The Why Why Family
The Why Why Family (French: Les Kikekoi, also known as Saban's The Why Why Family) is an animated children's television series, which originally aired in 1996, produced by Saban International Paris and Saban Entertainment.[1] The show was broadcast internationally on Fox Kids. Character designs and comedy elements emulate vintage cartoons.
The Why Why Family | |
---|---|
Les Kikekoi | |
Created by | Natalie Altmann Vincent Chalvon-Demersay |
Written by | Annabelle Perrichon François-Emmanuel Porché |
Directed by | Bruno Bianchi |
Voices of |
|
Composer | Michel Dax |
Country of origin | France United States |
Original languages | English French |
No. of seasons | 1 |
No. of episodes | 26 (130 segments) (list of episodes) |
Production | |
Executive producers | Jacqueline Tordjman Vincent Chalvon-Demersay |
Producer | Bruno Bianchi |
Production companies | Saban Entertainment Saban International Paris |
Release | |
Original network | France 3 (France) ARD (Germany) |
Original release | 1996 |
In the United States, the series aired as part of a syndicated strand of Saban programmes called the "Saban Kids Network".[2] With the series airing on the strand to the guidelines of the Federal Communications Commission, it marked Saban's first entry into the educational television market.[3] However, the series was cancelled by Saban on December 2, 1996, due to low ratings.[4]
Ownership of the series passed to Disney in 2001 when Disney acquired Fox Kids Worldwide, which also includes Saban Entertainment.[5][6][7]
Synopsis
- Start to the intro: Victor (off-screen) summarizes what his family members will teach him in the episode.
- The episodes are divided into are five parts. In each segment, Victor asks a family member a popular scientific question, following an extensive answer by the family member with a particular expertise in the field of science involved in the question. Each of these episodes has its short intro and The End sketches for the specific characters. Each sketch title is <(character name/s) in (episode title vis-a-vis topic)>.
- Ending gag: Max asks Victor "Well Victor, what did you learn today?" to which he begins with "Tons of neat stuff", summarizing what his family members learned him. Max answers, "Sounds like a real big day." and Victor concludes, "It was, but I still have plenty of questions left for next time."
Characters
- Victor
- A baby and the main protagonist of the series. All times he has questions (though these are smarter ones) to explain his family members like any other kid. He has blonde hair, and only wears a light blue diaper.
- Max — Technology and electronics
- The intelligent father of Victor and a stereotypical mechanic/handyman. He is Vanilla's husband, Eartha and Matik's son and Micro and Scopo's brother. He seems to be the closest to Victor compared to the others. Resembles his mother Eartha and is never seen without his cap.
- Vanilla and birds Kwik and Kwak — Botany and zoology
- Vanilla is Max's wife, Eartha and Matik's daughter-in-law, Micro and Scopo's sister-in-law, and Victor's mother who he resembles. Kwik and Kwak are running gags of their episodes and normally argue.
- Eartha (as her name suggests) and Basalt the dinosaur — Geography, geology and meteorology
- Eartha is Matik's wife, Max, Micro and Scopo's mother, Vanilla's mother-in-law, and Victor's grandmother who is occasionally uncool. Basalt is a green dinosaur with orange spots, has a Japanese-American accent, can be greedy and transforms into any modes of transport. Eartha is also the one who cooks for their family.
- Micro and Scopo — Biology of the human body
- Victor's uncles and Max's brothers who are running gags. Micro is stubby and wears a white cowboy hat (is sometimes seen without it), does most of the statements in their episodes. Scopo is the larger and crazier of the brothers, being the test subject yet expresses his own knowledge for some reason. They both have what look like glasses, masks and 'dog ears' like their father Matik.
- Matik and dog Zygo — Astronomy and the Universe
- Matik is Victor's grandfather, Max, Micro and Scopo's father, and Eartha's husband who has 'dog ears' and is never seen without his pilot hat. Zygo sounds like Daffy Duck from Looney Tunes and has webbed limbs.
Episodes
# | Topic | Character(s) | Title |
---|---|---|---|
1 | Camera | Max | Photo Opportunity |
Illnesses | Micro & Scopo | Sick Leave | |
Solar System | Zygo & Matik | O Solar Mio | |
Volcanoes | Earth & Basalt | All You Need Is Lava | |
Zebras | Vanilla, Kwik & Kwak | A Horse Of A Different Color | |
2 | Meteors | Zygo & Matik | Pleased To Meteor You |
Car engine | Max | Idle Chatter | |
Bird wing | Vanilla, Kwik & Kwak | Feather Knows Best | |
Shells | Eartha & Basalt | Shell Shock | |
DNA | Micro & Scopo | I Resemble Mama | |
3 | Paresthesia | Micro & Scopo | Out On a Limb |
Flowers | Vanilla, Kwik & Kwak | Petal Pushers | |
Gravity | Zygo & Matik | He Ain’t Heavy, He’s An Astronaut | |
Rain | Eartha & Basalt | Stormy Weather | |
Barcodes | Max | Bars & Stripes Forever | |
4 | Sneeze | Micro & Scopo | Sneezed To Meet You |
Remote control | Max | Beam My Baby | |
Plants | Vanilla, Kwik & Kwak | Green & Bear It | |
Thunder and lightning | Eartha & Basalt | Sound & The Whywhys | |
Stars | Zygo & Matik | Star Treatment | |
5 | Spiders | Vanilla, Kwik & Kwak | Web Sight |
Fax machine | Max | Just The Fax | |
Sweat | Micro & Scopo | No Sweat | |
Galaxy | Zygo & Matik | For Me And My Galaxy | |
Currents | Eartha & Basalt | Current Event | |
6 | Brain | Micro & Scopo | Brain Waives |
Photocopier | Max | Copy Cats | |
Bees | Vanilla, Kwik & Kwak | To Hive And Hive Not | |
Ice Age | Earth & Basalt | A Tree Froze In Brooklyn | |
Mars | Zygo & Matik | Mars Attracts | |
7 | Body covering | Vanilla, Kwik & Kwak | Hair Today |
Aeroplanes | Max | Plane Speaking | |
Solar eclipse | Zygo & Matik | Sun Blocked | |
Tides | Eartha & Basalt | Fit To Be Tide | |
Ear | Micro & Scopo | Hear And Now | |
8 | Sunlight | Zygo & Matik | Light Entertainment |
Telephone | Max | Dial-A Whywhy | |
Nose | Micro & Scopo | Common Scents | |
Mountains | Eartha & Basalt | Uphill All The Way | |
Coral Reefs | Vanilla, Kwik & Kwak | Hail To The Reef | |
9 | Lightning | Eartha & Basalt | A Bolt From The Blue |
Birds | Vanilla, Kwik & Kwak | Chirp Thrills | |
CDs | Max | Pit Stop | |
Space stations | Zygo & Matik | Station Break | |
Eye | Micro & Scopo | Oh Say Can You See | |
10 | Wind | Eartha & Basalt | Breezy Does It |
Refrigerator | Max | The Chill Of It All | |
Gravity | Zygo & Matik | Down To Earth | |
Food | Micro & Scopo | Surely You Ingest | |
Cats | Vanilla, Kwik & Kwak | You’ve Gotta Be Kitten | |
11 | Mosquitoes | Vanilla, Kwik & Kwak | A Bite To Remember |
Sand | Eartha & Basalt | True Grit | |
Stars | Zygo & Matik | Great Balls Of Fire | |
Elevators | Max | Ready Willing & Cable | |
Reflexes | Micro & Scopo | A Touchy Subject | |
12 | Climates | Eartha & Basalt | Changing Climes |
Leaves | Vanilla, Kwik & Kwak | Free Falling | |
Television | Max | Turn On… Tune In | |
Comets | Zygo & Matik | Dust To Us | |
Digestion | Micro & Scopo | Eater's Digest | |
13 | Ocean's bottom | Eartha & Basalt | Bottom Feeders |
Snakes | Vanilla, Kwik & Kwak | No Skin Off My Back | |
Light bulb | Max | Lights Out! | |
Day and night | Zygo & Matik | Sunrise… Sunset | |
Breathing | Micro & Scopo | Air Apparent | |
14 | Fog | Eartha & Basalt | Another Fine Mist |
Helicopter | Max | The Big Cover Up | |
Bats | Vanilla, Kwik & Kwak | Blind Leading The Blind | |
Cavities | Micro & Scopo | Nothing But The Tooth | |
Seasons | Zygo & Matik | Seasons Greetings | |
15 | Coal and oil | Eartha & Basalt | No Fuel Like Old Fuel |
Submarine | Max | Way Down Under | |
Cactus | Vanilla, Kwik & Kwak | Cactus If You Can | |
Scabs | Micro & Scopo | A Cut Above | |
Satellites | Zygo & Matik | Global Swarming | |
16 | Kangaroos | Vanilla, Kwik & Kwak | It’s In The Bag |
Microwave oven | Max | Nuking It Out! | |
Fungi | Vanilla, Kwik & Kwak | A Fungus Among Us | |
Heart | Micro & Scopo | To Bleed Or Not To Bleed | |
Moon | Zygo & Matik | Craters And Cream Cheese | |
17 | Snow | Eartha & Basalt | Snow Job |
Solar power | Max | Sunday Punch | |
Marine life | Vanilla, Kwik & Kwak | Victor And The Glow Fish | |
Fever | Micro & Scopo | Heat Treatment | |
Washing machine | Max | Wash You Were Here | |
18 | Frogs | Vanilla, Kwik & Kwak | One Giant Leap For Frogkind |
Glue | Max | Stick Around | |
Nests | Vanilla, Kwik & Kwak | Branching Out | |
Dizziness | Micro & Scopo | Spin Doctors | |
Telescopes | Zygo & Matik | Scope It Out | |
19 | Evaporation | Eartha & Basalt | That Thing You Dew |
Batteries | Max | The Powers That Be | |
Pollination | Vanilla, Kwik & Kwak | Blowin’ in the Wind | |
Hair | Micro & Scopo | Hair-Raising Experience | |
Black Holes | Zygo & Matik | Hole In One | |
20 | Valleys | Eartha & Basalt | Ice Cycle |
Light | Max | The Light Show | |
Earthquakes | Eartha & Basalt | Whole Lotta Shakin’ Goin’ On | |
Tears | Micro & Scopo | For Cryin’ Out Loud | |
Venus and Mercury | Zygo & Matik | Hot! Hot! Hot! | |
21 | Ozone layer | Eartha & Basalt | There’s No Zone Like Ozone |
Sleep | Micro & Scopo | Perchance to Dream | |
Cows | Vanilla, Kwik & Kwak | That Was Then, This Is Cow | |
Projector | Max | Lights, Camera, Action! | |
Speech | Micro & Scopo | O’ See Can You Say? | |
22 | Deserts | Eartha & Basalt | How Dry I Am! |
Jupiter | Zygo & Matik | Big | |
Butterflies | Vanilla, Kwik & Kwak | Ch Ch Ch Changes | |
Water purification | Max | Go With the Flow | |
Asteroid belts | Zygo & Matik | It’s A Material Whirl | |
23 | Rocks | Eartha & Basalt | Goldirocks |
Growing up | Micro & Scopo | Home Grown | |
Roots | Vanilla, Kwik & Kwak | From the Ground… Up | |
Water | Eartha & Basalt | Water Water Everywhere | |
Space Travel | Zygo & Matik | One Giant Leap For Why Whys | |
24 | Rivers | Eartha & Basalt | It’s All Downhill From Here |
Locks | Max | A Turn-Key Operation | |
Habitat | Vanilla, Kwik & Kwak | Sleeping In | |
Headaches | Micro & Scopo | Your Loss is Migraine | |
Planets rotate/revolve | Zygo & Matik | Moon Trek | |
25 | Storms | Eartha & Basalt | Sooo Cool |
Planets | Zygo & Matik | The Outer Planets | |
Dams | Max | Hold That Thought! | |
Brain | Micro & Scopo | Chuckleheads | |
Astrological symbols | Zygo & Matik | What’s Your Sign? | |
26 | Light | Eartha & Basalt | The Light Show |
Lenses | Max | Thru the Looking Glass | |
Reptiles | Vanilla, Kwik & Kwak | Snakes Alive! | |
Muscles | Micro & Scopo | Only the Strong Survive | |
Asteroids | Zygo & Matik | It Came from Outer Space | |
Voice cast
- Sammy Lane
- Heidi Lenhart
- Mendi Segal
- Stanley Gurd Jr. as Max
- Derek Patrick as Matik
- Genghis Studebaker as Zygo
- Kevin Schon as Micro (uncredited)
- Julie Maddalena as Victor (uncredited)
Crew
- Jamie Simone – Voice Director
- Bruno Bianchi - Producer, Director
References
- Erickson, Hal (2005). Television Cartoon Shows: An Illustrated Encyclopedia, 1949 Through 2003 (2nd ed.). McFarland & Co. p. 904. ISBN 978-1476665993.
- https://kidscreen.com/1996/02/01/16869-19960201/
- Littleton, Cynthia (1996-06-17). "Programers unveil bells, whistles" (PDF). Broadcasting & Cable. Retrieved 2021-10-23.
- "Saban to sell new'Kangaroo,' 'X-Men'". Variety. 1996-12-03. Archived from the original on 2023-07-25.
- "U.S. Copyright Public Records System".
- "Disney+ and Missing Saban Entertainment & Fox Kids-Jetix Worldwide Library - StreamClues". 14 September 2022. Archived from the original on 26 December 2022. Retrieved 2 October 2022.
- "Liste - BVS Entertainment | Séries".