| Super Why! | |
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| Genre | |
| Created by | Angela Santomero |
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| Opening theme | "Who's Got the Power?" |
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| Original language | English |
| No. of seasons | 3 |
| No. of episodes | 103(list of episodes) |
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| Running time | 26 minutes |
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| Release | September 3, 2007 (2007-09-03) – May 12, 2016 (2016-05-12) |
Super Why! is an animatedsuperheropreschooleducationalchildren's television series created byAngela Santomero and developed by Santomero and Samantha Freeman Alpert forPBS Kids. Santomero and Alpert additionally serve as executive producers alongside Steven DeNure and Anne Loi. The series was produced by Santomero and Alpert'sNew York City-based production companyOut of the Blue Enterprises in co-production withDecode Entertainment for the first and second seasons andDHX Studios Halifax for the second and third seasons. Animation was byToronto-basedC.O.R.E. Toons (season 1), Gallus Entertainment (season 2) andDHX Media (originally through itsDecode Entertainment division). The opening and closing theme songs were written by composers and lyricists Steve D'Angelo and Terry Tompkins, with D'Angelo also providing lead vocals for both. The background score for seasons 2 and 3 was composed by Lorenzo Castelli andJeff Morrow.
The show was originally created as astop motion pilot episode in 1999 byCuppa Coffee Animation that was pitched toNickelodeon/Nick Jr.[1] It was later featured at the2000 Annecy Film Festival.[2] Nickelodeon ultimately opted not to pick up the show. Instead,Curious Pictures pitched another pilot toPBS Kids sometime in 2006, andPBS Kids further developed the series with funds from theUnited States Department of Education'sReady to Learn grant[3][4] and aired the premiere episode on September 3, 2007.[5] The original run ended on May 12, 2016 with a total of 103 episodes across three seasons.[6]
The show is set in Storybrook Village, which is accessible through a panel that is represented by an invisible question mark located on a bookshelf in a library. The titular character, Whyatt Beanstalk, lives with his friends Woofster, Littlest Pig, Red Riding Hood, and Princess Pea. In each of the episodes, one of the main characters (sometimes two characters, or even all five) has a "super big problem", a "super big question", or a "super big mystery". The main characters then discuss their situation at the Book Club, agreeing to look and fly in a book of a famous story to resolve it.
The goal of the Super Readers is to follow the storyline of the book. As they progress through the events of the story, they encounter various obstacles, which can be solved by applying their literacy skills to change the story. As they overcome each of these obstacles, they are rewarded with red glittery "Super Letters" that form the solution to whatever scenario they are investigating.
At the conclusion of the adventure, the Super Readers fly back to the Book Club. The Super Letters are put onto the giant computer screen and are spelled out to show the "Super Story Answer". Then, one of the Super Readers gives the reason why that particular word or phrase serves as the solution to their issue or mystery.[7]
| Season | Episodes | Originally released | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| First released | Last released | |||
| 1 | 65 | September 3, 2007 (2007-09-03) | November 15, 2010 (2010-11-15) | |
| 2 | 15 | September 12, 2011 (2011-09-12) | October 11, 2012 (2012-10-11) | |
| 3 | 23 | August 17, 2015 (2015-08-17) | May 12, 2016 (2016-05-12) | |
Super Why! was received positively onCommon Sense Media, where reviewer Emily Ashby rates the show 4/5 in the categories positive messages, positive role models, and educational value. Ashby's review additionally states while extremely mild sequences of suspense and peril do occur and how the show partnered withPost Consumer Brands for a branded cereal, there are low amounts of violence/scariness and consumerism, as well as no sexual content,profanity, or drinking, drugs, and smoking. Ashby additionally credits the merit of the show to its usage of classic children'sfairy tales and the usage of characters from them, specificallythe Three Little Pigs.[8]
Susan Stewart, a reviewer forThe New York Times, criticized the show for taking classic fairy tales with traditionally dark lessons, specificallyThe Three Little Pigs andHansel and Gretel, and morph them into etiquette lessons. Stewart also criticized the use of interactive questions for viewers to answer and their length, specifically questions like "what comes after the letter E?". Despite stating these flaws, Stewart agreed that the show is brilliant in educational value.[9]
In 2012, a live show was launched across the United States, titledSuper Why Live: You've Got the Power. Produced by S2BN Entertainment, directed by Glenn Orsher, and written by Orsher, Angela C. Santomero, Samantha Freeman Alpert, and Becky Friedman,Super Why Live was promoted for having aerial stunts and "cutting-edge technology", and due to its high levels of audience engagement, was jokingly referred to by Santomero as “‘theRocky Horror Picture Show’ for preschoolers”. The show, which follows Super Why, Alpha Pig, Wonder Red, Princess Presto, and Woofster, premiered inMonroe, Louisiana on July 18, 2012, and toured into spring 2013, where the tour concluded inAlbany, New York on May 10.[10][11][12] The show featured the pre-recorded voices of Melissa Hutchison as Super Why and Woofster, Charlie Ibsen as Alpha Pig, Lisa Marie Woods as Wonder Red, and Christina Ulloa Purrelli as Princess Presto.
The live show's soundtrack was written and produced by musician and singer-songwriterJack Antonoff, and borrows elements from the series' songs written by Santomero, Alpert, composers Steve D'Angelo and Terry Tompkins, and lyricist and staff writer Alex Breen. Antonoff, widely known for his work with theindie rock bandFun, noted that being natively skilled in indie rock, writing for the show was not very different, though the lyrics needed to be much less open to interpretation and easy to understand when composing for a young audience.[13]
A short-form 2Dspin-off series titledSuper Why's Comic Book Adventures premiered on PBS Kids on October 18, 2023, with 20 three-minute episodes. A preview of the series was released on September 20, 2023. This series features a new Super Reader named Power Paige.[14]
On October 1, 2025, it was announced thatSuper Why's Comic Book Adventures will be expanded into a full half-hour series in 2026.[15][16]
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