Kids Say the Darndest Things is an American comedy series originally hosted by Art Linkletter from 1959-1967, and then later reprised by Bill Cosby on CBS as hour-long specials on May 16 & November 14, 1997, followed by a weekly series from January 9, 1998, to June 23, 2000. A revival hosted by Tiffany Haddish aired on ABC from October 6, 2019, to January 19, 2020. ABC cancelled the revival after one season.[1] However, the revival moved to CBS, its original network, from May 5 to June 23, 2021, with Haddish returning as host.[2][3]
| Kids Say the Darndest Things | |
|---|---|
 Logo from the Bill Cosby era | |
| Genre | Comedy Reality |
| Directed by | Morris Abraham |
| Presented by | |
| Composer | Bruce Miller |
| Country of origin | United States |
| Original language | English |
| No. of seasons | 5 |
| No. of episodes | 92 |
| Production | |
| Executive producers |
|
| Producer | Eric Schotz |
| Running time |
|
| Production companies | LMNO Productions (1997–2000) Linkletter/Atkins/Kritzer Productions Inc. (1998–2000) CBS Productions (1997–2000) Anvil 1893 Entertainment, Inc. (2019–21) She Ready Productions (2019–21) CBS Studios (2019–21) |
| Original release | |
| Network | CBS (1997–2000, 2021) ABC (2019–20) |
| Release | May 16, 1997 – June 23, 2000 |
| Release | October 6, 2019 – June 23, 2021 |
| Related | |
| Art Linkletter's House Party | |
Premise
The host would begin a conversation by posing a question about life topics to a child, who usually responds with their own innocent, often comedic perspectives on the various topics.[4][5]
In the show's first inception, it would sometimes flash back to the 1950s and 1960s show Art Linkletter's House Party, with Cosby joined onstage by Art Linkletter, that show's host, to introduce the vintage clips. It would show kids (of the time), their same comedic reactions to whatever Linkletter would ask or say to them. Cosby also provided some of the humor in the show.[4]
The revival continued the premise, with part of the show performed in front of a live audience, and the rest featuring taped segments.[6]
Production
For the series' first iteration, Kids Say the Darndest Things was produced by CBS Productions with the co-production of LMNO Productions and Linkletter's company, Linkletter Productions.[4][7]
The revival continued its CBS association via CBS Studios, and was also co-produced by Haddish through her production company, She Ready Productions, and Eric Schotz of Anvil 1893 Entertainment.[8]
Conception
The show is based on a feature with the same name in Art Linkletter's radio show House Party and television series, Art Linkletter's House Party, which together aired mostly five days a week from 1945–1969.[9][10]
In other media
The subplot of the Family Guy episode "Brian Does Hollywood" features Stewie auditioning for the show in an attempt to hypnotize the entire world using a mind-control device, with Cosby later unwittingly foiling his plans.
In 2005, Robert Johnson and Albert Evans adapted the show into a full-length musical comedy.[citation needed]
International versions
| Country | Name | Host(s) | TV station | Premiere | Finale |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 Australia | Kidspeak | Andrew Daddo | Seven Network | 1999 | 2000 |
 Hungary | Gyerekszáj | Sándor Friderikusz | TV2 | 2000 | 2001 |
 India | Badmaash Company - Ek Sharat Hone Ko Hains Kutties Chutties (Tamil) | Juhi Chawla | Colors TV Sun TV (Tamil) | 2000 | 2000 |
 Italy | Zitti tutti! Parlano loro | Carlo Conti | Rai 1 | January 17, 2000 | May 26, 2000 |
 Singapore | Kids Talk Back | Andrew Lim | Television Corporation of Singapore | 1999 | 1999 |
| Gurmit's Small Talk | Gurmit Singh | 2003 | 2003 | ||
 United Kingdom | Kids Say the Funniest Things | Michael Barrymore | ITV | December 27, 1998 | October 8, 2000 |
