Super Why’s Comic Book Adventures Coming this October to PBS KIDS
Calling all Super Readers! It’s official: Super Why’s Comic Book Adventures premieres October 5 on PBS KIDS — and we can’t wait for you to see the bold, comic‑book world our crew helped build.
Animated by Brown Bag Films Toronto* and produced by 9 Story Media Group (Daniel Tiger’s Neighbourhood, Clifford the Big Red Dog), the new series builds on the legacy and success of the beloved Emmy-nominated Super Why! series and Super Why’s Comic Book Adventures shorts, with a fresh, action‑packed, comic‑book‑inspired format designed to empower preschoolers and kindergartners through literacy‑driven storytelling. The series launches young audiences into colorful seven‑minute episodes, taking place in a comic book universe where every interactive story adventure brings reading to life.
“Bringing Super Why’s Comic Book Adventures to life has been an exciting opportunity for our team to push the visual storytelling in a bold new direction.”
Bringing a Comic Book World to Life on Screen
“Bringing Super Why’s Comic Book Adventures to life has been an exciting opportunity for our team to push the visual storytelling in a bold new direction,” said Coral Schoug, VP of Production, Brown Bag Films. “From the dynamic, comic book‑inspired world to the pace and energy of each story, the series is designed to immerse young viewers while supporting the show’s core literacy mission in a fun and engaging way.”
From expressive character performances to a vibrant world where letters, sounds, and words quite literally shape reality, our artists worked closely with the creative team and to ensure the series feels playful, energetic, and unmistakably Super Why!, while evolving the look and feel for today’s young viewers.
Literacy Meets Big Adventure
Super Why’s Comic Book Adventures expands the Super Why! universe with out‑of‑this‑world stories starring Super Why, Wonder Red, Princess Presto, Alpha Pig — and a brand‑new Super Reader, Power Paige. Together with their most important teammate, the viewer at home (“Super You”), the Super Readers use their literacy powers to protect Reader Valley from a group of mischievous Super Villains.
From The Eraser, who makes letters disappear, to Mr. More, who loves adding “more” of everything, each villain presents a playful literacy challenge that kids help solve in real time — reinforcing foundational reading skills while keeping the adventure moving.
Recent research has found a significant drop in U.S. children’s reading scores1 and has shown that a large percentage of children are reading below grade level2. Since 2007, Super Why! content and resources have helped children learn core early literacy skills, including alphabet knowledge, phonological and phonemic awareness, symbolic and linguistic awareness, and comprehension3. Super Why’s Comic Book Adventures will build on this through stories that take place in a vibrant world where letters, words, and sounds have enormous power. The newest series was designed with The Science of Reading – the comprehensive body of research that explains how our brains learn to read and write and informs instructional practices and approaches that support that learning – in mind. The stories and games incorporate foundational reading skills, including letter and letter sound knowledge, phonological awareness, phonics and decoding skills, spelling, vocabulary and oral language comprehension, and more. The series will feature new original songs that reinforce the curriculum and celebrate the Super Readers and “Super You” for saving the day.
Continuing a Beloved Animated Legacy
“Literacy‑focused content that engages, entertains, and supports young learners is needed now more than ever, which is why we’re thrilled to expand on the Super Why! universe,” said Sara DeWitt, Senior Vice President & General Manager, PBS KIDS and Education. “Through its fresh, comics‑inspired format and fun‑filled stories, the new series will help young audiences jumpstart a lifelong love of reading.”
Co‑creator and executive producer Angela C. Santomero added, “It’s a full circle moment to reimagine Super Why! after 20 years in a way that ups the adventure, includes Super You, and feels true to the literacy power of the original series. We know that kids and families will benefit from this new series as they learn, laugh, and help save the day.”
Beyond the Screen – Out-of-This-World Interactive Games
To further extend the reading-centered fun for kids and families, new Super Why’s Comic Book Adventures games and digital storybooks will launch following the series premiere on pbskids.org and the PBS KIDS Games app.
Stay tuned for more Super Why’s Comic Book Adventures coming soon and make sure to mark our SUPER premiere on October 5 on your calendar.
For families in the United States, you can stream the original Super Why! and Super Why’s Comic Book Adventures shorts on for free anytime on the PBS KIDS Video app, connected TV devices, pbskids.org and more (no subscription required).
*Brown Bag Films Toronto is a business unit of 9 Story Media Group.
Sources:
1 & 2. U.S. Department of Education, Institute of Education Sciences, National Center for Education Statistics, National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP), 2020 and 2022 Long-Term Trend Reading and Mathematics Assessments.
3. L. Linebarger, D. (2015). Super why! to the rescue: Can preschoolers learn early literacy skills from educational television? International Journal for Cross-Disciplinary Subjects in Education, 6 (1), 2060–2068. https://doi.org/10.20533/ijcdse.2042.6364.2015.0286
Super Why's Comic Book Adventures is a vibrant 2D animated series of shorts designed to boost early literacy skills in preschool and kindergarten-aged children. Inspired by the Emmy® Award-nominated Super WHY! series that first premiered in 2007, this new chapter brings a fresh comic book twist to the beloved educational franchise.
