MacGyver Versus TSA

Even though this agency was set up way after the famed TV series ended, could MacGyver have successfully circumvented the TSA’s established airport security routine? 

By: Ringo Bones 

Given that MacGyver is white, he already has won half the battle against TSA – and that’s based on actual post 9/11 political climate in America that exists until this day. But would the famed TV super-agent MacGyver have successfully defeated the TSA if it was around back in the 1980s? 

The Transportation Security Agency or TSA was created as a response to the September 11, 2001 terror attacks. It is now an agency of the US Department of Homeland Security that exercises authority over the security of the traveling public in the United States.

The TSA was created in part of the Aviation and Transportation Security Act, sponsored by Don Young in the United States House of Representatives and Ernest Hollings in the Senate, passed by the 107^th US Congress and signed into law by the then US President George W. Bush on November 19, 2001. Originally part of the United States Department of Transportation, the TSA was moved to the Department of Homeland Security on March 9, 2003. 

Imagine a TSA agent asking MacGyver “has your luggage in your sight the whole time?” or “Did you pack your luggage yourself?” or “Any contents of your luggage that can potentially be used as a weapon?” That’s tough given that MacGyver could probably find a way to “throw” that cheap pulp fiction book that he bought in the airport kiosk to within 10-percent of the speed of light which could easily bring down a plane – never mind those paper clips that can potentially be used as a deadly weapon. Forget screening liquids, MacGyver could potentially used whatever is at hand into an unseemly improvised weapon. 

Why Did MacGyver Prefer The Swiss Army Knife Instead Of The Leatherman Tool?

Though it doesn’t say in their official websites whether Angus MacGyver or the TV series creator Lee David Zlotoff had a beef with inventor Tim Leatherman, but why does MacGyver prefer to use the Swiss Army Knife instead of the Leatherman Tool?

By: Ringo Bones 

After checking out their official website, it seems that MacGyver TV series creator Lee David Zlotoff doesn’t have a beef with inventor Timothy S. Leatherman and his invention the Leatherman Tool in the hopes of finding out the reason why Angus MacGyver preferred using the Swiss Army Knife instead of the Leatherman Tool. But first and as a benefit to those unfamiliar with both tools that are both worthily capable to be used in any form of “MacGyverism” in bailing one out of a sticky situation. 

The Swiss Army Knife is known in various names in various languages of the countries using it as a standard toolkit of their military. The Swiss Army Knife is called “cocteu Suisse” in French, Schweizer Offiziersmesser (Swiss officer’s knife) in German, Sackmesser in colloquial Swiss German and Coltellino Swizzero in Italian is a brand of pocketknife or multi tool manufactured by Victorinox AG and Wenger SA. The term “Swiss Army Knife” was coined by US soldiers after World War II due to the difficulty they have of pronouncing the tool by its German name. Originating in Ibach, Switzerland, the Swiss Army Knife was first produced in 1891 after the company Karl Elsnor which later became Victorinox – the company that won the contest to produce the Swiss Army’s Model 1890 knife from the previous German manufacturers. 

In the various scenes of the TV series, MacGyver’s most commonly used variant of the Swiss Army Knife was a “Tinker” model from Victorinox but throughout the show, he used several different models of both Victorinox and Wenger brands to match particular tools used in the episodes. Or what Swiss Army Knife variant was in “vogue” during that season of the episode? 

In one episode, MacGyver uses an Orange Peele blade; probably from a Victorinox “Executive.” He may have used an older model “Explorer” from Victorinox later in the series. MacGyver also used the Sportsman variant of the Swiss Army Knife in the episode “Lost Love parts 1 and 2”, the Recruit in the “GX-1” episode and the Climber model in the “Three for the Road” episode. In the episode “Tough Boys”, he uses a Tinker - with the key-ring removed – to unlock a large padlock. 

MacGyver also had a couple of non-production Swiss Army Knife models that were obviously modified specifically for the TV series. In the Wild West era episode “Serenity”, he has a knife with wood panels to stay in setting with that period of the episode. In the “Strictly Business” episode, MacGyver used a knife with the Victorinox shield on the back handle of the knife instead of the front. But the knife seen in the opening of each MacGyver episode is a Wenger as noted by its long keychain. And even though the Leatherman Tool was probably widely available via mail-order catalogues when the first MacGyver TV series aired back in 1985, it is somewhat inextricable why MacGyver chose the Swiss Army Knife over the Leatherman Tool. 

The Leatherman Tool was invented by Timothy S. Leatherman – who later founded and became the chairman and chief executive of the Leatherman Tool Group, Inc. Tim Leatherman came up with the idea of a Boy Scout knife with pliers during a 1975 driving tour in Europe with his wife when he was unable to use his trusty pocket knife (a Victorinox Swiss Army Knife?) to fix his repeatedly malfunctioning car. It took Tim Leatherman several months afterwards to refine his idea and was then granted a patent on his first Leatherman Tool in 1980. Leatherman spent the next few years attempting to market his product to large companies with technical stall such as AT&T but was largely unsuccessful. The tool eventually gained popularity through mail order catalogues by the mid 1980s. Leatherman Tools have a 25-year no questions asked warranty and legend has it that Tim Leatherman was actually saved by his own invention back in 1989 when he used his tool to single-handedly fix his single-engine seaplane after it got damaged while performing an emergency landing in a remote part of Alaska. 

As a MacGyver fan, I find it easier to perform “MacGyverisms” via the Leatherman Tool than the Swiss Army Knife. Although the kind of Swiss Army Knives most MacGyver fans here in the Philippines can afford during the mid to late 1980s are Chinese knock-offs that easily break. Genuine Victorinox and Wenger Swiss Army Knives are far more expensive to own by the average Filipino MacGyver fan and explains why genuine Swiss Army Knives here in the Philippines during the mid 1980s are sold and displayed in business establishments that also sell genuine up-market Swiss watches like Tag Heuer, etc. Though somewhat an unfair comparison, the original genuine Leatherman Tool I got at the time was something I won for free from a radio station contest. But – after all these years - I am still dying to know why Angus MacGyver chose the Swiss Army Knife as his trusty “tool” instead of the Leatherman Tool? 

Is There An African MacGyver?

Believe it or not, the African version of MacGyver had been found a few years ago. How does he compare to the American named Angus MacGyver? 

By: Ringo Bones 

Believe it or not, the African version of MacGyver had been found by TV presenter Jon Stewart in an interview with one of his hosts. Back in October 7, 2009 one of the guests on The Daily Show With Jon Stewart named William Kamkwamba who pitched a book titled The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind – about  Kamkwamba’s his experience as a 14-year-old boy in Malawi who created his very own wind generator using “junk” – i.e. disused building materials. 

TV host Jon Stewart then quipped during the course of the interview that the closest America has to the 14-year-old boy from Malawi who built his own wind generator was the fictional TV series character named MacGyver who uses readily available materials to solve immediate problems he currently faces – most of then life-or-death problems needing timely solutions worthy of an action-packed TV series. Unfortunately for America, the real-life MacGyver this time is a 14-year-old boy from Malawi who made his own wind generator using disused construction materials and with an ad hoc circuit breaker made up of surplus iron nails. Maybe William Kamkwamba will from that moment on be nicknamed “Mac Kamkwamba" everytime he visits the United States. 

MacGruber: MacGyver Zeitgeist Parody?

Given that MythBusters have proven that even though some of MacGyver's methods of saving the day - though sound in scientific principle - seldom works in real-life situations, is SNL's MacGruber just a reactionary zeitgeist on MacGyver?

By: Ringo Bones

Every avid TV viewer by now are quite familiar with a Saturday Night Live parody skit called MacGruber poking fun at the iconic TV series whose hero goes by the name of Angus MacGyver even though he's kinda ashamed of his "uncool" first name. But is the poking fun getting more like life imitating art at this point of the game?

MacGyver - as he prefers to be called - became a classic during the latter half of the 1980s where he uses - sometimes - rather esoteric from Joe Public's perspective scientific principles to save the day or to get himself and anyone in distress from certain dire sticky situations. Most unseemly action hero ever?

Unfortunately, this is where MacGruber capitalizes in deconstructing MacGyver in a rather humorous way. Surprisingly, with nary a use of a cowbell. Funny or not, it didn't manage to stop MacGruber from turning into a full-blown feature film.

Should MacGyver Rescue Liu Xiaobo?

Given his critique on the authoritarian side of Marxist-Leninist socialism, should MacGyver rescue 2010 Nobel Peace Prize Laureate Liu Xiaobo?


By: Ringo Bones


As the 2010 Nobel Peace Prize ceremonies in Oslo is slated to award the most deserving yet also this year’s most controversial Peace laureate, MacGyver’s old enemies – states that still practice the strong authoritarian form of Marxist-Leninist socialism, especially the People’s Republic of China, are planning a boycott of this year’s Nobel prize ceremonies. But you can count out MacGyver’s most loyal fans from siding with them, and our beef with these authoritarian regimes goes as far back as 1989 – way before these countries even “rebranded” themselves.

To the dismay of MacGyver’s South-East Asian fans, we can only view the episode “Children of Light” – a MacGyver episode very critical of the Tiananmen Square Massacre of June 4, 1989 - by availing ourselves with those rather pricey original MacGyver DVD box-sets since even Mainland Chinese DVD bootleggers seems to have no interest whatsoever of making pirated copies of MacGyver’s “Children of Light” episode for fear of the Beijing Communist Party functionaries coming down on their lucrative industry. But is this reason enough for our hero, Angus MacGyver, to rescue Mainland Chinese human rights activist and 2010 Nobel Peace Prize laureate Liu Xiaobo?

Ever since his imprisonment as one of the organizers of the Tiananmen Square pro-democracy demonstrations of 1989, Liu Xiaobo has been in and out of Mainland Chinese prisons since then. And as of late, he is currently serving a prison sentence for calls of reforming the Beijing Communist party back in 2008. Unfortunately for the Beijing government, Liu Xiaobo’s incarceration had earned him legions of supporters around the world.

For Liu Xiaobo to accept this year’s Nobel Peace Prize in Oslo, Norway in person, a MacGyver style rescue of him from the Mainland Chinese “gulag” he is currently incarcerated in would be a great publicity coup for us MacGyver fans, and would also promote global awareness of the lack of freedom and civil liberties that every Mainland Chinese currently endures. There’s blood and slave labor of those cheap and shoddy Mainland Chinese goods everyone seems to be addicted to.

MacGyver Versus The People’s Republic of China

With an episode that’s very critical of the infamous Tiananmen Square Massacre of June 4, 1989, does MacGyver has a big beef with the People’s Republic of China?


By: Ringo Bones


As he does his good deeds across the world during the Reagan and Bush senior administrations, MacGyver was never shy about expressing his critique on the despotic side of Marxist-Leninist socialism. When 1989 came and the Soviet Empire is already on the wan, every citizen under the yoke of communist hegemony started clamouring for a change – as in more human rights. And believe it or not, the movement got its first start in the People’s Republic of China were young people rallied for more democratic changes as early as April 1989.

Unfortunately, the idealism of those young Mainland Chinese was brutally crushed in the morning of June 4, 1989 when that notorious Tiananmen Square Massacre got underway. Although the Eastern European reforms got on relatively bloodlessly during the rest of 1989 – the infamous Tiananmen Square Massacre seems to have trapped the People’s Republic of China in a repressive time-warp that still goes on till this day. Eventually the civilized world’s criticism over the Tiananmen Square Massacre got the attention of the libertine climes of Hollywood that even the makers of MacGyver felt the need to do their part to express their disdain.

The MacGyver episode titled “Children of Light” that originally aired back in November 6, 1989 became a platform for MacGyver’s critique of Beijing government’s brutality over its citizens that took place in June 4th of that year. That particular MacGyver episode was about a Chinese student with a video taped footage of the Tiananmen Square Massacre where regular Mainland Chinese troops were ordered to indiscriminately fire at young Mainland Chinese protesters. The Chinese student asked MacGyver for help to expose the atrocities of the Beijing government’s brutal crackdown of the student movement to the rest of the world. Even the Bush senior administration was paralyzed on how to react on the Tiananmen Square Massacre due to the US growing lucrative business relations with the People’s Republic of China back in 1989.

As soon as that particular MacGyver episode aired around the world, the Mainland Chinese consulate in Canada immediately launched a diplomatic protest when a nondescript building in Vancouver was used as the episode’s Mainland Chinese consulate building. Even until this day, TV networks based in South-East Asia with lucrative business relations with Beijing still refuse to air this particular MacGyver episode because of its deemed politically sensitive content on the brutal crackdown of the student protests in Tiananmen Square back in June 4, 1989.

Given the educational value of every MacGyver episode, South-East Asian TV networks broadcasting syndicated reruns of MacGyver choosing not to air the “Children of Light” episode are doing South-East Asian fans of MacGyver a disservice. Given Angus MacGyver’s Cold-War era upbringing of having a critical view of the heavy-handed authoritarian manifestation of Marxist-Leninist socialism, a MacGyver episode having a sociological critique of such form of communism is inevitable. Maybe MacGyver has a valid point of reforming Marxist-Leninist socialism in order for it to last into the 21st Century, don’t you agree?

Is MacGyver Not-So-Environmentally-Friendly?

Known for his phobia for firearms due to a childhood trauma, does MacGyver tend resort to not-so-environmentally-friendly ways of escape when faced with a sticky situation?


By: Ringo Bones

It did happen – or at least the shows writers and directors allowed it to happen – on a particular episode titled “Bushmaster” where MacGyver’s pathological fear of firearms resorted him to use a less-than-environmentally-friendly means of escape. While being unjustly imprisoned in a nondescript Banana Republic jail, Mac and company resorted to using a canister of Freon gas – probably the older highly ozone depleting variety – to bust a prison door lock by super-cooling the metal to make it brittle.

As I’ve wondered how much ozone molecules in our planet’s ozone layer Mac managed to deplete. It seems unlikely that the Mythbusters will be testing this particular MacGyver stunt in order to check out if it works in real life – as opposed to the film-physics of Hollywood – due to environmental concerns. More contentious still, this particular MacGyver episode was originally aired during the year when the leading industrialized nations of the world were busy finalizing the still groundbreaking global environmental treaty called the Montreal Accord. That called for a legally binding phase-out of the use of ozone-depleting chemicals in refrigeration and other parts of industry starting in 1987.

Did Angus MacGyver / Richard Dean Anderson used a real Freon cylinder / canister as a prop used to escape in the prison set of this particular episode? I hope not, given Mac’s environmental stance on subsequent episodes. I just hope that they used something more environmentally friendly in replicating the effect of breaking a prison lock via super-cooling than an ozone-depleting canister full of Freon. For those not so lazy MacGyver fans, please check out if this is so.

MacGyver versus MythBusters: Victory for Science?

Sooner or later, it would be bound to happen. As one of the Discovery Channel’s most entertaining educational programs attempts to demystify their “childhood hero”. Will this be a victory for science?


By: Vanessa Uy


When long-time Hollywood movie special-effect gurus attempt to demystify their “childhood hero” Angus MacGyver on a special episode of MythBusters, their staff are probably wondering if this is an attempt of “political suicide”? After all, it’s a no-brainer that an overwhelming majority of MythBusters’ fans – if not all of them – also idolized the on-screen science-centered adventure exploits of the human Swiss Army Knife named MacGyver. But first, here’s a brief primer on MacGyver.

The TV series MacGyver – which started to air in the mid-1980’s – can be considered extremely pioneering, even under our contemporary 21st Century context because it involves around a hero’s exploits using “scientific principles” often with the materials at hand to get him out of tight situations. Even though the actor who played MacGyver on TV – Richard Dean Anderson – already has lend his acting skills on several prior works. His somewhat “nondescript” white guy image really did lend MacGyver an air of authenticity as a Cold War-era American spy.

Some skeptics consider the series as the Reagan Administration’s ill-conceived attempt to make “couch potatoes” interested in science because the US Department of Education at the time had a hard time of doing so - i.e. promoting science education. But in time, the TV series’ success did outlive the Reagan Administration. And MacGyver’s first name “Angus” was only revealed several seasons after the series aired in mid 1980’s. Mack’s first name was finally revealed in an episode that served as an homage to Mark Twain’s “A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur’s Court”. Inspite of the fact that the name “Angus” is somewhat “unhip” – i.e. unpopular - in 1980’s Reaganism-era America. Maybe this was the series franchise bowing down to MacGyver’s fans demanding to know his first name.

Even though the MythBusters MacGyver episode special did attempt to demystify several MacGyver exploits that might work – scientifically in theory – but falls way short when confronted with the pragmatic exigencies of cold-hard reality. Like using sodium, and related alkali metals – as a substitute for high explosives. Or the episode where MacGyver used what’s at hand – bamboo frames and duct tape – to create an ultralight aircraft, then very popular hobby in the 1980’s, as a means of escape. Both scenarios – which for some reason worked adequately on TV – fails miserably when tested in the real world under the MythBusters team’s strict scientific methodology.

Though in this particular MythBuster series, the team did prove that using only what’s at hand, most – probably over 90% - of MacGyver’s science-based exploits to get out of “tight situations” through resourcefulness and improvisation of the materials at hand do work in the real world. In my opinion, this probably made the MacGyver TV series a sort of “college-level Sesame Street” to their cadre of loyal viewers. Even after all those years.