Numberjacks are small numbers that solve number and mathematical problems.  They are all the same size, normally they are about 4 centimetres (1½ inches) tall when they are inside the sofa that is their base, and about 15 centimetres (6 inches) when out on location.  They can make themselves smaller, and (with a lot of effort) bigger. Each Numberjack has something of the characteristics of a child of the same “age”.   Numberjacks talk, laugh and could well cry.  We don’t see them eat or go to the loo, or take a bath or wash, but maybe they do these things when we’re not watching.  They watch tv, read, play quiet and loud games, and do lots of things that young children do, including arguing and occasionally annoying each other. They move by jumping, and the bigger ones are very athletic.  All even-numbered Numberjacks are male, and all odd-numbered Numberjacks are female, but attention is never drawn to this.

Everything in the Numberjacks’ world has a part to play in the entertainment and education that Numberjacks offers.  The key elements are the Characters, the Sets, the Props, and the Locations, and in varying ways they contribute to deliver the key Numberjacks values.

Engagement and empathy comes principally from the Numberjacks themselves.  The Numberjacks are very like young children, and inhabit a world that is both familiar in some ways and excitingly different in others.   They are inspiring companions and fellow adventurers, with a range of different “ages” and personalities for children to relate to. 

 The Meanies provide the jeopardy – they are the necessary villains that no superhero can do without, and without them there would be none of the thrills that are a key part of the Numberjacks’ appeal.

The People with Problems deliver comedy – they are the (mostly) adults whom the Numberjacks save from the Meanies’ dastardly doings, and it is their predicaments that give much of the often visual comedy that balances the thrills.

The Agents are a key part of the learning that is at the heart of the show.  The Agents are real life young children, who help that audience to feel that they can join in with the fun and the thinking.