Puppet History
The Professor sometimes talks about his life through wrong answers to the multiple-choice questions.  These answers say the Professor found a magic lamp that had a magical genie inside it.  He told the genie to turn a "seemingly ordinary household object" into a secret time machine.  The genie did so, but was also "a total prick about it." In the flashbacks, the genie is played by Shane Madej.  In other episodes, the Professor mentions visiting the past and meeting people from history.  Sometimes he talks about the genie chasing him.  For example, in "The Great Molasses Flood," the Professor gets stuck in the molasses and the genie almost catches him.  But he reaches into his satchel for the secret time machine and gets away.