Kids Say the Darndest Things

{{Infobox television

| image = Kidssay.jpeg

| caption = Logo from the Bill Cosby era

| genre = Comedy
Reality

| director = Morris Abraham

| presenter = {{Plain list|

}}

| composer = Bruce Miller

| country = United States

| language = English

| num_seasons = 5

| num_episodes = 92

| executive_producer = {{Plain list|

Eddie Kritzer
Bill Paolantonio
Art Linkletter

}}

| producer = Eric Schotz

| runtime = {{Plain list|

22–24 minutes
60 minutes ({{small|with commercials}})

}}

| company = 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)

| channel = CBS (1997–2000, 2021)
ABC (2019–20)

| first_aired = {{Start date|1997|05|16}}

| last_aired = {{End date|2000|6|23}}

| first_aired2 = {{Start date|2019|10|6}}

| last_aired2 = {{End date|2021|6|23}}

| related = Art Linkletter's House Party

}}

Kids Say the Darndest Things is an American comedy series that was based on a feature segment of the same name on Art Linkletter's radio and television program, House Party.Dunning, John. On the Air: The Encyclopedia of Old-Time Radio (Oxford University Press, 1998), pp. 333. {{ISBN|0-19-507678-8}}{{cite book|last=Brooks|first=Tim|author2=Marsh, Earle F.|title=The Complete Directory to Prime Time Network and Cable TV Shows, 1946-Present|work=Ballantine Books|date=2007-10-17|isbn=978-0-345-49773-4|edition=9|pages=736–737|publisher=Ballantine Books }} Linkletter hosted the segment on the program's CBS television adaptation from 1959 to 1967. The network later resurrected the segment in the form of hour-long specials, hosted by Bill Cosby, that aired on May 16 and November 14, 1997, and then as a weekly series from January 9, 1998, to June 23, 2000. A revival of the program, hosted by Tiffany Haddish, aired on ABC from October 6, 2019, to January 19, 2020; after its initial cancellation,{{Cite web|last1=White|first1=Peter|last2=Andreeva|first2=Nellie|title='Schooled', 'Bless This Mess', 'Single Parents', 'Emergence' & 'Kids Say The Darndest Things' Canceled By ABC|url=https://deadline.com/2020/05/bless-this-mess-single-parents-schooled-emergence-kids-say-the-darndest-things-cancelled-abc-1202940900/|work=Deadline Hollywood|date=May 21, 2020|access-date=May 21, 2020|archive-date=May 21, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200521211206/https://deadline.com/2020/05/bless-this-mess-single-parents-schooled-emergence-kids-say-the-darndest-things-cancelled-abc-1202940900/|url-status=live}} the series moved to CBS, its original network, airing for one additional season from May 5 to June 23, 2021.{{cite web|last=White|first=Peter|title='Kids Say the Darndest Things' Moves Back To CBS After ABC Cancellation|url=https://deadline.com/2020/12/kids-say-the-darndest-things-moves-back-cbs-abc-cancellation-1234658318/|work=Deadline Hollywood|date=December 17, 2020|access-date=December 17, 2020}}{{cite press release|title=Classic Variety Series "Kids Say the Darndest Things," Hosted by Emmy(R) and Grammy(R) Award-Winning Actress and Comedian Tiffany Haddish, to Premiere Wednesday, May 5 on CBS|url=http://www.thefutoncritic.com/news/2021/04/07/classic-variety-series-kids-say-the-darndest-things-hosted-by-emmy-and-grammy-award-winning-actress-and-comedian-tiffany-haddish-to-premiere-wednesday-may-5-on-cbs-729310/20210407cbs01/|publisher=CBS|via=The Futon Critic|date=April 7, 2021}}

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.{{Cite news|last=Shales|first=Tom|title='Darndest Things': A Fresh Old Idea|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/lifestyle/1998/01/09/darndest-things-a-fresh-old-idea/ba213b9a-912a-4f66-9248-c7aac57b7f7b/|newspaper=The Washington Post|date=January 9, 1998|archive-date=June 7, 2020|access-date=May 21, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200607101846/https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/lifestyle/1998/01/09/darndest-things-a-fresh-old-idea/ba213b9a-912a-4f66-9248-c7aac57b7f7b/|url-status=live}}{{Cite web|last=Pedersen|first=Erik|title=Tiffany Haddish To Host 'Kids Say The Darndest Things' Reboot On ABC|url=https://deadline.com/2019/05/kids-say-the-darndest-things-tiffany-haddish-abc-series-fall-2019-1202614232/|work=Deadline Hollywood|date=May 14, 2019|access-date=May 21, 2020|archive-date=October 27, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201027163422/https://deadline.com/2019/05/kids-say-the-darndest-things-tiffany-haddish-abc-series-fall-2019-1202614232/|url-status=live}}

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.

The revival continued the premise, with part of the show performed in front of a live audience, and the rest featuring taped segments.{{Cite web|last=Harris|first=Beth|title=Tiffany Haddish gets kids to say darndest things on new show|url=https://abc3340.com/news/entertainment/tiffany-haddish-gets-kids-to-say-darndest-things-on-new-show|work=ABC 33/40 News|date=August 5, 2019|access-date=May 21, 2020|archive-date=June 7, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200607101841/https://abc3340.com/news/entertainment/tiffany-haddish-gets-kids-to-say-darndest-things-on-new-show|url-status=live}}

Production

Kids Say... was developed in 1945 as a regular segment on Art Linkletter's CBS Radio program House Party; it was later carried over into the TV version of the program on the CBS television network, which aired concurrently with the radio show mostly five days a week from 1952 to 1969.

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.{{Cite web|last=Littleton|first=Cynthia|date=October 2, 2019|title=Former LMNO Chief Rebounds With 'Kids Say the Darndest Things'|url=https://variety.com/2019/tv/news/ex-lmno-chief-kids-say-the-darndest-things-1203355397/|work=Variety|access-date=May 21, 2020|archive-date=June 7, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200607101847/https://variety.com/2019/tv/news/ex-lmno-chief-kids-say-the-darndest-things-1203355397/|url-status=live}}

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.{{Cite web|last=Nakamura|first=Reid|title=Tiffany Haddish to Host 'Kids Say the Darndest Things' Revival at ABC|url=https://www.thewrap.com/tiffany-haddish-to-host-kids-say-the-darndest-things-revival-at-abc/|work=TheWrap|date=May 14, 2019|access-date=May 21, 2020|archive-date=May 30, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200530093549/https://www.thewrap.com/tiffany-haddish-to-host-kids-say-the-darndest-things-revival-at-abc/|url-status=live}}

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|date=May 2020}}

International versions

Country	Name	Host(s)	TV station	Premiere	Finale
class="wikitable"
{{flagu\|Australia}} \| Kidspeak \| Andrew Daddo \| Seven Network \| 1999 \| 2000
{{flagu\|Hungary}} \| Gyerekszáj \| Sándor Friderikusz \| TV2 \| 2000 \| 2001
{{flagu\|India}} \| Badmaash Company - Ek Sharat Hone Ko Hains Kutties Chutties (Tamil) \| Juhi Chawla \| Colors TV Sun TV (Tamil) \| 2000 \| 2000
{{flagu\|Italy}} \| Zitti tutti! Parlano loro \| Carlo Conti \| Rai 1 \| January 17, 2000 \| May 26, 2000
rowspan="2"\| {{flagu\|Singapore}} \| Kids Talk Back \| Andrew Lim \| rowspan="2"\| Television Corporation of Singapore \| 1999 \| 1999
Gurmit's Small Talk \| Gurmit Singh \| 2003 \| 2003
{{flagu\|United Kingdom}} \| Kids Say the Funniest Things \| Michael Barrymore \| ITV \| December 27, 1998 \| October 8, 2000