Tag Archives: Moonbug Entertainment

Moonbug Entertainment to be acquired by Next Generation Media Company

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Moonbug Entertainment, the digital-first, global children’s entertainment company, has announced that it has entered into a definitive agreement to be acquired by the recently formed media company run by leading entertainment executives Kevin Mayer and Tom Staggs and backed by investment capital from Blackstone. Moonbug’s founders CEO René Rechtman and COO John Robson, and existing management team and shareholders, will retain equity stakes in the Mayer-Staggs-Blackstone-backed media company.

Founded in 2018, Moonbug has rapidly built a global family audience through its highly popular shows such as CoComelon, Blippi, Little Baby Bum, and others. Its content appears in 27 languages on more than 100 platforms around the world such as YouTube, Netflix, Hulu, HBO, Amazon and Sky. Moonbug’s CoComelon is currently the second-most subscribed YouTube channel with approximately 120 million subscribers globally and the most-watched kids show on Netflix.

This marks the second acquisition for Mayer and Staggs’ new media company backed by Blackstone, following the acquisition of Hello Sunshine, the mission-driven media company that puts women at the centre of every story it creates, founded by Reese Witherspoon.

“John and I have built a category-leading, digital-first kids entertainment business based on strong values and content that is focused on digital platforms,” says Moonbug’s René Rechtman. “Our vision is to build global family franchises, which is wholly aligned with Kevin and Tom’s vision and experience. I have had the pleasure of working with them both earlier in my career and am thrilled to be reunited to build the next global powerhouse of entertainment. You could not find stronger partners in our industry.”

Kevin Mayer and Tom Staggs added: “We have known René and his innovative team for years, including during our time together at Disney, and they have built a perfect example of the type of category-defining business we are looking to bring into our company. They know how to identify and support brands that are beloved by millions of families across the globe. We and our partners at Blackstone look forward to helping expand Moonbug’s portfolio of titles and further extend its franchises across digital platforms and key licensing and merchandising channels.”

 

CoCoMelon comes to Riyadh Winter Wonderland

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Spacetoon Event and Moonbug Entertainment have collaborated with the Saudi General Entertainment Authority to bring a CoComelon Town to Saudi Arabia for the first-time during Riyadh Season.

For three months, kids and parents will be able to visit the CoComelon Town while at the Riyadh Winter Wonderland. This new experience, inspired by the number-one most-watched brand on YouTube – with over 3.5 billion monthly views – has been created by the Spacetoon Event team.

“Our audience has always been at the core of our work and we’re really proud to present this first-of-a-kind experience for all kids and parents of the region to enjoy,” says Ahmad Weiss, the General Manager of Spacetoon. “The CoComelon Town takes us one step closer to achieving our goal of expanding the presence of the brand in MENA through our on-the-ground family-friendly experiences.”

Adam Steel, International Licensing at Moonbug Entertainment, adds: “Our beloved CoComelon is the most-watched kids’ show in the world right now and bringing the town to life was no easy task, but the team at Spacetoon have delivered above and beyond our expectations, it’s going to blow kids’ minds! We look forward to the continued expansion of both our live entertainment and licensed goods, giving our fans across the region more chances to interact with the brand.”

The CoComelon Town will feature five locations, including: a replica of CoComelon’s famous house; Melon Patch Academy, a place where kids can learn 
about art, careers, animals and the world around them; Melon Patch Academy Playground; JJ’s Grandparent’s Farm, featuring planting, playing with sand, camping and other activities, and the CoComelon Musical Bus.

Additionally, kids will have the chance to meet JJ and take photos capturing that special moment. A range of CoComelon toys will also be available to purchase on-site.

Spacetoon and Moonbug Entertainment’s partnership goes back to the beginning of 2021, when the two parties signed a deal that named Spacetoon the master licensee of the CoComelon franchise in MENA, which resulted in the content being distributed across multiple Spacetoon platforms. Last August, they held a successful on-ground event at the Mall of Emirates in Dubai.

Story House Egmont launches CoComelon Magazine

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Story House Egmont has launched CoComelon Magazine, based on Moonbug Entertainment’s successful preschool brand. The magazine aims to help preschoolers learn letters, numbers, and colours, and will cover important life lessons, providing parents with an opportunity to teach and play with their children as they enjoy the content together.

On YouTube, CoComelon is the no. 1 kids’ channel, the no. 1 educational channel, and the no. 2 channel worldwide. CoComelon garners 2.5 billion monthly views on YouTube and is adding to its 119 million subscribers every day.

On Netflix, CoComelon was 2020’s most watched show, and so far in 2021 it has been featured in the top 10 list for 258 consecutive days.

With further reach on BBC iPlayer, Cartoonito, Tiny POP and SKY Kids, this makes CoComelon the world’s most watched kids’ show, with the largest kids’ audience ever.

CoComelon is the latest addition to Story House Egmont’s pre-school portfolio which currently includes Thomas & Friends, Milkshake!, Ryan’s World, PAW Patrol, the UK’s no. 1 preschool magazine, and PAW Patrol EXTRA, which launched into the UK market in August this year. The launch issue comes with a Doctor Playset and complementary content inside the magazine which encourages young fans to ‘Play Doctors’. Issue 1 also includes 45 stickers alongside a tick-and-stick reward chart to incentivise all those mini milestones that young children achieve every day.

Over 14,000 retail outlets are stocking the magazine in the UK, enhanced by mass-market listings achieved across all major grocery, convenience, and discount outlets. Further promotional activity is happening in-store to celebrate the first issue at Tesco, Asda, Morrisons, Sainsbury’s, Co-op, and LIDL, to drive prominence and awareness among consumers.

“We are delighted to be launching the CoComelon magazine and sharing this joyful brand in a printed format with thousands of young families across our publishing network,” says Laura Adnitt, Story House Egmont Publishing & Brand Management Director. “CoComelon, with its mind-blowing reach and ‘of the moment’ relevance, is a wonderful addition to our publishing portfolio. We are incredibly excited by this new entry into the market and can’t wait to see the consumer reaction to CoComelon magazine.”

Katie Wilkinson, Publishing Manager for Moonbug’s EMEA Licensing Agent, ThePoint.1888, says: “To launch a new title into 14,000 retailers in the UK from the start is quite incredible and shows the immense popularity of CoComelon.  Story House Egmont have done an incredible job capturing the essence of this brand in a new magazine and are supporting with an exciting marketing plan.  I cannot wait to see this launch.”

CoComelon magazine will launch in UK, Poland, Sweden, Norway, Czech Republic, Hungary, and Croatia in 2021, with Australia, New Zealand, Germany, Austria, and Switzerland all due to market in early 2022.

The Point.1888 to represent Moonbug Entertainment’s Little Baby Bum in EMEA

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Moonbug Entertainment has signed with The Point.1888 to represent another brand within its portfolio, Little Baby Bum, a fun and educational show for babies featuring classic and new nursery rhymes. It is the #2 nursery rhymes channel on YouTube (following another Moonbug Entertainment property, CoComelon, in the top spot) with 99 million subscribers, and has achieved over 4bn views this year alone.

The Point.1888 commenced programmes for other Moonbug Entertainment brands including CoComelon, Blippi and Morphle in May of last year and has since secured 66 licensees across EMEA with the help of its sub-agent partners.

Collectively, Moonbug Entertainment receives over 7+ billion monthly views and operates the largest network of kids’ channels on YouTube, encompassing 235+ million subscribers. Its beloved kids’ brands are available on over 100 platforms globally, including major on-demand streaming giants such as Netflix, Apple TV, Sky and Hulu.

“We are really looking forward to representing this new brand alongside our other Moonbug Entertainment properties,” says Olivia Wiggett, Associate Commercial Manager at The Point.1888. “Little Baby Bum is extremely popular with the younger years and will benefit so much from having a booming licensing programme in place. The opportunities really are endless.”

“As with our other Moonbug Entertainment properties, we shall make use of our fantastic sub-agent partners to ensure we have best-in-class support on the ground across EMEA for retailers and licensees. In fact, we already have retailers asking us how this property can become part of their future calendar of events and product buy-ins.”

Simon Philips, Managing Director of Global Consumer Products at Moonbug Entertainment, commented: “The results The Point.1888 has achieved in such a short space of time for CoComelon, Blippi and Morphle have been nothing short of incredible. Not only does its retail-first model work, but the team also recognises that each of our brands has its own values and serves a very different audience and so the licensing programmes must be carefully designed around that. Given this approach and understanding, I have every confidence in their plans for Little Baby Bum and am delighted to have them involved.”

Established in 2014, The Point.1888 delivers retail-focused brand extension programmes by creating new products based on the gaps it sees at retail, rather than what it thinks the brand’s target demographic might like. This supports a higher chance of retailer buy-in and a better sales performance.

The Point.1888 to represent Moonbug Entertainment’s Little Baby Bum in EMEA

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Moonbug Entertainment has signed with The Point.1888 to represent another brand within its portfolio, Little Baby Bum, a fun and educational show for babies featuring classic and new nursery rhymes. It is the #2 nursery rhymes channel on YouTube (following another Moonbug Entertainment property, CoComelon, in the top spot) with 99 million subscribers, and has achieved over 4bn views this year alone.

The Point.1888 commenced programmes for other Moonbug Entertainment brands including CoComelon, Blippi and Morphle in May of last year and has since secured 66 licensees across EMEA with the help of its sub-agent partners.

Collectively, Moonbug Entertainment receives over 7+ billion monthly views and operates the largest network of kids’ channels on YouTube, encompassing 235+ million subscribers. Its beloved kids’ brands are available on over 100 platforms globally, including major on-demand streaming giants such as Netflix, Apple TV, Sky and Hulu.

“We are really looking forward to representing this new brand alongside our other Moonbug Entertainment properties,” says Olivia Wiggett, Associate Commercial Manager at The Point.1888. “Little Baby Bum is extremely popular with the younger years and will benefit so much from having a booming licensing programme in place. The opportunities really are endless.”

“As with our other Moonbug Entertainment properties, we shall make use of our fantastic sub-agent partners to ensure we have best-in-class support on the ground across EMEA for retailers and licensees. In fact, we already have retailers asking us how this property can become part of their future calendar of events and product buy-ins.”

Simon Philips, Managing Director of Global Consumer Products at Moonbug Entertainment, commented: “The results The Point.1888 has achieved in such a short space of time for CoComelon, Blippi and Morphle have been nothing short of incredible. Not only does its retail-first model work, but the team also recognises that each of our brands has its own values and serves a very different audience and so the licensing programmes must be carefully designed around that. Given this approach and understanding, I have every confidence in their plans for Little Baby Bum and am delighted to have them involved.”

Established in 2014, The Point.1888 delivers retail-focused brand extension programmes by creating new products based on the gaps it sees at retail, rather than what it thinks the brand’s target demographic might like. This supports a higher chance of retailer buy-in and a better sales performance.

Star Editions launches online shop for CoComelon and Blippi in Moonbug partnership

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The personalised giftware specialist, Star Editions has opened an e-shop for CoComelon and Blippi, featuring exclusive products and an extensive range of toys, games, and customisable gifts for the globally popular preschool IPs.

The launch of the online store is part of Star Editions’ ongoing licensing partnership with Moonbug Entertainment Ltd. It has seen the licensee create a bespoke online shopping destination for fans, all under Moonbug branding. Products available include personalised art prints, mugs, apparel, homeware and stationery, as well as toy ranges from Bandai and Jazwares.

Will Marston, CEO, Star Editions Ltd, said: “Working with the Moonbug team and The Point.1888 has been a blast. We have wanted to bring our take on both Blippi and CoComelon to the UK for a while now and I am thrilled to say that we have achieved that goal this year.

“We are thoroughly delighted with the launch of https://moonbug.shop and more importantly, so are the parents of the children who just adore these brands. Loads more planned before Q4 for this shop from new properties as well as new products, so stay tuned.”

Ryan Gorman, head of global retail, Moonbug Entertainment, said: “We are thrilled to be working with market leaders Star Editions, and excited that Moonbug fans now have a stunning new range of giftware that can be easily personalised for an even more special gift.”

https://moonbug.shop is now live.

First Moonbug Kids branded channel launches in Italy through Mediaset broadcast partnership

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Moonbug Entertainment has formed a new partnership with the Italian media company, Mediaset, to launch the first Moonbug Kids branded channel to the territory, available through the Mediaset Infinity digital platform.

Under the partnership, the subscription based channel will offer families across Italy access to Moonbug’s roster of shows including CoComelon, Blippie, and Little Baby Bum. New content will be added each month.

“Moonbug is committed to creating content and experiences that are fun and enriching, and we are thrilled to continue bringing our premium catalog of shows to families across Europe,” said Nicolas Eglau, managing director EMEA and APAC, Moonbug.

“This partnership with Mediaset, the number one broadcaster in Italy, speaks to our mission for future expansion and solidifies our footprint as a leading brand for children across the continent.”

Moonbug’s programming is recognised and enjoyed for allowing children to learn and grow by promoting healthy values like compassion, empathy and resilience. Through its visuals, kids can connect with relatable narratives like eating vegetables and getting ready for bed as well as singing-along to playful nursery rhymes that help them learn letters, numbers, animal sounds, colors and more.

Moonbug Entertainment taps Brand Energy as licensing agent for French market

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Moonbug Entertainment has appointed Brand Energy to represent the licensing rights of its portfolio of children’s entertainment properties across France, spanning CoComelon, Blippi, and Morphle.

Under the deal, the Paris-based agency will be in charge of finding local partners to develop licensed products under Moonbug brands as well as assist Moonbug with the promotion of the studio’s global and pan-European partners in the French market.

Moonbug has already signed on more than 120 licensees worldwide including Jazwares/Bandai, Ravensburger, Crayola, Harper Collins or Mandadori, to name a few, with products distributed at all major retailers such as Walmart and Target in the US, Amazon, and ASDA, Sainsbury’s and Smyths Toys in the UK.

In France, the first CoComelon products will hit the shelves this fall in major supermarket chains and specialty shops.

Moonbug’s top preschool properties, CoComelon, Blippi and Morphle are now distributed on over 100 digital networks internationally including YouTube, Netflix and Prime Video and have reached unprecedented highs in viewership throughout global markets.

CoComelon, Moonbug’s leading property created for kids aged one to four and their parents, has become the
world’s number one kid’s channel on YouTube with over 3.5 billions views per month globally while audiences
continue to grow at impressive rates.

In France, the English version of the series already reaches over 30 million monthly views. The French translation has just launched this June and viewership is expected to grow well beyond current levels.

Recently formed by two brand licensing and consumer goods veterans, Benoit Roque and Alexandre Ardant, Brand Energy is a branding agency specialized in the development of digital properties as well as corporate and food brands. Benoit and Alexandre have been in the business for several decades and formerly worked for companies like Netflix, Disney Consumer Products and CAA-GBG.

“At Brand Energy we believe digital brands will play a major role in the licensing business,” said Benoit Roque. “Our challenge in France is to help retailers and manufacturers understand that it is no longer all about what is on TV. Preschoolers are not waiting for their favorite shows to play on traditional television, they are watching them on demand.”

“In France, 76 per cent of kids ages four to 14 own their own personal screen,” added Alexandre Ardant, “Moonbug has developed a fantastic catalogue of streaming age-specific content that is both very entertaining and geared towards helping children develop their social and emotional skills, knowledge and confidence. Kids love the shows and so do their parents.”

Moonbug and Jazwares launch Squishmallows-inspired animated YouTube series Squishville

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Jazwares and its Kellytoy subsidiary are expanding the world of Squishmallows with the launch of a new animated YouTube series Squishville, developed in partnership with Moonbug Entertainment.

The original content, produced by the award-winning global entertainment company behind CoComelon, will kick off with the launch of its first episode on June 26th, with new episodes released every Saturday through to October this year.

This new development for the franchise follows hot on the heels of the retail debut of Squishville, a line of Squishmallows-inspired collectable plush and soft fabric play-sets and accessories. The range arrived in stores earlier this year.

Since launching in 2017, more than 86 million Squishmallows have been sold with the brand expecting to reach its 100 million milestone in the next couple of months. The debut of Squishville comes at a time when the popularity of Squishmallows is at an all-time high, having exploded into a TikTok toy sensation with more than 2.8 billion organic video views.

Squishville will follow the adventures of characters Fifi, Lola, Cam, and Winston as they take on Squishville with a few of their friends like Jeanna, Sharie, Leonard, and Hans.

“The launch of Squishville speaks volumes to the growth in popularity Squishmallows has had  over the last year,” said Laura Zebersky, president of Jazwares. “With original animated content, fans can now engage with the Squishmallows Squad and experience their adorable, colorful personalities like never before.”

Moonbug makes play for organic baby food in the US and lands BBC iPlayer UK deal

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Moonbug Entertainment is strengthening its licensing and broadcast portfolio on both sides of the Atlantic this week, having entered the organic baby and toddler foods market in the US, while strengthening the reach of its preschool portfolio through a new partnership with BBC here in the UK.

The content studio has struck up a new partnership with Neptune Wellness Solutions, a health and wellness company focused on plant-based and sustainable lifestyle brands, and its Sprouts Foods organic baby and toddler foods range for a new, officially licensed CoComelon range of products.

Brokered by Moonbug’s North American licensing agency, UTA, the product is expected to land at retailers across the US this summer. Sprout is currently the fifth largest name in the organic baby food category in the US, and number three organic baby food brand on Amazon.

“I am thrilled to announce this arrangement with CoComelon, the number one children’s show in North America,” said Michael Cammarata, chief executive officer and president of Neptune. “Since acquiring Sprout in February, we have already increased sales through expanding our distribution across Target stores in the United States, and we expect to add more national retailers.

“This agreement with CoComelon, through its unparalleled reach, should fuel additional dynamic growth for this leading organic baby food brand.”

With more than 110 million subscribers worldwide, CoComelon is the number one children’s entertainment and educational show in the world claiming a number one ranking on Youtube with its top three episodes generating nearly 9bn views around the world. Additionally, the show was number one on Netflix and maintains a Top 10 ranking across all genres with the recent launch of Season three.

Simon Philips, senior in-house advisor at Moonbug, said: “Healthy living is a core part of what makes CoComelon a global family favorite, so are thrilled to be launching a partnership with Sprout, a leading North American organic baby food and toddler snack brand.”

Meanwhile, on this side of the Atlantic, Moonbug has struck its first deal with a public broadcaster, having signed with BBC to bring its portfolio of preschool properties, including CoComelon, Digley and Dazey, Little Baby Bum, Go Buster, and Playtime with Twinkle to the iPlayer platform.

Nicolas Eglau, managing director EMEA and APAC, Moonbug has called the deal “a real quality stamp” for the company’s creative teams.

“BBC is known worldwide for its engaging programming for preschoolers, and Moonbug is excited to enter a partnership with such a renowned organization,” said Eglau.

Moonbug’s programming introduces universal themes that children can relate to via colorful animation and compelling storytelling. Whether it’s eating veggies or getting ready for bed, Moonbug’s playful animation and catchy songs supports children’s development and learning.