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. [44]
The series was greenlit in October 2020, under the working title of Wombats! [45] Wombats were chosen as the species of the main characters because they are underused in media. [46]
Early-career writers were granted fellowships so they could bring diverse viewpoints and BIPOC representation to the series. [47]
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. [48]
Casting
The producers deliberately sought out voice actors that match the ethnicity of the characters to ensure authenticity. [49] 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 between four and five years old. [50]
Animation
The series is animated using 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. [51]
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. [52]
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 5/5 stars, saying "The show's quality matches -- actually, exceeds, the high expectations viewers have for PBS Kids programming." [53]
Accolades
| Year | Award | Category | Nominee | Result | Ref. |
|---|
| 2024 | GLAAD Media Awards | Outstanding Children's Programming | Work It Out Wombats! | Nominated | [55] |
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