CoComelon is an educational children’s content juggernaut, with CoComelon: The Movie set to hit the big screen in February 2027 courtesy of Universal Pictures. And Blippi is also a favorite of kids and parents alike.
But Moonbug Entertainment, the powerhouse kids’ IP company behind those two and other brands that was acquired by Kevin Mayer and Tom Staggs’ Candle Media in 2021, is not just talking about the popularity of its programming. It is also ringing the alarm bells on a spending gap affecting family and children’s content.
Dan’l Hewitt, founding partner and global head of business and partnerships at Moonbug, was at Cannes Lions last week to meet current and potential partners. And he made time to talk to The Hollywood Reporter about the popularity of kids’ content, how that isn’t mirrored by its advertising power, and the upcoming CoComelon movie.
Constant innovation is key, he says, and the recent spin-off series Emmie’s Wonder Wardrobe is a case in point. “We’ve just spun a brilliant character out of the world of Little Angel for the new show Emmie’s Wonder Wardrobe, which is really exciting,” Hewitt says. “But the reality is that the kids and family media environment is really challenged in terms of investment in content. That’s the reason I came to Cannes Lions because we’re advocating for the industry to acknowledge this media segment and to help rebalance the disconnect and the imbalance.”
