Work It Out Wombats!, an animated series about a trio of marsupial siblings, premieres on PBS Kids February 6. The show targets kids ages 3-6.
Malik, Zadie and Zeke are the siblings. They live in a massive treehouse apartment complex known as the Treeborhood with their grandmother, Super. The show introduces “computational thinking concepts that will help young viewers solve meaningful problems, learn flexible thinking and how to express themselves,” PBS Kids said, while using the processes at the core of computer science.
“The Wombats are all about exploring the world around them and, much like preschoolers, their curiosity and love of adventure know no bounds,” said Sara DeWitt, senior VP and general manager, PBS Kids. “Computational thinking is a way of approaching problems in strategic ways, helping young children respond and adapt to the world around them. We’re excited for viewers to explore these foundational skills and mindsets while having fun with their new marsupial friends.”
Treeborhood residents include wombats, snakes, moose, kangaroos, iguanas, fish, tarsiers and eagles. The complex has secret passageways, gondolas and rope swings.
“Malik, Zadie and Zeke are passionate about their goals, but they don’t always know the best way to go about meeting them,” said Marcy Gunther and Marisa Wolsky, executive producers, GBH Kids. “But in every story, we see the Wombats using computational thinking, a powerful toolkit, to work it out.”
Each episode includes two 11-minute stories, accompanied by a 90-second music video.
The show is produced by GBH Kids and Pipeline Studios. Gunther and Wolsky are executive producers for GBH Kids. Luis Lopez and Juan Lopez are executive producers for Pipeline Studios. ■
