Moonbug expands licensing and merchandise team with two senior hires

Moonbug Entertainment has announced the appointment of Janice Lam and Helen Genia as Global Hardlines Directors, Consumer Products. Helen will be based in the UK while Janice will work from Moonbug’s New York office. Both roles report to Duncan Tate, Global Head of Hardlines, Consumer Products.

In her newly created role, Helen will be responsible for overseeing all regional and global EMEA based partners, as well as identifying and driving new opportunities. She will work across all Moonbug properties, including hit brands such as CoComelon, Blippi and Little Baby Bum.

Helen has extensive experience in the lifestyle, entertainment and toy sectors and has a broad spectrum of disciplines from licensing through to product development, brand and channel management, as well as extensive knowledge of European and global markets. Prior to Moonbug she worked for Mattel for eight years, most recently holding the position of Head of Licensing UK, Europe, Middle East & Russia and Hardlines EMEA, where she was responsible for the licensing business. Prior to Mattel, Helen was at Hasbro Europe for over 18 years, where she held a variety of roles across different business segments.

Helen says: “I am extremely excited to be joining such an innovative company at the forefront of the children’s entertainment sector. I am looking forward to working with the team and our partners in order to create high quality, innovative and relevant products that will allow children across the globe to interact with their favourite characters and expand their imagination.”

Janice Lam is responsible for managing global master toy and hardlines licensing partners, predominantly based out of North America, as well as identifying and driving new opportunities. She will work across all Moonbug properties, including CoComelon, Blippi and Little Baby Bum.

Prior to Moonbug, Janice was Vice President, Licensing, North America at eOne where she was integral in the strategic growth and expansion of global hit brands’ licensing business, across all toys, games and publishing. eOne was acquired by Hasbro in 2019. At Hasbro, Janice was appointed Senior Director, Licensing, and managed a team delivering year over year revenue growth across their softlines and collaborations portfolio.

Prior to her tenure at eOne and Hasbro, Janice held key licensing executive roles at the BBC, Zodiak and Chorion, with over 15 years’ licensing experience across global entertainment and lifestyle brands. Janice was a Women in Toys, Licensing and Entertainment 15th Annual Wonder Woman Awards finalist in the Licensing category.

Janice says: “Moonbug’s licensing and merchandise team is going from strength to strength and I am honoured to be joining the team at such a key time in their expansion. I am looking forward to working with our existing and future partners to create everlasting memories for our fans and bringing our much loved IPs to preschoolers and families across the globe through new and innovative product lines.”

“Both Helen and Janice have a wealth of relevant experience and expertise that I am confident will be invaluable for the growth of Moonbug’s Consumer Products business,” comments Duncan Tate. “Their roles will play a key part in our continued rapid expansion. I am very much looking forward to working with them both at such an exciting and important time in the Moonbug journey.”

For more information on Moonbug, visit www.moonbug.com.

Moonbug launches CoComelon spinoff, It’s Cody Time

Moonbug Entertainment is launching It’s Cody Time, CoComelon’s first-ever spinoff channel featuring Cody Green and his family. The musical preschool series debuts on YouTube with two special episodes, “Cody’s Spy Song” and “I’m going to be a Big Brother”.  

Since his debut on CoComelon back in 2019, Cody has grown from being JJ’s classmate, to next-door neighbor, to best friend, and now he’s ready for his own channel. Similar to CoComelon’s common themes of childhood fun and celebrating big moments for little kids, It’s Cody Time will include nursery rhymes as well as original songs. The initial story arc will focus on pregnancy, becoming a big brother and the joys of family, and will aim to help children learn through relatable situations and to prepare them for big-sibling responsibilities and expectations. 

“Cody’s been a fan favourite to our global audience for years. We’re excited to launch It’s Cody Time and give fans a chance to get to know Cody and his family a bit better,” says Patrick Reese, General Manager, CoComelon at Moonbug Entertainment. “Representation matters and we want to bring more content with diverse lead characters, inclusive storytelling and aspirational role modeling to children around the world.” 

Cody’s parents feature prominently in the show and play an important part in plot themes. The family, also known as ‘The Greens’, come from diverse backgrounds. Cody’s father, Kwame, is a chef and comes from Jamaican and Ghanian descent. His mum, Toni, is African American and works full-time as a pediatrician.  

CoComelon is the #1 most-watched kids brand on YouTube globally, generating over 3.3 billion average monthly views and boasting over 135 million YouTube subscribers. In 2021, videos centred on Cody garnered over 91 million watch hours. The brand has become a perennial leader on major streaming platforms like Amazon, Spotify, Apple Music, Roku and Netflix, where it set the record for 120 consecutive days in the Top 10 ‘Most Watched TV Shows.’ 

With 29 intellectual properties and content available in 32 languages, Moonbug Entertainment averages over 6.1 billion monthly views on YouTube and has an estimated 340 million subscribers to its channels. 

Click here to watch It’s Cody Time, now available for free on YouTube.  

Moonbug launches CoComelon spinoff, It’s Cody Time

Moonbug Entertainment is launching It’s Cody Time, CoComelon’s first-ever spinoff channel featuring Cody Green and his family. The musical preschool series debuts on YouTube with two special episodes, “Cody’s Spy Song” and “I’m going to be a Big Brother”.  

Since his debut on CoComelon back in 2019, Cody has grown from being JJ’s classmate, to next-door neighbor, to best friend, and now he’s ready for his own channel. Similar to CoComelon’s common themes of childhood fun and celebrating big moments for little kids, It’s Cody Time will include nursery rhymes as well as original songs. The initial story arc will focus on pregnancy, becoming a big brother and the joys of family, and will aim to help children learn through relatable situations and to prepare them for big-sibling responsibilities and expectations. 

“Cody’s been a fan favourite to our global audience for years. We’re excited to launch It’s Cody Time and give fans a chance to get to know Cody and his family a bit better,” says Patrick Reese, General Manager, CoComelon at Moonbug Entertainment. “Representation matters and we want to bring more content with diverse lead characters, inclusive storytelling and aspirational role modeling to children around the world.” 

Cody’s parents feature prominently in the show and play an important part in plot themes. The family, also known as ‘The Greens’, come from diverse backgrounds. Cody’s father, Kwame, is a chef and comes from Jamaican and Ghanian descent. His mum, Toni, is African American and works full-time as a pediatrician.  

CoComelon is the #1 most-watched kids brand on YouTube globally, generating over 3.3 billion average monthly views and boasting over 135 million YouTube subscribers. In 2021, videos centred on Cody garnered over 91 million watch hours. The brand has become a perennial leader on major streaming platforms like Amazon, Spotify, Apple Music, Roku and Netflix, where it set the record for 120 consecutive days in the Top 10 ‘Most Watched TV Shows.’ 

With 29 intellectual properties and content available in 32 languages, Moonbug Entertainment averages over 6.1 billion monthly views on YouTube and has an estimated 340 million subscribers to its channels. 

Click here to watch It’s Cody Time, now available for free on YouTube.  

Bandai celebrates 40 years in business

With its 40th anniversary coming up on 29 April, Bandai UK is celebrating four decades of bringing some of the world’s most iconic brands to the UK market.

Having successfully set up as a UK arm in 1982 for its Japanese parent company, Bandai UK launched trading with its foundations steeped firmly in the boys’ action figure market, gaining significant success with the likes of big-name properties such as Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and Power Rangers.  Over recent years, however, the business has undertaken a period of realignment to establish itself as a top multi-category player within the toy industry.

Forty years on and Bandai UK possesses an enviable portfolio of leading brands and ranges within its key divisions – Toy, Collector, Own IP, and Third-Party Distribution – all equally fundamental to the company’s early and ongoing success. Primary IPs include the best-selling Tamagotchi, Pac-Man and hit anime series Dragon Ball, while distribution lines such as CoComelon, Miraculous, McFarlane, and National Geographic are proving to be hugely successful inclusively within their associated categories and the overall toy market.

“It’s a massively exciting time to be at Bandai UK,” says Nic Aldridge, Bandai UK’s Managing Director. “Our approach is to continually challenge and evolve to remain relevant, and innovative, especially as the market becomes increasingly competitive. We are now well-established as a multi-category toy company and our recent positioning as the No.15 toy company (February 2022 NPD) assures us that this is the right approach for growth and driving forward the business. We’re looking forward to celebrating with our partners, retailers, and consumers, and planning ahead to thrive for years to come.”

 

Bandai celebrates 40 years in business

With its 40th anniversary coming up on 29 April, Bandai UK is celebrating four decades of bringing some of the world’s most iconic brands to the UK market.

Having successfully set up as a UK arm in 1982 for its Japanese parent company, Bandai UK launched trading with its foundations steeped firmly in the boys’ action figure market, gaining significant success with the likes of big-name properties such as Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and Power Rangers.  Over recent years, however, the business has undertaken a period of realignment to establish itself as a top multi-category player within the toy industry.

Forty years on and Bandai UK possesses an enviable portfolio of leading brands and ranges within its key divisions – Toy, Collector, Own IP, and Third-Party Distribution – all equally fundamental to the company’s early and ongoing success. Primary IPs include the best-selling Tamagotchi, Pac-Man and hit anime series Dragon Ball, while distribution lines such as CoComelon, Miraculous, McFarlane, and National Geographic are proving to be hugely successful inclusively within their associated categories and the overall toy market.

“It’s a massively exciting time to be at Bandai UK,” says Nic Aldridge, Bandai UK’s Managing Director. “Our approach is to continually challenge and evolve to remain relevant, and innovative, especially as the market becomes increasingly competitive. We are now well-established as a multi-category toy company and our recent positioning as the No.15 toy company (February 2022 NPD) assures us that this is the right approach for growth and driving forward the business. We’re looking forward to celebrating with our partners, retailers, and consumers, and planning ahead to thrive for years to come.”

 

Moonbug Entertainment names Danny Spronz as Head of Global Loyalty & Promotions and EMEA Retail Development

Moonbug Entertainment has announced the appointment of Danny Spronz as Head of Global Loyalty & Promotions and EMEA Retail Development. In this role Spronz will be responsible for driving the Loyalty & Promotions programmes at Moonbug as well as developing the EMEA retail strategy across Moonbug’s portfolio of properties, including Blippi, CoComelon and Little Baby Bum.

Spronz’s newly created role will include setting the strategy for Moonbug’s loyalty, rewards, QSR (quick service restaurants) and third-party promotional programmes. Within the role Spronz will be building global programmes with key international partners to both expand brand awareness and affinity with the Moonbug target audiences. For the retail element of the role, he will be overseeing all EMEA retail activity. Spronz is based in the UK head offices, working closely with the Moonbug team in the USA.

Prior to Moonbug, Spronz was Managing Director EMEA at PocketWatch, where he was responsible for all business operations, advertising sales, consumer products licensing and content sales across EMEA. Before this, he was Vice President Digital Partnerships & Influencer Marketing EMEA at The Walt Disney Company, where he managed overall talent strategy, partnerships and management for the company’s on-screen and digital influencer talent. Spronz joined Disney from Maker Studios, where he developed the strategic partnerships and network business across EMEA, LATAM and SEA.

Spronz says: “I couldn’t be happier to be joining such a thriving and growing business as Moonbug, which has paved its way in the digital IP space. Our brands are currently experiencing fast-paced growth and I am looking forward to speaking to agencies or companies about how our IP can help generate affinity for their brands and develop customer loyalty.”

“Danny’s appointment reflects our expanding consumer product business at Moonbug,” says Ryan Gorman, Head of Global Retail & Consumer Product Marketing at Moonbug Entertainment. “Danny’s extensive experience combined with our rapid growth provides a perfect time for this new role and the opportunities it will bring for our brands. We’re excited to have Danny on board.”

For more information on Moonbug, visit www.moonbug.com.

The Point.1888 and EMEA sub-agents sign 48 new deals for CoComelon, Blippi and Morphle

Brand Licensing specialist The Point.1888 and its sub agents across EMEA have signed a raft of new licensee deals for Moonbug Entertainment’s hit brands Blippi, CoComelon and Morphle.

The new deals come on the back of recent news that Blippi is now available on demand via streaming giants Netflix and HBO Max, with Blippi Wonders joining both platforms this spring, Blippi’s Treehouse launch on Amazon Kids+ last December and the launch of Blippi’s best friend Meekah on YouTube last fall.

Morphle launched on Tiny Pop and has seen huge success with the recent launch of clothing on Character.com and following the Character Options toy release before Christmas.

CoComelon has continued to go from strength to strength, picking up awards for its consumer products programme, having won Pre-School Toy of the Year at the 2021 Toy Industry Awards. CoComelon is also the number-one most-watched kids’ brand on YouTube globally.

Since coming on board, The Point.1888 has sought to leverage Blippi, CoComelon and Morphle’s popularity and develop a successful consumer products programme that enables the brands to become accessible and fun. In partnership with its sub agents, Brand Energy, CLM, El Ocho, ELC, Evolution of Licensing, Ferly, LDI, Lisans, Partner Plus and Spacetoons, the licensing programme is now strongly established across EMEA.

New partners across EMEA include:

  • 8th Wonder for CoComelon chair and heatable warmer
  • Ackermans for CoComelon apparel
  • Albatros for CoComelon publishing and activity books
  • Alligator for Morphle publishing
  • Amscan for Blippi dress up
  • Aykroyds/ TDP for Blippi nightwear
  • Big Balloon for CoComelon publishing
  • Centum for Blippi & CoComelon publishing
  • Character Options for CoComelon & Blippi toy extensions
  • Cijep Jemini for CoComelon furniture & home
  • Clementoni for CoComelon puzzles & games
  • Diakakis for CoComelon BTS
  • Diamant for CoComelon toy extension
  • Eurofun for CoComelon events & character appearances
  • Famosa for CoComelon plush backpack, 3D cushions, and PJ holder
  • Fashion UK for CoComelon, Blippi & Morphle apparel
  • First Kid for CoComelon inflatables
  • GSS- Amendment for CoComelon toy extension for novelties & inflatables
  • Happiness Is Us for CoComelon chocolate eggs
  • Hunter Price for CoComelon fidget toys
  • Igloo Books for CoComelon publishing
  • Immediate for CoComelon publishing
  • Intersource for CoComelon toys
  • Laceys for CoComelon hardlines, softlines, and FMCG
  • Panini for CoComelon publishing
  • Party Centre for CoComelon
  • Phidal for Blippi & CoComelon publishing
  • Prima Toys for CoComelon toys
  • Rainbow Max for CoComelon & Blippi back to school, stationery, and arts & crafts
  • Rainbow Productions for CoComelon character appearances
  • Relkon for CoComelon confectionery
  • RJ Bags for Blippi & Morphle bags
  • Roy Lowe for CoComelon, Blippi, Morphle & Little Baby Bum hosiery
  • Rubies for CoComelon dress up
  • Showagent for CoComelon events and character appearances
  • Signature for Blippi publishing
  • Sinecast for CoComelon events and character appearances
  • Sodico for CoComelon personal care
  • Soluna for CoComelon live events
  • Spactoon event for Blippi events
  • Suncity for CoComelon apparel
  • TeamTex for CoComelon car seats
  • Toy Pro amendment for CoComelon outdoor & home
  • United Essentials for CoComelon apparel
  • Upcoming Minds for CoComelon board games & hardlines – scooters
  • Visage Textiles for CoComelon crafting textiles
  • Whitehouse Leisure for Morphle amusement plush
  • William Lamb for Blippi bags & footwear

Bethan Garton, Chief Commercial Officer at The Point.1888, says: “We’re thrilled to announce our partnership with so many licensees for Blippi, CoComelon and Morphle. With the consistent growth and popularity that the brands have experienced over the past year, this is the perfect time for new products to launch in the market. We’ve worked extremely hard to ensure the brands have the right partners to deliver product that provides as much fun as the brands do.”

Adam Steel, Director Global Agency, Consumer Products at Moonbug Entertainment, adds: “The rapid growth of our licensee portfolio is a reflection of the strength of our great brands and the great work of the team at The Point.1888. We are looking forward to welcoming new high calibre partners to the Moonbug family and continuing the great work in expanding our current product lines and categories.”

CoComelon to expand into new territories through WarnerMedia Cartoonito deal

Moonbug Entertainment has announced an expanded partnership with WarnerMedia, bringing its leading IP, CoComelon, to preschool brand Cartoonito in over 115 countries across EMEA. CoComelon will go live on Cartoonito as the brand continues its rollout throughout 2022.

This marks Moonbug’s first ever multi-territory linear deal, bolstering the beloved kids’ brand’s global accessibility and building on the existing partnership in the UK, where CoComelon launched on Cartoonito in April 2021. The extended partnership will feature the rollout of 170 CoComelon episodes on Cartoonito across the EMEA region, in multiple languages including German, French and Italian.

“This is yet another milestone for Moonbug and CoComelon as we expand not only our reach but our existing partnership with WarnerMedia based on the proven success and demand of the show,” says Nicolas Eglau, Managing Director EMEA and APAC, Moonbug Entertainment. “This expansion signals a further vote of confidence in digital-first content, underscoring its high quality and the trust that Moonbug has built with its globally loved IPs.”

Zia Bales, Lead Acquisitions, Partnerships and Coproductions, Kids EMEA, WarnerMedia adds: “Preschool is such an important focus for us and this deal with Moonbug reaffirms our commitment to building our library of trusted brands for this audience.”

CoComelon is a household name globally, expanding from the digital world to being available on linear channels and platforms in multiple languages. CoComelon models positivity and good behaviour and supports preschoolers’ learning through music. The main characters JJ and his friends and family share their fun everyday adventures exploring and learning through relatable situations and toe-tapping songs.

For more information on Moonbug, visit www.moonbug.com.

Spotify seals exclusive deal for CoComelon Storytime podcast

Spotify has announced an exclusive multi-year agreement featuring some of the most beloved voices within the kids’ entertainment space. Through this initiative, Spotify will partner with CoComelon, the number-one kids channel on YouTube, for a new podcast, CoComelon Storytime.

The show will be followed by a mix of other original and exclusive ‘homegrown’ shows, including Gardenkeeper Gus, 100 Cinderellas, and Deep Blue Sea. The new content will be available to parents on the main Spotify app within the Family and Kids Hub, as well as on the Spotify Kids app, exclusive to Spotify Premium Family subscribers.

Produced by Moonbug Entertainment, CoComelon has an impressive reach and dedicated following, garnering over 4.2 billion views per month.

“We are so thrilled to be entering into this partnership with CoComelon to produce a series of original and exclusive content tailored to families,” says Max Cutler, Head of New Content Initiatives at Spotify. “This is a major win for us as we continue to expand the scope of our podcast ambitions and help to drive the exponential growth of the audio industry.

“Spotify is the only platform with the scale and infrastructure necessary to enable a partner like CoComelon to grow beyond their millions of highly loyal, passionate and engaged fans and transcend into podcasting. With their popularity and Spotify’s ability to distribute and amplify it in the audio space, the potential for the show’s reach is limitless.”

CoComelon Story Time, which is launching on January 24, includes beloved storybook classics with a CoComelon twist. The stories impart positive life lessons, providing families with playful and educational content that they can enjoy together. The new podcast series will be available globally in four languages including English (American and British vocabulary), Spanish, German and Brazilian Portuguese.

Gardenkeeper Gus, launching on January 31 and designed for families with younger children, is a quiet and contemplative preschool podcast that follows the adventures of 6-year-old Gus and his squirrel best friend Rel as they explore and understand the endless and larger-than-life garden behind his family home.

100 Cinderellas, launching on February 14 and designed for families with younger children, is an anthology series of Cinderella stories from around the world, suitable for bedtime.

Deep Blue Sea, launching on February 28, consists of episodes where listeners will visit an underwater oceanic laboratory, Sea Lab Alpha, with an impeccable view of sea life.

“We are excited to be partnering with Moonbug to bring one of their iconic brands, CoComelon, to our millions of listeners around the world,” says Verdell Walker, Head of Kids Audio Content at Spotify. “As one of today’s most popular family brands, CoComelon’s interactive storytelling is a perfect fit for audio. We’re thrilled that we can expand the world of CoComelon, with its dynamic characters that educate and entertain millions of families, into audio.”

Most popular kids’ videos on YouTube revealed

Website hosting platform hosting.co.uk has been looking into the kid-friendly YouTube videos with the most views.

According to its research, YouTube’s most popular children’s video – with 9.8B views – was ‘Baby Shark’ on the South Korean Pinkfong channel. Not only is this the most-watched kids’ video, it’s also the most-watched video of all time on YouTube.

Aside from Baby Shark, ‘Johny Johny Yes Papa ’, on the channel LooLoo Kids, was the most watched video, with 6 billion views. The video is of a popular nursery rhyme that encourages children to be honest after Johny gets caught eating sugar by his father.

Next up was ‘Bath Song’ on ‘Cocomelon – Nursery Rhymes’. Despite being third on the most-watched list, ‘Cocomelon’ was the most subscribed-to kids YouTube channel with 122M subscribers.

The top 10 most-watched YouTube videos from the most subscribed-to kids’ channels were:

  • Pinkfong Baby Shark – Kids’ Songs & Stories, Baby Shark Dance: 9.8B
  • LooLoo Kids – Nursery Rhymes and Children’s Songs – Johny Johny Yes Papa: 6B
  • Cocomelon – Bath Song: 4.7B
  • Masha and the Bear – Recipe for Disaster: 4.4B
  • ChuChu TV Nursery Rhymes & Kids Songs – Phonics Song with TWO Words – A For Apple – ABC Alphabet Songs with Sounds for Children: 4.3B
  • Little Baby Bum – Wheels On The Bus: 2.4B
  • Infobells – Hindi – Chal Chal Gurram: 2.1B
  • Super Simple Songs – This Is The Way: 2B
  • Kids Diana Show – LIKE IT: 1.6B
  • El Reino Infantil – El Gallo y la Pata: 1.5B

In 2019, Ofcom found that children between the ages of 5 and 15 were more likely to choose YouTube over other services such as Netflix. They also discovered that children between the ages of 3 and 4 using Youtube had more than doubled between 2015 and 2019.

CEO of hosting.co.uk Frederick Schiwek says: “YouTube is host to some of the most popular and watched videos in the world.

“Children often have their own devices and they know exactly how to navigate their way around and find their favourite videos. Children-themed channels are some of the most subscribed-to on the platform and we expect to see this continue to increase in coming years.”

Read hosting.co.uk’s full report here.