Cocomelon

Cocomelon (/koʊkoʊmɛlən/, stylized as CoComelon) is a children's YouTube channel operated by Candle Media-owned Moonbug Entertainment. The channel specializes in 3D animation videos of traditional nursery rhymes and original children's songs. As of May 2024, Cocomelon is the 3rd most-subscribed and 2nd most-viewed channel on YouTube.
The channel was launched in 2006, and rebranded to Cocomelon in 2018. It has since expanded globally in multiple languages, with spinoff series, Netflix TV shows, merchandising, special events, and ongoing product diversification. It was purchased by Candle Media in 2021 for a reported $3 billion.
Cocomelon's videos, for a target audience of two- to five-year-olds, feature 3D animated children, adults, and animals who interact with each other in daily life. The lyrics appear at the bottom of the screen in the same way on all displays. Formats include standalone music videos, compilations, and livestreams. A blend of live action and animation was introduced in 2024 in one of the shows. The toddler characters' ages "'stretch' to reflect both the reality and the aspiration of their audience's lives," according to Cocomelon creative staff. There is a proprietary staff-only guide of about 100 pages detailing Cocomelon backstory and characters.
The YouTube channel was created in 2006 by Jay Jeon, registered under the name "checkgate", later rebranded to "ABC Kid TV". The channel began by posting educational videos focused on the alphabet. In 2016, it transitioned to 3D animation, with the first 3D video. In 2018, the channel rebranded to Cocomelon, and introduced a recurring cast of characters.
On September 1, 2006, Cocomelon was created on YouTube under the username "checkgate", a month before Google acquired YouTube. According to Jeon, it was initially a hobby with his wife, sharing animations that their own kids enjoyed. Two versions of the alphabet song were uploaded on the first day. A third video was uploaded nine months later, titled "Learning ABC Alphabet – Letter "K" — Kangaroo Game". Most videos on the channel taught the alphabet, with a typical length of between one and two minutes. At the time, the Jeons were operating ThatsMEOnTV.com, an online business that incorporated children's photos into animated educational videos delivered on DVD. Video titles on the channel were appended with "from www.ThatsMEonTV.com".
In 2013, the channel rebranded to "ABC Kid TV" and began remastering older videos, followed by a transition from alphabet videos to nursery rhymes. On April 8, 2016, computer animation was introduced, with the first 3D character appearing in a video for "Twinkle Twinkle Little Star". Later in 2016, 3D animation videos became longer, some videos used motion capture technology, and uploads became more frequent. Animation and music production continued to become more sophisticated, and a recurring cast of characters formed before the 2018 rebrand.
In the summer of 2018, the channel rebranded again to Cocomelon, introducing a new intro and outro for all of their videos. The next year, analytics firm Social Blade estimated Cocomelon's monthly YouTube advertising revenue between $638,000 and $10.2 million; The Wall Street Journal estimated annual ad revenue at $120 million.
In early 2020, Jeon granted his first-ever media interview for Bloomberg Businessweek, which ran a profile of the "unassuming mogul" and his business. Jeon, 55 at the time, agreed on condition of no photography and no mention of his wife, to preserve their privacy. For most its history, he and his wife had run the channel largely on their own, keeping a low profile; even their neighbors didn't know they owned Cocomelon. For many years, Jeon had also avoided expansion by turning down investors, sponsors, language translations, sequels, and merchandising.
In June 2020, Cocomelon launched on Netflix, with three episodes, each about an hour long. Netflix offered access to an audience that didn't allow their children to watch YouTube.
In July 2020, Jeon sold his fully-owned company, Treasure Studio, which produced Cocomelon and employed around 20 people, to Moonbug Entertainment, a British firm focused on children's content. According to Moonbug cofounder Rene Rechtman, "Cocomelon has the potential to be the biggest property in the world when it comes to kids. In terms of viewership, it already is." The channel began increasing its reach by securing deals with platforms in South Korea, China, and Europe. By 2021, the channel had expanded its content to include Spanish, Portuguese, Mandarin Chinese, German, and Arabic.
In 2021, Moonbug was acquired for a reported $3 billion by Candle Media, a company founded by former Disney executives Kevin Mayer and Tom Staggs and backed by the Blackstone Group. That November, a new show, JJ's Animal Time, also called Cocomelon Animal Time, appeared on YouTube, featuring JJ's favorite animal friends.
In 2022, Netflix began airing Cocomelon as a Netflix Original show. In May, a new weekly spin-off show, It's Cody Time, also called Cody Time, launched on YouTube, featuring the character Cody, JJ's best friend.
On August 1, 2023, Moonbug was awarded $23.4 million in a copyright violation case against BabyBus, a company based in Fuzhou, China, which was accused of imitating Cocomelon, including the character of JJ. Later YouTube removed its channel BabyBus's Super JoJo.
A spinoff series, Nina's Familia, premiered on September 29, 2023, focusing on Latine culture and bilingual content. The Nina Reyes character first appeared on Cocomelon in 2019. The show follows the Cocomelon format with educational songs and nursery rhymes. Centered around Nina and her Mexican American family, it was designed for both Spanish-speaking and non-Spanish-speaking children, and aims to accurately represent Latino culture. About 70% of the episodes are in English and 30% with some form of Spanish. Development was based in part on focus groups with mothers.
A new original series, Cocomelon Lane, based on the Cocomelon universe, was released on Netflix on November 17, 2023. The series was described as "a more traditional preschool TV version" of the YouTube channel., narrative- rather than singalong-driven. It was built around a "'social-emotional learning curriculum" that focuses on milestone moments for preschoolers, and the accompanying feelings. The series allowed Cocomelon characters to speak directly to the audience for the first time.
A spin-off series, Cocomelon Classroom featuring Ms. Appleberry, premiered on YouTube on September 21, 2024. It is the first live action Cocomelon title, with a blend of live action and animation. Ms. Appleberry, originally an animated Cocomelon character, is played by Juliana Urtubey, named US National Teacher of the Year in 2021. Supported by a learning specialist and a literacy consultant, the weekly show "integrates themes that are essential to early childhood cognitive, social and emotional development".
On September 18, 2007, a year after Cocomelon's YouTube launch as checkgate, the channel had seven videos uploaded and 41 subscribers. Two versions of "Cute Alphabet Song from WWW.ThatsMEonTV.com" had 179,970 and 49,292 views, the others from around 1,000 to 20,000 views. By November 14, 2010, there were 1287 subscribers, while views of all videos uploaded to the channel reached over 30 million; "Cute Alphabet Song", renamed "ABC Song from WWW.ThatsMEonTV.com Alphabet Song", had nearly 25 million views. Over the next five years, by October 29, 2015, subscriptions rose to about 750,000, and a 50-minute compilation of previous videos, published on May 1, 2014, had over 244 million views.
After nine years on YouTube, Cocomelon reached 1 million subscribers on May 16, 2016; it reached one billion total views later in the month. The channel grew rapidly following the July 2017 release of "Yes Yes" Bedtime Song, in which TomTom has to use stuffed animals to get JJ to prepare for bed; "Yes Yes" became Cocomelon's most-viewed video, with over 1 billion views.
In 2018, a YouTube study by Pew Research Center found that "some 81% of all parents with children age 11 or younger let their child watch videos on YouTube", with 34% indicating on a regular basis. Of the 50 most recommended videos found in the study, 11 were "oriented toward small children". Cocomelon's "Bath Song | + More Nursery Rhymes & Kids Songs" was the most recommended video in the research project. (As of September 2020, that video had received over 3.2 billion views on YouTube, making it the 19th-most-viewed video on the site.)
In 2019, Cocomelon had the second-largest YouTube channel subscription gain, with an increase of over 36 million, ending the year on 67.4 million subscribers. Between May and June 2019, it received 2.5 billion total views, averaging 83 million daily viewers worldwide. It "[dwarfed] the turnout for most of the world's sports leagues, pop stars, and scripted TV." Comparatively, the "major four [American] TV broadcast networks averaged just 13 million viewers daily during the TV season".
After a July 2019 settlement with the United States Federal Trade Commission (FTC), YouTube began implementing major changes to its recommendation algorithm, data collection and ad targeting for children's content. The changes, along with a $170 million fine, followed a complaint to the FTC under the Children's Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA). A number of children's channels were negatively affected. Cocomelon "dropped from 575 million total views the week before the change, to 436 million the week of, to 307 million the week after, and 282 million the week after that."
In September 2020, Netflix ranked Cocomelon as its third most popular show. On December 12, 2020, Cocomelon became the third YouTube channel to get 100 million subscribers. Following predictions that Cocomelon would soon surpass PewDiePie in subscribers, PewDiePie released a diss track titled "Coco" in February 2021. YouTube removed the video for violating its harassment and child safety policies; the audio remains on Spotify. Cocomelon surpassed PewDiePie in April 2021 to become the second-most-subscribed YouTube channel at the time.
As of September 2024, Cocomelon ranked third in YouTube subscriptions, with approximately 182 million subscribers and just under two billion monthly views.
In 2020, Cocomelon began moving into new product areas, including merchandising and live events. This coincided with the change in YouTube's advertising policies around child-focused content that resulted in an estimated 50-60% revenue loss for the top children's channels. That year, Cocomelon announced a partnership on a line of toys, including plush dolls and toy vehicles, with manufacturer Jazwares, and content deals with Netflix and other streaming platforms.
Cocomelon participated in the Riyadh Season annual festival in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, collaborating with Spacetoon and the Saudi General Entertainment Authority on Cocomelon Town, open for three months. The Town, set up in five locations, included a replica of the CoComelon house; the Melon Patch Academy, with a variety of learning activities; the Melon Patch Academy Playground; JJ's Grandparent's Farm, with various activities; and the CoComelon Musical Bus.
Cocomelon introduced its first spoken-word product, the Cocomelon Story Time podcast, in partnership with Spotify. It features "storybook classics", available in American and British English, Spanish, German, and Brazilian Portuguese. The podcast is available only by subscription to the Spotify Family Plan.
Cocomelon partnered with Falcon's Beyond, a developer of entertainment attractions, on a resort destination in Punta Cana, Dominican Republic. The planned 40,000-to-60,000-square-foot activity area, featuring Cocomelon characters, is one of four attractions in Curiosity Playground, located on Meliá Hotels International property.
A live tour, Cocomelon Party Time, launched in the US in June. The interactive event allowed families to "sing, dance and play" with Cocomelon characters, including JJ, YoYo, TomTom, Nina, Cody and Ms. Appleberry. Activities included ring toss, pin-the-tail and other games, coloring and party hat making, a light-up dancefloor, a simulated hot air balloon ride, storytelling, singalong, and photo opportunities. Tickets were required for everyone aged 12 months and older.
Cocomelon partnered with Cameo, seller of personalized video messages from celebrities, to offer artificial intelligence-produced customized videos from the show's main characters. Cocomelon was one of initial group of companies in the launch of Cameo Kids. Unlike the adult celebrity product, the children's videos are created from preset holiday, birthday and other messages, with a child's name spoken by a character using text-to-speech conversion.
Cocomelon partnered with Puma on a global line of apparel and footwear, based on the show. The line includes individual sneakers for characters JJ, Nina, and Cody, and other items based on the show's logo and graphics.
A Cocomelon movie based on the show's characters entered development with DreamWorks Animation.
In 2020, Treasure Studio added Cocomelon content to Netflix, Roku, and Hulu. Cocomelon programming aired on Universal Kids from June 21, 2021, until its closure on March 6, 2025, as well as Cartoonito from January 31, 2022, to February 16, 2024. It has also been broadcast on SAB TV in Pakistan since March 29, 2021, Cartoonito in the United Kingdom from April 4, 2021, GMTV Kids in the UK since June 18, 2021, Tiny Pop in the UK from November 15, 2021, TV5 in the Philippines as part of Moonbug Kids since September 2022, and Gulli in France since November 7, 2022. Additionally, Cocomelon airs on RTÉ Jr Radio in Ireland.
Reviewing the TV series, Common Sense Media rated it appropriate for ages two and up and gave it 3-out-of-5 stars, noting that it coexists with the YouTube channel. The series "touches on typical preschool themes" and depicts teamwork and mutual support. The characters are "gender-balanced" with a "variety of skin tones, but main toddler JJ and his family are White." Some "inconsistencies" are cited such as the babies, who appear to be about age one, at times do things like use scissors, and usually speak in baby babble, but sometimes speak normally.
In The Guardian, entertainment reporter Stuart Heritage wrote: "Cocomelon is not the sort of thing that holds up to scrutiny well. It's cloying and simplistic and repetitive and ... not designed to be watched by adults at all. ... Some songs ... are genuinely unbearable to endure. But guess what? They're not for you. If you're a preschool child, though, this stuff is like crack. ... The key to Cocomelon's success isn't that it's good ... [it's] that it's just about reliable enough. ... [It is] a series of inoffensive, if slightly unsettling, songs that go on and on and on for long enough to let you sneak off and cook dinner."
Psychologist Mark Travers cited Cocomelon as an example of a kids' TV show that may hinder the mental development of young children due to its frenetic pacing and overstimulating visuals.