Ask the StoryBots

Lore & Background

Each episode features a special celebrity guest who helps the StoryBots discover answers to questions like 'Why is the sky blue?' or 'Why do I need to brush my teeth?' The main cast includes Judy Greer as Beep, Jeff Gill as Bing, Fred Tatasciore as Bang, Gregg Spiridellis as Boop, Erin Fitzgerald as Bo, Evan Spiridellis as Hap, and Nate Theis as Hub and Bub. Starting in its second season, the series was translated into 22 languages and made available for streaming in 190 countries. A companion series, StoryBots Super Songs, premiered on October 7, 2016, and a holiday special, A StoryBots Christmas, premiered on December 1, 2017, winning two Daytime Emmy Awards.

Reader's Guide

Ask the StoryBots is significant as an educational preschool series that blends live-action and animation to answer children's questions in an engaging format. Critics, including Wired and Decider, called it the 'best kids' show on Netflix,' praising its educational quality and entertainment value for both children and adults. Common Sense Media highlighted its visual appeal and humor, noting that each episode includes music videos, songs, and field trips. The series won multiple awards, including Annie Awards and Daytime Emmys, and its holiday special also earned Daytime Emmy recognition. Its legacy includes a soundtrack released for season one in September 2016 and season two on August 31, 2018, and its availability in 22 languages across 190 countries expanded its reach. The show's format—featuring a celebrity guest each episode and ending with a music video—helped make learning fun and memorable for preschoolers.

Did You Know?

• The series was originally created and produced by JibJab Bros. Studios before Netflix fully acquired the franchise in May 2019.
• It won the 2017 Daytime Emmy Award for Outstanding Interactive Media - Enhancement to a Daytime Program or Series.
• The second season won the Annie Award for Best Animated Television Production for Preschool Children.
• A StoryBots Christmas, a holiday special, won two Daytime Emmy Awards.

Origins & Production Journey

Ask the StoryBots began life as an extension of the StoryBots educational website and video franchise, developed into a full television series by JibJab Bros. Studios. The American live-action and animated preschool show found its exclusive home on Netflix, where its first season of six half-hour episodes debuted on August 12, 2016. The series quickly proved to be a strong fit for the streaming platform, with a second season of eight episodes arriving on August 24, 2018, and a third and final season of eight episodes landing on August 2, 2019. The partnership between Netflix and the StoryBots brand deepened significantly in May 2019, when Netflix completed a full acquisition of the entire StoryBots media franchise. This move brought the characters, their educational content, and the broader franchise under one corporate roof, signaling Netflix's long-term commitment to the property. The show's format blended live-action elements with animation, creating a distinctive visual style that set it apart from purely animated preschool programming and gave the little robot characters a tangible, playful presence on screen.

The World of Team 341-B

Beneath every screen in the world, a small crew of colorful robots goes about their daily work. The five members of Team 341-B—Beep, Bing, Bang, Boop, and Bo—each bring a distinct personality to the group. Beep, voiced by Judy Greer, is the green and knowledgeable leader; Bing, brought to life by Jeff Gill, is a yellow, hyperactive wild card; Fred Tatasciore lends his voice to the blue, laid-back Bang; Gregg Spiridellis voices the red, perpetually grouchy Boop; and Erin Fitzgerald brings cheerfulness to the purple Bo. Their boss, the olive-green Harry "Hap" Hacklebee, is voiced by Evan Spiridellis, while Nate Theis provides the voices for the goofing-off pair Hub and Bub. Each episode sends the quintet into the human world to tackle a child's burning question—whether it is why the sky appears blue or why teeth need brushing. A celebrity guest joins the adventure, and the team wraps up their findings in a catchy music video that delivers the answer in a way young viewers can sing along to.

Critical Acclaim & Award Recognition

From its very first season, Ask the StoryBots attracted serious attention from both critics and award bodies. Wired and Decider each crowned it the best kids' show available on Netflix, while Common Sense Media praised how every scene balanced education with humor, noting that the show's magazine-style format naturally incorporated music videos, rhyming segments, and field trips. The Domestic Geek highlighted it as a delightful shared experience for families to learn and laugh together, and Chico News & Review described it as an edutainment series that parents and children alike would want to binge. On the awards front, Season 1 earned an Annie Award nomination, a Peabody finalist spot, a British Academy Children's Awards nomination in the International category, and six Daytime Emmy nominations including Outstanding Preschool Children's Animated Program. It took home the 2017 Daytime Emmy for Outstanding Interactive Media. Season 2 proved even more successful, winning the Annie Award for Best Animated Television Production for Preschool Children along with two Daytime Emmys for writing and directing. The holiday special A StoryBots Christmas added two more Daytime Emmy wins to the franchise's trophy shelf.

Global Expansion & the Broader StoryBots Universe

What began as a single Netflix series quickly grew into a worldwide educational phenomenon. Starting with its second season, Ask the StoryBots was translated into 22 languages, making it accessible to young viewers across 190 countries on the streaming platform. This international reach was complemented by a growing family of related content. A companion series called StoryBots Super Songs premiered on October 7, 2016, also on Netflix, offering additional musical educational content. The franchise also expanded into the holiday season with A StoryBots Christmas, which debuted on December 1, 2017, and featured Ed Asner in a guest role as Santa Claus. The show's musical identity was further cemented through official soundtrack releases: the Season 1 album hit digital vendors in September 2016, and the Season 2 soundtrack followed on August 31, 2018, both available on major streaming and download services including Spotify, Apple Music, iTunes, and Amazon. Together, these elements transformed Ask the StoryBots from a single show into a multi-platform educational brand that reached families far beyond its original audience.

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