Just being a kid

If you’ve got a young daughter at home who watches YouTube, chances are you’re already familiar with Diana. Thanks to the internet, the planet’s most famous six-year-old and star of YouTube channel ‘Kids Diana Show’ – has become something of a cultural phenomenon.

Ukrainian sensation Diana appears in videos playing with her family and friends. It is currently the third most watched YouTube channel made for kids in the world with a staggering 70 million subscribers and over 45 billion lifetime views since the first channel launched in 2015.

Kids Diana Show’s meteoric rise most recently captivated over 40 million monthly viewers in Australia and over 7 million in New Zealand in August. The entire network of channels starring Diana, translated into nine different languages including English, generated over 5 billion views in August alone.

Diana regularly takes viewers on surreal, playful adventures bursting with colour and imagination, along with her brother Roma and parents Olena and Volodymyr.

Enchanted by her sweet pretend play, millions of kids around the world have found a playmate in Diana and have been inspired by her playing with her brother Roma and getting up to cute little adventures. And now, thanks to international company Headstart, a new merchandise and toy line based on Diana is available under the name of The Princess of Play, just in time for Christmas!

So just who is Diana? Well she’s originally from the Ukraine but now lives in the US with her brother Roma, 8, star of his own successful YouTube show Kids Roma Show, along with parents Olena and Volodymyr who don’t use their surname for privacy reasons.

Olena, who comes up with most of the video ideas, says she and her husband are proud of their kids and support them in their dreams. “The only difference, perhaps, is that for several hours a day they are involved in filming and we have to keep an extra eye out to watch them very carefully when we are in public places,” she says.

We asked Olena to tell us a bit more about her daughter... What does Diana enjoy doing the most on Kids Diana Show?

Diana and Roma love to discover new toys and like when we do something fun together as a family. We like to make videos that are interesting to our viewers and love that they appreciate what we do.

Does Diana watch other kids YouTube channels as well?

Yes, in fact we all watch other people’s channels to see what’s interesting and new. Diana and Roma also love good films, cartoons, fairy tales, educational videos, videos about animals and magic tricks.

Do Diana and Roma get recognised often?

We are recognised quite often. Previously, Roma and Diana were shy, but now they are used to it. It is easy for them to make new friends anywhere. Children consider them to be their acquaintances and come up to us at playgrounds and in shopping centers. Actually, the parents often recognise them first and bring their children to say hi.

What are Diana’s hobbies?

On weekdays, Diana studies singing and music, and learns English. She also does different crafts, plays board games, plays a dancing video game, listens to audiobooks, and watches movies with the whole family. Diana loves to draw and often surprises us with interesting drawings, whilst Roma loves to build tracks for balls and cars, collect constructors. We also love to take them to interesting places, visit amusement parks, water parks, playgrounds, as well as regular places like the supermarket!

What are Diana’s favourite toys and things to play?

Diana loves her cat very much and she has lots of different plush animal toys. She also likes to make various crafts and draw or colour pictures.

What’s her favourite food?

She love sweets, ice cream and cakes, but she also eats soups, cereals, fruits, vegetables, salads and fish. Although she loves sweets more!

How much does Diana know about Australia?

Well she knows that it is a big island and kangaroos live there! We would all love to travel there one day, it would be so interesting to see how people live in Australia, the nature, animals and the sights.

Has she said what she’d like to be when she grows up?

Before, Diana wanted to be a ballerina or an actress, but now she wants to design houses and be an actress at the same time. Or who knows - maybe she’ll change her mind!

The Love Diana Princess of Play range is available from all good retailers.

The range includes apparel, sleepwear, stationery arts and crafts and toys. Hot toys for Christmas priced from $16.99 include Mini Dolls; Cupcake Cart; Light Up Fairy Diana; Diana and Honey; hairstyling toy Style Me Diana which includes 10 surprises; PopStar Diana doll; Mystery Shopper with surprises; and Mashups – Diana hairstylist/ astronaut doll, superhero/princess and mermaid/ party doll.