Work It Out Wombats! Explained

Work It Out Wombats! is a children's animated television series that premiered on February 6, 2023, on PBS Kids. The series is produced by GBH Kids and Pipeline Studios.^[1] The series also has a podcast, which premiered on January 4, 2024.^{[2] [3]} Reception to the series has been positive.

Premise

The series follows Malik, Zadie, and Zeke, creative marsupial siblings who live with their grandmother (Super) in her treehouse apartment complex, known as the Treeborhood.^[4] Every episode features them encountering a problem of some kind and using computational thinking to solve it.^[5] In-between each of the episodes is a 90-second music video.

Characters

Main

• Malik (voiced by Ian Ho) is a playful and curious 8-year-old (starting off at 7 years old) grey wombat and the oldest of the siblings. He is meticulous and organized, but nonetheless likes having fun with his siblings.^[6]
• Zadie (voiced by Mia Swami-Nathan) is an adorable and cute 7-year-old (starting off at 6 years old) purple wombat and the middle child of the siblings. She likes to create fantastical ideas that are shown in a cardboard/puffball/popsicle stick art style.^[7]
• Zeke (voiced by Rain Janjua) is a playful 5-year-old yellow wombat and the youngest of the siblings. He usually carries a stuffed animal named Snout with him, and is fond of asking lots of questions and talking nonstop.^[8]
• Super (voiced by Yanna McIntosh) is a fifty-something pink-haired cyan wombat who is the wombats' grandmother as well as the superintendent of the Treeborhood. She is open minded and encourages her grandchildren to make mistakes.^[9] She has a brother named Duper who lives in another town miles away.

Recurring

• Mr. E (a.k.a Mr. Splendito, voiced by Joseph Motiki) is an iguana who owns the Everything Emporium. He is very organized and does care for the wombats but doesn't like their antics. He has a crush on Ellie, as she is the only person that he is openly affectionate towards.^[10] He has a alterego named Mr. Splendito in “The Great Splendito”.
• Ellie (voiced by Tymika Tafari) is a moose of Jamaican descent who is the Treeborhood's EMT. She is reliable and very kind-hearted. Some of her interests include fitness and jumping on a trampoline.^{[11] [12]}
• Louisa (voiced by Claire Mackness) is a 5-year-old adopted pink tarsier who wants to know everything. Her catchphrase is "Did/do you not know?". She is good friends with Zeke. She shares a name with another character from the next show.
• Leiko and Duffy (voiced by Ana Sani and Shoshana Sperling, respectively) are a pair of kangaroos who are a lesbian couple and the adoptive mothers of Louisa. They used to be in a rock music duo together. Duffy works at Eat 'N Greet, while Leiko is the COO of the Creation Station.
• Sammy (voiced by Baeyen Hoffman) is a 8-year-old (starting off at 7 years old) orange laid-back emerald tree boa snake with Puerto Rican heritage.^[12] He is good friends with Malik.
• Quique, real name Enrique (voiced by B'atz' Recinos) is the father of Sammy. He is a teacher at the Starlight Room.^[13] He has a wife named Yolanda whom he had divorced but still remains contact by taking turns in taking care of their son.
• JunJun (voiced by Roman Pesino) is a playful 7-year-old (starting off at 6 years old) Philippine Eagle who likes singing and playing guitar. He occasionally speaks Tagalog words. He is good friends with Zadie.
• Kaya (voiced by Gianelle Miranda) is JunJun's 17-year-old (starting off at 16 years old) sister. She is a waitress at the Eat 'N Greet and a social media influencer.
• Amado (voiced by Mark Andrada) is JunJun and Kaya's father. He is the arborist of the Treeborhood and frequently cuts topiary trees. He wears a red barong tagalog.
• Gabriela (voiced by Carolyn Fe) is JunJun and Kaya's grandmother. She is the local mail carrier.
• Carly, CeCe, and Clyde (all voiced by Julie Lemieux), Kat (voiced by Athena Karkanis), and Kit (voiced by Dan Chamroy) are a green fiddler crab family who are farmers at the Sow 'N Grow. They are rather timid. Carly, CeCe, and Clyde are triplets who function as a single character. Carly wears red, CeCe wears green, and Clyde wears blue. Also, Cece is the only crab who wears square glasses while Kit, Kat, Carly and Clyde wear round glasses. Kit and Kat are their father and mother.
• Fergus and Felicia Fishman (voiced by Michael Gordin Shore and Athena Karkanis, respectively) are fish entrepreneurs who live in a tank near the top of the Treeborhood.
• Flip, Fannie, and Finn Fishman are three fish children who live with Fergus and Felicia in their tank near the top of the Treeborhood.
• Sylvia (voiced by Paloma Nuñez) is a white cow with lavender spots, dark blue glasses, and curly maroon hair. She wears a purple button-up shirt.
• Duper (also known as Great Uncle Duper, voiced by Martin Roach) is Malik, Zadie, and Zeke’s granduncle and Super’s brother.
• Buckley (voiced by Jayd Deroché) is a beaver and the wombats' friend.
• Yolanda (voiced by Margarita Varderrama) is the ex-wife of Quique and Sammy’s mother.
• Benito (voiced by Juan Pablo Romero) is Sammy’s cousin. Benito speaks Spanish in the English version and English in the Spanish version.

Episodes

Series overview

Season 1 (2023-25)

Development

The themes and ideas of the show were previously covered in Aha Island, a WGBH multimedia project about monkeys who use computational thinking.

Some elements from Aha Island were recycled for Work It Out Wombats!, such as the existence of the Everything Emporium.^[14]

The series was greenlit in October 2020, under the working title of Wombats!^[15] Wombats were chosen as the species of the main characters because they are underused in media.^[16]

Early-career writers were granted fellowships so they could bring diverse viewpoints and BIPOC representation to the series.^[17]

The production team worked to ensure authentic representations of names, language, and some of the cultural origins found with the animals themselves, while keeping in mind that animals are not a proxy for race and ethnicity.

For example, JunJun and his family are Philippine eagles, while Ellie is a moose; an animal not found in Jamaica.^[18]

Work It Out Wombats! premiered on PBS Kids on February 6, 2023.

Casting

The producers deliberately sought out voice actors that match the ethnicity of the characters to ensure authenticity.^[19] Rain Janjua, the voice of Zeke, originally auditioned for the role of Malik for being asked to try out for Zeke. To create the voice, Janjua tried to recall how his voice sounded at five years old.^[20]

Animation

The series is animated in Toon Boom Harmony. The characters are animated using complicated rigging systems that allow the animators to draw things by hand, thus giving each character their own nuances and walk cycles. The designs of the characters and settings are rounded in order to create a friendly, welcoming feel. Curvilinear perspective and hazing is used for the backgrounds to make the characters stand out.^[21]

Reception

Audience viewership

Work It Out Wombats! achieved 23 million streams on PBS Kids video platforms within its first two weeks, as well as over 1.7 million views on YouTube.^[22]

Critical response

The series was praised for its positive messages, educational value, and high-energy characters. Writing for Common Sense Media, Diondra Brown rated it a 5/5, saying "The show's quality matches -- actually, exceeds, the high expectations viewers have for PBS Kids programming."^[23]

Controversy

The lesbian characters of Leiko and Duffy caused the series to be controversial among conservative crowds. In May 2023, the Governor of Oklahoma, Kevin Stitt, vetoed a measure to provide state funding to Oklahoma Educational Television Authority for three years, due to their broadcasting of Work It Out Wombats! (and of Clifford the Big Red Dog (2019 TV series), which also features same-sex parents) and the claims that it "overly sexualizing" kids.^[24]

Accolades

Marketing

To promote the series, a walkaround mascot of Zeke traveled to different places in the Boston area from February 22 to February 24, under the title "Zeke's Big Boston Adventure." Zeke went to the Boston Children's Museum, the Franklin Park Zoo, and the Boston Public Library. The Mayor of Boston, Michelle Wu, declared February 21 as "Work It Out Wombats! Day."^[26]

See also

• List of programs broadcast by PBS Kids

External links

• Official website
• Work It Out Wombats! at IMDb

Notes and References

1. Web site: Work It Out Wombats! . Work It Out Wombats! . Home PBS KIDS PBS KIDS . June 29, 2011 . pbskids.org.
2. Web site: Work it Out Wombats! Podcasts Station News WQPT PBS . wqpt.org . 1 February 2024 . January 2024.
3. Web site: Facebook . www.facebook.com . 1 February 2024 . 3 January 2024 . You're invited to a playdate with Malik, Zadie, and Zeke! WHEN: Starting tomorrow....
4. Web site: PBS KIDS Announces New Series, WORK IT OUT WOMBATS! Debuting Winter 2023 . February 8, 2023 . About PBS – Main . en.
5. Web site: New PBS KIDS Series, WORK IT OUT WOMBATS!, Premieres February 6, 2023 . CPB . July 26, 2022 . Corporation for Public Broadcasting . February 10, 2023.
6. Work It Out Wombats! . Work It Out Wombats! . WombatsPBS . 1609931303964606521 . January 2, 2023 . Malik is the oldest of the Wombats, and he's been known to make a careful list of pros and cons. ⭐ Meet Malik FEBRUARY 6th, 2023 on @PBSKIDS! #WombatsPBS ⭐ https://t.co/rPOvT5WuTM . en . February 23, 2023.
7. Work It Out Wombats! . Work It Out Wombats! . WombatsPBS . 1610648538215481346 . January 4, 2023 . Zadie doesn't have just one idea, she has eight. Twelve! A hundred! She's looking to get more patience— somewhere and immediately. ⭐ Meet Zadie FEBRUARY 6th, 2023 on @PBSKIDS! #WombatsPBS ⭐ https://t.co/QQnJvrFjbD . en . February 23, 2023.
8. Work It Out Wombats! . Work It Out Wombats! . WombatsPBS . 1611410641415192607 . January 6, 2023 . Zeke is the youngest of the Wombats, and he is rarely spotted without his stuffy Snout— who is better than Zeke at keeping secrets. ⭐ Meet Zeke FEBRUARY 6th, 2023 on @PBSKIDS! #WombatsPBS ⭐ https://t.co/MCe9zQlF8L . en . February 23, 2023 . https://web.archive.org/web/20230210221844/https://twitter.com/WombatsPBS/status/1611410641415192607 . February 10, 2023 . live.
9. Work It Out Wombats! . Work It Out Wombats! . WombatsPBS . 1613985767658819590 . January 13, 2023 . Super is the squishiest, huggiest grandma you'll ever find. But, where can you find her? ➡️ She might be under the sink, fixing a skateboard ramp, or even hang-gliding. ⭐ Meet Gramma Super FEBRUARY 6th, 2023 on @PBSKIDS! #WombatsPBS ⭐ https://t.co/QO3tWw7CbA . en . February 23, 2023.
10. Work It Out Wombats! . Work It Out Wombats! . WombatsPBS . 1616825975001464832 . January 21, 2023 . While cleaning the Everything Emporium, Mr. E might accidentally knock over boxes, topple displays, and then fire himself for incompetence. ⭐ Meet Mr. E FEBRUARY 6th on @PBSKIDS! #WombatsPBS ⭐ https://t.co/2uOtLym45P . en . February 23, 2023 . https://web.archive.org/web/20230210220719/https://twitter.com/WombatsPBS/status/1616825975001464832 . February 10, 2023 . live.
11. Work It Out Wombats! . Work It Out Wombats! . WombatsPBS . 1621596408338857988 . February 3, 2023 . Never running out of things to do, Ellie is a rock for the Treeborhood. ⭐ Meet Ellie on @PBSKIDS starting FEBRUARY 6TH! #WombatsPBS ⭐ https://t.co/SUixstDYGX . en . February 23, 2023 . https://web.archive.org/web/20230210220924/https://twitter.com/WombatsPBS/status/1621596408338857988 . February 10, 2023 . live.
12. Web site: WORK IT OUT WOMBATS! Creators on new PBS Kids animated series – Exclusive Interview – Assignment X . February 6, 2023 .
13. Work It Out Wombats! . Work It Out Wombats! . WombatsPBS . 1621754468101505026 . February 4, 2023 . Why is Sammy so cool and thoughtful? Because that's how his Dad, Quique, is! ⭐ Meet Sammy and Quique on @PBSKIDS starting FEBRUARY 6TH! #WombatsPBS ⭐ https://t.co/NEgC9lVHaV . en . February 23, 2023.
14. Web site: AHA Island . Aha Island . February 21, 2023.
15. Web site: CPB and PBS Awarded Ready To Learn Grant from the U.S. Department of Education . PBS . February 10, 2023.
16. Web site: Miller . Bruce R. . Wombats help pre-schoolers think through problems in new PBS series . Culpeper Star Exponent . February 5, 2023 . 14 March 2023.
17. Web site: Work It Out Wombats! Scriptwriting Fellowship Brings Diverse Perspectives to New GBH Kids STEM Series . WGBH . February 10, 2023.
18. Web site: Morales . Wilson . Exclusive: Creative Producer Kareem Edouard, Ph.D. talks animated series 'Work It Out Wombats!' . BlackFilmandTV.com . February 10, 2023.
19. Web site: Filipino characters featured in 'Work It Out Wombats!' cartoon series on PBS KIDS . TheFilAm.net. February 13, 2023.
20. Problem Solving . Spotify . The Children's Hour . February 26, 2023 . 12:01. March 14, 2023.
21. March 13, 2023 . ANIMATION: Behind the Scenes of Work It Out Wombats! on PBS KIDS . Video . English . March 14, 2023 . Work It Out Wombats!.
22. Web site: Northrop . Daphne . It's Hard Work Being a Wombat . GBH . March 23, 2023 . 29 March 2023.
23. Web site: Brown . Diondra . Work It Out Wombats! TV Review . . 29 March 2023.
24. Web site: Forman . Carmen . Stitt vetoes OETA bill, accuses network of trying to 'indoctrinate' kids . 2023-05-04 . Tulsa World . April 28, 2023 . en.
25. Web site: January 17, 2024 . GLAAD ANNOUNCES NOMINEES FOR THE 35th ANNUAL GLAAD MEDIA AWARDS . January 19, 2024 . GLAAD.
26. Web site: Tuesday, February 21 . WGBH . February 21, 2023 . February 23, 2023.