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The Why Why Family
Les Kikekoi
Created byNatalie Altmann
Vincent Chalvon-Demersay
Written byAnnabelle Perrichon
François-Emmanuel Porché
Directed byBruno Bianchi
Voices of
Composers
Country of originFrance
United States
Original languagesEnglish
French
No. of seasons1
No. of episodes26 (130 segments)
Production
Executive producersJacqueline Tordjman
Vincent Chalvon-Demersay
ProducerBruno Bianchi
Production companiesSaban Entertainment
Saban International Paris
Original release
NetworkFox Kids (international)
France 3 (France)
Das Erste (Germany)
Release1996 (1996)

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.

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.

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 and Bear It
Thunder and lightning Eartha & Basalt Sound and the Why Whys
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 Waves
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-Why Why
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 Season's 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]

Crew

[edit]

Release

[edit]

Broadcast

[edit]

The 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.

Home media

[edit]

As with many other Saban Entertainment series, the only major English-language DVD release is by Czech distributor North Video, featuring both Czech and English audio and original video (with English-language text) in the original production order. All 26 episodes were released on 8 volumes, from September 2[12] to October 21, 2010.[13]

References

[edit]
[edit]
Revisions and contributorsEdit on WikipediaRead on Wikipedia

The Why Why Family

View on Grokipedia
from Grokipedia
The Why Why Family is a French animated series for children that premiered in , featuring an inquisitive family led by a scientist father who explores and explains concepts in science, , , and nature in response to everyday "why" questions posed by the children. Created by Natalie Altmann and produced by Saban International Paris (also known as ), the series consists of 26 episodes, each divided into five short segments that deliver child-friendly explanations of complex topics through and family interactions. Written by Annabelle Perrichon and François-Emmanuel Porché, and directed by Bruno Bianchi, it originally aired in under the title Les Kikekoi before entering international syndication, emphasizing curiosity and learning in an engaging, edutainment format. The show has received positive reception for its ability to stimulate young viewers' interest in scientific inquiry, earning an rating of 7.4 out of 10 based on 10,607 user votes (as of November 2025).

Overview

Premise

The Why Why Family is a French animated centered on a curious baby named Victor, who frequently asks questions about scientific and natural phenomena, prompting explanations from his members specializing in various fields such as , , , , and astronomy. Each family member delivers expert insights tailored to Victor's inquiries, fostering an environment of discovery and understanding within the narrative framework of everyday family life. The series answers Victor's "why" questions about , , and the broader world through animated family interactions. Aimed at children ages 2-11, it provides educational content in short segments. Episodes are formatted as five distinct 5-minute segments, allowing for multiple related or standalone explorations per half-hour installment, concluding with Victor summarizing the key takeaways to reinforce learning. The series comprises 26 episodes, produced in 1996 by Saban Entertainment in collaboration with French studios.

Characters

The central figure in The Why Why Family is Victor, the infant protagonist who poses naive questions about everyday and nature, driving the educational narratives of the series. Victor’s father, Max, serves as the family's and expert, delivering explanations on gadgets, , and mechanical principles. His mother, , is the specialist in and , often joined by her pet birds Kwik (the green bird) and Kwak (the pink bird), who add humor and interaction to lessons on plants and animals. The grandmother, , holds authority in , , and related fields, accompanied by her shapeshifting pet , who aids in illustrating earth sciences. Grandfather Matik specializes in astronomy and the , with his Zygo frequently appearing alongside him to explore celestial topics. The twin uncles, Micro and Scopo—one short and wearing a large hat, the other tall with exaggerated forearms—focus on and functions, breaking down physiological concepts through collaborative segments. These family members and their pets form the core cast, with Victor's inquiries prompting targeted explanations from the appropriate relative, while the side characters like Kwik, Kwak, , and Zygo enhance engagement through playful interactions during demonstrations.

Production

Development

The Why Why Family was created by Natalie Altmann as Saban Entertainment's inaugural effort in educational programming, marking a shift from the company's typical action-oriented fare to edutainment focused on and curiosity. Originally produced in under the title Les Kikekoi, it was developed from 1995 to 1996 by Saban International Paris. The series aimed to engage and early elementary audiences by answering "why" questions through animated family adventures that explored scientific concepts in accessible ways. This initiative responded to the increasing demand for substantive children's content, spurred by the 1990 Children's Television Act's mandate for broadcasters to air at least three hours of educational programming weekly, amid established competitors like that had long dominated the informative TV space for young viewers. Despite its pedagogical goals and FCC-compliant design, the series was cancelled by Saban at the end of its first season in late owing to underwhelming ratings for syndicated half-hour animated strips.

Creative team

The series was written by Annabelle Perrichon and François-Emmanuel Porché, who scripted its 130 educational segments providing explanations on , , and . Bruno Bianchi directed the show, overseeing the animation style and pacing to deliver engaging visuals tailored for young audiences. Executive producers Jacqueline Tordjman and provided overall production oversight and facilitated international adaptation. The animation was produced by the Saban International Paris team, focusing on simple, illustrative designs to support the learning objectives.

Episodes

Format and topics

The Why Why Family features 26-minute episodes, each structured as five independent 5-minute segments that collectively form a cohesive half-hour program. In this format, the young protagonist Victor poses a distinct scientific question in each segment to one of his family members, who provides an explanatory response through animated demonstrations and narrative. This modular design allows for focused explorations of individual curiosities while maintaining a rhythmic flow across the episode. The series covers a wide array of scientific themes, encompassing physics (such as why objects fall downward due to ), biology (including how plants grow through processes like ), earth sciences (for instance, the mechanics of volcanoes and eruptions), and astronomy (like the life cycles and visibility of ). These topics are selected to address common childhood inquiries about the natural world, , and , promoting an understanding of everyday phenomena. Explanations employ vibrant animation, familial interactions, and straightforward analogies to simplify complex concepts, fostering curiosity-driven learning without incorporating quizzes, tests, or formal assessments. The family members, each positioned as informal experts in relevant fields, deliver these insights during imaginative outings or home-based scenarios, enhancing engagement through relatable storytelling. With a total of 130 segments across 26 episodes, the production ensures thematic diversity and avoids redundancy, offering fresh questions in every installment.

Episode list

The Why Why Family consists of 26 episodes, each comprising five short educational segments that explore scientific concepts through the family's adventures. The series originally aired in 1996. Segment titles and structure are documented on TheTVDB. Primary topics for each episode are derived directly from the pun-based segment titles, which indicate the core subjects covered, such as biology, physics, and earth sciences. The core 130 segments across these episodes form the complete run.
EpisodeSegmentsPrimary Topics
1Photo Opportunity / Sick Leave / O Solar Mio / All You Need Is Lava / A Horse of a Different ColorPhotography and light; human health and illness; solar system and astronomy; volcanoes and geology; animal adaptation and camouflage
2Pleased to Meteor You / Idle Chatter / Feather Knows Best / Shell Shock / I Resemble MamaMeteors and space; animal communication; bird behavior and flight; seashells and marine biology; heredity and family resemblance
3Out on a Limb / Petal Pushers / He Ain't Heavy, He's an Astronaut / Stormy Weather / Bars and Stripes ForeverTree branches and botany; flowers and pollination; gravity and space travel; weather patterns and storms; animal patterns and stripes
4Sneezed to Meet You / Beam My Baby / Green & Bear It / Sound & the Whywhys / Star TreatmentAllergies and immune response; light beams and optics; plants and bears in ecology; sound waves and acoustics; stars and celestial observation
5Web Sight / Just the Fax / No Sweat / For Me and My Galaxy / Current EventSpider webs and vision; fax technology and communication; human sweating and thermoregulation; galaxies and cosmology; ocean currents and hydrodynamics
6Brain Waives / Copy Cats / To Hive and Hive Not / A Tree Froze in Brooklyn / Mars AttractsBrain waves and neurology; animal mimicry; beehives and social insects; tree freezing and cryobiology; Mars and planetary science
7Hair Today / Plane Speaking / Sun Blocked / Fit to Be Tide / Hear and NowHair growth and biology; airplane flight; solar eclipses; tides and oceanography; hearing and auditory senses
8Light Entertainment / Dial-A Whywhy / Common Scents / Uphill All the Way / Hail to the ReefLight and entertainment physics; telephone communication; sense of smell; inclines and gravity; coral reefs and marine ecosystems
9A Bolt from the Blue / Chirp Thrills / Pit Stop / Station Break / Oh Say Can You SeeLightning and electricity; bird chirping; plant pits and botany; space stations; human vision
10Breezy Does It / The Chill It All / Down to Earth / Surely You Ingest / You've Gotta Be KittenWind and aerodynamics; cold weather and insulation; earth science basics; digestion and nutrition; kitten development and felines
11A Bite to Remember / True Grit / Great Balls of Fire / Ready Willing & Cable / A Touchy SubjectAnimal bites and teeth; sand and minerals; fireballs and combustion; electrical cables; sense of touch
12Changing Climes / Free Falling / Turn On... Tune In / Dust to Us / Eater's DigestClimate change; free fall physics; radio waves; dust and particles; eating and digestion
13Bottom Feeders / No Skin Off My Back / Lights Out! / Sunrise... Sunset / Air ApparentAquatic bottom feeders; skin shedding in animals; darkness and light; day-night cycles; air composition
14Another Fine Mist / The Big Cover Up / Blind Leading the Blind / Nothing But the Tooth / Seasons GreetingsMist and weather; animal camouflage; blindness and navigation; teeth structure; seasons and meteorology
15No Fuel Like Old Fuel / Way Down Under / Cactus If You Can / A Cut Above / Global SwarmingFossil fuels; underground ecosystems; cacti and desert adaptation; cutting and tools; insect swarms
16It's in the Bag / Nuking It Out! / A Fungus Among Us / To Bleed or Not to Bleed / Craters and Cream CheesePlant seed dispersal; microwave technology; fungi biology; blood and circulation; moon craters
17Snow Job / Sunday Punch / Victor and the Glow Fish / Heat Treatment / Wash You Were HereSnow formation; impacts and physics; bioluminescent fish; heat therapy; water cycles
18One Giant Leap for Frogkind / Stick Around / Branching Out / Spin Doctors / Scope It OutFrog jumps and physics; sticky substances; tree branching; spinning and rotation; microscopes
19That Thing You Dew / The Powers That Be / Blowin' in the Wind / Hair-Raising Experience / Hole in OneDew and condensation; electrical powers; wind energy; static electricity in hair; holes in nature (e.g., golf or geological)
20Ice Cycle / The Light Show / Whole Lotta Shakin' Goin' On / For Cryin' Out Loud / Hot! Hot! Hot!Ice formation cycles; light displays (auroras); earthquakes; crying and emotions; heat waves
21There's No Place Like Ozone / Perchance to Dream / That Was Then, This Is Cow / Lights, Camera, Action! / O'See Can You Say?Ozone layer; sleep and dreams; evolution (cows); film production; speech and language
22How Dry I Am! / Big / Ch Ch Ch Changes / Go with the Flow / It's a Material WhirlDryness and deserts; size and scale; chemical changes; fluid dynamics; materials science
23Goldirocks / Home Grown / From the Ground... Up / Water Water Everywhere / One Giant Leap for Why WhysGoldilocks (temperature); home gardening; plant growth from soil; water abundance; family exploration leaps
24It's All Downhill from Here / A Turn-Key Operation / Sleeping In / Your Loss Is Migraine / Moon TrekDownhill motion; locks and mechanisms; sleep patterns; migraines and neurology; moon exploration
25Sooo Cool / The Outer Planets / Hold That Thought! / Chuckleheads / What's Your Sign?Cool temperatures; outer solar system planets; memory and thoughts; laughter and physiology; zodiac signs and astronomy
26The Light Show / Thru the Looking Glass / Snakes Alive! / Only the Strong Survive / It Came from Outer SpaceLight phenomena; mirrors and reflection; snakes and reptiles; natural selection; extraterrestrial objects

Cast and crew

Voice actors

The original French version of The Why Why Family (titled Les Kikekoi) featured a cast of experienced voice actors specializing in , with recordings handled by French studios in 1996. The lead child character, Victor, was voiced by , while the father Max was performed by Olivier Destrez; other key roles included Vanilla by , Eartha by Claude Chantal, Matik by Poirier, and multiple alien characters such as Kwik and Micro by Henri Courseaux, with Gérard Surugue handling Kwak, Basalt, and Scopo. also served as voice director, ensuring a cohesive, educational tone suited to the series' inquisitive family dynamic. For international distribution, an English dub was produced in 1996–1997 by Saban Entertainment, primarily for broadcast on networks like , with post-animation recording emphasizing enthusiastic and explanatory delivery to match the show's edutainment style. The English cast included as Victor, (credited as Stanley Gurd Jr.) as Max, and supporting voices such as , Mendi Segal, Sammy Lane, Derek Patrick, Genghis Studebaker, and (uncredited) for various family and alien roles. Specific assignments beyond the leads remain sparse in credits, with many performers handling multiple minor characters anonymously. The English dubbing was directed by Jamie Simone. Later international versions, such as the Czech dub for regional releases (titled Zvídavá rodinka), adapted the English audio track with local performers, but retained the core structure of the French original and English syndication dubs without major changes to character portrayals.
CharacterFrench Voice ActorEnglish Voice Actor
VictorDonald ReignouxJulie Maddalena
MaxOlivier DestrezJan Rabson
VanillaBlanche RavalecUnknown
EarthaClaude ChantalUnknown
MatikHenri PoirierDerek Patrick
KwikHenri CourseauxUnknown
MicroHenri CourseauxKevin Schon
Kwak / Basalt / ScopoGérard SurugueVarious (uncredited ensemble)

Production staff

The animation for The Why Why Family was produced by the staff at Saban International Paris, utilizing traditional 2D techniques to create the series' 130 segments across its 26 episodes. Kenhalo Bernet acted as assistant producer for all 26 episodes, overseeing administrative and logistical aspects of the production. Post-production efforts included sound design elements tailored to enhance educational content through illustrative effects, alongside music composition by Haim Saban and Michel Dax that provided an upbeat, engaging score to support the learning-oriented narrative. The overall crew emphasized cost-effective practices typical of European-based animation studios during the mid-1990s short-run format.

Release and distribution

Broadcast history

The Why Why Family originally aired in international syndication from late 1996 to 1997, produced by Saban International Paris as an educational animated series for children. In France, under its original title Les Kikekoi, the series premiered on September 1, 1997, on France 3 within the Le Réveil des Babalous programming block, with subsequent reruns on the same network's Les Minikeums until June 26, 1998. It received further reruns from March to June 2006 on the Ma Planète channel. In Germany, it was broadcast as Familie Superschlau on Das Erste and other ARD regional channels, including MDR and SWR Fernsehen, during the 1996–1999 period. In the United States, the series entered syndication in fall 1996 but was short-lived, with Saban canceling it by December 1996 due to underwhelming performance. It later received limited airings starting August 22, 1998, on the Fox Family Channel as part of Saban's programming slate. Internationally, the show expanded through Fox Kids networks, debuting on cable and satellite feeds in September 2000, including in the , , and other European markets. It was also distributed in via Fox Kids Latin America, dubbed as La familia Por Qué, with broadcasts continuing into the early across the region. Ownership of the series transferred to in 2001 as part of its $5.3 billion acquisition of Fox Family Worldwide, which encompassed the Saban Entertainment library; however, this resulted in limited additional television broadcasts thereafter. The program was dubbed into multiple languages, such as Italian (La famiglia dei perché) for and Spanish for various outlets, facilitating its reach in and until the early 2000s.

Home media

The home media releases of The Why Why Family have been limited primarily to regional DVD editions in , with no official or comprehensive digital streaming options available in major markets as of 2025. In the , North Video issued a series of DVDs starting in 2010 under the localized title Zvídavá rodinka. The first volume, released on September 2, 2010, contains four episodes focusing on educational topics such as cameras, viruses, the solar system, and volcanoes, with a runtime of approximately 84 minutes in 4:3 . These releases feature 2.0 audio in both Czech and English, along with Czech subtitles, allowing access to the original English dub for select episodes across the planned eight-volume set covering the full 26-episode series. Subsequent volumes, such as Zvídavá rodinka 4 and Zvídavá rodinka 5, were similarly distributed in paper sleeve packaging, emphasizing family-friendly animated explanations of scientific concepts like and animal adaptations. In the , Boulevard Entertainment released two DVD volumes in 2006, targeting budget markets. Volume 1 includes episodes addressing questions like "Why does it ?" and "Why do kids look like their parents?", while Volume 2 continues with themes such as thunder and family resemblances, each disc featuring multiple 21-minute episodes in standard definition. These PAL-region discs were distributed without subtitles and remain available primarily through secondary markets like , with no evidence of further volumes or remastered editions. No official VHS releases were produced for the , and physical media distribution there has been absent, relying instead on imported European DVDs or unofficial bootlegs. Digital streaming is not offered on major platforms like Disney+, despite Disney's ownership of the Saban Entertainment library since 2001, due to the lack of remastering for modern formats. As a result, availability remains confined to physical copies in select regions, with no widespread global digital access as of November 2025.

References

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  30. https://www.amazon.co.uk/Zvidava-rodinka-Family-paper-sleeve/dp/B009V3IETG
  31. https://www.dvd-premiery.cz/zvidava-rodinka-05-dvd-papirovy-obal/
  32. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pEPndv5VeeM
  33. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sezelF24ep4
  34. https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/297634782919
  35. https://forums.lostmediawiki.com/thread/5815/lost-saban-anime-dubs?page=3
  36. https://animesuperhero.com/forums/threads/fox-kids-jetix-saban-library-missing-on-disney.5796062/
  37. https://www.facebook.com/groups/492237024682044/posts/1383125078926563/
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