Plot Synopsis

Mechanical engineer and artist Bob Partington transforms objects, all connected to America's past, into never-before-seen inventions. After earning a BFA in mechanical engineering and sculpture from Queen's University in 1995 and an MFA in sculpture from NYU in 1997, Bob remained in New York for eight years, creating and showing his artwork. After a four-year stint in Istanbul, where he painted and participated in the country's biennial, Bob returned to Brooklyn in 2009, where he continued to approach art from his interest in energy moving in perfect conservation -- or in complete chaos. In each 30-minute episode of THINGAMABOB, Bob receives three items in a box, and he and his team create three unique inventions, each using one object. In this series, Bob starts with these items: a print brayer, transformed to make something really cool for a Brooklyn business; a pair of suspenders used to charge an everyday item; a boat helm to slice pizzas at a famous NYC pizzerias; a sousaphone, used in something that channels German traditions of good music and great beer for a Bavarian Beer Hall; an ice cream cone, which Bob uses to doubles efficiency at a gelato shop; a wall plug, which gets transformed into something that keeps order in Bob's shop; a hot-dog roller machine, which inspires him to create something to make baseball fans happy; a pair of scales, from which Bob creates something to keep himself inspired; a pair of Levi's jeans, which Bob uses to help a tired concession worker get off of his feet; and many more everyday items which Bob transforms into artistic inventions.