The WotWots
Alien siblings explore Earth in a live-action animated series.
The WotWots is a New Zealand children's television series that first aired in 2008 and later reached audiences in multiple countries. The show, created by Martin Baynton and Richard Taylor, blends live-action footage with animation to tell the story of two curious alien siblings who explore Earth and learn about its creatures. Two series were produced between 2008 and 2011, totaling 78 episodes, each ten minutes long. A spin-off, *Kiddets*, launched in 2017.
The plot centers on a pair of tiny, young alien twins who roam the area where their steam-powered spaceship landed. They aim to understand Earth’s animals and figure out what they themselves will look like when grown. DottyWot, the clever and responsible captain, often watches over her more energetic and artistic brother, SpottyWot, who serves as the ship’s engineer. Episodes take place at a zoo, a farm, or a beach, and usually connect a discovery about an animal to the twins’ own adventures.
The series was developed by children’s author Martin Baynton with filmmaker Richard Taylor, who had previously worked on the TV adaptation of Baynton’s book *Jane and the Dragon*. Pūkeko Pictures, a production company founded by Baynton, Taylor, and Tania Rodger, produces the show. Baynton’s son Theo directs, and his daughter Terri is a writer. The puppet-like WotWots characters are animated over live-action footage by Weta Workshop, the special effects company co-founded by Taylor and Rodger, known for its work on *The Lord of the Rings* films. Episodes were filmed at Auckland Zoo, Wellington Zoo, and Melbourne Zoo, as well as undisclosed beach and farm locations.
Because the WotWots’ language consists almost entirely of the syllables “wot” and “wotty,” Baynton acts as an interactive narrator, translating both the aliens’ attempts to understand Earth and the human audience’s efforts to understand them. Baynton also voices SpottyWot, while South African actress Nathalie Boltt voices DottyWot, and Janet Roddick voices the ship’s computer. In September 2008, Pūkeko Pictures appointed ABC Commercial, the Australian distribution arm of the Australian Broadcasting Corporation, to handle worldwide distribution. On March 27, 2009, British channel Five acquired UK broadcasting rights from ABC Commercial.
Quick Facts
- Genre
- Children's television series / Comedy
- Creator
- Martin Baynton / Richard Taylor
- Writer
- Terri Baynton / Martin Baynton / Theo Baynton / John Carr / Janice Marriott / Peter Salmon
- Director
- Theo Baynton
- Creative Director
- James McKnight
- Voices
- Nathalie Boltt / Martin Baynton / Janet Roddick
- Narrator
- Martin Baynton / Nicholas Parsons (UK) / Anton Du Beke
- Theme Music Composer
- David Long
- Country
- New Zealand
- Language
- English
- Num Seasons
- 2
- Num Episodes
- 78
Facts from the source article.
Lore & Background
The WotWots features a pair of tiny, young alien twin siblings who spend their days exploring the environment where their steam-powered spaceship has landed, in an effort both to learn more about Earth fauna and to try to determine what they themselves will grow up to look like. DottyWot, the smart and responsible ship's captain, spends most of her time supervising her more boisterous, fun-loving brother SpottyWot, the ship's engineer and a talented artist. Episodes are set in a zoo, at a farm, or on a beach and most often tie their discovery of an animal characteristic into their own adventures.
The puppet-like WotWots characters are animated over live-action footage by the Weta Workshop, the special effects company founded by Taylor and Rodger, well known for its work on the Lord of the Rings film trilogy. Episodes are filmed on location at Auckland Zoo, Wellington Zoo and Melbourne Zoo, as well as undisclosed beach and farm regions. Since the WotWots' language consists almost entirely of the syllables 'wot' and 'wotty', Baynton also acts as an interactive narrator for the series, serving as a translator both for the aliens' efforts to understand Earth and the human viewership trying to understand them.
Reader's Guide
The WotWots holds significance as a New Zealand children's television show that combined live-action footage with animation, produced by Pūkeko Pictures and featuring special effects from Weta Workshop. Its educational approach, focusing on animal characteristics and childhood development, led to a partnership with the New Zealand Ministry of Health in August 2011, when the WotWots were announced as ambassadors for B4 School Checks, an initiative offering comprehensive health and development assessments for four-year-old children. The show's international reach included broadcast on British channel Five and availability on Netflix in the United States and Pluto TV. A spin-off series, Kiddets, began airing in 2018. The series also generated merchandise through a licensing agreement with Playskool and later with American Greetings Corporation, which acquired worldwide licensing and merchandising rights in 2011.
Did You Know?
- Martin Baynton provides the voice for SpottyWot and also serves as the interactive narrator.
- In August 2011, the WotWots were named ambassadors for New Zealand's B4 School Checks health initiative.
- The series was produced by Pūkeko Pictures, a company founded by Martin Baynton, Richard Taylor, and Tania Rodger.
More in Television series with live action and animation 1-24
Spotted an error? Know more?
Reader corrections go straight into our review queue. Suggest an edit · How this site is sourced