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Xavier Riddle and the Secret Museum

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Xavier Riddle and the Secret Museum
GenreChildren's television series
Based onOrdinary People Change the World
by Brad Meltzer
Written by
  • Julia Daley
  • Jiro C. Okada
  • Charles Johnston
  • Jennifer Daley
  • Desmond Sargeant
  • Meghan Read
  • Lakna Edilima
Directed byCory Bobiak
Voices of
  • Aidan Vissers
  • Ian Ho
  • Zoe Hatz
  • Wyatt White
Theme music composer
Opening theme"Xavier Riddle and the Secret Museum Theme"
Ending theme"Xavier Riddle and the Secret Museum Theme" (instrumental)
ComposerMeiro Stamm
Country of origin
  • Canada
  • United States
  • Ireland
Original languageEnglish
No. of seasons2
No. of episodes50
Production
Executive producers
ProducerJennifer Bradley
EditorsMeghan Read
Tom Hastings
Running time22 minutes (11 minutes)
Production companies9 Story Media Group
Brown Bag Films
Original release
NetworkPBS Kids (U.S.)
TVOKids (Canada)
ReleaseNovember 11, 2019 (2019-11-11) –
present (present)

Xavier Riddle and the Secret Museum is an animated children's television series that premiered on November 11, 2019, on PBS Kids.[1] The series is produced by 9 Story Media Group. It is based on the children's book series written by Brad Meltzer and Chris Eliopoulos, named Ordinary People Change the World.[2] The series involves Xavier Riddle with his sister Yadina, and their friends Brad and Berby, at the Secret Museum, and help from historical heroes, who are depicted in the series as children.[3]

Premise

[edit]

The series involves a Peruvian-American boy named Xavier Riddle, his sister Yadina Riddle (alongside her stuffed turtle Dr. Zoom) and their best friend Brad. In each episode, a problem or difficulty is encountered. They go to the Secret Museum to time travel to the past to observe, interact, and learn from the historical heroes. They then return to the present and use their experience to solve the problem.[2][4]

Characters

[edit]

Main

[edit]
  • Xavier Riddle (voiced by Aidan Vissers in season 1, and Ian Ho in season 2 and onwards) is the titular character and the leader of his group with his sister Yadina and their friend Brad. He appears to be an excitable kid who is eager to go back in time and meet various historical figures. He is described as a kid who loves everything (especially art and basketball), but lives for adventures.
  • Yadina Riddle (voiced by Zoe Hatz) is Xavier's younger sister. She seems to be eager to explore the secret museum and learn about various historical figures. She carries a stuffed turtle around with her named Dr. Zoom. She is quite talented, whether it be with books or with balls. Although Yadina is very extroverted (not a wallflower at all), she is only seven years old. This means that she can be very honest with just about anyone, and sometimes even blunt. For example, Yadina dislikes meanness of any kind, and if anyone is not being friendly to another, Yadina will let them know exactly what she thinks of their behavior. When faced with conflict, Yadina is an expert at making others understand a situation from someone else's perspective, which ultimately requires empathy, self-awareness, and self-regulation. She also has a habit of making bad puns, which she fruitlessly tries to explain to both her brother Xavier and her buddy Brad.
  • Brad Meltzer (voiced by Wyatt White) is Xavier and Yadina's best friend. He tends to be the most nervous and neurotic of Xavier's group and suffers from several allergies. He is sometimes hesitant to go on adventures since travelling back in time makes him dizzy. Brad is quite partial to butterflies, as well as action heroes and is a relatively good artist who enjoys drawing comic book stories. He is described as having "delusions of averageness", and is apprehensive over everything. His friends, Xavier and Yadina, encourage him to live a little and to try new things. He suffers from impostor syndrome. Brad is Jewish, as revealed in the episode I am Tomioka Tessai, when he shows his friends a dreidel. His last name is only revealed on the website. He is an avatar of the author of the book series Brad Meltzer, whom he also resembles.

Supporting

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  • Berby is a small, egg-shaped flying robot who resides at the Secret Museum and functions as part of the time machine by transporting Xavier, Yadina, Dr. Zoom, and Brad back and forth in time. Berby communicates by making robotic beeping sounds, and is good friends with the kids and Dr. Zoom. She also functions as the museum's curator, ensuring all of the exhibits are taken care of and in the right places. Berby also appears in all the shorts after all of the episodes, either winning another "race around the world" against Xavier, playing hide & seek with Dr. Zoom & Yadina, co-starring with Brad in one of his "Bradman" comics, or going on random travels with Dr. Zoom. It is revealed in "I Am Madam President" that Berby is a female robot.

Production

[edit]

Brad Meltzer wrote the book Ordinary People Change the World and began a series based on the book named the Ordinary People series in 2014 with I Am Abraham Lincoln, I Am Amelia Earhart, I Am Rosa Parks, and I Am Albert Einstein.[5]

The series is produced by 9 Story Media Group's animation division, Brown Bag Films. 9 Story's Chief Creative Officer Angela Santomero states that Xavier Riddle lets kids know they have "the curiosity and adventurous spirit to change the world". Meltzer added to that statement: "When my own kids watch this series, I get to see them realize that there’s extraordinary within the ordinary."[6]

Episodes

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Each episode of Xavier Riddle and the Secret Museum runs for half an hour. They consist of two 11-minute stories based on famous historical heroes around the world in the past.[7] However, airings on streaming services such as Globoplay in Brazil split the episodes into segments, with each 11-minute story isolated. There may be an interstitial segment between the two main stories, in which Berby, and either Xavier, Yadina, Brad, or Dr. Zoom, are shown doing something fun together.

Season 1 (2019-22)

[edit]
No.
overall
No. in
season
TitleDirected byWritten byOriginal air dateProd.
code [a]
11"I Am Johann Sebastian Bach / I Am Marie Curie"Cory BobiakWritten by : Jennifer Daley
Storyboarded by : Cory Bobiak
Written by : Amy Brown
Storyboarded by : Firas Momani
November 11, 2019 (2019-11-11)101
22"I Am Mary Shelley / I Am Harry Houdini"Cory BobiakWritten by : Meghan Read
Storyboarded by : Craig Taillefer
Written by : Desmond Sargeant
Storyboarded by : Hong Qi
November 12, 2019 (2019-11-12)102
33"I Am George Washington / I Am Susan B. Anthony"Cory BobiakUnknownNovember 13, 2019 (2019-11-13)109
44"I Am Isaac Newton / I Am Golda Meir"Cory BobiakWritten by : Amy Brown
Storyboarded by : Sean Janisse
Written by : Amy Brown
Storyboarded by : Stephanie Ramone
November 18, 2019 (2019-11-18)106
55"I Am Winston Churchill / I Am Cleopatra"Cory BobiakWritten by : Jiro C. Okada
Storyboarded by : Alex Greychuck
Written by : Lakna Edilima
Storyboarded by : Firas Momani
November 19, 2019 (2019-11-19)107
66"I Am Catherine the Great / I Am Tomioka Tessai"Cory BobiakWritten by : Jiro C. Okada
Storyboarded by : Sean Janisse
Written by : Meghan Read
Storyboarded by : Stephanie Ramone
November 20, 2019 (2019-11-20)108
77"We Are the Wright Brothers / We Are the Brontë Sisters"Cory Bobiakwritten by : Desmond SargeantNovember 27, 2019 (2019-11-27)111
88"I Am Mark Twain / I Am Abigail Adams"Cory BobiakUnknownNovember 27, 2019 (2019-11-27)112
99"I Am Julia Child / I Am Neil Armstrong"Cory BobiakUnknownNovember 27, 2019 (2019-11-27)113
1010"I Am Helen Keller / I Am Alexander Graham Bell"Cory BobiakWritten by : Meghan Read
Storyboarded by : Alex Greychuck
Written by : Lakna Edilima
Storyboarded by : Firas Momani
December 2, 2019 (2019-12-02)103
1111"I Am Florence Nightingale / I Am George Washington Carver"Cory BobiakWritten by : Charles Johnston
Storyboarded by : Sean Janisse
Written by : Jiro C. Okada
Storyboarded by : Craig Taillefer
December 9, 2019 (2019-12-09)104
1212"I Am Leonardo da Vinci / I Am Amelia Earhart"Cory BobiakWritten by : Charles Johnston
Storyboarded by : Alex Greychuck
Written by : Jennifer Daley
Storyboarded by : Firas Momani
December 16, 2019 (2019-12-16)105
1313"I Am Zora Neale Hurston / I Am Charles Dickens"Cory BobiakWritten by : Charles Johnston
Storyboarded by : Sean Janisse
Written by : Jennifer Daley
Storyboarded by : Stephanie Ramone
December 23, 2019 (2019-12-23)110
1414"I Am Jackie Robinson / I Am Anna Pavlova"Cory BobiakWritten by : Desmond Sargeant
Written by : Amy Brown
January 20, 2020 (2020-01-20)114
1515"I Am Mary Leakey / I Am Alexander Hamilton"Cory BobiakWritten by : Lakna Edilima
Written by : Lakna Edilima
January 21, 2020 (2020-01-21)115
1616"I Am Theodore Roosevelt / I Am Eleanor Roosevelt"Cory BobiakWritten by : Amy Brown
Written by : Jennifer Daley
January 22, 2020 (2020-01-22)116
1717"I Am Lou Gehrig / I Am Marie Owens"Cory BobiakWritten By : Lakna Edilima
Written By : Jennifer Daley
January 23, 2020 (2020-01-23)117
1818"I Am Nikola Tesla / I Am Nellie Bly"Cory Bobiak
Written by : Meghan Read
August 3, 2020 (2020-08-03)119
1919"I Am Maya Angelou / I Am Frederick Douglass"Cory BobiakWritten by : Desmond Sargeant
Written by : Lakna Edilima
August 4, 2020 (2020-08-04)120
2020"I Am Louis Pasteur / I Am Rachel Carson"Cory BobiakWritten by : Charles Johnston
Written by : Amy Brown
August 5, 2020 (2020-08-05)121
2121"I Am Kate Warne / I Am Sir Arthur Conan Doyle"Cory BobiakWritten by : Meghan Read + Jen Daley
Written by : Jen Daley
August 6, 2020 (2020-08-06)122
2222"I Am Cesar Chavez / I Am Dolores Huerta[8]"Cory BobiakWritten by : M.R Horhager
Lakna Edilima
Storyboarded by : Meghan Read
October 5, 2020 (2020-10-05)126
2323"I Am Confucius / I Am Sacagawea"Cory BobiakWritten by : Charles Johnston
Lakna Edilima
October 6, 2020 (2020-10-06)125
2424"I Am Mary Anning / I Am Charlie Chaplin"Cory BobiakWritten by : Amy Brown
Written by : Charles Johnston
October 7, 2020 (2020-10-07)127
2525"I Am Billie Jean King / I Am Arthur Ashe"Logan McNeilWritten by : Jennifer Daley
Written by : Deamond Sargeant
October 8, 2020 (2020-10-08)128
2626"I Am Rosa Parks / I Am Thurgood Marshall"Cory BobiakWritten by : Desmond Sargeant
Written By : Charles Johnston
October 9, 2020 (2020-10-09)123
2727"I Am Harriet Tubman"Cory BobiakWritten By : Meghan Read and Desmond SargeantOctober 12, 2020 (2020-10-12)121
2828"I Am Wilma Rudolph / I Am Jonas Salk"Cory BobiakWritten By : Amy Brown
Written By : Meghan Read
February 1, 2021 (2021-02-01)124
2929"I Am Jesse Owens / I Am Ella Fitzgerald"Logan McNeilWritten By : Desmond Sargeant
Written By : Charles Johnston
February 2, 2021 (2021-02-02)135
3030"I Am James Naismith / I Am Temple Grandin"Logan McNeilWritten By : Desmond Sargeant
Written By : Charles Johnston
April 5, 2021 (2021-04-05)129
3131"I Am Albert Einstein / I Am Carol Burnett"Logan McNeilWritten By : Meghan Read
Written By : Jennifer Daley
April 6, 2021 (2021-04-06)130
3232"I Am Abraham Lincoln / I Am Jane Jacobs"Logan McNeilWritten By : Meghan Read
Written By : Amy Brown
April 7, 2021 (2021-04-07)131
3333"I Am Sir Edmund Hillary / I Am Celia Cruz"Logan McNeilWritten By : Charles Johnston
Written By : Lakna Edilima
April 8, 2021 (2021-04-08)132
3434"I Am Jigonsaseh / I Am Sacagawea"Logan McNeilWritten By : Millie Knapp
Written By : Lakna Edilima
November 1, 2021 (2021-11-01)136
3535"I Am Ibn Battuta / I Am Beulah Louise Henry"Logan McNeilWritten By : Gillian Muller
Written By : Amy Brown
November 2, 2021 (2021-11-02)134
3636"I Am Rukmini Devi / I Am Bob Ross"Logan McNeilWritten By : Lakna Edilima
Written By : Meghan Read
January 14, 2022 (2022-01-14)133
3737"I Am Fred Rogers"Logan McNeilWritten By : Meghan ReadJanuary 31, 2022 (2022-01-31)137

Season 2 (2024-25)

[edit]
No.
overall
No. in
season
TitleDirected byWritten byOriginal air dateProd.
code
381"I Am Michelangelo / I Am Dorothy Levitt"Logan McNeilUnknownJanuary 15, 2024 (2024-01-15)202
392"I Am Bessie Coleman / I Am King Sejong the Great"Logan McNeilUnknownJanuary 16, 2024 (2024-01-16)203
403"I Am Eugenie Clark / I Am Benjamin Banneker"Logan McNeilUnknownJanuary 17, 2024 (2024-01-17)204
414"I Am Ruth Bader Ginsburg"Logan McNeilUnknownJanuary 18, 2024 (2024-01-18)201
425"I Am Grandmaster Flash / I Am Mary Seacole"Logan McNeilUnknownJanuary 19, 2024 (2024-01-19)205
436"I Am Hedy Lamarr / I Am Archimedes"Logan McNeilUnknownJanuary 22, 2024 (2024-01-22)206
447"I Am James Braidwood / I Am Queen Liliʻuokalani"Logan McNeilUnknownJanuary 23, 2024 (2024-01-23)207
458"I Am Alvin Ailey / I Am Lucy Maud Montgomery"Logan McNeilUnknownJanuary 24, 2024 (2024-01-24)208
469"I Am Zelia Nuttall / I Am Jules Léotard"Logan McNeilUnknownJanuary 25, 2024 (2024-01-25)209
4710"I Am Louis Braille / I Am Zaha Hadid"Logan McNeilUnknownJanuary 26, 2024 (2024-01-26)210
4811"I Am Jim Thorpe / I Am Norval Morrisseau"TBATBAJuly 15, 2024 (2024-07-15)TBA
4912"I Am Roberto Clemente / I Am Kristi Yamaguchi"TBATBAJuly 16, 2024 (2024-07-16)TBA
5013"I Am Madam C.J. Walker / I Am Edwin Binney"TBATBAJuly 17, 2024 (2024-07-17)TBA

Shorts (2022)

[edit]

These shorts were first released exclusively on the PBS Kids video app. They later aired in between episodes in season 2.

No.TitleWritten byOriginal release date
1"Puzzled"UnknownJuly 11, 2022 (2022-07-11)

Brad revisits Marie Curie.

Virtue: Perseverance
2"Happy Birthday"UnknownJuly 11, 2022 (2022-07-11)

Yadina revisits Confucius.

Virtue: Compassion
3"Fair and Square"UnknownJuly 11, 2022 (2022-07-11)

Xavier revisits Abraham Lincoln.

Virtue: Honesty
4"Stand Up"UnknownJuly 11, 2022 (2022-07-11)

Yadina and Brad revisit Harriet Tubman.

Virtue: Courage
5"Shell Shocked"UnknownJuly 11, 2022 (2022-07-11)

Xavier revisits George Washington Carver.

Virtue: Responsibility
6"The Duet"UnknownJuly 11, 2022 (2022-07-11)

Yadina revisits Abigail Adams.

Virtue: Gratitude
7"Dreidel"UnknownJuly 11, 2022 (2022-07-11)

Xavier and Yadina revisit Frederick Douglass.

Virtue: Curiosity
8"Play Ball"UnknownJuly 11, 2022 (2022-07-11)

Xavier, Yadina, and Brad revisit Sacagawea.

Virtue: Creativity

Xavier Riddle and the Secret Movie: I Am Madam President

[edit]

A TV special titled Xavier Riddle and the Secret Movie: I Am Madam President aired on March 16, 2020.[9][10] In the special, Yadina, who dreams of becoming president one day, realizes all the presidents were men.[9] She questions if she can still be president, even though it is something no girl has done yet. The trio visit the Secret Museum, where a five-part star is shown to them. They travel to different periods in time, where they meet women who are attempting to do something that has never been done before. Yadina learns from them on what is needed to do something that has never been done before, as she attempts to complete the star. She meets Jackie Joyner-Kersee, Amelia Earhart, Junko Tabei, Sally Ride and herself as an adult.[11] Amelia Earhart is the only historical figure to be featured in both the movie and an episode.

Broadcast

[edit]

The series premiered on PBS Kids in United States on November 12, 2019. It premiered on TVOKids in Canada on December 10, 2019.[12] It airs on Super3, a Catalan-language children's channel in Spain.[13] Season 2 released on January 15, 2024.

Reception

[edit]

Critical response

[edit]

Joyce Slaton of Common Sense Media gave Xavier Riddle and the Secret Museum a mixed review. She stated that "the show makes many historical inaccuracies, which makes it odd for a TV show that wants to make history come back alive for kids." She also stated that "the show's tendency to play too fast and loose with the historical facts is confusing, and that 'Go for it!' is an unlikely motto for Amelia Earhart, who disappeared in 1937 and didn't complete her solo Atlantic flight as a grade school student, as Xavier depicts." George Washington Carver did have a secret garden as a child, in which he learned important lessons that impacted his career in botany. But, as Slaton states, "it's a real stretch to imagine him having to defend plants from renegade soccer players in 19th century Missouri," and that "the show seems to overlook his importance as an activist for ex-slaves and champion of sustainable agriculture, instead boiling his messages down to 'take care of plants and you'll take care of the earth.'" [14]

Awards and nominations

[edit]
Year Award Category Nominee Result Ref.
2020 Annie Awards Best Animated Television/Broadcast Production for Preschool Children Xavier Riddle and the Secret Museum Nominated [15]
2020 Daytime Emmy Awards Outstanding Directing for a Preschool Animated Program Cory Bobiak, Steven Boeckler and Susan Hart Nominated [16][17]
2020 TCA Awards Outstanding Achievement in Youth Programming Xavier Riddle and the Secret Museum Nominated [18]
2021 Annie Awards Best Animated Television/Broadcast Production for Preschool Children Xavier Riddle and the Secret Museum Nominated [19]
2021 Daytime Emmy Awards Outstanding Special Class Daytime Animated Program Xavier Riddle and the Secret Museum: I Am Madam President Nominated [20]
2021 Daytime Emmy Awards Outstanding Directing Team for a Preschool Animated Program Xavier Riddle and the Secret Museum Nominated
2021 TCA Awards Outstanding Achievement in Youth Programming Xavier Riddle and the Secret Museum Nominated [21]
2022 Annie Awards Best Animated Television/Broadcast Production for Preschool Children Xavier Riddle and the Secret Museum Nominated
2022 Children's and Family Emmy Awards Outstanding Preschool Animated Series Xavier Riddle and the Secret Museum Nominated

Notes

[edit]
  1. ^ 9 Story files the copyright for the episodes under groups, rather than separate episodes, as seen here:
    • "Public Catalog". United States Copyright Office. Retrieved February 23, 2020.

References

[edit]
  1. ^ "PBS KIDS Announces New Series Xavier Riddle and the Secret Museum, Premiering November 11, 2019". PBS. Retrieved February 1, 2019.
  2. ^ a b "Brad Meltzer on Finding Heroes for "Xavier Riddle and the Secret Museum"". TV Shows. Retrieved November 22, 2019.
  3. ^ Columnist, Francine Brokaw Community. "'Xavier Riddle and the Secret Museum' premieres on PBS Kids". Daily Herald. Archived from the original on January 11, 2020. Retrieved November 22, 2019.
  4. ^ "A New PBS Show That Lets Kids Learn from the Example of Historical Heroes". WTTW Chicago. November 7, 2019. Retrieved November 22, 2019.
  5. ^ "Brad Meltzer's kid-friendly history comes to PBS". Tampa Bay Times. Retrieved November 22, 2019.
  6. ^ Siegel, Fern (November 13, 2019). "'Xavier Riddle and the Secret Museum' Streams on PBS Kids Platforms". The Streamable. Retrieved November 22, 2019.
  7. ^ "This Adorable PBS Show Will Teach Your Kids About Golda Meir". Kveller. November 20, 2019. Retrieved December 11, 2019.
  8. ^ "Program > KET". KET. December 30, 2019. Retrieved September 25, 2020.
  9. ^ a b "Rick's Review: Brad Meltzer makes history fun with 'Xavier Riddle' on PBS". March 12, 2020.
  10. ^ "Xavier Riddle and the Secret Movie". February 26, 2020.
  11. ^ "Xavier Riddle and the Secret Movie: I Am Madam President - TV Review". www.commonsensemedia.org. April 2, 2020.
  12. ^ "Xavier Riddle and the Secret Museum (@XavierRiddleHQ) | Twitter". twitter.com. Retrieved December 16, 2019.
  13. ^ "Xavier Enigma i el museu secret". CCMA. April 6, 2023.
  14. ^ "Xavier Riddle and the Secret Museum - TV Review". www.commonsensemedia.org. November 19, 2019. Retrieved February 4, 2020.
  15. ^ Mercedes Milligan (December 2, 2019). "47th Annie Awards Nominations Announced". Animation Magazine. Retrieved December 31, 2019.
  16. ^ Milligan, Mercedes (May 21, 2020). "Daytime Emmy Nominees: 'Elena of Avalor,' 'Rapunzel's Tangled Adventure' Lead Toon Contenders".
  17. ^ Milligan, Mercedes (July 26, 2020). "Daytime Emmy Awards: 'Dragon Prince,' 'Ask the Storybots' & 'Last Kids on Earth' Win Key Animation Categories for Netflix".
  18. ^ Mitovich, Matt Webb (July 9, 2020). "TCA Awards: Watchmen, Unbelievable and Schitt's Creek Lead Nominations". TVLine. Retrieved July 10, 2020.
  19. ^ Mercedes Milligan (April 17, 2021). "Soul / Wolfwalkers / HildaFESTIVALS AND EVENTSNORTH AMERICA Annie Awards: 'Soul,' 'Wolfwalkers' & 'Hilda' Score Most Wins". Animation Magazine. Retrieved April 17, 2021.
  20. ^ Zahed, Ramin (June 28, 2021). "TV Academy Announces Animation/Children's Emmy Nominations".
  21. ^ Turchiano, Danielle (July 15, 2021). "'Ted Lasso' Scores the Most 2021 TCA Awards Nominations". Variety. Retrieved July 19, 2021.

Attribution:

  •  This article incorporates text from a free content work. Licensed under CC BY-SA. Text taken from Xavier Riddle​, . Fandom.com.
  •  This article incorporates text from a free content work. Licensed under CC BY-SA. Text taken from Yadina Riddle​, . Fandom.com.
  •  This article incorporates text from a free content work. Licensed under CC BY-SA. Text taken from Brad Scott​, . Fandom.com.
  •  This article incorporates text from a free content work. Licensed under CC BY-SA. Text taken from Berby​, . Fandom.com.
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