StoryBots facts for kids

Quick facts for kids StoryBots
Creator	Evan Spiridellis Gregg Spiridellis
Owner	JibJab (2012–present) Netflix (2019–present)
Films and television
Television specials	A StoryBots Christmas

StoryBots is a popular American children's entertainment brand. It creates fun and educational TV shows, books, videos, music, and games. StoryBots helps kids learn about many different topics.

Some of their most famous shows are on Netflix. These include Ask the StoryBots, StoryBots: Answer Time, StoryBots: Super Silly Stories with Bo, and StoryBots Super Songs.

StoryBots first became popular online, getting over 620 million views on YouTube. In 2016, they launched their first TV show on Netflix. Ask the StoryBots has won many awards, like Daytime Emmy Awards and an Annie Award. It also received praise from the Peabody Awards and British Academy Children's Awards.

The success of Ask the StoryBots led to other shows. These include StoryBots Super Songs and a holiday special called A StoryBots Christmas. The company JibJab first created StoryBots. Later, Netflix bought the StoryBots brand in May 2019. Netflix wanted to offer more educational and family-friendly content.

How StoryBots Started

StoryBots began in the summer of 2012. It quickly gained attention from news channels like CNN and The New York Times.

Gregg Spiridellis, one of the creators, explained his idea in 2013. He and his brother, Evan, had five young children. They noticed that kids were watching media in new ways, especially on digital devices. This inspired them to create StoryBots. They wanted to make digital content similar to Sesame Street for a new generation of kids.

In May 2019, Netflix announced they had bought StoryBots. They also signed Evan and Gregg Spiridellis to a special deal. This was the first time Netflix had bought a media brand like this. It showed Netflix's plan to add more educational shows.

StoryBots TV Shows

The first StoryBots TV series, Ask the StoryBots, started on Netflix on August 12, 2016. The show follows five main StoryBots characters: Beep, Bing, Bang, Boop, and Bo. They are also known as "Answer Team 341B."

These characters go on exciting adventures into the human world. Their goal is to help answer big questions from kids. Famous actors like Judy Greer are part of the show. The first season featured guest stars like Jay Leno, Whoopi Goldberg, and ""Weird Al" Yankovic.

Ask the StoryBots was highly praised for being both educational and fun. Parents and children enjoyed it. A second season came out on Netflix on August 24, 2018. It included guest stars such as Snoop Dogg, Edward Norton, and Christina Applegate.

A third season was released worldwide on Netflix on August 2, 2019. This season featured guest appearances from John Legend, Zoe Saldana, and Jennifer Garner. You can find the music from all three seasons on most music streaming services.

Other StoryBots Shows

A related series, StoryBots Super Songs, also premiered on Netflix on October 7, 2016. While Ask the StoryBots answered one question per episode, StoryBots Super Songs explored wider topics. These topics included outer space, colors, shapes, and dinosaurs. It taught through music and short live-action videos with real children. Episodes were also available on the StoryBots YouTube channel.

Ask the StoryBots also created a holiday special. It was called A StoryBots Christmas and premiered on Netflix on December 1, 2017. Ed Asner appeared as Santa Claus in the special. This holiday show won two Daytime Emmy Awards. It also received four other nominations.

A new series, StoryBots: Answer Time, premiered on Netflix on November 21, 2022. It featured guest stars like Danny DeVito, Zooey Deschanel, and Anne Hathaway. A second season of StoryBots: Answer Time came out on Netflix on July 10, 2023. This season included guest appearances from Rainn Wilson, Scarlett Johansson, and Kristen Bell.

Another spin-off series is StoryBots: Super Silly Stories with Bo. It premiered on Netflix's YouTube channel on June 26, 2022. This series had four seasons with 26 short episodes and four longer ones. Unlike the other shows, Super Silly Stories focused on comedy. It followed only one StoryBot, Bo, and featured more interaction with real children. The series was nominated for two Kidscreen Awards and won "Best Web/App Series - Branded (6-10 Years)." This series is not available on the Netflix streaming platform.

Online Learning and Resources

Before Netflix bought StoryBots in 2019, StoryBots had many online learning tools. These were available on their official website. Today, much of this digital library is still available on their YouTube channel. The StoryBots website was nominated for a Webby Award in 2018 for best youth website.

The online library includes:

• Learning Videos: Animated music videos that teach about many educational topics.
• Starring You videos: Animated music videos where you can add your own name and photo.
• Learning Books: Educational ebooks with narration.
• Starring You books: Ebooks, from fairy tales to adventures, where you can personalize faces and names.
• Activity sheets and printable books.
• Math Skills: Kindergarten-level math games that follow Common Core guidelines.

StoryBots for Classrooms

In 2016, StoryBots launched StoryBots Classroom. This was a free online tool for teachers. It gave unlimited access to the StoryBots library of digital books, videos, and activities. It also included new Common Core State Standards Initiative-aligned Math Games. Teachers could use tools like the Backpack and Class Roster.

The product was made for laptops, tablets, and interactive whiteboards. Education Week wrote about StoryBots Classroom when it was released. It was also named an "S'Cool Tool of the Week" by EdSurge. StoryBots Classroom later won the Teachers' Choice Award and the Tech Edvocate Award.

Gregg Spiridellis said that teachers showed a lot of interest in StoryBots. This made them want to create a special product for classrooms. They focused on interactive boards and more educational content. After Netflix bought the brand, StoryBots Classroom was no longer available.

StoryBots on YouTube

StoryBots first uploaded five videos to YouTube in June 2012. The StoryBots YouTube channel was nominated for a 2019 Webby Award. This was in the "Video Series & Channels – Animation" category.

In 2018, StoryBots partnered with WildBrain to manage its YouTube channel. In January 2019, the channel changed its name to Netflix Jr. This happened around the time Netflix bought StoryBots.

StoryBots Books

Besides the ebooks on their website, StoryBots also has print books. These books feature their characters and are published by Random House Children's Books. Some titles include:

• The Amazing Planet Earth (Step Into Reading)
• Cars Are Cool
• The Moon's Time To Shine (Step Into Reading)
• StoryBots ABC Jamboree
• Trucks Are Terrific
• Tyrannosaurus Rex (Step Into Reading)

Awards and Recognition

Since 2012, StoryBots has won many awards for its digital content. These include the Teachers' Choice Award, Parent's Choice Award, and Family Choice Award. They also received the Tech Advocate Award and an Editor's Choice Award.

For its TV shows, StoryBots has won many honors. This includes nine Daytime Emmy Awards, an Annie Award, and a Kidscreen Award. Their shows have also been recognized by the British Academy Children's Awards and Peabody Awards.