September 7, 2020 (2020-09-07) – present (present)
Elinor Wonders Why is an animated television series created by Jorge Cham and Daniel Whiteson. The series premiered on September 7, 2020 from PBS Kids.[1] The series is animated using Toon Boom Harmony.
Overview
The exploration-themed show encourages children to follow their curiosity, ask questions when they don't understand, and find answers using science inquiry skills. The main character, Elinor, is the most observant and curious bunny rabbit in Animal Town just north of Natural Forest, California. She introduces children ages 3–6 to science, nature, and communities through adventures with her friends Olive and Ari. Each episode includes two 11-minute animated stories, plus interstitial content, where Elinor and her classmates enjoy either Señor Tapir singing about famous nature explorers or Ms. Mole reading stories.[2]
Characters
Main
Elinor (voiced by Markeda McKay) – A white bunny girl with an inquisitive nature and a sweet personality.
Ari (voiced by Wyatt White in season 1, and Athan Giazitzidis in season 2) – A funny, imaginative light brown bat boy who lives in a hollow boulder, and is one of Elinor's best friends.
Olive (voiced by Maria Nash in season 1, and Lizette Chambers in season 2) – An elephant calf girl who is one of Elinor's best friends. She often makes charts for whatever questions are being asked.
Ranger Rabbit (voiced by Lisette St. Louis) – Elinor's mom, who works as a park ranger.
Mr. Rabbit (voiced by Colin Doyle) – Elinor's dad.
Ms. Mole (voiced by Shoshana Sperling) – A brown mole who is Elinor, Ari and Olive's teacher. She wears glasses.
Recurring
Olive's Mom (voiced by Ana Sani)
Señor Tapir (voiced by Juan Chioran) – A Spanish-accented tapir that sings about famous explorers and inventors during interstitials.
Mr. Raccoon (voiced by Dan Darin-Zanco) – A raccoon who runs a bakery.
Rollie (voiced by Eric Khou) – An armadillo who is one of Elinor, Ari, and Olive's classmates.
Development of the show began in 2017, when Cham and Whiteson were approached by PBS. PBS found Cham's comic, Piled Higher and Deeper, online and asked if he was interested in pitching to them. "I reached out to Daniel, and what inspires us beyond science is our children," Cham recalled. "They are curious, and it motivated us to create the show."[3] Cham cites Pogo and Calvin and Hobbes as inspiration for the show's visual design, which he described as "something that felt natural and calming, as opposed to overloaded or frenetic."[2]
The character of Elinor was inspired by Cham's own daughter, Elinor.[1] Cham said "She was about 4, which is just at that perfect age where she really does wonder why, all the time. Any answer you give her, she’ll (have) a follow-up question, another why."[4] Cham and Whiteson went with animals as the show's characters to make them "appealing but also relatable at the same time", and to "highlight their range of skills and abilities".[1]
A second season of the series is currently in development with funding from a National Science Foundation grant.[5]
Broadcast
The series premiered on PBS Kids in the United States on September 7, 2020, as a sneak peek by showing the first 2 episodes, before regularly airing new episodes on September 8.[6] Some episodes are available on Amazon Prime Video in the United States.[7]
PBS International has licensed the series to Canada, Latin America, Finland, Israel, Sweden and the United Arab Emirates via Knowledge Network, Discovery Kids, Yle, Hop!, SVT and E-Junior, respectively.[8] The series airs on Australia on the PBS Kids channel, which was started as a venture with Foxtel in July 2021.[9]
Home media
In early 2021, the series began to release its episodes on PBS Kids compilation DVDs.[10]
Reception
Starr Rhett Rocque of Fast Company wrote, "This clever series...encourages curiosity."[11]
Elinor Wonders Why: Hiding in Plain Sight, described as one of two launch titles for a graphic novel series based on the show, was announced in February 2022.[15] Two titles, Hiding in Plain Sight and Forest Giants, released on September 6, 2022.[16][17]
^"PBS Kids Launches Channel in Australia". aNb Media, Inc. July 14, 2021. Retrieved February 26, 2022. The new channel from Foxtel includes the Australian premieres of Fred Rogers Productions' puppet series Donkey Hodie and STEM-based animated show Elinor Wonders Why.
^Maughan, Shannon. "Fall 2022 Children's Sneak Previews". Publishers Weekly. Retrieved February 26, 2022. Elinor Wonders Why: Hiding in Plain Sight by Jorge Cham and Daniel Whiteson, one of two launch titles for a graphic novel series based on the TV show about an inquisitive rabbit exploring the natural world...
^Cham, Jorge; Whiteson, Daniel (September 6, 2022). Elinor Wonders Why: Hiding in Plain Sight (listing). Kids Can Press. ISBN978-1525306198.
^Cham, Jorge; Whiteson, Daniel (September 6, 2022). Elinor Wonders Why: Forest Giants (listing). Kids Can Press. ISBN978-1525306204.
