TV Kids In-Demand: STEM/STEAM

Shows that incorporate science, technology, engineering, arts and math curricula are featured in our latest TV Kids In-Demand report: Monster Entertainment’s Earth to Luna!, ZDF Enterprises’ Space Nova, CBC & Radio-Canada Distribution’s That’s Cool!, Distribution360’s Polkaroo Counts! and Aardman’s Numberblocks.

Earth to Luna!

Commissioner: Discovery Kids
Produced By: Pinguim Content
Distributor: Monster Entertainment
Description: (Kids 3-6 educational, S1-7: 182×26 min.) Luna is a 6-year-old girl who is passionate about one thing: science! For Luna, the Earth is a giant laboratory she explores with energy and enthusiasm. What most of us ignore, Luna notices and obsesses over until she can explain it herself, in her own unique way.
Pitch Perfect: Earth to Luna! is a series that uses boundless humor and unforgettable characters to explore the world around us! There is nothing that Luna and her friends won’t do or imagine to answer their scientific questions. Every episode is based around the investigation of a natural phenomenon, presented in a simple manner that is easy to follow. This is the perfect tool to help younger viewers nurture their curiosity, and it encourages them to think creatively about things they encounter every day.
Slot Winner: Broadcast in 120 countries. Sales highlights include Sky, Discovery Kids, Kids Central, RTHK, Česká televize, TG4, Minika and Hopster.
Sales Contacts: Andrew Fitzpatrick, Ania Rozenszprung-Clinton, Ben Murphy.

Space Nova

Commissioners: Super RTL, ABC ME, 9Network
Produced By: SLR Productions
Distributor: ZDF Enterprises holds all rights worldwide, excluding Australia and New Zealand.
Description: (Kids 6-10, 26×24 min.) Set in 2162, it stars tween siblings Jet and Adelaide, who live not-so-ordinary lives on an international space station with their astronaut parents and schoolmates. Space Novafollows the Nova family’s search for alien life throughout the universe.
Pitch Perfect: NASA intends to send humans to Mars by the mid-2030s—within the lifetime of the intended audience. Space and understanding Earth’s place in the universe are major areas in the science education curriculum, connecting students with authentic engagement in STEM. This is most important in primary school—the age of our intended audience—when students make a decision about the value of studying science. Seventy-five percent of the fastest-growing careers today require at least some STEM skills. The episodes in Space Nova use real science throughout the series that can be used as educational tools to discuss a scientific concept, aspects about space exploration, aeronautical technology we need to get us there and the astrophysics related to space itself. We explore ideas of alien planets and potential alien life as we take real science and expand into new ideas.
Slot Winner: Received the AWGIE Award for most outstanding script for animation: Thomas Duncan-Watt for the episode “Ghost Station.”
Sales Contacts: Arne Lohmann, VP ZDFE.junior; Katharina Pietzsch, Director ZDFE.junior; Jan-Frederik Maul, Director ZDFE.junior; Marei Bruckmann, Director ZDFE.junior.

That’s Cool!

Commissioner: Radio-Canada
Produced By: Toast Studio
Distributor: Worldwide rights are available from CBC & Radio-Canada Distribution.
Description: (Kids 6-9 edutainment, 120×3 min.) Does the human body really contain gold? Can eating spinach truly make us stronger? A series of edutainment capsules, That’s Cool! asks questions like these and answers them in a straightforward and entertaining way. Astonishing but true facts are analyzed and secrets of the animal world revealed, using a simple and effective format that is both engaging and amusing.
Pitch Perfect: This series is traveling so well! The audience is learning with fun and amazing facts. With a STEAM curriculum for each episode, the 6- to 9-year-olds are engaged and excited. The series is effective at getting their attention.
Slot Winner: Broadcast partners include TF1, Da Vinci Kids, Hopster, ERR, EBS, TV5 and more.
Sales Contacts: Mia Desroches, Sandrine Pechels de Saint Sardos.

Polkaroo Counts!

Commissioner: TVOkids
Produced By: GAPC Entertainment
Distributor: All digital and TV rights, excluding Canada, from Distribution360.
Description: (Preschool 2-5, 30×2.5 min.) A fun live-action series that supports numeracy learning and foundational math concepts. Along with their kangaroo friend, Polkaroo, preschoolers quickly see how their day-to-day activities involve counting and how learning can be fun.
Pitch Perfect: “The series captures the important notion that when it comes to mathematics, play is the engine of learning. Polkaroo Counts! was developed with an early math education specialist and uses tangible materials to teach children to think about numbers and how they are made. Featuring a diverse local cast of kids learning for the first time, each 2.5-minute episode incorporates easy-to-understand language and explains relatable mistakes, encouraging viewers to reach new milestones in math learning.” —Diane Rankin, SVP, Rights, Distribution360
Sales Contacts: Diane Rankin, SVP, Rights; Smiljka Baljozovic, Director, Sales; Joanna Rowley, Sales Consultant.

Numberblocks

Commissioner: CBeebies
Produced By: Alphablocks, Blue Zoo Animation Studio
Distributor: Aardman Animations globally, except North America, China, the U.K., France and Germany and global SVOD, where Blue Zoo Rights represents.
Description: (Preschool edutainment, S1-4: 120×5 min. & 1×20 min., 3×10 min. specials) BAFTA-winning series engages children with songs and silliness while helping them understand numbers by visually making sense of how they work.
Pitch Perfect: Numberblocks is a revolutionary and innovative children’s brand that celebrates numbers and learning, helping children master key math skills with every adventure. It’s a story about a group of friends who can always count on each other but, most importantly, Numberblocks is about having fun with numbers!
Slot Winner: Numberblocks is a global series airing on multiple channels and platforms, including CBeebies (where it was a number one chart hitter), Netflix, Noggin in the U.S., ABC Australia, RTP Portugal and TVO Canada. This BAFTA-winning series regularly achieves the top position on kids’ platforms and comes with a huge YouTube following with over 3.4 billion views to date. In a recent survey, 84 percent of parents said that their child is more confident in math since watching the show and 85 percent of teachers would recommend Numberblocks to other educators.
Sales Contacts: Aardman: Alison Taylor, Miguel Mestre; Blue Zoo Rights: Alison Warner.