Four years ago, Adult Swim blew up the Internet with the teaser trailer for a potential show, Learning With Pibby. The concept of a character from a preschool show forced to fight for her life across Warner Bros multiverse of animation felt like a dream come true, and before long, the show had gotten a sizeable fanbase. But despite all it had going for it, and all the support behind it, Adult Swim refused to give it the green light, and ultimately, its creator announced that the show was cancelled. But while animation fans grieved, a few decided to roll up their sleeves, pull a Thanos, and say “Fine. I’ll do it myself.” The result will be a fan series called Learning With Pibby: Armageddon, and I’m incredibly invested into it.
The Return of Pibby
I first learned about Learning With Pibby: Armageddon thanks to a video from Valskibum, a YouTuber who mainly covers news in the world of animation. He explained how a group of dedicated fans from a start-up called Studio Vega decided to take matters into their own hands. With the blessing of Dodge Greenley, the original creator of Pibby, they were already at work on giving her the show that she deserved, turning it from an Adult Swim cartoon to a full-on web series. The idea intrigued me, especially given my history of disapproving of how Warner Bros has treated its cartoons in recent years. When I found out that the project had a Discord server, I eagerly joined up, hoping to get front-row seats to the series as it came into being.
Unfortunately, it seems that making Pibby a reality is easier said than done, especially when you lack the resources of a major corporation. Not helping things is that the team making the show had to cut ties with Studio Vega for reasons that are not entirely clear. Nor have I thought to ask any of them! What was important, though, was that Pibby: Armageddon would continue, now as part of the newly-formed Star Studios Production Company. Sadly, their luck hasn’t gotten any better. Despite wanting to get their trailer for the first episode out in time for Pibby’s fourth anniversary, they had to delay it a few weeks. And then, they had to repost it because the original version had audio problems.
I Have High Hopes for Star Studios
I’m not a part of the Pibby server at the moment, but I have maintained contact with a few of the people in charge of Star Studios. And from getting to know them, I can tell that, despite being new to all this, they are all talented, hard-working, and dedicated to giving Pibby her due. And so far, their efforts seem to be paying off, as seen with the re-released trailer.
The trailer itself is simpler than what Adult Swim put out, and it doesn’t reveal anywhere near as much as what we got four years ago. However, what is revealed is enough to remind us of the horror inherent in this story. From the encroaching Darkness to the sight of the rotting apples, there is a lot that’s being implied but not shown. But it’s also just enough to get people interested in what’s coming.
The first episode won’t drop until February of next year, but if Star Studios is smart, they’ll keep dropping little teasers for what’s coming. As for me, I am absolutely on board for this series. I hated seeing something with such an interesting premise get axed by Warner Bros. And I especially hate the amount of stress that the company put Greenley through trying to get it greenlit. This is why I’m backing this project. Pibby is a great idea for a show, and if Warner Bros can’t see that, that’s their fault.
