During the pandemic, instructional YouTube videos were gold for many families, providing both entertainment in the moment and something to do afterward.

At YouTube, there’s a more official term for it, and that’s “view and do.” It’s a strategy that attracted global kids and family head Craig Hunter to a quirky new STEM series called The Eggventurers (pictured), produced by US-based Goldieblox.

The 13 x seven-minute seriesfeatures a squad of quirky eggs who build chain-reaction machines to solve problems. Despite not having arms or legs, the eggs get the job done by moving their bodies and using their smarts.

It came to Hunter’s attention in a slew of pitches that rolled in after the platform launched its US$100-million Shorts Fund in 2021. “The Eggventurers stood out immediately because of its original approach to STEM. [It] presents a really fun series concept that tackles problem-solving in an innovative way, with highly engaging egg characters driving the story mechanic.”

The “view” part is watching the eggs try to do their thing with their awkward bodies, all the while demonstrating physics concepts with their Rube Goldberg machines. The “do” part is possible because the machines are made out of regular household materials, and kids can go away and build similar ones themselves.

Hunter says while STEM is well-serviced in the market, The Eggventurers’ unique angle and extended engagement potential with offline play makes it stand out. “We look for shows that offer a view-and-do experience–it’s not a gap, but there is an appetite for it,” he explains. “STEM learning is important for kids of all ages, and being able to showcase a focus on specific areas in a way that encourages kids to explore beyond our content is a big draw for our viewers.”

In fact, this series concept predates the YouTube incubator by many years and is illustrative of the great-IP-can-come-from-anywhere ethos that’s never been truer than in today’s fractured media landscape. The Eggventurers was inspired by aviral YouTube video called This is Your Brain on Engineering that was posted on GoldieBlox’s channel in 2014. With almost 76 million views to date, the video worked as both proof of concept and inspirational springboard.

Series animation was provided by Canada’s Mainframe Studios, with Hunter and YouTube Originals Development Manager Zoë Di Stefano serving as creative leads. Creator and GoldieBlox CEO Debbie Sterling is an executive producer, along with Brett Doar, Melissa Schneider, Tanya Green, Michael Hefferon and Kim Dent Wilder.

Sterling says the chain-reaction machines the eggs build create a level of suspense for young viewers, and the opportunity to delight. “They are full of surprises, clever ideas, unexpected twists and turns, and are riveting from a storytelling perspective because you are constantly on the edge of your seat wondering whether it will work or not.”