Work It Out Wombats! The Animated Preschool Series on PBS KIDS
Work It Out Wombats! is the series that in just over a year has revolutionized the way of telling preschoolers about discovering the world. Since June 9, with the arrival of the second season on PBS KIDS, this production confirms itself as one of the freshest, most intelligent and inclusive in the animated panorama for children.
Treeborhood: A Condominium of Ideas, Friendship and Creativity
At the center of it all is the “Treeborhood,” a condominium-neighborhood inhabited by extravagant and lively characters. Our protagonists live here: Malik, zadie e Zeke, three wombat brothers with an endless hunger for adventure and questions. Next to them is Super, the energetic and slightly crazy grandmother who seems to have seen and solved everything in life. And around this “extended” family revolve friends, neighbors and animals of all kinds: snakes with hats, musical kangaroos, curious tarsiers and even a family of entrepreneurial fish. In short, the Treeborhood is a microcosm in which something different happens every day.
Everyday adventures? Yes, but with a touch of STEM
What makes the difference in Work It Out Wombats! is the choice to put curiosity, logic and the desire to solve problems at the center of the adventures, always with a smile on their lips. Each episode is a small challenge: how to build anti-thunder headphones, organize a treasure hunt, invent an underwater circus show, solve a mystery with the help of technology or even just manage the loss of a favorite stuffed animal (and who didn't experience this as a child?).
The great thing is that the series doesn't just show the "what", but focuses a lot on the "how": the protagonists learn to think step by step, to make mistakes without shame and to try different strategies until the problem is solved. It's the philosophy of "computational thinking", told in a light, colorful way and perfectly suitable for preschool age.
A second season full of ideas and new challenges
The new season starts with a bang: five episodes that explore all the possibilities of inventiveness and collaboration. From building with a 3D printer to organizing surprise parties and impromptu shows, the Wombats (and the little viewers at home!) learn that there are no insurmountable problems if you join forces and agree to take a chance.
And that's not all: the world of Work It Out Wombats! expands with the shorts “Adventures in Sunnyfunland”, small parallel adventures animated in stop-motion (with craft materials such as cardboard, felt and wool) that stimulate creativity and invite children to build, invent and fantasize even away from the screen.
Games, Apps, and Patternpalooza Fair: Learning Goes Interactive
It's no coincidence that the series is so successful outside of television. Through the PBS KIDS Games app, little fans can participate in mini-games such as Patternpalooza Fair: here the characters are helped to recognize, create and complete patterns of objects and colors, a very important exercise for logical-mathematical development and attention to detail.
Learning here is always play, challenge and discovery: no frontal lessons, just lots of shared fun.
A cast that truly represents the world
One of the added values of Work It Out Wombats! is its focus on inclusivity and representation. The main and secondary characters are diverse in species, ethnicity, family, and character. There are single parents, overactive grandmothers, blended families, LGBTQ+ characters like Louisa’s kangaroo moms, and dialogue that effortlessly blends English, Spanish, Tagalog, and other languages.
The message that comes across, always without rhetoric, is that every family is different and every way of being is beautiful if it brings kindness, respect and collaboration.
An irresistible design
Visually, Work It Out Wombats! is a joy for the eyes: pastel colors, soft lines and characters with funny and recognizable expressions. Each environment of the Treeborhood is full of details that invite discovery, from the rooms full of DIY games to the community gardens where different cultures and flavors meet. Even the choice to alternate traditional animation and stop-motion in the “Sunnyfunland” shorts makes everything even richer and more stimulating.
A series that is good for adults too
Work It Out Wombats! It is designed for children, but parents will soon find themselves smiling in front of the screen and appreciating the creativity of these problem-solving stories. There is just the right amount of humor, the ability to talk about emotions (such as anger, sadness, fear and joy) without ever being banal, and a genuine desire to make them want to learn.
Why is it worth watching?
Because it turns problem solving into a great adventure, because it truly represents the society we live in, because it makes us want to build, invent, solve. But above all, because it reminds us that collaboration and curiosity are the keys to growing up… and always remaining a little childish.
In short words: Work It Out Wombats! is a small laboratory of enthusiasm, imagination and desire to do. And this second season is ready to conquer a new generation of small (and large) explorers of life!
