Scientist Bill Nye is best known for his PBS show, “Bill Nye the Science Guy.”
The series ran from 1993 through 1999, spanning six seasons and 100 episodes. Even after all this time, it still holds a special place in the hearts of viewers around the world.
However, Nye didn’t stop creating and educating once his show ended. He went on to compete on “Dancing With the Stars” and had a three-season talk show on Netflix.
Now, Bill Nye is reflecting on his legacy and how honored he feels to inspire the next generation of scientists.
Bill Nye Had a Clear Vision For His PBS Show
Although “Bill Nye the Science Guy” was a defining show of the 1990s, it didn’t have a huge budget at the start.
“We made the ‘Science Guy’ show in a warehouse in Seattle, a couple dozen of us and put my heart and soul into it to be sure,” the 70-year-old told PEOPLE.
Before the show kicked off, Nye gave everyone a piece of paper with their mission written on it.
“I gave everybody this document, and it says, ‘Objective: change the world.’ As aspirational as that might have been, to actually have people out there trying to change the world is pretty cool,” the science enthusiast remembered.
Bill Nye loves that aspiring scientists have more tools and information at their disposal than ever before.
“You can look up the atomic weight of chlorinated fluorocarbons in a beat. It used to be this huge hassle. It used to be big, thick books where you had to really know what you were looking for,” he shared. “With these electronic information systems, you can get a lot of wrong things, but that’s the most important skill for anyone, the so-called critical thinking, sorting out or having the habit of mind to sort out what is reasonable from what is probably not reasonable. That’s our goal.”
At the end of the day, Nye feels incredibly honored that the next generation of scientists grew up watching his show.
“We have people excited about science who are entering the workforce, who are gonna vote and make changes and change the world. It’s exciting,” he told PEOPLE. “I try to get the significance of it, but the scale of it’s still hard to grasp.”
Madame Tussauds Wax Museum Immortalizes the Scientist
Like many other iconic celebrities, Bill Nye recently received his very own wax figure at Madame Tussauds Wax Museum.
The museum recently shared a video of the scientist meeting his wax figure. The sculptors carefully ensured the figure was as lifelike and realistic as possible, even down to the iconic bowtie.
“Science rules! 🔥 Bill Nye has officially been immortalized in wax at Madame Tussauds New York 🔬✨” the museum shared on Instagram.
“Celebrating the legendary science educator whose passion for curiosity and learning has inspired generations, Bill’s new figure captures his energetic presentation style in an interactive experience designed to encourage guests to step closer, engage, and discover,” the institution continued, noting that Nye helped consult on the project, which took 20 artists and over a year to create.
“Bill Nye represents curiosity, creativity, and the importance of scientific thinking,” the museum’s general manager, Tiago Mogadouro, said in an official statement, as reported by KREM. “This figure reflects not only his likeness, but the energy and enthusiasm he’s brought to science education for decades. We’re so thrilled to have him among our collection to advocate for science, exploration and innovation.”
