Motherboard

Motherboard

Cyberchase character

photo_camera Gallery

category Species
Cyberbrain

cake Age
Ageless

female Gender
Female

palette Favorite color
All

home Home
Control Central

work Occupation
Potentate of Cyberspace

family_restroom Relatives
Dr. Marbles (ex-husband)
Hacker (son)
Harmony (granddaughter)

sentiment_satisfied Allies
CyberSquad, Dr. Marbles, Digit

sentiment_extremely_dissatisfied Enemies
Hacker, other villains

record_voice_over Voice actor
Kristina Nicoll (Cyberchase)
Victoria Selano (Cyberchase: Carnival Chaos, Cyberchase: Castleblanca Quest)

skip_previous Debut
Unknown

Motherboard (sometimes "Mother-B") is the benevolent ruler and protector of all of Cyberspace. She exists as the brain of Motherboard Control Central and watches over each cybersite. Dr. Marbles and Digit are her technicians, as was Hacker prior to double-crossing her.

Motherboard is wise and powerful, described as "a warehouse of every idea from the beginning of time", but Hacker's virus has weakened her. She calls on Inez, Jackie, and Matt to help defeat villains such as Hacker and protect Cyberspace. Her main role in Cyberchase is to give the CyberSquad missions and advice. Due to the virus, she is often interrupted by bursts of static and other malfunctions. Inez suspects that the virus is also what causes Motherboard to talk in riddles, which sometimes causes confusion when she instructs the CyberSquad.

History

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Species

In "Lost My Marbles", Buzz refers to Motherboard as "that cyberbrain who runs [Cyberspace]". Motherboard may be the only known being of this kind, or at least the only "cyberbrain" specialized to run Cyberspace.

Similar entities may include the 3D-rendered likeness of Hacker that replaces Motherboard in "The Snelfu Snafu" and "The Flying Parallinis", the duplicate of Motherboard's circuit board in "Step By Step", and The Hackerboard control panel in "Soil Turmoil".

Physical appearance

Motherboard appears as an "electronically-generated image" of a 3D-animated periwinkle head and neck, and is almost always seen on a computer screen or another flat surface that acts as such. She has wavy light blue hair and eyebrows with the texture of circuitry. Her nasolabial folds are also light blue, and her left one is vertical 3D text reading "M57383", which may be a serial number. Motherboard's left eye is a yellow sphere, and her right eye is an orange rectangle; her irises are blue. Her nose is an oblique quadrilateral pyramid. She has dark red lips.

A profile view of Motherboard, revealing the backs of her floating facial features

When Motherboard is viewed from the side, her facial features are shown to be detached from her head by a significant distance, allowing the backs of her eyebrows, eyes, nose, and mouth to be seen. The geometry serving as her nasolabial folds is much closer to the front of her head than the other features, albeit also detached.

"The Poddleville Case" (pilot)

In the original pilot demo for Cyberchase, an early version of "The Poddleville Case", Motherboard's design is much more abstract. She is two floating eyes with blue sclera and green irises, and a sine wave representing her mouth. This design was replaced by the final series premiere.

Season 1

Motherboard in Season 1

In Season 1, Motherboard faces forward and rarely, if ever, rotates. However, she appears to use the same 3D model as in later seasons. For instance, when her left eye jumps away from her face in "Cool It", it seems to change perspective and foreshorten with perspective.

Motherboard is sometimes depicted with a drop shadow against her background.

Seasons 2–5

From Season 2 onwards, Motherboard often turns her head and is viewed from other angles, making it apparent that she is 3D modeled.

Spell of the Mean Green

Motherboard under the spell

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Seasons 6–

Motherboard's appearance was updated in Season 6. Some of her edges appear rounder, and she is lit more brightly. Her full model is much more often animated with squash and stretch.

Hackerspace fantasy sequence

In the scene of "The Cyberchase Movie" where Hacker imagines reformatting Cyberspace, Motherboard has the color palette of Hacker's body, with green skin and black hair. The colors of her background are green and purple. Finally, her eyes glow green. Her lips appear unchanged.

Components

Motherboard's components include her CPU and operating circuits, the Encryptor Chip, the Memory Integrator which helps store her memory and keep Control Central running, and an unnamed panel that controls the portal system.

Motherboard has a coolant tank that stores cryoxide to prevent her from overheating, which can process other liquids such as antidotes. She has a paper tape printer and a laser printer that can shoot laser beams.

Hacker claims that a Digitizing Activator could scan a rod-based triangle to cure the virus. Although this turns out to be a lie, Motherboard did not dispute it, so the Digitizing Activator may be a real component that scans geometric figures or other objects for authentication or data encoding purposes.

Motherboard is also equipped with memory shields, which seem to prevent her from breaking down.

Personality

Trusted by the citizens of Cyberspace, Motherboard is very wise, selfless, and caring. She appreciates the CyberSquad's work. She has a good sense of humor and sometimes quips at the ends of missions. "Mother's Day" portrays her as motherly to Digit, Widget, the CyberSquad, and Cyberspace as a whole.

Motherboard believes in peace and harmony. She likes beauty and is implied to see it in various things, rather than settling on favorites. She dislikes dishonesty.

Motherboard's political philosophy involves a deep belief in a free and open cybersociety, which may be based on free and open-source software. She later states that her "main concern is to keep Cyberspace safe for all law-abiding cybercitizens."

Despite her optimism, Motherboard is willing to show an assertive side to those she distrusts. She tells Hacker that he is not welcome in Control Central, and orders the CyberSquad to detain him upon his suspicious offer to remove her virus. Motherboard also seems indignant when Wicked remarks on her "weakened state" as a bargaining chip; she interrupts Wicked to contend that she is strong enough to guard Cyberspace. In a similar but less severe vein, she tells Digit "Get a grip!" when he starts rambling in "A Change of Art".

Powers and abilities

Motherboard can generate portals to bridge physically distant locations in Cyberspace and the real world alike. Motherboard can even appear physically within the vortex, at a size that dwarfs the Grim Wreaker.

Motherboard can generate or summon certain objects, such as the Skwak Pads and snow clothes.

Virus

Main article: Virus

When Hacker removed Motherboard's Encryptor Chip, Digit put it back in, and Motherboard and Dr. Marbles rejected Hacker from Control Central. Despite the kickout, Hacker took Digit with him, and when they landed at the Northern Frontier, Hacker made him build a ship, along with Buzz and Delete. Then, Digit escaped to go back to Motherboard's side.

Shortly after his rebuild, Hacker launched a plan to get back at Motherboard. He programmed a library computer in the real world to crash, which would allow him to breach the system. He attacked while Motherboard was undergoing a upgrade. At that time, Jackie, Matt, and Inez were at the computer. After touching three dots, they crashed the computer, allowing Hacker to breach the system. Motherboard was able to warn the Doctor of the breach. Doctor Marbles attempted to reload the firewall (which had been off the entire upgrade), but the virus Hacker launched reached the computer before the entire firewall was loaded. Luckily, the firewall was up before the virus fully infected her, giving Motherboard only partial damage. 

One effect of the virus that remains is that Motherboard sometimes flickers and squelches with static, which at times becomes so severe it cuts off her sentences.

Hacker describes the infected Motherboard as "but a mere fraction of her once-powerful self".

Character bios

"Meet the CyberSquad" bio (2001)

The wise and powerful ruler of cyberspace. Her circuits are a bit scrambled because Hacker double-crossed her and transmitted a computer virus into her system.

Pet Peeves: My arch-enemy Hacker

Favorite Color: I find beauty in all colors

Favorite Music: World music

Favorite Books: Encyclopedia Britannica, World Almanac

Trading card bio

Age: Ageless

Favorite Color: She loves them all

Favorite Line: "Well done, cybermates!"

Other Faves: Beauty, harmony, peace, Jackie, Matt and Inez

Pet Peeves: Hacker, dishonesty

Great At: Knowledge and wisdom

Skwakopedia entry (Cyberchase: The Quest)

The kind and caring ruler of Cyberspace. She keeps the virtual universe running smoothly and makes sure everyone is taken care of.

"Who's Who Document"

Ageless Benevolent Ruler

LOCATION Cyberspace

PET PEEVES Hacker

FAVORITE COLOR She finds beauty in all colors.

FAVORITE BOOKS Encyclopedia Britannica,World Almanac…

Motherboard is the benevolent ruler of cyberspace – the heart, soul, energy and brain of the giant computer system. But she just hasn’t been herself since Hacker unleashed a mega-virus that devastated her circuitry. Motherboard is the engine and source of information – a warehouse of every idea from the beginning of time – but because Hacker zapped her operating system, she’s running with more than a few glitches and bugs.

Motherboard radiates goodness, warmth and peace, and appreciates the hard work done by Matt, Jackie and Inez, who she calls “CyberMates.” She has a good sense of humor, too, and is very wise, especially to Hacker’s ways.

Home base is Control Central – a vast, hi-tech computer center. She often appears as an electronically-generated image on a computer screen. Even in her weakened state, Motherboard stores all the data of and hosts unique sites across the virtual universe. When Motherboard speaks, it may sound like she’s on a bad mobile phone connection, but cybercitizens know they can always count on her.

"CyberSquad" bio (2012)

Motherboard, the wise ruler of cyberspace, speaks from a computer at Control Central. Hacker has infected her operating system with a virus, so we often hear static as she tells the kids and Digit about important missions to stop Hacker. Signature line: “Hacker alert!”

Name origin

A motherboard is the main printed circuit board in a computer, which the other parts are connected to.

Appearances

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Web Adventures

• "How It All Started: Webisode 1"
• "How It All Started: Webisode 2" (mentioned)
• "How It All Started: Webisode 3"
• "Numberless Poddles!"
• "Web Adventures: HackerJack"

Cyberchase

• "Lost My Marbles"
• "Castleblanca"
• "R-Fair City"
• "Snow Day To Be Exact"
• "Sensible Flats"
• "Zeus on the Loose"
• "The Poddleville Case"
• "And They Counted Happily Ever After" (mentioned)
• "Clock Like an Egyptian"
• "The Secrets of Symmetria"
• "A Day at the Spa" (mentioned)
• "Of All the Luck"
• "Eureeka"
• "Cool It"
• "Find Those Gleamers!"
• "Codename: Icky'
• "Return to Sensible Flats"
• "Problem Solving in Shangri-La"
• "Send in the Clones"
• "Trading Places"
• "Less Than Zero"
• "Model Behavior"
• "Fortress of Attitude"
• "Size Me Up"
• "A Battle of Equals"
• "Out of Sync"
• "Hugs and Witches"
• "Totally Rad"
• "Harriet Hippo and the Mean Green"
• "True Colors"
• "All the Right Angles"
• "Mother's Day"
• "The Eye of Rom"
• "A Whale of a Tale"
• "Double Trouble"
• "Raising the Bar"
• "The Wedding Scammer"
• "The Guilty Party"
• "A Time to Cook"
• "Trick or Treat"
• "EcoHaven CSE"
• "The Borg of the Ring"
• "A World Without Zero"
• "A Piece of the Action"
• "The Creech Who Would Be Crowned"
• "The Grapes Of Plath"
• "A Perfect Fit"
• "Be Reasonable"
• "The Snelfu Snafu: Part 1"
• "The Snelfu Snafu: Part 2"
• "Shari Spotter and the Cosmic Crumpets"
• "Starlight Night"
• "Balancing Act"
• "The Icky Factor"
• "Penguin Tears"
• "Past Perfect Prediction"
• "Measure for Measure"
• "A Change of Art"
• "The Case of the Missing Memory"
• "A Crinkle in Time"
• "A Broom of One's Own"
• "A Tikiville Turkey Day"
• "The Halloween Howl"
• "A Clean Sweep"
• "Designing Mr. Perfect"
• "The Fairy Borg Father"
• "The Flying Parallinis"
• "Crystal Clear"
• "Inside Hacker"
• "On the Line"
• "A Fraction of a Chance"
• "Digit's B-Day Surprise"
• "When Penguins Fly"
• "Unhappily Ever After"
• "Escape from Merlin's Maze"
• "Step by Step"
• "Team Spirit"
• "Jimaya Jam"
• "Chaos as Usual"
• "Spheres of Fears"
• "Gone With the Fog"
• "The Emperor Has Snow Clothes"
• "Blowin' in the Wind"
• "The Hacker's Challenge"
• "Face-Off" (mentioned)
• "Peace, Love, and Hackerness"
• "Hackerized" (mentioned)
• "The Bluebird of Zappiness"
• "An Urchin Matter"
• "Going Solar"
• "Trash Creep"
• "The Cyberchase Movie"
• "Fit To Be Heroes"
• "Watts of Halloween Trouble"
• "Plantasaurus!"
• "Giving Thanks Day"
• "Space Waste Odyssey"

Gallery

Main article: Motherboard/gallery

"Who's Who Document"

Valentine's Day Cards (2020 series)

Trivia

• The DTMF signals heard when Jules tries to call Motherboard in "Crystal Clear" are 5-5-5, a common prefix used for fictitious telephone numbers.

Names in other languages

Language	Name	Meaning
Portuguese	Placa-mãe	Motherboard