It was when Numberblocks creator Joe Elliot was working as a maths teacher that he first noticed something important: “When I asked my students about the games they enjoyed,” he says, “they could describe them in incredible detail. They would light up, apparently learning effortlessly from them”
Joe already knew that there was no learning without engagement and he began to wonder how he could harness the kids’ enthusiasm for games and tv shows and use it to teach what he wanted to teach: mathematics. Joe also knew that many people, both children and adults, felt anxious about maths. They felt that they weren’t good at it. How could he change that?
One issue in particular played on his mind - why did a child who knew perfectly well that 2 halves of an apple make one whole apple, suddenly struggle when presented with ½ + ½ = ? The transition from concrete apple halves to abstract mathematical symbols was not working. So, what was going wrong? How, Joe asked himself, do you build a lasting bridge from concrete to abstract? How do you make it engaging and effective and how do you reach lots of children at once? In other words - how do you make the perfect show or game about mathematics?
Joe left teaching and spent 15 years making learning media, working in publishing, interactive learning, online learning games and even robot interfaces. Gradually, he distilled his thinking down into one question “What happens when numbers come to life?” And so, the Numberblocks were born.
From day one, Joe worked alongside award-winning animation studio Blue-Zoo, whose creative team brought the characters and their world to life with passion and precision. The partnership began with Alphablocks, the show that laid the groundwork for Numberblocks, and has since evolved into the broader Blocks Universe —including Colourblocks and Wonderblocks.
The series may have been conceived in the classroom, but it was thanks to the vision of Kay Benbow — then Controller of CBeebies at the BBC — that first Alphablocks then Numberblocks became a reality. Kay commissioned the show and her belief in the creative and educational potential of the concept made all the difference.
Numberblocks is a ground-breaking maths show where the characters themselves ARE the maths and they live in a world that runs on mathematics. It all starts with Numberblock One, who, with the help of the Magic Mirror, makes another One and discovers that when they join together, they become Numberblock Two. It’s visual and simple and kids get it.
The show is also huge amounts of fun - when Numberblock Five’s head literally falls into a hole, Numberblock Four is the result and he promptly drops his own head into the hole to see who will be left if he takes one away. Superhero Eight is also known as Octoblock and, like all superheroes, has a nemesis - the mischievous and inventive Octonaughty.
The Numberblocks (like Joe) LOVE maths - they are endlessly curious about numbers, shapes, patterns, measuring, time and all the other great things that they encounter in their world. The show’s humour, songs, silliness, adventures and fun are infectious but so is the enthusiasm for maths. “We don’t do chocolate-covered broccoli,” says Joe. The learning isn’t hidden in the fun - the learning is the fun.
Kids LOVE Numberblocks and the show has millions of passionate fans, from China to Peru, who are developing a solid number-sense that will last them a lifetime.
As the impact and popularity of the shows continues to grow, Joe and Blue-Zoo have deepened their collaboration, extending the brand far beyond television—into games, books, apps, toys, and immersive educational experiences—while staying true to their shared mission: to make learning joyful, meaningful, and brilliantly effective.
