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Numberblocks

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Numberblocks
Genre
Created byJoe Elliot
Written by
  • Max Allen
  • Ben Lee Delisle
  • Ciaran Murtagh
  • Andrew Jones
Directed by
  • Simon Taylor (series)
  • Will Cook (animation)
  • Lisa Huxstep (animation)
Voices of
ComposerBen Lee Delisle
Country of originUnited Kingdom
Original languageEnglish
No. of series8
No. of episodes124 (including specials) (list of episodes)
Production
Executive producersJoe Elliot
Oli Hyatt
Catherine McAllister (CBeebies)
Joel Wilenius (CBeebies)
EditorSteve Hughes
Running time5 minutes (main series)
10–20 minutes (specials)
Production companiesBlue-Zoo
Alphablocks Ltd.
Original release
NetworkCBeebies (UK)
S4C (Wales)
Release23 January 2017 (2017-01-23) –
12 December 2021 (2021-12-12)

Numberblocks is a British animated television programme 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 numbers. 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.[2]

Premise

Numberblocks follows the adventures of block characters in Numberland, each named after a number, and made up of the equivalent number of blocks. A black floating number, called a Numberling, appears above their heads to show their value. When one block hops on top of another, they transform into a different character to make a new number. Many of the numbers have styles and personalities associated with their numbers (One is brave and independent, Seven is rainbow-coloured and lucky, Eight has octopus-like tentacles. etc.)[3]

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. More sophisticated ideas are also explored in later episodes such as comparison, square numbers, and triangular numbers (known as "Step Squads") as well as counting using binary numbers.[4]

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.[5][6] The production was made in partnership with the National Centre for Excellence in the Teaching of Mathematics (NCETM) to complement the Alphablocks series.[7] 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.[5] In October 2018, Aardman Animations' international sales and acquisitions arm acquired the distribution rights to the show, along with Alphablocks.[8]

List of episodes

Series 1 (2017)

  1. One
  2. Another One
  3. Two
  4. Three
  5. One, Two, Three!
  6. Four
  7. Five
  8. Three Little Pigs
  9. Off We Go
  10. How To Count
  11. Stampolines
  12. The Whole of Me
  13. The Terrible Twos
  14. Holes
  15. Hide & Seek

Series 2 (2017)

  1. Six
  2. Seven
  3. Eight
  4. Nine
  5. Ten
  6. Just Add One
  7. Blast Off
  8. Counting Sheep
  9. Double Trouble
  10. The Three Threes
  11. Odds & Evens
  12. Fluffies
  13. The Two Tree
  14. Numberblock Castle
  15. Ten Green Bottles

Series 3 (2018)

  1. Once Upon a Time
  2. Blockzilla
  3. The Numberblocks Express
  4. Fruit Salad
  5. Zero
  6. Now We Are Six to Ten
  7. Numberblobs
  8. Building Blocks
  9. Peekaboo!
  10. Hiccups
  11. What's the Difference?
  12. Numberblock Rally
  13. Five and Friends
  14. Octoblock to the Rescue!
  15. Ten Again

Series 4 (2019)

  1. Flatland
  2. Pattern Palace
  3. Legend of The Big Tum
  4. Mirror, Mirror
  5. The Wrong Number
  6. Eleven
  7. Twelve
  8. The Way of the Rectangle
  9. Ride the Rays
  10. Block Star
  11. Thirteen
  12. Fourteen
  13. Fifteen
  14. Tween Scenes
  15. Step Squads

Series 5 (2019)

  1. Fifteen's Minute of Fame
  2. On Your Head
  3. Ten's Place
  4. Balancing Bridge
  5. Sixteen
  6. Square Club
  7. Seventeen
  8. Eighteen
  9. Loop the Loop
  10. Nineteen
  11. Twenty
  12. Tall Stories
  13. Flights of Fancy
  14. I Can Count To Twenty
  15. Heist

Series 6 (2019)

  1. Sign of the Times
  2. Fun Times Fair
  3. The Lair of Shares
  4. Terrible Twosday
  5. Divide and Drive
  6. Twenty-One and On
  7. We're Going On A Square Hunt
  8. Thirty's Big Top
  9. Land of the Giants
  10. Fifty
  11. Sixty's High Score
  12. The Big One
  13. One Hundred
  14. One Thousand And One
  15. More To Explore

Series 7 (2021)[9][10][11]

  1. Your Turn
  2. Now You See Us
  3. Ten's Top Ten
  4. What's My Number?
  5. Fun Times One Times Table
  6. The Many Friends of Twenty
  7. Ten Vaulting
  8. Twoland
  9. Two Times Shoe Shop
  10. Odd Side Story
  11. How Rectangly!
  12. Rectangle Racers
  13. The Team Factor
  14. Hidden Talents
  15. Making Patterns

Series 8 (2021)[12][13][14]

  1. Now in 3D
  2. Club Picnic
  3. Too Many Threes
  4. Circus of Threes
  5. Figure It Out
  6. Snow Day Doubles
  7. Steps Versus Squares
  8. Puzzle Square
  9. Four on the Floor
  10. Sky High Fives
  11. One Giant Step Squad
  12. Square on the Moon
  13. Heroes With Zeroes
  14. What If?
  15. 100 Ways to Leave the Planet

Specials (2021)

  1. The Treasure of Hexagon Island[15]
  2. Double Back[16]
  3. About Time[17]
  4. The Twelve Days of Christmas

Crossover specials (2022)

  1. Making Friends
  2. Crossover
  3. The Case of the Missing Blocks
  4. The Blocks v Blocks Games

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.[18] 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.[19][20] The set, featuring characters One to Ten, was delayed and released in June 2021.[21][22] In September, Immediate Media launched an official magazine for the show, with the first issue released on 8 September 2021.[23][24] 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.[25] Learning Resources secured a global master licensing deal for Numberblocks in November 2021,[26] announcing the release of plush toys in 2022 followed by playsets, video games and classroom items with sister company hand2mind by 2023.[27][28]

References

  1. ^ Tuchow, Ryan (12 August 2021). "What are the most in-demand preschool shows?". Kidscreen. Brunico Communications. Retrieved 8 January 2022.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  2. ^ "Nominations List for the British Academy Children's Awards in 2017". Bafta. Retrieved 20 October 2017.
  3. ^ "Numberblocks – Series 1". NCETM. Retrieved 2 July 2022.
  4. ^ "Numberblocks episodes series 1 to 5" (PDF). ncetm.org.uk.
  5. ^ a b "Blue Zoo Animation's 'Numberblocks' Launching on CBeebies". Animation World Network. 23 January 2017. Retrieved 26 January 2017.
  6. ^ Milligan, Mercedes (23 January 2017). "CBeebies Counts on 'Numberblocks'". Animation Magazine. Retrieved 18 September 2021.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  7. ^ Whyte, Alexandra (20 January 2017). "CBeebies bows new Numberblocks series". Kidscreen. Brunico Communications. Retrieved 8 January 2022.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  8. ^ Whyte, Alexandra (9 October 2018). "Aardman picks up three new series". Kidscreen. Brunico Communications. Retrieved 12 January 2022.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  9. ^ Numberblocks [@numberblocks] (8 March 2021). "Today is the day! Series 5 is airing today at 8.10am on @CBeebiesHQ. Lots of you will be going back to school today (yey!) if this means you're going to miss episode 1 then don't worry! All 5 are going to be on the @BBCiPlayer for you when you get home. Have a lovely day back! https://t.co/Ktm4RKdP45" (Tweet). Archived from the original on 8 March 2021. Retrieved 13 June 2021 – via Twitter.
  10. ^ Numberblocks [@numberblocks] (15 March 2021). "Week 2 of brand new episodes, here is what you'll be learning this week- who's watching? https://t.co/qg6qjk52W5" (Tweet). Archived from the original on 15 April 2021. Retrieved 13 June 2021 – via Twitter.
  11. ^ Numberblocks [@numberblocks] (21 March 2021). "Here's what's happening in Numberland this week! What are you looking forward to the most? (If you live outside of the UK sorry that you can't watch these just yet) https://t.co/2s56pblfvI" (Tweet). Archived from the original on 30 May 2021. Retrieved 13 June 2021 – via Twitter.
  12. ^ @numberblocks (7 June 2021). "Today is the day! New #Numberblocks episodes, yay 🎉! Who watched Now in 3D this morning? Don't worry if you missed…" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
  13. ^ @numberblocks (14 June 2021). "🎉 Week 2 🟧🟧 of new #Numberblocks episodes on CBeebies. Who watched Snow Double Days this morning?❄️ 🇬🇧 Watch new…" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
  14. ^ @numberblocks (21 June 2021). "Who's ready for another 5 more adventures with the #Numberblocks this week on @CBeebiesHQ? In this morning's episod…" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
  15. ^ @numberblocks (28 August 2021). "🏝️ Hex marks the spot! Will the Numberblocks be able to figure out Captain Hexbeard's challenges and get their fabulous treasure? 🏆 And just who is that rascally Hexbeard?👀 🇬🇧 Watch Hexagon Island today on @CBeebiesHQ and @BBCiPlayer 👉 https://bbc.in/2UUgAIf" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
  16. ^ @numberblocks (24 August 2021). "Which #Numberblocks episode does your little 1 watch back 2 back? 👀👀 Our new time traveling adventure, Double Back, will be on @CBeebiesHQ this weekend and @BBCiPlayer from Friday!⏱️⚡" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
  17. ^ @numberblocks (14 October 2021). "Eeeek! We think it's about time for... yes, you guessed it - another fabulous #Numberblocks adventure! ✨ Can you guess the theme? 'About Time' coming soon to @CBeebiesHQ and @BBCiPlayer on Sunday the 31st of October 2021. ⏰🚂" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
  18. ^ Foster, Elizabeth (21 August 2017). "CBeebies' Numberblocks adds Larkshead Media to equation". Kidscreen. Brunico Communications. Retrieved 8 January 2022.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  19. ^ "Learning Resources, 'Numberblocks' Team for Activity Sets". License Global. Global Licensing Group. 1 July 2020. Retrieved 11 January 2022.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  20. ^ Plummer, Greg (1 July 2020). "King's Lynn educational toy company teams up with award-winning CBeebies show". Lynn News. Iliffe Media. Retrieved 12 January 2022.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  21. ^ Hutchins, Robert (24 March 2021). "Learning Resources partners with Numberblocks for new MathLink Cube Numberblocks Activity Set". ToyNews. BizMedia. Retrieved 11 January 2022.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  22. ^ "'Numberblocks,' hand2mind Team for Math Activity Sets". License Global. Global Licensing Group. 4 May 2021. Retrieved 11 January 2022.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  23. ^ Hutchins, Robert (7 September 2021). "Immediate Media launches official Numberblocks Magazine". ToyNews. BizMedia. Retrieved 11 January 2022.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  24. ^ "Immediate Media Launches Numberblocks Magazine". License Global. Global Licensing Group. 7 September 2021. Retrieved 11 January 2022.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  25. ^ Clayton, Tessa (6 October 2021). "Rubies to bring Numberblocks characters to life with new costume license". ToyNews. BizMedia. Retrieved 12 January 2022.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  26. ^ Beake, Jenny (24 November 2021). "Numberblocks signs toy licensing deal with Learning Resources". Lynn News. Iliffe Media. Retrieved 11 January 2022.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  27. ^ Clayton, Tessa (19 November 2021). "Learning Resources secures global master toy licence deal for Numberblocks". ToyNews. BizMedia. Retrieved 11 January 2022.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  28. ^ Michalik, Maddie (17 November 2021). "Alphablocks Names Learning Resources as Master Toy Licensee for Numberblocks". The Toy Book. Adventure Media. Retrieved 12 January 2022.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
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