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The Secret City at...
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Q: Is this the official The Secret City (1985) website? Are you connected to Mark Kistler?
A: (Long versions)
Yes - this is an official The Secret City site and the current online home of The ORIGINAL Secret City (TOSC)!
We also care for several sister sites related to Draw Squad, including TheSecretCity.com, which we plan to develop into the long-term home for TOSC online.
No - we are not directly affiliated with Mark Kistler, the beloved teacher and artist who portrayed "Commander Mark" on PBS.
Mr. Kistler was contracted under work-for-hire agreements to host TOSC (and other "Commander Mark" shows). His later Imagination Station series, which he self-distributes, does not include the "Commander Mark" character and marked his creative departure from Secret City Productions and the Secret City brand.
Q: Who created The Secret City and who actually owns it?
A: (Long versions)Q: Has any branded merch been created for The Original Secret City (TOSC)?
Children's Video Associates (CVA) assembled a team of talented creatives to develop The ORIGINAL Secret City (TOSC). The collaborative effort was led by executive producers L.D. Solomon and John Price, with Michael Styer serving as Coordinating Producer at Maryland Public Television (MPT).
Mark Kistler lent his naturally dynamic personality and engaging teaching style to his memorable performance as "Commander Mark," a character created specifically for the show. He also brought considerable classroom experience and a deep familiarity with Bruce McIntyre's Audio-Visual Drawing Program (AVDP) to the project.
Once Kistler joined the TOSC cast, the AVDP became a central influence on the series, shaping much of the show's quintessential DNA (including the titular Secret City drawing exercise, the 7 Magic Words, the Simple Table, and other core elements). Anecdotally, Kistler has shared that McIntyre actively helped guide the selection of drawing lessons to be included from that pre-existing curriculum.
From an artistic perspective, it is reasonable to attribute The Secret City to having been created by John Price and Mark Kistler, based on Bruce McIntyre's AVDP -- reflecting the creative collaboration between the show's producer and its host in shaping tone, format, and content.
The Secret City was a Children's Video Associates production. CVA conceived, funded, and maintained creative oversight of the project; copyright ownership has remained with CVA since TOSC's creation. Licensed usage and distribution rights for TOSC have changed hands several times and currently reside here with Secret Universe.
A: Yes.The most recent officially licensed TOSC merchandise, including beverage mugs featuring the Simple Diamond logo, is made to order on Printful.com.
Our Secret City Beverage Mug, and other merch, is available through our Printful storefront HERE.During the original 1985 broadcast run, a Secret City Club Kit was offered by mail. This set featured merchandise branded with the winged or Wing Diamond logo - an expanded version of the Simple Diamond with horizontal "wings" extending from each side of the central Simple Diamond.
A one-hour Secret City special titled The 7 Magic Words of Drawing was only available on home video. It was first offered on VHS through a mail-away promotion in the Learn to Draw with Commander Mark (LTDWCM) book, then in the 90s it was sold directly by Secret City Productions and subsequently in the 2000s and 2010s through DrawSquad.com on both VHS and DVD. Although currently out of stock, plans are underway to make this special available again in the future. The program featured "Commander Mark" on the original TOSC set and opened with the same sequence - including the Deco Diamond logo - used in the broadcast episodes.
Select episodes of TOSC were released in North America under license to Junior Home Video. Those rights have since reverted to the original owners and are now held by Secret Universe.
Over the years, various T-shirts featuring the Simple Diamond logo have also been sold, and new apparel lines are planned for future release.
The branded polo shirts worn by club members on the show were made exclusively for production and never sold to the public, though they are strong candidates for future heritage reproductions.
Official pin-back buttons featuring the Simple Diamond logo have been sold at recent Secret Universe live events. These badges are hand-crafted in small batches (not machine-pressed) and are slightly smaller than the original screen-worn props.
On-screen, the original pin-back buttons (aka lavalier badges) worn by the cast featured the more detailed Deco Diamond logo. These were produced only in the quantities required for filming and were never made commercially available. The Secret Universe archive retains an original lavalier badge master, and screen-accurate reproductions are planned for future release.
A: The Secret City Club Kit was offered during the original broadcast era as a mail-away set. While early test versions featured color and layout variations, the main release included:
- Learn to Draw with Commander Mark (LTDWCM) booklet - featuring the Wing Diamond logo
- Non-toxic "Commander Markers" (unbranded)
- Secret City Drawing Pad - also featuring the Wing Diamond logo
- Secret City Drawing Pencil - printed with "The Secret City" in sans-serif type
- Secret City "Commander Eradicator" - a gum eraser
- Secret City Club Membership Card - featuring the Wing Diamond logo
Q: How can I stay informed about these products and other TOSC projects?
A: Join our official mailing list on our Contact page HERE! It's the best way to make sure you don't miss important updates about new products, campaign launches, project milestones, live events, and opportunities to get involved. Every new subscriber helps build the momentum needed to bring this long-lost classic back to screens.
Q: Can I place an order with you and charge it to a credit card?
A: No. We currently are NOT set up for taking online orders or doing any secure payment processing on this website (we ARE set up for secure payment processing in person at live events).
We have looked into getting the Draw Squad Classroom series available for streaming through apps that would have their own native payment processing and may do so in the future. Also we ARE an amazon.com affiliate and have set up links on our Shop page HERE to some products that are now available through that merchant; made on demand logo merch is available through our Printful storefront HERE.
More FAQ's will be added at a later time.
