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 from late 1996 to 1997.[1] It was produced by Saban International Paris and Saban Entertainment.[2] The show was broadcast internationally on Fox Kids (starting with Fox Kids Netherlands[3] and Fox Kids UK[4] feeds later expanded airs on other feeds), while in the United States it was syndicated as part of the company's "The Saban Network for Kids!" strand. 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 |
|
| Composers |
|
| 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 |
| Original release | |
| Network | Fox Kids (international) France 3 (France) Das Erste (Germany) |
| Release | 1996 |
Synopsis
edit- Every episode begins with Victor (off-screen) summarizing what his family members will teach him in the episode.
- Each episode is divided into 5 segments. In each segment, Victor asks a family member a popular scientific question, following an extensive answer by said family member/s with a particular expertise in the field of science involved in the question. Each of these segments has its short intro and The End sketches for the specific characters. Each sketch is titled <(character name/s) in (topic)>.
- Before the end credits in each episode, Max asks Victor "Well Victor, what did you learn today?" to which he begins with "Tons of neat stuff", summarizing again what his family members taught 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
edit- 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 usually 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 rarely 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
- Matik's wife, Max, Micro and Scopo's mother, Vanilla's mother-in-law, and Victor's grandmother who also cooks for their family. Basalt is a green dinosaur with orange spots & can be greedy. He can transform into any mode of transport & time travel.
- 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 dumber of the brothers, being the test subject yet expresses his own knowledge at times. They both have what look like masks and 'dog ears' like their father, Matik.
- Matik and dog Zygo — Astronomy and the Universe
- Victor's grandfather, Max, Micro and Scopo's father, and Eartha's husband who has 'dog ears' and is rarely seen without his pilot hat. Zygo sounds like Daffy Duck from Looney Tunes and has webbed limbs.
Broadcast history
editThe exact airdates of the 26 episodes are unknown; with some having a 1996 copyright date in the credits and others having a 1997 copyright date.[5] In the United States, the series aired as part of a syndicated strand of Saban programmes called "The Saban Network for Kids!", later named "Saban Kids Network".[6] The block included other, more action-oriented programmes such as Eagle Riders, Samurai Pizza Cats, season 1 of Dragon Ball Z and season 2 of Masked Rider. With the series airing on the block per the guidelines of the Federal Communications Commission, it marked Saban's first entry into the educational television market.[7] The show was cancelled by Saban due to low ratings.[8]
Ownership of the series passed to Disney in 2001 when Disney acquired Fox Kids Worldwide, which also includes Saban Entertainment.[9][10][11] In the 2000s, it later ran as part of Disney's Jetix block.
Episodes
edit| # | 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 | |
| Fossils | 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 | Mammals | 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 | |
| Smell and taste | 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 |
| Bird sounds | 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 | |
| Balanced diet | 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 | |
| Space 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 | |
| Planet rotation & revolution | Zygo & Matik | Moon Trek | |
| 25 | Storms | Eartha & Basalt | Sooo Cool |
| Outer 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
edit- Sammy Lane
- Heidi Lenhart
- Mendi Segal
- Stanley Gurd Jr. as Max
- Derek Patrick as Matic
- Genghis Studebaker as Zygo
- Kevin Schon as Micro (uncredited)
- Julie Maddalena as Victor (uncredited)
Crew
edit- Jamie Simone – Voice Director
- Bruno Bianchi - Producer, Director
References
edit- ^ "TV's Fall Animation Lineup".
- ^ Erickson, Hal (2005). Television Cartoon Shows: An Illustrated Encyclopedia, 1949 Through 2003 (2nd ed.). McFarland & Co. p. 904. ISBN 978-1476665993.
- ^ "de Stem | 2 september 1997 | pagina 21". Krantenbank Zeeland (in Dutch). 1997-09-02. Retrieved 2024-03-18.
- ^ The Times, 1997, UK, English. 1997.
- ^ The Why Why Family credits.
- ^ "Saban's kids".
- ^ 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".