Moonbug - Creating something special for kids

Katie Nahab

Lizzy Easterday

Exploring the CoComelon Phenomenon

Becky Ash sat down with Katie Nahab, Creative Executive and Lizzy Easterday, Creative Executive, CoComelon YouTube to find out more about the phenomenal popularity of JJ and friends.

What makes CoComelon so special?

Lizzy: Creatively, CoComelon and Moonbug are all about celebrating life’s small and special moments, great storytelling and music. Katie: In the show, the camera always stays at the point of view of the kids’ characters to show how the world looks and feels from their point of view. Everything is done with the audience in mind – the music is at an intentionally slower pace, with simple lyrics for one to three-year-olds to understand. Lizzy: CoComelon offers ease and comfort to the little ones.

Is music a big part of the show?

Katie: Absolutely! Nursery rhymes are our foundation and when you look into the research as to why so many generations sing the same nursery rhymes, you see that they are the building blocks of language, easy for your brain to pick up and digest it and repeat. Lizzy: Our aim is to make the world relatable and whimsical – a safe and welcoming place that families want to live in. We take those everyday moments – brushing teeth, eating vegetables, those hum drum routines, and try and make them fun and encouraging for both children and their caretakers.

Tell us about the storytelling.

Lizzy: We sometimes forget as adults that everyday children are laying the foundations of how they will evolve, by playing, early words and so on. Katie: CoComelon is like baby food – building a healthy and happy beginning. Lizzy: Every story has an impact on young impressionable minds, so we carefully craft our episodes to be relatable, universal experiences. What do these little ones care about and what do they think about this scenario and that scenario is really the core of the show.

How many countries is it airing in?

Lizzy: 140 countries now!

Is there anywhere in the world you have noticed a particular surge in popularity?

Lizzy: We have a high index of Latin American and African American audiences. As we look into the new year and as always, we are taking in that data and making sure our storytelling is inclusive.

How do you account for cultural sensibilities around the globe?

Katie: We did a lot of development on JJ and his friends within the melon-patch – they have different family background and structures. The stories are universally relatable, for

example, being the middle-sibling or becoming an older brother. Nina Rodriguez is another character who we are leaning into and exploring all the multi-generational dynamics.

How do you reflect all the different types of family situations and nuances?

Lizzy: We make sure all of our content is vetted through a child development expert and educational consultant, and also we have cultural consultants for each character, so when we have a story that represents their heritage, we work with a consultant, show them the script and then as it goes into production, we have touch points with them. Katie: The representation is coming from the talent behind the camera as well, we have an incredible team who love the preschool audience, and when we bring someone on to the team we want their unique perspective!

How do you translate the ethos of the show and the authenticity into the licensing program?

Katie: We focus on what is best for our audience and work closely with our consumer products team, we have wonderful partners who create the worlds that our audience will recognise, and can continue to play in those worlds once they have turned off the screen! In the next year we will continue to peruse new high-quality episodes for YouTube, we also recently partnered with Netflix for original content. The global audience has a real appetite for CoComelon! For licensing information, please contact:

North America

joan.grasso@moonbug.com

International

adam.steel@moonbug.com