Numberblocks
Numberblocks is a British animated television series for preschoolers that debuted on CBeebies on 23 January 2017. The programme was created by Joe Elliot and produced by Alphablocks Ltd with Blue Zoo. It was commissioned by the British Broadcasting Corporation, with Larkshead Media and Learning Resources holding merchandising rights. The series made its premiere on CBeebies in England and S4C in Wales. The show follows the Numberblocks, block characters who represent arabic numerals. They live in Numberland and embark on adventures relating to mathematical concepts. In 2017, the show was nominated for a BAFTA award in the "Learning" category . Premise. "Numberblocks" follows the adventures of block characters in Numberland, with the number of blocks determining which numeral they embody. A black floating number, called a Numberling, appears above their heads to show how many blocks they are made of. When one block hops on top of another, they transform into a different character to make a new number. The show helps toddlers and young kids learn numeracy skills, especially how to count and do simple maths. Integer concepts such as even vs. odd and factoring are discussed and explored. References to much more sophisticated ideas are also presented visually , usually without comment. Both the Pythagorean theorem and the Fibonacci Sequence can be recognized by knowledgeable viewers. Development. Kay Benbow of BBC Studios commissioned "Numberblocks" as an animated series for children aged 3–6 to be developed by Essex production company Blue Zoo. The production was made in partnership with the National Centre for Excellence in the Teaching of Mathematics (NCETM) to complement the "Alphablocks" series. Created by Joe Elliot, the series was made to give children a deep understanding of how numbers work. Elliot wanted to visually show the concepts of maths in a way no other number series had , as he thought many people struggled with how the subject is taught. In October 2018, Aardman Animations' international sales and acquisitions arm acquired the distribution rights to the show, along with "Alphablocks". List of episodes. There are 8 seasons in Numberblocks; each season has 15 episodes. The show currently has 4 specials. Other media. UK-based kids media service company Larkshead Media was appointed to manage licensing activities for "Numberblocks" in August 2017; the agency announced that merchandise including toys and apparel would be brought to retail. In July 2020, a MathLink Cubes activity set inspired by the show was  announced by Learning Resources to be available through major retailers later in the year. The set, featuring characters One to Ten, was delayed and released in June 2021. In September, Immediate Media launched an official magazine for the show, with the first issue released on 8 September 2021. Fancy dress distributor Rubies announced an official dress up licence for "Numberblocks" in October, with costumes planned to be available in the EMEA and Australia in 2022. Learning Resources secured a global master licensing deal for "Numberblocks" in November 2021, announcing the release of plush toys in 2022 followed by playsets, video  games and classroom items with sister company hand2mind by 2023.