We’re thrilled to announce that Super Why’s Comic Book Adventures, the newest chapter in the beloved Super Why! universe, is slated to premiere on PBS KIDS in 2026. Produced by 9 Story Media Group and animated by the award-winning Brown Bag Films Toronto studio, this action-packed series supports early literacy for preschoolers and kindergarteners through 7-minute stories that follow the adventures of the beloved Super Readers in the epic comic book world of Reader Valley.
“Super Why’s Comic Book Adventures supports literacy and reading skills through fun and fresh stories that will immediately draw kids into the vibrant world and characters that our viewers have come to know and love,” said Sara DeWitt, Senior Vice President and General Manager, PBS KIDS. “We’re delighted to bring this multiplatform series to ‘super readers’ across the country next year.”
Recent research has found a significant drop in U.S. children’s reading scores1 and has shown that a large percentage of children are reading below grade level2. Super Why’s Comic Book Adventures features an early literacy curriculum that focuses on mastery to provide kids with the skills, knowledge, and empowerment they need to become successful readers. Building on the popularity of the Super Why’s Comic Book Adventures shorts, which have garnered more than 159 million streams on PBS KIDS video platforms and over 7.4 million YouTube views since October 20233, the new Super Why’s Comic Book Adventures multiplatform series will include 39 half-hour episodes and a suite of games and digital storybooks that help build viewers’ reading skills, such as letter-sound knowledge, phonological awareness, spelling, vocabulary, comprehension, and more. The longer format allows for the introduction of new evidence-based curriculum concepts and allows for the incorporation of reading strategies and approaches in each episode.
“We regularly hear that Super Why! has been hugely helpful in teaching kids foundational reading skills and remains a valuable resource for parents, caregivers, and teachers,” said Coral Schoug, VP of Production for Brown Bag Films. “We’re thrilled to introduce this latest Super Why! series and help further support children’s early literacy development in ways that are fun and effective.”
Super Why’s Comic Book Adventures follows the adventures of Power Paige, the newest Super Reader, along with familiar friends Super Why, Wonder Red, Princess Presto, and Alpha Pig—who is back and ready to build! Each reading hero uses their own unique literacy powers and gadgets to protect Reader Valley from a group of silly Super Villains, including The Eraser, who loves to make things disappear; Mr. More, who likes to add “more” to everything; The Shuffler, who wreaks havoc by mixing up the order of letters and sounds in words; and Outta Space, an extraterrestrial visitor who flies around looking to remove space between letters and sounds in words. Every story features a catchy song that reinforces the series’ foundational reading skills curriculum and includes interactive moments that bring the young viewer, “Super YOU,” into the story to help save the day. There will also be four new games and three digital storybooks debuting after the series premiere, available on pbskids.org and the PBS KIDS Games app.
“I’m proud to see Super Why’s Comic Book Adventures coming to the PBS KIDS audience, building on the legacy of the original series in a bold, fresh way,” said Angela C. Santomero, Co-Creator and Executive Producer. “We want to get kids reading and diving into stories and a comic book does just that! With super villains and adventure stories, Super Why’s Comic Book Adventures will ignite the love of reading as we also teach the important skills new readers need today.”
The multiplatform series Super Why’s Comic Book Adventures is co-created by Angela C. Santomero (Daniel Tiger’s Neighborhood, Blue’s Clues), Sarah Wallendjack (Super Why!, Daniel Tiger’s Neighborhood) and Alex Breen (Super Why!, Charlie’s Colorforms City), and developed by Jill Cozza-Turner (Daniel Tiger’s Neighborhood, Dee & Get Rolling with Otis). The series is directed by Sean Calligan (The Magic School Bus Rides Again, Xavier Riddle and the Secret Museum). 9 Story holds worldwide distribution and consumer products rights.
Since its premiere in 2007, Super Why! has been one of the most popular PBS KIDS series, generating nearly 165 million streams per year across PBS KIDS platforms and 35 million views per year on the PBS KIDS YouTube channel. The Super Why’s Comic Book Adventures shorts consistently rank in the top five short-form series on PBS KIDS. Research proves that Super Why! content and resources help children learn core early literacy skills, including alphabet knowledge, phonological and phonemic awareness, symbolic and linguistic awareness, and comprehension. Super Why! has also positively impacted kids across the country through series games and Super Why! Reading Camps, which build on the signature early literacy approach of the popular series to extend its unique interactive reading approach into communities nationwide. Research indicates that these camps boost reading skills, with participants showing gains in all literacy skills presented in the program, and preschoolers showing an 84% gain in phonics skills and a 139% gain in word recognition skills after attending a 5-day camp.
We are proud to be producing this exciting new iteration of Super Why’s Comic Book Adventures, a series that truly reflects our mission to create meaningful, entertaining, and educational content for children. It’s an honour to continue the adventure and bring Super Why’s Comic Book Adventures to families across the country and around the world—empowering young readers through storytelling that’s as fun as it is foundational.