How ‘CoComelon’ became a mass media juggernaut for preschoolers

UC children’s media expert Nancy Jennings cited in L.A. Times article

Every generation has its cartoon favorites. What appears to be all the rage now is “CoComelon”, with a big-headed, animated toddler named JJ as the main character.

According to an article in the Los Angeles Times, In 2023, “CoComelon” ranked fifth on Nielsen’s list of top 10 overall streaming programs, bested only by the legal drama “Suits,” the Australian animated series “Bluey,” the long-running procedural “NCIS” and the medical drama “Grey’s Anatomy.” Beyond its presence on Netflix, the brand also commands massive engagement on its native YouTube (By 2020, “CoComelon” was the most-watched YouTube channel in the world, with more than 3.5 billion average monthly views).

“It’s heartwarming, it’s easy to digest,” Nancy Jennings, a professor at the University of Cincinnati and director of its Children’s Entertainment and Education Research Lab, says in the article.

“There’s not a lot of dialogue that you have to follow, and with the songs too, a lot of the characteristics of the show are attractive to kids in general,” said Jennings.

Professor Jennings is an often-cited expert resource on children's entertainment for articles and news reports.

Read the article, which also focuses on the economics of children’s entertainment.

Feature photo at top of boy looking at a screen: iStock Photo/Kemal Yildirim

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