Nastya’s Universe

YOUTUBE’S BIGGEST STAR PREPARES FOR BIG YEAR OF NEW FUN, ADVENTURES AND PRODUCTS FOR FANS

As parents have been looking for ways to entertain and educate children at home over the past year, kid influencers dominating social media have become more popular than ever. And with the ability to create engaging content and connect with millions of fans globally at their fingertips, more and more of these stars are edging into the world of licensed products. With more monthly average YouTube views than Nickelodeon and Disney combined and a flourishing consumer products programme, seven-year-old Anastasia (Nastya) Radzinskaya and her Like Nastya channels are leading the way. Nastya’s vibrant personality and playful adventures with her dad have generated more than 120 billion total YouTube views – more than any creator in the world. Speaking about what sets her apart from other young creators, her manager Eyal Baumel, CEO at Yoola, said: “Like Nastya was the first channel during the pandemic to use their storytelling skills and experience to create useful and relevant content for children on the importance of washing their hands and wearing a mask. It’s this mix of educational, imaginative, fun and narrative-driven content, and the fact she localizes her videos in 12 different languages, that allows children and parents around the world to see her not just as a YouTube star, but as a great friend.” With the help of IMG as their licensing representative, the Like Nastya brand has partnered with Jazwares as master toy licensee, Bentex for apparel, Handcraft for underwear, Centric Brands for sleepwear, Jada-Simba Dickie for remote control vehicles and Betesh for toddler bedding. And that’s in addition to a wide range of partners already signed in Europe and Russia. Gary Krakower, VP of Licensing at IMG, commented, “Over the next year, fans will be able to enjoy a huge range of Like Nastya products that reflect her favourite things, from clothing to remote-control cars, dolls to jewelry, and more. We’re particularly excited about the Jazwares collection which will be hitting shelves at some of the biggest retailers around the world this fall.” Earlier this year, Zazzle launched Like Nastya bespoke birthday-themed party goods to celebrate the star’s seventh birthday. The line included party hats, wrapping paper, paper plates, apparel, stationary, greeting cards, room décor and face masks, as well as a phone case and jigsaw. The products were integrated into her birthday party YouTube video, viewed by almost 100 million fans. Krakower added: “Looking to the future, we’re exploring licensing opportunities across education, food, bikes and ride-ons, outdoor play, and health and beauty.”