''WordWorld'' (also sometimes referred to as ''Word World'') is an American children's CGI

animated television series An animated series is a set of animated works with a common series title, usually related to one another. These episodes should typically share the same main characters, some different secondary characters and a basic theme. Series can have eith ...

that is based on the books and the wooden puzzles of the same name. ''WordWorld'' debuted on

PBS Kids PBS Kids is the brand for most of the children's programming aired by the Public Broadcasting Service ( PBS) in the United States. Some public television children's programs are not produced by PBS member stations or transmitted by PBS. Inste ...

and was created by

Don Moody Don Moody (born March 16, 1962) is the executive producer and creator of several children's television shows including ''WordWorld'', a three-time Emmy Award winning animated series that airs in over 90 countries, in 12 languages. Early career ...

Jacqueline Moody Jacqueline Moody is a writer, editor and producer. She is Founder and Chief Executive of YadaYadaCo., which provides editorial, production and content development services in the children’s media space. She is a co-founder and writer for the telev ...

, Peter Schneider and Gary Friedman. ''WordWorld'' is produced by The Learning Box and WTTW Chicago. The series premiered on September 3, 2007, and concluded on January 17, 2011 after airing three seasons and 45 episodes. PBS would air reruns starting 2017 on the national 24-hour PBS Kids channel until 2022.

Premise

In the series, when

letters Letter, letters, or literature may refer to: Characters typeface * Letter (alphabet), a character representing one or more of the sounds used in speech; any of the symbols of an alphabet. * Letterform, the graphic form of a letter of the alpha ...

are combined to spell

word A word is a basic element of language that carries an objective or practical meaning, can be used on its own, and is uninterruptible. Despite the fact that language speakers often have an intuitive grasp of what a word is, there is no conse ...

s, they morph into the shape of the corresponding object. The

animal Animals are multicellular, eukaryotic organisms in the biological kingdom Animalia. With few exceptions, animals consume organic material, breathe oxygen, are able to move, can reproduce sexually, and go through an ontogenetic stage ...

characters and many objects are made of letters, and are respectively called WordFriends and WordThings. The main setting is a

planet A planet is a large, rounded astronomical body that is neither a star nor its remnant. The best available theory of planet formation is the nebular hypothesis, which posits that an interstellar cloud collapses out of a nebula to create a you ...

named WordWorld; despite its name, WordFriends and WordThings also exist in

outer space Outer space, commonly shortened to space, is the expanse that exists beyond Earth and its atmosphere and between celestial bodies. Outer space is not completely empty—it is a near-perfect vacuum containing a low density of particles, pred ...

. In each episode, the characters have a cartoonish adventure, and ultimately must "build a word" using

synthetic phonics Synthetic phonics, also known as ''blended phonics'' or ''inductive phonics'', is a method of teaching English reading which first teaches the letter sounds and then builds up to blending these sounds together to achieve full pronunciation of who ...

. Some episodes focus on concepts such as

rhyme A rhyme is a repetition of similar sounds (usually, the exact same phonemes) in the final stressed syllables and any following syllables of two or more words. Most often, this kind of perfect rhyming is consciously used for a musical or aesthetic ...

compound word In linguistics, a compound is a lexeme (less precisely, a word or sign) that consists of more than one stem. Compounding, composition or nominal composition is the process of word formation that creates compound lexemes. Compounding occurs when ...

s, and

plural The plural (sometimes list of glossing abbreviations, abbreviated pl., pl, or ), in many languages, is one of the values of the grammatical number, grammatical category of number. The plural of a noun typically denotes a quantity greater than the ...

formation with ''-s''.

Cast

* H.D. Quinn as the Narrator, Dog, Fly, Duck and Ant *

Lenore Zann Lenore Zann (born November 22, 1959) is a Canadian actress and former politician who has served as the Member of Parliament (MP) for the riding of Cumberland—Colchester in the House of Commons of Canada as a member of the Liberal Party. Before ...

as Kangaroo, Zebra, Owl, and Tiger * George Bailey as Bug, Monkey, and Pig * Daryl Ekroth as Frog, Monster, Snail, and Fox * Mirm Krigel as Bear and Elephant *

Veronica Taylor Kathleen Charlotte McInerney, also known by her stage name Veronica Taylor is an American voice actress known for her dubbing work in English-language adaptations of Japanese anime, in particular for voicing Ash Ketchum and his mother Delia in ...

as Sheep, Cow, Cat, and Bird * Marc Thompson as Robot, Bee, Worm, Shark, and Turtle * Meredith Zeitlin as Fish and Whale

Episodes

Series overview

Season 1 (2007–2008)

Season 2 (2009)

Season 3 (2010–2011)

Reception

Critical

Emily Ashby of

Common Sense Media Common Sense Media (CSM) is an organization that reviews and provides ratings for media and technology with the goal of providing information on their suitability for children.

gave the series 5 out of 5 stars; saying that, “This show is perfectly suited for preschoolers' learning level, and it will entertain them as it reinforces their knowledge of letters, sounds, and simple words. With its imaginative design and with the various font styles used to create the letter-based objects, the WordWorld package is delightful enough to draw in parents almost as readily as kids.”

Awards

2009 Emmy Award Winner Outstanding Children's Animated Program Outstanding Writing in Animation 2008 Emmy Award Winner Outstanding Achievement in Main Title Three 2007 Parents’ Choice Awards: Gold Welcome to WordWorld DVD Rocket to the Moon/The Birds DVD WordWorld Television Series Creative Child Magazine – Creative Toys Awards 2008 Preferred Choice Award: Barn Bucket Set 2008 Seal of Excellence Award: Pull-Apart Plush 2004 Preferred Choice Award: Pull Apart Plush 2008 Toy Wishes Magazine All-Star Award WordPuzzle with Sound: Duck's Beach Party Interactive Media Awards 2007 Best in Class: PBS Kids WordWorld Website

References

External links

* * {{Former PBS Kids shows 2000s American animated television series 2010s American animated television series 2000s preschool education television series 2010s preschool education television series 2007 American television series debuts 2011 American television series endings American children's animated comedy television series American children's animated musical television series American computer-animated television series American preschool education television series American television shows based on children's books Animated preschool education television series Daytime Emmy Award for Outstanding Animated Program winners English-language education television programming PBS Kids shows PBS original programming Reading and literacy television series Television series by WTTW