Moonbug: disrupting kids’ entertainment

With a digital and audience first approach, the company has built its portfolio of properties through the acquisition of popular kids’ IP born originally in the digital space. By leveraging Moonbug’s creative and production expertise, these properties have grown from much-loved YouTube shows into global entertainment franchises. And the goal? To be a natural part of every child’s upbringing, regardless of geography, culture or background. By inspiring and engaging children with fun and responsible storytelling, Moonbug’s shows encourage kindness,

compassion and resilience in its viewers. And these values are resonating across regions with Moonbug shows gaining 9 billion monthly views globally on YouTube. In order to allow children to expand the shows’ storytelling beyond the screen, Moonbug launched its licensing programme back in 2020. Since then, it has experienced rapid growth and the business has already developed a strong portfolio of over 300 licensees spanning global, regional and local partners, to tap into country specific trends. Moonbug is exhibiting for the first time at BLE this year and will be exploring new partnerships and opportunities for its brands. In terms of properties, there will be a particular focus on the CoComelon, Blippi and Little Angel brands. In addition, visitors can expect to learn about some of the exciting new and existing properties including Little Baby Bum, Lellobee City Farm and Oddbods.

Moonbug’s Top Properties

CoComelon is a fun, hit show about childhood, celebrating the big moments for little kids. It has also proved to be a very successful pre-school licence in the toy sector and continues to go from strength to strength. CoComelon is the #1 kids YouTube channel in the world with an average of 4.3bn monthly views and over 152 million subscribers. When it comes to Consumer Products, the property boasts market leading products in categories such as plush, role play and vehicles. One of CoComelon’s first licensed product ranges was the master toy line from Jazwares, which launched in late 2020. Since then, the company has expanded its offering with many new brands and categories. The programme has delivered several top product awards, culminating in CoComelon being awarded the Best Li-

“The Moonbug licensing strategy is based on two pillars: excellence and accessibility. “

censed Brand (Entertainment, Character, Toy Brand) at the 2022 Licensing Expo in Las Vegas. Blippi is a show that encourages children’s natural curiosity about the world around them. The show takes viewers on the ultimate playdate to learn about vehicles, animals, professions, the natural world and so much more. This is a pre-school license that is perfectly matched for key play patterns as well as other categories across Softlines and FMCG. Blippi has experienced incredible momentum with continued distribution expansion bringing the content onto new platforms as well as the launch of new content formats, such as the Blippi Wonders animated show. Moonbug is currently working closely with Jazwares, the master toy partner for Blippi, as well as expanding selected products and categories that have worked well to date. Little Angel is Moonbug’s first acquisition since becoming part of Candle Media and it is one of the fastest growing kids’ channels on YouTube. This animated preschool show is an irreverent comedy about the wacky and fun reality of growing up. The show has been captivating families around the world with its humour, catchy and upbeat songs, and nursery rhymes. Moonbug will be announcing the master toy partner for the brand soon. The company is excited about the innovative and truly unique preschool offering that is being developed, which ties to the core themes and attributes of the show.

Growth Potential

Moonbug has an extensive IP portfolio, 29 IPs at present, some of which might be familiar to the general public and some which are still in their infancy. As expected, there are several new and existing brands for which the company will launch a consumer products programme in 2024 and beyond. The company recently signed Just Play as their global master toy licensee for some of their IPs. The agreement will see Just Play develop an extensive range of toy products. The portfolio of brands will include preschool favourites such as Little Baby Bum and Lellobee City Farm. This partnership reflects Moonbug’s ongoing commitment to bringing new opportunities to their fans to interact with their beloved characters and extend the storytelling to the home environment through imaginative play. Other IPs include My Magic Pet Morphle, Supa Strikas, Go Buster, Playtime with Twinkle, Gecko’s Garage, ARPO, Oddbods and many more. The Moonbug licensing strategy is based on two pillars: excellence and accessibility. The company continues to onboard best-in-class partners and licensees capable of developing and delivering the best possible products to consumers, wherever they are, at an affordable price point. This enables its consumers to have meaningful relationships and touchpoints with the brands they love and to continue the storytelling into their everyday lives. In alignment with the internationalisation of its properties, Moonbug is also expanding the geographical reach of its products, which will be a key focus for 2023.

At BLE the licensing team will be seeking out fresh opportunities in FMCGs and Apparel, Nursery and Baby Products as well as meeting with retailers and other potential partners. To find out more or to book an appointment with the Moonbug team at BLE 2022, visit www.moonbug.com or email licensing@moonbug.com.