List of MST3K Shorts

The infamous Mr. B Natural at work

“	My shorts are never boring	”
	- Tom Servo

This page contains a list of all known Mystery Science Theater 3000 shorts listed in broadcast order.

"Short" refers to short films/serial chapters/TV episodes that are primarily used to beef-up/pad-out the running time of MST3K episodes. Riffed like the main experiment, many of the shorts are arguably as popular and memorable as any full movie, the best example being the infamous Mr. B. Natural.

The first shorts on the show were serial chapters from Radar Men from the Moon, The Phantom Creeps and Undersea Kingdom. But, as the series continued, they began to increasingly use newsreels and sponsored films (i.e. social guidance films, advertising films and educational films).

The majority of shorts appear before the film, but in one instance (Episode #206), the short was shown after the main film, just when the SOL crew thought they were safe.

Shorts were most frequent in the Comedy Channel and Comedy Central eras, while the various restrictions forced by the move to The Sci-Fi Channel contributed to only having three shorts in that period. Seasons K, 8, 11 and 12 are devoid of any shorts.

Shorts returned during the period in-between Season 12 and 13, with a number of one-offs. During Season 13, shorts became a series unto themselves, with thirteen shorts released throughout the season.

Unlike many of the movies on the show, the majority of shorts are in the public domain or are considered to be unprotected orphan films. This fact, and the popularity of the shorts, has led to a number of commercially released VHS tapes and DVDs of various shorts from Best Brains, Inc., Rhino Entertainment and Shout! Factory. All shorts from the original run of MST3K are available on home video in one form or another.

Season 1 (1989-1990)

Ep.	Short	Original Airdate	Screenshot
102	1.01 - Radar Men from the Moon: Chapter One - "Moon Rocket"	November 18, 1989
As jet-pack-equipped scientist Commando Cody and his team prepare for the launch of their rocket ship, the government asks them to investigate reports of sabotage by spies from the Moon and their hired thugs.
103	1.02 - Radar Men from the Moon: Chapter Two - "Molten Terror"	December 2, 1989	‎
On the Moon, Cody and Ted manage to steal the Moon Men’s gun, but are soon cornered.
105	1.03 - Radar Men from the Moon: Chapter Three - "Bridge of Death"	December 9, 1989	‎
After Cody and his team escape, Retik sends his hired thugs on Earth to set up an ambush.
107	1.04 - Radar Men from the Moon: Chapter Four - "Flight of Destruction"	December 23, 1989
The thugs kidnap Joan and take off with her in a small plane, but Cody is in hot pursuit.
107	1.05 - Radar Men from the Moon: Chapter Five - "Murder Car"	December 23, 1989
Cody saves Joan but is shot down. The thugs blow another heist and are on the run again.
108	1.06 - Radar Men from the Moon: Chapter Six - "Hills of Death"	December 30, 1989
Krog sends the thugs to bomb a volcano, which causes widespread flooding, for some reason. Cody tracks the thugs to a diner, where a fight ensues and Ted is kidnapped. He soon escapes and Cody is after them again.
109	1.07 - Radar Men from the Moon: Chapter Seven - "Camouflaged Destruction"	January 6, 1990
The thugs have a new ray gun in a disguised truck, but Cody and Ted are after them.
109	1.08 - Radar Men from the Moon: Chapter Eight - "The Enemy Planet"	January 6, 1990	‎
Cody and his team return to the moon and drive off with a cache of lunarium, but some moon men give chase.
110	1.09 - Radar Men from the Moon: Chapter Nine - "Battle in the Stratosphere"	January 13, 1990
Cody and Ted escape the pursuing moon men and make it back to the ship. They prepare for liftoff and...the film breaks. Final Cody short, only partially played.

Season 2 (1990-1991)

Ep.	Short	Original Airdate	Screenshot
203	2.01 - The Phantom Creeps: Chapter One - "The Menacing Power"	October 6, 1990
Mad scientist Dr. Zorka plans to sell his inventions to foreign powers. He fakes his death, then sabotages a plane carrying his enemies.
205	2.02 - The Phantom Creeps: Chapter Two - "Death Stalks the Highways"	October 27, 1990
Zorka, now believed to be dead, blames the authorities for the death of his wife and plots his revenge.
206	2.03 - The Phantom Creeps: Chapter Three - "Crashing Towers"	November 3, 1990
Zorka continues his plans for venegance, but is betrayed by his assistant Monk, who is captured by the authorities.
210	2.04 - X Marks the Spot	December 22, 1990
Joe gets questioned in a heavenly court about road safety. First non-serial short.

Season 3 (1991-1992)

Ep.	Short	Original Airdate	Screenshot
307	Alphabet Antics	July 20, 1991
Education short where children are taught the ABCs via rhymes.
311	The Sport Parade: Snow Thrills	August 24, 1991
All the fun, antics and injuries of sports activities in the snow.
313	Speech: Using Your Voice	September 14, 1991	‎
Educational short on public speaking teaching the importance of being heard, being understood, and being "pleasing".
315	Aquatic Wizards	November 9, 1991
A demonstration of waterskiing.
315	Catching Trouble	November 9, 1991
A wildlife trapper captures snakes, wildcats and bear cubs to send off to the zoo.
317	The Home Economics Story	October 26, 1991	‎
Kay learns of value of a Home Economics degree in all aspects of a woman's life.
319	Mr. B Natural	November 30, 1991	‎
A physical embodiment of the Spirit of Music teaches a boy about the benefits of a musical education and the proper instruments.
320	Posture Pals	December 14, 1991
School competition to see who has the best posture, and the methods four children use to win the titles.
320	Appreciating Our Parents	December 14, 1991
A young boy learns the importance of helping his family about the house.

Season 4 (1992-1993)

Ep.	Short	Original Airdate	Screenshot
406	Undersea Kingdom - Chapter One: Beneath the Ocean Floor	July 18, 1992
A Republic serial wherein a mixed Navy/civilian team discovers a mysterious land under the seas.
407	Junior Rodeo Daredevils	July 25, 1992	‎
After getting caught doing a prank, two young boys stage a junior rodeo.
409	Undersea Kingdom - Chapter Two: The Undersea City	August 15, 1992
The submarine crew is captured and caught between the forces of Atlantis and Unga Khan.
413	General Hospital - Segment 1	September 19, 1992	‎
Nurse Jessie's husband Phil ponders an extramarital affair, while a patient gets diagnosed with a hiatus hernia.
415	General Hospital - Segment 2	November 25, 1992
Jessie and Phil host an awkward engagement party.
417	General Hospital - Segment 3	November 28, 1992
The engagement party ends and Phil drives Cynthia home. They kiss in his car.
419	Johnny At The Fair	December 12, 1992
A young boy ditches his parents at the Canadian National Exhibition and sets off for adventure, meeting some celebrities along the way.
421	Circus On Ice	January 9, 1993
All the fun of the Circus... but on ice!
422	Here Comes the Circus	January 16, 1993
All the fun of the Circus... on normal solid ground!
423	Hired! - Part 1	January 23, 1993	‎
In part 1, a manager at a Chevrolet dealership laments that his sales staff are unsuccessful at selling their product door to door.
424	Hired! - Part 2	January 30, 1993	‎
In part 2, the manager gets set straight by his father about what is wrong with his salesmen.

Season 5 (1993-1994)

Ep.	Short	Original Airdate	Screenshot
503	What to Do on a Date	July 31, 1993
A young man gets ideas about where to take a girl out on a date.
507	The Truck Farmer (Second Edition)	September 4, 1993
Explains the vital importance of modern techniques and technology to ensure vegetables are available all year across the USA.
510	Body Care And Grooming	September 26, 1993
A short to explaining why bathing and good personal hygiene are worthwhile.
514	Is This Love?	November 7, 1993
A young college girl believes she's found her true love after a couple of months of dating and wants to marry.
515	Cheating	November 13, 1993	‎
A young boy cheats in school and faces the consequences.
518	What About Juvenile Delinquency?	December 4, 1993	‎
A gang member has a crisis of conscience when the other gang members unwittingly beat up his father.
520	Last Clear Chance	December 18, 1993
A Union Pacific sponsored short promoting traffic safety, especially at railroad crossings.
524	Design for Dreaming	February 5, 1994
A woman dreams of a mysterious masked man who takes her to see the future, as represented by the 1956 General Motors Motorama.

Season 6 (1994-1995)

Ep.	Short	Original Airdate	Screenshot
602	A Date With Your Family	July 23, 1994
Short teaching you to supress all emotions to ensure you and your family have a pleasant and formal 1950's style family dinner.
603	The Selling Wizard	July 30, 1994
Short explaining to grocery store owners that a new freezer isn't just for keeping stock cold, it's a sales-generating dynamo.
607	Uncle Jim's Dairy Farm	September 3, 1994
City kids George and Betty spend the summer on their Uncle Jim's farm, learning about dairy farming.
608	A Day At The Fair	October 1, 1994
A farming family prepares for their yearly trip to the Indiana State Fair, both to show off their wares, see the sights, and learn the benefits of the 3-H Club.
609	Why Study the Industrial Arts?	August 27, 1994
A teen disparaging the industrial arts is set straight on its vital nature in all aspects of a 1950's man's life.
610	Young Man's Fancy	October 8, 1994
A young girl learns how electrical appliances can help her attract a man.
613	Keeping Clean and Neat	November 5, 1994
A short about how to become and stay clean.
616	Are You Ready for Marriage?	November 26, 1994
A young couple learn how how to determine if their love is genuine.
618	Out of This World	December 10, 1994
An angel and a demon vie to influence a humble hard-working bread deliveryman.
619	Speech: Platform Posture and Appearance	December 17, 1994
Learning correct posture is essential to becoming a good public speaker.
621	Money Talks!	December 17, 1994
Ben Franklin's shadow teaches a young boy about budgeting.
621	Progress Island U.S.A.	December 17, 1994
A short explaining all that Puerto Rico has to offer visitors and residents.
623	The Days of Our Years	March 18, 1995
A Union Pacific-sponsored short explaining the responsibility that workers have to avoid accidents on the job.

Season 7 (1995-1996)

Ep.	Short	Original Airdate	Screenshot
701T/701	7.01 - Once Upon a Honeymoon	November 23, 1995
A long delayed honeymoon causes a housewife to fantasize about new home decor.
702	7.02 - The Chicken of Tomorrow	February 10, 1996
A short explaining what is being done today to produce the chicken of tomorrow.

Season 9 (1998)

Ep.	Short	Original Airdate	Screenshot
906	Century 21 Calling	June 13, 1998
Two enthusiastic teens learn of the amazing phone of the future and its ground-breaking, state-of-the-art features such as call waiting, call conferencing, and touch-tone dialing.
912	A Gumby Adventure: "Robot Rumpus"	August 29, 1998
Opting to be lazy, Gumby gets some robots to do his chores, only to have the robots rebel and cause damage.

Season 10 (1999)

Ep.	Short	Original Airdate	Screenshot
1012	A Case of Spring Fever	August 1, 1999	‎
A doughy man rashly wishes all springs never existed, only to have Coily the Spring Sprite grant his wish. Quickly realizing the error of his ways, the doughy man then preaches about how important springs are in every aspect of daily life.

Season 13 (2022)

Shorts produced for Season 13 are presented individually as The MST3K Short of the Month Club, introduced by Pearl Forrester (Mary Jo Pehl).

Ep.	Short	Original Airdate	Screenshot
-	13.01 - Pipeline to the Clouds	March 18, 2022
An overview of the water supply in America.
-	13.02 - Let's Make a Meal in 20 Minutes	May 12, 2022
Sally Gasco makes a meal on a deadline by using proper techniques, canned foods, and her gas stove.
-	13.03 - Court Case	May 13, 2022
A look at the process of manufacturing tennis balls.
-	13.04 - Sleep for Health	July 8, 2022
Children learn about the importance of sleep for a healthy lifestyle.
-	13.05 - The Wonder of Reproduction	August 5, 2022
A shop owner shows some children his fish tank and explains how the fish reproduce.
-	13.06 - Cavalcade	September 16, 2022
Short vignettes on a variety of subjects are presented.
-	13.07 - Balance Beam for Girls	October 14, 2022
Techniques for the gymnastics balance beam are demonstrated.
-	13.08 - Bicycling Visual Skills	December 13, 2022
A group of children learn about bicycle safety.
-	13.09 - The Bicycle Driver	December 14, 2022
A group of young bicyclists and motorists learn about sharing the road.
-	13.10 - Let's Keep Food Safe to Eat	January 6, 2023
Proper techniques for cleaning and storing food are demonstrated.
-	13.11 - Mr. B Natural	January 6, 2023
A physical embodiment of the Spirit of Music teaches a boy about the benefits of a musical education and the proper instruments. Previously used in Episode 319.
-	13.12 - Better Breakfasts, U.S.A.	January 20, 2023
An exploration of what makes a good breakfast, with an emphasis on grains and cereal.
-	13.13 - Doing Things for Ourselves in School	February 10, 2023
Young Steve demonstrates good behaviors in his school and personal life.

Additional Shorts

Appears in	Short	Original Release	Screenshot
Assignment: Venezuela and Other Shorts / stand-alone	Assignment: Venezuela	2001
An American businessman prepares to move to Venezuela while learning about the country, its people and its culture.
Social Distancing Special	Circus Day	May 3, 2020
2nd Annual Puppet Camp / stand-alone	A Busy Day at the County Fair	October 30, 2020
2nd Annual Puppet Camp / stand-alone	Behind the Scenes at the Supermarket	October 30, 2020
Turkey Day '20 / stand-alone	Behind the Scenes at the Supermarket	November 26, 2020
RiffTrax Goes to the Gizmoplex	Safety in Offices	March 24, 2023
unreleased	What's It to You?	-