affiliated with, broadcast the show on Saturday mornings between 1982 and 1990, with little publicity. However, YCDTOTV continued to expand its audience in the United States on Nickelodeon, where it initially aired five times a week and eventually every day. The series gained broader exposure in its native Canada in 1988 when it was added by the newly established youth-oriented YTV cable channel. It was heavily promoted and aired daily during peak viewing hours.

Viewers in the United States were given the opportunity to enter the Slime-In, a contest hosted by Nickelodeon that flew the winner to the set of You Can't Do That on Television to be slimed. The contest was later replicated by Canada's YTV as the Slime Light Sweepstakes.

In 1983 at WGBH-TV in Boston, Massachusetts, Roger Price created a version of YCDTOTV for American public television network PBS titled Don't Look Now (originally to be titled Don't Tell Your Mother!). The show was similar to episodes from the 1979 season of YCDTOTV, including music videos and several earlier YCDTOTV sketches and motifs (including a variation on the show's trademark green slime gag called "Yellow Yuck"). Despite high ratings, the series ended after its five-episode trial run in October 1983, possibly because of complaints from parents about its content. Nickelodeon was also concerned that if Don't Look Now was successful, it could mean the end of YCDTOTV. The series was believed lost until all five episodes surfaced in early 2013. They have been posted on YouTube, excluding the copyrighted music videos.

Price created another show for Nickelodeon in 1985, the less successful Turkey Television. It featured several main cast members of YCDTOTV including Les Lye, Christine McGlade, Kevin Kubusheskie and Adam Reid. By this time, McGlade, now in her twenties and eager to move on with her life, had moved to Toronto and was flying back to Ottawa for YCDTOTV taping sessions. Turkey Television also marked McGlade's debut as a producer, a career that she continued after leaving YCDTOTV in 1986. Another Price production using YCDTOTV cast members, UFO Kidnapped, was made in 1983. Although the pilot aired on Nickelodeon, the series was not picked up.

Changing of the guard and controversies
By 1987, many of the veteran cast members such as Matthew Godfrey, Douglas Ptolemy, Vanessa Lindores and Adam Reid had grown too old for the show. Longtime host Christine McGlade ("Moose") had departed the previous year, as had Alasdair Gillis (who had been promoted to co-host with McGlade in 1985 before leaving toward the end of the 1986 season). Lisa Ruddy ("Motor Mouth"), McGlade's longtime sidekick on the show, left at the end of the 1985 season. Only five episodes were filmed for the 1987 season, tying with the 1990 season as the shortest during the show's 15-year run.

The episode "Adoption," was so controversial that it was banned after being shown twice. A "DO NOT AIR" sticker was placed on the master tape at CJOH. "Adoption" is the only episode that was banned in the United States. Co-creator Geoffrey Darby has stated that he felt the episode went too far, and that the writers were unaware of the sensitive nature of the material. In Canada, the "Divorce" episode was banned. However, the "Adoption" episode was shown with edits. In the sketch in which Senator Prevert calls the adoption agency to send his son back after using him to do chores all day, the line in which he calls the adoption agency officer a "damn bureaucrat" was excised.

In addition, Nickelodeon had removed the half-hour edits of the 1981 episodes of You Can't Do That on Television from its daily rotation, along with the 1982 "Cosmetics" episode. The 1981 episodes were set to air for the last time during a 1985-week-long promotion called "Oldies but Moldies," with contests in which viewers could win prizes such as "tasty, fresh chocolate syrup". Instead, the episodes continued to air until the end of 1987, but not often. Reportedly, this was because Nickelodeon's six-year contract to air the 1981 season expired in 1987. As Nickelodeon was beginning to aim for a younger demographic, and many of the 1981 episodes dealt with topics more relevant to teenagers (such as smoking, drugs, sexual equality and peer pressure), the network opted not to renew the contract. Nickelodeon allegedly removed the "Cosmetics" episode from rotation for the latter reason (although the "Addictions" episode from that same season was not dropped). By contrast, when Canada's YTV began airing the series in 1989, they continued airing the 1981 season as part of the package, as well as Whatever Turns You On, which was never shown in the United States.

Final years
Roger Price moved to France following production of the 1987 season after being informed that Nickelodeon was not planning to order more episodes. Production was suspended for 1988. When Price eventually returned to Canada, he wanted to resume production of You Can't Do That on Television from Toronto, but was convinced by the cast and crew to return to Ottawa and CJOH. Nickelodeon ordered more YCDTOTV episodes for the 1989 season. Auditions were held at CJOH in the spring of 1988, and taping began that fall. Amyas Godfrey and Andrea Byrne were the only child cast members to transition from 1987 to 1989. However, a few minor 1986 cast members returned for episodes, including Rekha Shah and James Tung.

Opinions regarding the 1989 and 1990 episodes of YCDTOTV are mixed among longtime fans of the show, particularly regarding the new episodes' increasing reliance on bathroom humor and more slime and water gags (which was supposedly at the request of Nickelodeon executives). The show did not completely sever ties to its past, as many former cast members reappeared during the 1989 season in cameo roles, most notably in the "Age" episode, which was hosted by Vanessa Lindores (who was slimed twice during it) and also featured cameos by Doug Ptolemy, Alasdair Gillis, Christine McGlade and Kevin Kubusheskie (who by that time had become a stage producer on the show). Gillis also appeared briefly in the "locker jokes" segment during the "Fantasies" episode, and Adam Reid, who by this time had become an official writer for YCDTOTV, also appeared (and was slimed) at the very end of the episode "Punishment."

The show's ratings declined throughout 1989 and 1990. The network's desire to produce more of its own shows at its new studios at Universal Studios in Orlando, Florida, coupled with low ratings, caused production of You Can't Do That on Television to officially end in 1990 after only five episodes (tying 1990 with 1987 as the shortest season of the series). Though ratings declined, Nickelodeon continued to air reruns until January 1994, at which point it was only aired on weekends.

On October 5, 2015, Nickelodeon's sister network TeenNick brought the show back in reruns as the first program on The Splat, its expanded classic-themed block. The airings began with the first two 1981 episodes, "Work" and "Transportation," marking the first time that those episodes had aired on American television in 30 years. However, only two additional episodes ("Christmas" and "Holidays" from the 1984 season) have been aired since. As of March 23, 2021, the 1981 season has been made available to stream on Paramount+.

International airings
YCDTOTV was aired in Australia with great success on ABC Television in the mid-1980s, beginning with 1981's "Work, Work, Work." It aired at 5:30 PM on weekdays until August 1987 when the initial run ended. After its first two runs, it was moved to a 7:00 AM weekday morning timeslot in 1989. It continued to run periodically on ABC Television for the next few years, mainly as a filler during the school holidays until the rights expired in the early 1990s. The show was aired in its entirety, including the final two seasons of 1989–90.

The series was also seen in European countries and reportedly in countries in the Middle East (with Arabic dubbing), although no French-dubbed version for distribution in either France or countries in the Francophone world is known to exist. Nor were any local adaptations based on the YCDTOTV format known to have been made.

YCDTOTV was also broadcast in several other countries, such as the United Kingdom (on the former satellite and cable children's network The Children's Channel), New Zealand (on TV3), Germany (on Armed Forces Network with the original English audio), Saudi Arabia (on the country's former English-language channel Saudi 2) and the Philippines (on RPN-9).

Parody
YCDTOTV has been occasionally referenced during episodes of Robot Chicken, including some of the show's trademark gags, such as locker jokes, Barth's Burgery and green slime.

In the Family Guy episode "Fast Times at Buddy Cianci Jr. High", Peter Griffin is slimed after saying "I don't know'". It was followed immediately by a still shot that is a direct reference to YCDTOTV's opening sequence, with the words "You Can't Do That on Television" written in red over a man's face. A later episode of the series was titled "You Can't Do That on Television, Peter", but contained no overt references to YCDTOTV.

In the NewsRadio episode "The Song Remains the Same", Mr. James celebrates April Fools' Day (in February) by having Joe install the "trigger machines" from YCDTOTV, and then tricks the cast into getting slimed and doused with water.

The "1981" episode of VH1's I Love the '80s 3-D features a segment on YCDTOTV that features Hal Sparks, Alyson Hannigan and "Weird Al" Yankovic all getting slimed after being tricked into saying "I don't know." Wil Wheaton is also slimed during the opening credits.

YCDTOTV is also loosely parodied in the 2010 How I Met Your Mother episode "Glitter", with Cobie Smulders' character on the Canadian television show "Space Teens" making several references to the show. In reality, Smulders grew up a fan of the show.

The Saturday Night Live season 47 episode hosted by John Mulaney features a humorous account of how green slime came to be introduced to YCDTOTV and ultimately Nickelodeon.

Reunion
In July 2004, to celebrate the program's 25th anniversary, a reunion special called Project 131 with the theme Changes was produced at CJOH-TV starring five members of the original cast. These included Brodie Osome, Marjorie Silcoff, and Vanessa Lindores (visibly pregnant at the time), Justin Cammy and Alasdair Gillis. It was directed by David Dillehunt.

Proposed reboot
In August 2017, it was announced that You Can't Do That on Television would be getting a reboot. Original creator Roger Price would serve as executive producer, while Jimmy Fox of Main Event Media would develop the project. However, Fox stated on their Twitter account on September 14, 2019, that the reboot had been called off.

Trademarks
The show's comedy centered around how kids are treated by adults and the rest of the world. The show's skits gave satirical and exaggerated views of grown-ups as clueless, out of touch, and often using their status as adults to take advantage of kids. Les Lye portrayed several characters in the recurring skits, including "Ross", the technical producer and director of the show who constantly cheated and swindled money from everyone, especially the kid actors; "Barth", a cook at the fast-food burger place who cooked terrible food for the kids; and the father Lance Prevert, who tried to raise his kids but was utterly clueless about what his kids were doing. The younger characters, meanwhile, differed from other kids' TV shows in the way they often bickered and insulted one another (in their character roles), rather than getting along and enjoying their time together as seen on most other shows for children. Hosts Christine and Alanis frequently insulted each other and each tried to outdo the other in their roles, reflecting the real-life rivalries and competition taking place among kids in everyday life.

Episodes of YCDTOTV included recurring gimmicks and gags. The following is a partial list.

Opening animation: the Children's Television Sausage Factory
Originally created by Rand MacIvor (under art director John C. Galt), who was inspired by Terry Gilliam's "gilliamations," the opening animation sequence was a sequence of surreal images set to Rossini's "William Tell Overture" performed in a Dixieland jazz arrangement by the National Press Club and Allied Workers Jazz Band. Though the arrangement of the theme music stayed the same throughout the entire series run (although there are subtle differences between the themes in various seasons – especially the closing themes – and Whatever Turns You On used a completely different theme song), the opening animation itself changed in different ways.
 * The Centre Block of the Canadian Parliament complex was used in the first season and in the original hour-long versions of the 1981 season episodes. In this animation sequence, a person pulls the roof off one side of the building, releasing three balloons bearing the likenesses of the three party leaders at the time: Pierre Trudeau (Liberal), Joe Clark (Progressive Conservative) and Ed Broadbent (NDP). A hand from off-screen then ignites the bottom of the Peace Tower with a match and it launches like a rocket. The start of the animation features a likeness of 1979 cast member David Helpin.
 * There are two versions of the "Children's Television Sausage Factory" animation. In this sequence, children are "processed" in the "sausage factory" and deposited onto a school bus at the bottom of the factory that transports them to the TV studio (a likeness of the CJOH studios on Merivale Road in Nepean, Ontario). The first version was created for the half-hour, internationally syndicated versions of the 1981 episodes. The second version, which featured larger images and cleaner (albeit less fluid) scene animation than the first version, was introduced in the 1982 season and was used for both the U.S. and Canadian broadcasts of You Can't Do That on Television until the end of the show in 1990.
 * Both versions of the "Children's Television Sausage Factory" animation feature likenesses of Jonothan Gebert, Kevin Somers, Marc Baillon and Christine McGlade exiting the school bus, as well as a likeness of Les Lye as the security guard at the door of the TV studio. This footage was reused from the opening sequence of 1979's short-lived Whatever Turns You On.
 * The ending of the introduction shows Lye's face with his mouth opening, and his face is stamped "You Can't Do That on Television." The screen is then cracked and splits, and the show begins.

Preempted show Intro
Starting in season two before the intro, there was usually a title card with a gag show that was "preempted" with the announcer Les Lye introducing it (ex: "Mr. T Thinks He's A Girl will not be seen today, so that we may present a show still trying to find itself."—Episode: "Identity Crisis"). A lot of 1980s cultural references were used at the time (The A-Team, General Hospital, Rambo, Mister Rogers Neighborhood etc.). Sometimes, the show itself was preempted (which happened three times). On the episode "Failure", they failed to come up with an intro.

Opposites
Each episode had an "opposites" segment ("Opposite Skits, where the opposite of real life really happens"), introduced by a visual effect of the screen flipping upside down, shifting left to fade to the next sketch, and then righting itself. Typically, right before this happened, one or more cast members would be interrupted by another cast member saying the opposite of what the monologue (or dialogue) was about, at which the cast would say, "It must be the introduction to the opposites", and then the inversion fade would happen. The sketches that followed were a tongue-in-cheek reversal of the show's subject and of daily life, often featuring children having authority over adults or adults encouraging children to behave badly (for example, eating sweets instead of vegetables or wasting money on something frivolous rather than putting the money in the bank).

Some "opposites" features were reversals of the roles and gags related to the show's recurring characters (usually played by Les Lye or Abby Hagyard), such as the cast getting to execute El Captaino at the firing squad or torturing Nasti the dungeon keeper. Inverse tropes related to Mr. Schitdler in the classroom and the principal in detention were also frequent; however, very rarely would an opposite feature the kids getting their revenge on Barth.

A return to the show's daily subject was indicated by another inversion fade, sometimes accompanied by one of the cast members saying, "back to reality." These would occasionally occur in the middle of a sketch, resulting in the characters inverting whatever they were doing prior to the conclusion of the sketch.

Opposite sketches were used in the inaugural season of the show (the first one, in Episode 2, was submitted by a viewer), but it was not until Whatever Turns You On that they became an integral part of the show.

Firing squad
Most episodes, starting in 1981, included one or more firing-squad sketches in which Lye played El Capitano, a Latin American military officer preparing to order a firing squad (whom he addressed as "the amigos") to execute one of the child actors tied up standing in front of a firing post. The kid would often trick El Capitano into being shot by the firing squad himself, and, as he keeled over, El Capitano would groan "That is one sneaky keed."

Barth's Burgers
Starting with the 1981 season, most episodes featured sketches with the kids eating at Barth's Burgery, a fast-food burger restaurant run by Barth (Lye), a chain-smoking, unpleasant, disgusting cook who uses unsanitary and questionable methods of cooking burgers. Most of the sketches involve Barth revealing the contents of the burgers to the kids' disgust and them remarking "Who(or What) do you think is in the burgers". Barth's trademark is "Duh, I heard that!" or on one episode "Duh, I heard thee.".

In the 1981 and 1982 seasons, Barth had a worker, Zilch (played by Darryll Lucas), whom he frequently insulted and abused, often by hitting him with a pan and knocking him out cold.

Locker jokes
During the "locker jokes" segment of each episode, cast members, standing inside school lockers with the words "You Can't Do That on Television" painted on them, told jokes to each other. The person telling the joke would open his or her locker and call another cast member, to whom he or she would tell the joke. For the duration of the joke, those cast members would be the only ones seen with open lockers. After each joke, the actors would close their lockers, allowing the process to start again with different people and a new joke. This was similar to the "joke wall" segment on Rowan & Martin's Laugh-In. The "locker jokes" feature was introduced in the first season and continued until the end of the series. The lockers underwent minor makeovers during the show's early years, but mostly remained the same for the entire run of the show. In 2004, when fans and cast reunited for the show's 25th anniversary, the original lockers were auctioned.

Production bumper
Used in a few episodes in the first two seasons and by almost every episode in later seasons, the closing credits of You Can't Do That on Television are followed by an announcement of the "company" that produced the program, with the name generally tying in with the episode's main subject. These announcements are given in the form of "'You Can't Do That on Television' is a ______ production." Examples of the fictional production company include "Black Eye" ("Bullying"), "Can't Give It Away" ("Marketing"), "Split Down the Middle" ("Divorce"), "Hang Out to Dry" ("Malls") and "Blood Is Thicker Than Water" ("Families"). The production company's name was announced by Lye, who often included a joke about the show or its producers only to realize that the cameras were still rolling.

Post-credit scene
The post-credit production bumper was generally followed by one final sketch, also borrowing a concept from Laugh-In, in which the jokes continued for a time after the credits finished rolling. The bumper frequently took place "backstage" and broke the fourth wall with remarks about the episode, usually featuring one final humiliation or comeuppance for that episode's main cast member. These scenes were often cut short or removed altogether, especially for airings on Nickelodeon.

Other
Other signature recurring bits on the show include:
 * Fake commercials: Parodies of television commercials were part of the series as early as the first season and were the subject of one full episode in 1986, but the 1982 episodes contained commercial parodies that aired between the commercial bumpers where real commercials ordinarily fit. The products featured ranged from parodies of actual products (such as the Lotachi Lugman, a parody of the Sony Walkman) to completely fictional products (such as a fragrance called "Crème de Peanut"). These fake commercials were cut when Nickelodeon became advertiser-supported in 1983, although some were preserved for later Worst of YCDTOTV compilations.
 * Blip's Arcade: Blip, owner of the local video arcade, would find inventive and devious ways to cheat his customers, such as rigging unwinnable video games or running "specials" in which, he would exchange only three quarters for a dollar.
 * Nasti's Dungeon: A kid shackled in a dungeon for unknown reasons would be approached by prison warden Nasti, who would make the prisoner falsely believe that he was to be set free. Rarely, a prisoner could convince Nasti to free him or trick Nasti into exchanging places.
 * Benedict Arnold School: Strict Mr. Schidtler wages an eternal war with his unruly, ill-prepared students. The school sketches include those in which Mr. Schidtler prevails by embarrassing or punishing students and those in which the students trick him into looking foolish or dismissing class early.
 * Various interiors of the Prevert home, including the front steps as Mom prepares to send the kids off to school.
 * A bunk bed at summer camp where the kids discuss how uncomfortable and sadistic the camp activities are.
 * A doctor's office, dentist office and principal's office, all similarly evil or mischievous.

Water, slime and pies
Affectionately called "stage pollution" by the cast and crew, certain keywords resulted in cast members having unpleasant substances poured onto them from above, or thrown at them from off camera.

Water
When someone said the word "water", "wash" or "wet", a large amount of cold water would fall onto them from above. In the earlier years of the show, cast members (especially Christine) were doused pails of water, but starting in 1981, the water would fall from above. By the 1984 season, only the word "water" led to a dousing, whereas in earlier seasons, the words "wet" and "H2O" also did. On occasion, cast members tried to dodge the water by saying "agua" (Spanish), "Wasser" (German) or "eau" (French) instead, only to be soaked anyway.

While the show's green slime changed ingredients and even consistencies, frequently, the water was almost always the same. Occasionally, cast members were doused with variations such as soapy, hot, brown, toilet, or yellow polluted water.

Slime
When someone said, "I don't know," green slime would pour down on them from above. This type of prank was known as being "slimed," and it became one of the show's most notable elements. As with waterings, the sliming gag was used in almost every episode, especially from 1982 onward. According to writer-director Geoffrey Darby, the slime gave the kids a "comeuppance", so that they wouldn't appear arrogant.

Green slime was a fixture of the series from the very beginning, appearing in the show's first episode. In the book ''Slimed! An Oral History of Nickelodeon's Golden Age'', Darby stated that the original slime developed "by accident"; Darby had originally planned for a bucket of food leftovers from the CJOH cafeteria, with water added, to be dumped on Tim, but the production of that first episode was delayed by a week. When the time came to shoot the scene, the contents of the bucket had turned green with mold. Darby authorized the mixture to be dumped on Tim anyway. Roger Price was furious, but the response from the viewing audience was positive, so Darby and Price wrote an entire 1979 show about the slime ("The Green Slime Show") in which Lisa Ruddy is the victim of six slimings (a YCDTOTV record). With that episode, the use of "I don't know" as the slime's trigger phrase was introduced, and it quickly became the show's trademark gag.

Most of the cast did not like getting slimed (Christine McGlade said it was "gross and challenging" ), and on occasion, they tried to avoid saying "I don't know." This usually backfired, as in the "Computers" episode when McGlade said "insufficient data" instead of "I don't know" and got green slime dumped on her anyway, since, as it was explained by Lisa Ruddy who was with McGlade at the time, the slime for that episode was computer-controlled. Some variations of the magic words also triggered the slime, such as in the "Blame" episode when the entire cast got slimed together after one of them said, "we don't know."

Although the slime was usually green, other colors, such as red, blue, yellow and even black and white, were occasionally used. 1981's "Safety First" episode, which featured white slime as part of a recurring joke in about "wearing white at night," was the first episode known to have used a slime color other than green. Lisa got slimed with white slime after saying "I really don't know". In the 1982 episode "Television," Christine is slimed in green, red, blue, yellow and "stripes" (green, red, blue and yellow at once) while trying to explain about green slime to newcomer Vanessa Lindores. (McGlade had the slime washed out by mentioning to Vanessa that it usually comes out with water, and then got dumped on with water.) This sketch was later seen in the opening to the 1987 thriller film Fatal Attraction. In one of the show's crueler pranks, Ross (Les Lye) tricks Christine into getting dumped with a thicker, chunkier blue slime. The 1986 "Enemies and Paranoia" episode used the word "freedom" as a trigger phrase for red slime after the studio was taken over by Russian communists. Other instances of slime colors other than green include orange slime in the "Myths" episode, brown slime in the "Cosmetics" episode and black slime in the "Time" episode.

The recipe for green slime originally consisted of rotten food. However, after continued complaints from the cast about the hazardous ingredients, the recipe was changed to a mixture of lime-green gelatin powder, oatmeal and water. Eventually baby shampoo was added so that it the slime would wash out of the actors' hair more easily after several of the female cast members complained. In the "Television" episode, Christine reveals the ingredients as water, gelatin powder, flour and soap. In later years, the recipe consisted simply of green food coloring and cottage cheese, though it spoiled if left too long under hot studio lights.

Especially in the later years of the show, cast members who were slimed frequently looked upward into the slime as it was falling so that it covered their faces (the same was also true of the waterings). To avoid damage to the set from water or slime, a clear tarpaulin was laid on the floor, which can occasionally be seen and/or heard underneath the actors, and the loud splatter sound usually heard during a watering or sliming is that of the liquid hitting the tarpaulin. Actors to be slimed or soaked usually appeared barefoot in the scene, and several cast members who were slimed were reportedly paid extra. Scenes involving slimings were the final ones taped during a recording, allowing the actors to immediately rinse after the scene without causing delays.

Green slime grew to become a trademark image for Nickelodeon, and the network demanded more slimings on the show as the years went on, resulting in episodes such as 1985's "Movies" in which the entire cast (save for Abby Hagyard) is slimed. Nickelodeon later introduced green slime shampoo, which was a frequent parting gift on its game show Double Dare, on which slime was heavily used. Mattel sold Nickelodeon slime and the Gak brand in the 1990s. Slime was also frequently used in the network's advertisements featuring YCDTOTV cast members as victims of an impromptu sliming. Nickelodeon's former studios in Orlando had a green slime geyser. The network continues to use green slime during its annual Kids' Choice Awards and coverage of the National Football League.

Pies
The original slapstick pie-in-the-face gag was also frequently used on YCDTOTV, although pie scenes were most common during the early years of the show. One whole episode, 1981's Drugs, was constructed completely around the pie-in-the-face gag. To avoid the wrath of the censors, the episode showed the cast getting "high" by pieing themselves continuously, comparing the stupidity of hitting oneself with a pie to that of taking drugs. Unlike the slime and water, pies were not usually triggered by any certain word or trigger phrase, although in the earlier years, saying "let me have it" or "give it to me" would frequently result in a pieing.

Cast
Apart from the central cast as Les Lye and Abby Hagyard, who played the adult character roles, over 100 pre-teen and teenage actors appeared on YCDTOTV between 1979 and 1990. Some of the most notable cast members included:

title: You Can't Do That on Television


text:
Mixmaster anonymous remailer

Mixmaster is a Type II anonymous remailer which sends messages in fixed-size packets and reorders them, preventing anyone watching the messages go in and out of remailers from tracing them. It is an implementation of a David Chaum's mix network.

History
Mixmaster was originally written by Lance Cottrell, and was maintained by Len Sassaman. Peter Palfrader is the current maintainer. Current Mixmaster software can be compiled to handle Cypherpunk messages as well; they are needed as reply blocks for nym servers.

Support for Mixmaster was removed from the Neomutt fork of the Mutt mail client in 2024 because the project did not seem active anymore.

title: Mixmaster anonymous remailer


text:
Anonymous remailer

An anonymous remailer is a server that receives messages with embedded instructions on where to send them next, and that forwards them without revealing where they originally came from. There are cypherpunk anonymous remailers, mixmaster anonymous remailers, and nym servers, among others, which differ in how they work, in the policies they adopt, and in the type of attack on the anonymity of e-mail they can (or are intended to) resist. Remailing as discussed in this article applies to e-mails intended for particular recipients, not the general public. Anonymity in the latter case is more easily addressed by using any of several methods of anonymous publication.

Types of remailer
There are several strategies that affect the anonymity of the handled e-mail. In general, different classes of anonymous remailers differ with regard to the choices their designers/operators have made. These choices can be influenced by the legal ramifications of operating specific types of remailers.

It must be understood that every data packet traveling on the Internet contains the node addresses (as raw IP bit strings) of both the sending and intended recipient nodes, and so no data packet can ever actually be anonymous at this level. In addition, all standards-based e-mail messages contain defined fields in their headers in which the source and transmitting entities (and Internet nodes as well) are required to be included.

Some remailers change both types of address in messages they forward, and the list of forwarding nodes in e-mail messages as well, as the message passes through; in effect, they substitute 'fake source addresses' for the originals. The 'IP source address' for that packet may become that of the remailer server itself, and within an e-mail message (which is usually several packets), a nominal 'user' on that server. Some remailers forward their anonymized e-mail to still other remailers, and only after several such hops is the e-mail actually delivered to the intended address.

There are, more or less, four types of remailers:

Pseudonymous remailers
A pseudonymous remailer simply takes away the e-mail address of the sender, gives a pseudonym to the sender, and sends the message to the intended recipient (that can be answered via that remailer).

Cypherpunk remailers, also called Type I
A Cypherpunk remailer sends the message to the recipient, stripping away the sender address on it. One can not answer a message sent via a Cypherpunk remailer. The message sent to the remailer can usually be encrypted, and the remailer will decrypt it and send it to the recipient address hidden inside the encrypted message. In addition, it is possible to chain two or three remailers, so that each remailer can't know who is sending a message to whom. Cypherpunk remailers do not keep logs of transactions.

Mixmaster remailers, also called Type II
In Mixmaster, the user composes an email to a remailer, which is relayed through each node in the network using SMTP, until it finally arrives at the final recipient. Mixmaster can only send emails one way. An email is sent anonymously to an individual, but for them to be able to respond, a reply address must be included in the body of the email. Also, Mixmaster remailers require the use of a computer program to write messages. Such programs are not supplied as a standard part of most operating systems or mail management systems.

Mixminion remailers, also called Type III
A Mixminion remailer attempts to address the following challenges in Mixmaster remailers: replies, forward anonymity, replay prevention and key rotation, exit policies, integrated directory servers and dummy traffic. They are currently available for the Linux and Windows platforms. Some implementations are open source.

Traceable remailers
Some remailers establish an internal list of actual senders and invented names such that a recipient can send mail to invented name AT some-remailer.example. When receiving traffic addressed to this user, the server software consults that list, and forwards the mail to the original sender, thus permitting anonymous—though traceable with access to the list—two-way communication. The famous "penet.fi" remailer in Finland did just that for several years. Because of the existence of such lists in this type of remailing server, it is possible to break the anonymity by gaining access to the list(s), by breaking into the computer, asking a court (or merely the police in some places) to order that the anonymity be broken, and/or bribing an attendant. This happened to penet.fi as a result of some traffic passed through it about Scientology. The Church claimed copyright infringement and sued penet.fi's operator. A court ordered the list be made available. Penet's operator shut it down after destroying its records (including the list) to retain identity confidentiality for its users; though not before being forced to supply the court with the real e-mail addresses of two of its users.

More recent remailer designs use cryptography in an attempt to provide more or less the same service, but without so much risk of loss of user confidentiality. These are generally termed nym servers or pseudonymous remailers. The degree to which they remain vulnerable to forced disclosure (by courts or police) is and will remain unclear since new statutes/regulations and new cryptanalytic developments proceed apace. Multiple anonymous forwarding among cooperating remailers in different jurisdictions may retain, but cannot guarantee, anonymity against a determined attempt by one or more governments, or civil litigators.

Untraceable remailers
If users accept the loss of two-way interaction, identity anonymity can be made more secure.

By not keeping any list of users and corresponding anonymizing labels for them, a remailer can ensure that any message that has been forwarded leaves no internal information behind that can later be used to break identity confidentiality. However, while being handled, messages remain vulnerable within the server (e.g., to Trojan software in a compromised server, to a compromised server operator, or to mis-administration of the server), and traffic analysis comparison of traffic into and out of such a server can suggest quite a lot—far more than almost any would credit.

The Mixmaster strategy is designed to defeat such attacks, or at least to increase their cost (i.e., to 'attackers') beyond feasibility. If every message is passed through several servers (ideally in different legal and political jurisdictions), then attacks based on legal systems become considerably more difficult, if only because of 'Clausewitzian' friction among lawyers, courts, different statutes, organizational rivalries, legal systems, etc. And, since many different servers and server operators are involved, subversion of any (i.e., of either system or operator) becomes less effective also since no one (most likely) will be able to subvert the entire chain of remailers.

Random padding of messages, random delays before forwarding, and encryption of forwarding information between forwarding remailers, increases the degree of difficulty for attackers still further as message size and timing can be largely eliminated as traffic analysis clues, and lack of easily readable forwarding information renders ineffective simple automated traffic analysis algorithms.

Web-based mailer
There are also web services that allow users to send anonymous email messages. These services do not provide the anonymity of real remailers, but they are easier to use. When using a web-based anonymous email or anonymous remailer service, its reputation should first be analyzed, since the service stands between senders and recipients. Some of the aforementioned web services log the users IP addresses to ensure they do not break the law; others offer superior anonymity with attachment functionality by choosing to trust that the users will not breach the websites terms of service (ToS).

Remailer statistics
In most cases, remailers are owned and operated by individuals, and are not as stable as they might ideally be. In fact, remailers can, and have, gone down without warning. It is important to use up-to-date statistics when choosing remailers.

Remailer abuse and blocking by governments
Although most re-mailer systems are used responsibly, the anonymity they provide can be exploited by entities or individuals whose reasons for anonymity are not necessarily benign.

Such reasons could include support for violent extremist actions, sexual exploitation of children or more commonly to frustrate accountability for 'trolling' and harassment of targeted individuals, or companies (The Dizum.com re-mailer chain being abused as recently as May 2013 for this purpose.)

The response of some re-mailers to this abuse potential is often to disclaim responsibility (as dizum.com does ), as owing to the technical design (and ethical principles) of many systems, it is impossible for the operators to physically unmask those using their systems. Some re-mailer systems go further and claim that it would be illegal for them to monitor for certain types abuse at all.

Until technical changes were made in the remailers concerned in the mid-2000s, some re-mailers (notably nym.alias.net based systems) were seemingly willing to use any genuine (and thus valid) but otherwise forged address. This loophole allowed trolls to mis-attribute controversial claims or statements with the aim of causing offence, upset or harassment to the genuine holder(s) of the address(es) forged.

While re-mailers may disclaim responsibility, the comments posted via them have led to them being blocked in some countries. In 2014, dizum.com (a Netherlands-based remailer) was seemingly blocked by authorities in Pakistan, because comments an (anonymous) user of that service had made concerning key figures in Islam.

title: Anonymous remailer


text:
97 BC

Year 97 BC was a year of the pre-Julian Roman calendar. At the time it was known as the Year of the Consulship of Lentulus and Crassus (or, less frequently, year 657 Ab urbe condita) and the Fourth Year of Tianhan. The denomination 97 BC for this year has been used since the early medieval period, when the Anno Domini calendar era became the prevalent method in Europe for naming years.

Roman Republic

 * Consuls: Gnaeus Cornelius Lentulus and Publius Licinius Crassus.
 * C. Decianus, the prosecutor of Furius, is himself condemned for his remarks about the death of Saturninus.
 * The Romans subdue the Maedi and Dardani.
 * L. Domitius takes harsh measures to restore order in Sicily.
 * The censors, Flaccus and Antonius, remove M. Duronius from the senate because of his opposition to sumptuary laws.
 * A decree of the Roman Senate bans human sacrifices.
 * Sulla displays a lion hunt for the first time in games at Rome.

Asia Minor

 * Ariarathes VIII is forced out of Cappadocia by Mithridates, and dies soon afterwards.

China

 * The Han generals Li Guangli, Gongsun Ao, Han Yue and Lu Bode lead armies into Xiongnu territory. The campaign achieves little, and Gongsun Ao suffers a defeat. Emperor Wu of Han condemns him to death, but he escapes by feigning his death. He is eventually discovered and executed during the witchcraft trials of 91 BC.

Japan

 * Sujin becomes emperor of Japan (approximate date).

Religion

 * Joseph, the husband of Mary the mother of Jesus, and his "earthly-father" - in distinction to God the Father, his "heavenly father" - is born. According to some accounts, Joseph was 92 years old when Jesus was born.

Births

 * Appius Claudius Pulcher, Roman consul (d. 49 BC)

title: 97 BC


text:
Talk:Subway (restaurant)

History section
Hello Wikipedia, this is Paige with Subway. I have some proposed updates to the History section.
 * Change the phrase "and in the following year, they formed Doctor's Associates Inc. to oversee operations of the restaurants as the franchise expanded." to "in Bridgeport, Connecticut, and in the following year, they formed Doctor's Associates Inc. to oversee operations of the restaurants as they expanded."
 * The noted change is from "the franchise" to "they" in order for accuracy
 * Change "The holding company derives its name from DeLuca's goal to earn enough from the business to pay tuition for medical school, as well as Buck's having a doctorate in physics." to "The holding company derives its name from DeLuca's original goal in starting a buisness: to earn enough from the business to pay tuition for medical school, as well as Buck's having a doctorate in physics."
 * The purpose of this is to add specificity
 * Add, "By 1981, Subway development picked up with the brand’s 200th restaurant opening, reaching 300 just a year later." to the sentence following "The first Subway on the West Coast was opened in Fresno, California, in 1978."
 * Replace, "In January 2015, Suzanne Greco became president and CEO. Her brother Fred DeLuca, the company's first CEO, had been ill for two years and died of leukemia in September 2015." with "Fred DeLuca, the company's first CEO, died of leukemia in September 2015 after being ill for two years. In January 2015, his sister Suzanne Greco became president and CEO."
 * This is for clarity and readability
 * Change, "In July 2017, Subway unveiled redesigned restaurants, dubbed 'Fresh Forward', with a new company logo. Features include self-order kiosks; USB charging ports at tables; and new menu items, including additional condiments, and bread made without gluten. " with "In July 2017, Subway unveiled redesigned restaurants, dubbed 'Fresh Forward', with new company branding. Features include self-order kiosks; USB charging ports at tables; and new menu items."
 * This is more accurate as "company logo" does not encompass what the changes were, with "company branding" showing how extensive all the changes were and that it was beyond just the logo. The updated list of features highlights some of the more important and current features.
 * Delete "Industry analysts such as Bob Phibbs, chief executive of the New York-based consulting firm Retail Doctor, said changing tastes on the part of consumers, who more frequently prefer locally sourced produce and hormone-free meat served by regional start-ups such as Sweetgreen, especially in metropolitan areas, were the cause of the drop in Subway's sales, as well as the loss of market share to competitors. These include fast-casual eateries and sandwich shops such as Panera Bread, Au Bon Pain and Firehouse Subs, as well as food trucks and grocery stores that offer freshly made meals at competitive prices."
 * This is unsourced and also does not directly pertain to Subway
 * Add "In 2019, John Chidsey joined Subway as the company’s first CEO who’s not a founding family member. He focused on improving established U.S. locations rather than building new restaurants. " before the sentence that says "The company closed 999 more US Subway locations than it opened in 2019, a further 1,609 net in 2020 (in substantial part due to the COVID-19 pandemic in the United States, and a net 1,043 outlets in 2021, leaving it with 21,147 locations"
 * This is to add needed information to the history of Subway
 * Add, "In 2021, Subway began its transformation journey with the launch of the 'Eat Fresh Refresh' campaign. "In 2021, Subway launched the 'Eat Fresh Refresh' campaign. In 2022, the second phase of Subway’s refresh introduced the Subway Series, a line-up of new signature sandwiches. In 2023, the third phase introduced freshly sliced meats to all U.S. restaurants and Deli Hero subs to its Subway Series menu. " before "In 2023,Subway announced that they were in the process of selling the company to private ownership."
 * This is to add needed information to the history of Subway

I am happy to answer any questions, PHSubway (talk) 16:17, 5 March 2024 (UTC)
 * I will tell you that "began its transformation journey" is never going to appear in this encyclopedia. That is horrific marketingspeak that we will not perpetuate. -  Julietdeltalima   (talk)  19:07, 5 March 2024 (UTC)

 * Hi Julietdeltalima, thanks for the feedback. I understand what you are saying. I updated the proposed content above to read: "In 2021, Subway launched the 'Eat Fresh Refresh' campaign." The modified request for that specific bullet point is as follows:

 * Add, "In 2021, Subway launched the 'Eat Fresh Refresh' campaign. In 2022, the second phase of Subway’s refresh introduced the Subway Series, a line-up of new signature sandwiches. In 2023, the third phase introduced freshly sliced meats to all U.S. restaurants and Deli Hero subs to its Subway Series menu." before "In 2023,Subway announced that they were in the process of selling the company to private ownership."

 * Let me know what you think. PHSubway (talk) 21:12, 5 March 2024 (UTC)
 * "Refresh" isn't a noun. It's fine as part of the EAT FRESH REFRESH mark but not as encyclopedic prose. -  Julietdeltalima   (talk)  21:25, 5 March 2024 (UTC)
 * Delete "Industry analysts such as Bob Phibbs...". This is sourced to the Washington Post article in the following sentence and shouldn't be removed. I'm declining this request due to the promotional tone and because some of these some of these changes seem undue. I see some apparently uncontroversial requests mixed in, but this request is so complex I find it hard to separate the wheat from chaff. VQuakr (talk) 23:33, 5 March 2024 (UTC)

New proposal for history section
Hello Wikipedia, this is Paige with Subway. Given recent feedback from reviewing editors, I decided to tweak and split up my History section proposal. I will work on removing promotional language from my proposals, but here are a few updates I think should be noncontroversial:
 * Add, "By 1981, Subway development picked up with the brand’s 200th restaurant opening, reaching 300 just a year later." after the sentence that says "The first Subway on the West Coast was opened in Fresno, California, in 1978."
 * Replace, "In July 2017, Subway unveiled redesigned restaurants, dubbed 'Fresh Forward', with a new company logo. Features include self-order kiosks; USB charging ports at tables; and new menu items, including additional condiments, and bread made without gluten. " with "In July 2017, Subway unveiled redesigned restaurants, dubbed 'Fresh Forward', with new company branding. Features include self-order kiosks; USB charging ports at tables; and new menu items."
 * This is more accurate as there were changes to more than just the "company logo"; The updated list of features mentions some of the more important and current features. It also gets rid of that "needs update" tag.
 * Add "In 2019, John Chidsey joined Subway as the company’s first CEO who’s not a founding family member. He focused on improving established U.S. locations rather than building new restaurants. " before the sentence that says "The company closed 999 more US Subway locations than it opened in 2019, a further 1,609 net in 2020 (in substantial part due to the COVID-19 pandemic in the United States, and a net 1,043 outlets in 2021, leaving it with 21,147 locations"
 * This adds important information on the history of Subway

I am happy to answer any questions, PHSubway (talk) 22:13, 7 March 2024 (UTC)
 * I don't think the 200 and 300 restaurant milestones are worth mentioning. VQuakr (talk) 17:26, 8 March 2024 (UTC)

 * Thank you for input, I'll leave it in my proposal for now to see what other editors might think, but if editors don't think it should be there, that's fine by me. PHSubway (talk) 16:00, 18 March 2024 (UTC)
 * Will modify this proposal so it isn't mentioning non-notable stuff. ABG (Talk/Report any mistakes here) 04:19, 31 May 2024 (UTC)
 * 1st proposal declined, rest implemented. ABG (Talk/Report any mistakes here) 04:50, 31 May 2024 (UTC)

 * Thank you, AlphaBetaGamma! PHSubway (talk) 13:28, 4 June 2024 (UTC)

Critically evaluate why subway operates a franchise
critically evaluate why subway operates a franchise 37.60.74.154 (talk) 16:17, 19 March 2024 (UTC)
 * What published sources have performed this analysis? VQuakr (talk) 00:44, 20 March 2024 (UTC)

Many new Subway menu items
Hi Wikipedia, I have another suggestion I would like to make. Subway has had a lot of new developments to the menu lately that have not been included in this article. I think it would be best to add them to the end of the Products section before the subsections start. I am presenting each paragraph as a bullet point here for the sake of discussion, but I'll note I am suggesting these be added as prose to the article (in the order presented due to chronology rules on Wikipedia), not as bullets.
 * In 2021, Subway began its Eat Fresh Refresh campaign, introducing more than 20 menu updates. Since then, Subway introduced signature sandwiches to its menu, including a line-up of sandwiches called "The Vault", available to order on Subway's site and app.  National Football League athletes Russell Wilson, Marshawn Lynch and Trevor Lawrence partnered with Subway to create their own new subs.
 * In 2022, Subway introduced the Subway Series, which reports called "its most extensive makeover in the company’s nearly 60-year history". This new menu has 12 sandwiches that customers can order as is without customization, though they can still make substitutions.
 * In 2023, Subway added a new category to the Subway Series called Deli Heroes, including four new sandwiches with more meat and double cheese.
 * In 2023, Subway introduced freshly sliced meats in U.S. restaurant locations. It invested more than $80 million to install deli meat slicers to over 20,000 restaurants nationwide.
 * In January 2024, Subway introduced new sides with its "Sidekicks" menu, which consists of a Footlong Cookie, Cinnabon footlong churro and an Auntie Anne's footlong pretzel.

I am happy to review any feedback. Thanks PHSubway (talk) 18:52, 4 April 2024 (UTC)
 * Absolutely not, these read like advertising spam. VQuakr (talk) 19:44, 4 April 2024 (UTC)

 * Thank you for the reply VQuakr. Can you clarify the specific language that you're concerned about? I'm happy to make changes to my proposed additions so they meet Wikipedia's tone. I think these represent significant changes for the company and I tried to match the style of content already in the Products section of the article. Any advice you can give on improving the request is appreciated. Thanks again! PHSubway (talk) 21:34, 8 April 2024 (UTC)

 * Hello again, editors. Since it has been over a week since I have received feedback, I'm adding the edit request template to this new request. I would love to get some input on how to make this request appropriate for Wikipedia! PHSubway (talk) 13:21, 18 April 2024 (UTC)
 * My concern is that all the 2024 addition says is "Subway added this stuff..." No mention of why it's in any way significant. Really, the 2023 item has the same issue. DonIago (talk) 20:46, 18 April 2024 (UTC)
 * ❌ Clear violation of WP:NOTPROMO. P,TO 19104 (talk) (contribs) 21:40, 27 June 2024 (UTC)

Sale to Roark is complete
Hi Wikipedia, the sale to Roark is now complete. The infobox and History section have already been updated, but I noticed the Ownership subsection is now outdated. Please consider updating that paragraph to read: "Subway is owned by Roark. Prior to that, Subway had been owned by its founding families for six decades. In 2019, John Chidsey joined Subway as the first chief executive officer outside of the DeLuca family. "

I work for Subway and have a conflict of interest. I appreciate editors reviewing this on my behalf. PHSubway (talk) 19:43, 2 May 2024 (UTC)
 * Tweaked the wording just a bit. - DrOrinScrivello (talk) 18:43, 6 May 2024 (UTC)

 * Thank you DrOrinScrivello! If you are interested, I have two other outstanding requests on this Talk page about the history section and  Subway menu items. PHSubway (talk) 17:09, 8 May 2024 (UTC)

Amended Subway products request
After editor feedback, I would like to modify my previous request about Subway products in order to make them more straightforward. As before, I think it would be best to add them to the end of the Products section before the subsections start. I am presenting each addition as a bullet point here for the sake of discussion, but I'll note I am suggesting these be added as prose to the article (in the order presented due to chronology rules on Wikipedia), not as bullets.
 * The Eat Fresh Refresh campaign began in 2021, which updated the Subway menu with new ingredients and pre-designed sandwiches.
 * I believe this should be added to catalog the change in direction that Subway took in 2021.
 * In 2022, Subway first introduced the Subway Series, a collection of pre-designed sandwiches. Reports called this the company's most drastic change in the company’s history.
 * I summarized the quote "its most extensive makeover in the company’s nearly 60-year history" for this bullet point but I believe this should be added because of how pivotal this change was to the company.
 * In 2023, Subway introduced freshly sliced meats in U.S. restaurant locations. It invested more than $80 million to install deli meat slicers to over 20,000 restaurants nationwide.
 * his was a large change to restaurants that received extensive media coverage, showing its significance.

I am happy to review any feedback. Thanks PHSubway (talk) 17:07, 2 July 2024 (UTC)

title: Talk:Subway (restaurant)


text:
Desperate Dan

Desperate Dan is a wild west character in the now-defunct Scottish comic magazine The Dandy. He made his appearance in the first issue which was dated 4 December 1937 and became the magazine's mascot. He is apparently the world's strongest man, able to lift a cow with one hand. The pillow of his (reinforced) bed is filled with building rubble and his beard is so tough he shaves with a blowtorch.

The character was created by Dudley D. Watkins, originally as an outlaw or ‘desperado’ (hence his name), but evolved into a more sympathetic type, using his strength to help the underdog. After Watkins’ death in 1969, the cartoons were drawn by many other artists, principally Ken H. Harrison, though the Watkins canon was often recycled. When the Dandy became digital-only in 2012, the Desperate Dan strips were drawn by David Parkins.

There is a statue of Dan in Dundee, Scotland, where his publishers, D. C. Thomson & Co. are based.

History
The strip was drawn by Dudley D. Watkins until his death in 1969. Although The Dandy Annuals featured new strips from other artists from then on, the comic continued reprinting Watkins strips until 1983 (though the then Korky the Cat artist Charles Grigg drew new strips for annuals and summer specials), when it was decided to start running new strips. These were initially drawn by Peter Davidson, but Ken H. Harrison soon took over as regular artist. The following year Dan was promoted to the front cover of The Dandy, replacing Korky who had been there since issue 1. Starting from issue 2985, dated 6 February 1999, Cuddles and Dimples replaced Dan on the front cover. This did not last long, however, as after a readers' poll in 2000, Dan returned to the cover. Although Ken Harrison was the main artist from 1983 to 2007, other artists have also occasionally filled in for Harrison, including Tom Williams, David Parkins, Trevor Metcalfe and Anthony Caluori in the early 1990s. John Geering took over the strip between 1994 and 1997, after which Harrison returned as full-time artist (though Steve Bright occasionally acted as a ghost artist as well). When The Dandy was redesigned and renamed Dandy Xtreme, the writers used reprints of the old comic strips, until Jamie Smart took over drawing and writing the Desperate Dan comic strips in April 2008.

Desperate Dan's final appearance left his fate ambiguous after being caught in an oil well explosion.

Characteristics
Desperate Dan's favourite food is cow pie – a type of enormous meat pie with the horns sticking out, although the term "cow pie" has a different meaning in the American West. Much like Popeye with his spinach, Desperate Dan draws his immense power from eating these pies. Desperate Dan was voted the UK's second favourite superhero after Batman in 2011.

Initially Dan was a desperado on the wrong side of the law, hence the name Desperate Dan. Later on, however, he switched sides and become a friendlier character, helping the underdog, although sometimes his great strength caused more harm than good. The first member of his family to appear in the strip was Aunt Aggie (issue 107, dated 16 December 1939) followed by his nephew, Danny (issue 304, dated 27 October 1945) and niece, Katey in 1957. In 2001, Desperate Dan's girlfriend Little Bear, an Indian squaw, was introduced, but she disappeared with the 2004 Dandy relaunch, when Dan's artwork style changed.

Modernisation
With the first revamp of The Dandy (from issue 3282, 16 October 2004) Dan, though still drawn by Ken Harrison, was redesigned slightly. His eyes and chin became much bigger and exaggerated. Dan's personality was changed to that of a bumbling fool, a change to which many fans objected. He was originally going to be left out of the revamped issues, but focus group tests objected to his absence.

But, as of the "re-revamp" in August 2007, the strips became classic reprints on the back cover of Dandy Comix in The Dandy Xtreme. While the first few issues ran them in the original monochrome, they have since been run in coloured form, all reprints were adopted from the 1997 Legend of Desperate Dan book which was released to celebrate his 60th anniversary. For the "MegaComix Special" in February 2008, there were two Desperate Dan strips. One was the usual Dudley Watkins reprint, the other was a brand new one by Jamie Smart, who later became Dan's artist and writer for 12 issues in April 2008. The MegaComix Special also featured a guide to drawing, by Jamie Smart, which showed how he drew the Desperate Dan strip (which was over the page). This didn't actually feature, nor did the comic strip, inside the Comix pullout.

Later, in early April 2008, Jamie Smart took over writing and illustrating the Desperate Dan comic strips and changed Dan's personality into a big hearted dope who was constantly getting into trouble because of his fantastic strength. Zeke's personality was also changed into a person who loved 're-refried beans'. Danny and Katey also disappeared.

A number of spin-off strips have appeared in The Dandy over the years, including Desperate Dawg in the 1970s and 80s, Danny and Katey in the late 1980s and Aunt Aggie in the 2000s (before the 2004 relaunch). A statue of him (and his dog Dawg) can be found in the High Street of Dundee, Scotland – The Dandy is published by Dundee-based D. C. Thomson & Co. According to the writer Norman Watson, the Desperate Dan statue (erected as part of the Dundee Public Art Programme) is the most photographed of 120 pieces of public art in the city.

Digital Dandy
After the print Dandy ended with its 75th anniversary issue (for which Ken H. Harrison returned to draw one final strip, reverting to the art style he had employed during the 1980s and 1990s), The Dandy relaunched as a digital comic. David Parkins returned to DC Thomson to draw Desperate Dan with Dan's previous artist, Jamie Smart, drawing a relaunch of The Numskulls from The Beezer.

title: Desperate Dan