TED-Ed
TED’s education initiative brings big questions to life through short animated lessons, pairing educators and experts with animators and helping students share ideas of their own.
At 100 nudges, fangea sends TED-Ed’s team an official invite.
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Latest
TED-Ed’s happenings, collected from public sources, plus their backstory and Starbook, where fans write.
Known for
- Can you solve the bridge riddle?2015 · Producer; lesson by Alex Gendler
TED-Ed - What would happen if you didn’t sleep?2015 · Producer; lesson by Claudia Aguirre
TED-Ed - Public Speaking 101: How to present your ideas effectively2026 · Animated course, episode 10
TED-Ed - 5 sneaky ways stores get you to spend more2026 · Collaboration with Nobel Prize Outreach
TED-Ed
Overview
- Started
- March 12, 2012, with 12 videos on YouTube
- Founder
- Logan Smalley
- Part of
- TED’s youth and education initiative
- Signature format
- Short animated lessons created with educators, experts, and animators
Mini bio
How it started.
TED-Ed began with an idea from teacher and filmmaker Logan Smalley. He pitched it as a TED Fellow in 2009, joined TED to build it in 2010, and hired its first employees in late 2011. On March 12, 2012, TED launched the YouTube channel with 12 original videos pairing teachers with animators.
Finding its audience.
In a 2025 Forbes interview, Smalley recalled that the first five animations drew more than a million views in their first week. The lesson-building website followed on April 25, 2012. In 2013, it won both the Webby and People’s Voice awards for Education, plus the Webby for Best Practices.
The work fans return to.
A TED-Ed animation starts with an educator’s or expert’s ideas and brings them to life through animation. The library moves between science, history, literature, philosophy, and mathematical puzzles. Lessons such as Alex Gendler’s bridge riddle and Claudia Aguirre’s exploration of sleeplessness show that range.
Beyond the videos.
TED-Ed also offers free lesson-building tools and Student Talks, a program that helps students identify, develop, and share their ideas. Recent videos include Public Speaking 101 and collaborations with Nobel Prize Outreach, FUTUR-IC at MIT, and Ravensburger.
Creditschronological, newest first
- 2026Public Speaking 101: How to present your ideas effectivelyProducer; episode 10, directed by Tolga Yıldız and Kozmonot Animation Studio
- 20265 sneaky ways stores get you to spend moreProducer in collaboration with Nobel Prize Outreach; directed by Homework Studio
- 2015What would happen if you didn’t sleep?Producer; educator Claudia Aguirre, director Lisa LaBracio
- 2015Can you solve the bridge riddle?Producer; educator Alex Gendler, animation by Artrake Studio
Awards
Quotes
TED-Ed’s mission is to create lessons worth sharing.TED-Ed, official YouTube channel description
The team’s own description of the purpose behind its animated shorts.
Trivia
- The YouTube channel launched before the lesson-building website, which went live on April 25, 2012.
- Teachers can build custom lessons around TED-Ed animations, TED Talks, or other YouTube videos.
- TED-Ed credits individual educators, directors, animators, narrators, and other collaborators on its lesson pages.
- The attention-span lesson with Shannon Odell also inspired a Ravensburger jigsaw puzzle using the animation’s artwork.
Find TED-Ed
Follow their latest lessons and bring a little curiosity to your feed.
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