What did Peabody invent?

How Mr. Peabody Changed History—Without Actually Being Human

Believe it or not, one of the most brilliant inventors in animated history wasn’t even human—he was a talking dog. Mr. Peabody, the precocious genius from the 1960s cartoon segment Peabody’s Improbable History, didn’t just adopt a boy named Sherman or win a Nobel Prize before kindergarten. He built something far more extraordinary: the WABAC machine.

The WABAC (pronounced “way-back”) wasn’t just a clever name—it was a fully functional time machine, designed to correct historical inaccuracies and teach young Sherman about the past. With its blinking lights, spinning dials, and unmistakable 1960s retro-futurism, the WABAC became the star of countless adventures through ancient Egypt, Renaissance Italy, and the Wild West.

But let’s be clear—this wasn’t just sci-fi fantasy. The WABAC represented a cultural fascination with time travel long before Back to the Future or Doctor Who captured the mainstream. While H.G. Wells imagined a machine in 1895, Peabody made time travel educational, whimsical, and oddly believable—all while wearing glasses and a bowtie.

Each episode began with Mr. Peabody summoning Sherman with the iconic line: “Sherman, set the WABAC machine to…”. From there, they’d zip through centuries to meet figures like Leonardo da Vinci or Cleopatra, often nudging history just enough to keep it on track.

Though the WABAC never existed outside animation, its legacy endures. It sparked imaginations, taught kids history with a wink, and proved that even a fictional dog could revolutionize science. In a way, Mr. Peabody didn’t just invent a machine—he invented a smarter, funnier way to look at the past.