In living rooms around the world, the familiar watermelon logo and catchy tunes of CoComelon have become staples of early childhood. What began as a modest family project has transformed into one of the most influential children’s media brands globally, reaching billions of viewers across 80 countries. But what’s the real story behind CoComelon? This colorful world of nursery rhymes and educational songs that captivates toddlers and provides parents with practical tools for navigating everyday challenges has humble beginnings and a great success story.
Humble Beginnings in a California Home
The journey of CoComelon began in 2006 when Jay Jeon, a father with experience in TV commercial direction, started creating simple animated videos to help teach his two young sons the alphabet. Working alongside his wife, a children’s book illustrator, they uploaded their first videos to YouTube under the channel name “checkgate,” which was also registered as “ThatsMEOnTV.com” – a reflection of their initial business that incorporated children’s photos into animated educational videos delivered on DVD.
The YouTube channel was created in 2006 by Jay Jeon, registered under the name “checkgate,” later rebranded to “ABC Kid TV”. These early videos focused primarily on educational alphabet songs and featured basic 2D animation. What started as a creative family hobby intended for their own children soon began resonating with other families seeking similar educational content.
Evolution and Transformation
The channel underwent several significant transformations on its path to becoming the children’s brand we know today. In 2013, after gaining around 500,000 subscribers, the Jeons rebranded their channel to “ABC Kid TV” and began remastering older videos while shifting focus from alphabet videos to nursery rhymes.
A pivotal moment came in April 2016 when the channel introduced its first 3D character in a video for “Twinkle Twinkle Little Star.” This transition to 3D animation proved to be a game-changer, making the content more visually appealing and engaging for young viewers. The animation and music production became increasingly sophisticated, and a recurring cast of characters began to form.
By the summer of 2018, the channel underwent another significant rebrand, adopting the name “CoComelon” and introducing the distinctive watermelon logo that has since become instantly recognizable to millions of families. The choice of name was deliberate – the creators felt it was more “exciting and universal for kids” than the previous “ABC Kid TV” label.
Breakthrough Success and Global Expansion
CoComelon’s growth trajectory accelerated dramatically after its transition to 3D animation in 2017. Monthly viewership on YouTube nearly doubled in just two months, from approximately 120 million to 238 million views by December 2017. By December 2018, those numbers had skyrocketed to 2 billion monthly views.
The educational programming struck a chord with parents and children alike thanks to several key factors: relatable characters, situations that mirrored real-life challenges faced by toddlers, catchy songs, bright visuals, and educational content delivered in an entertaining format. The videos addressed universal developmental milestones like potty training, bedtime routines, and eating vegetables, turning potentially challenging moments into musical learning opportunities.
What truly differentiated CoComelon was its approach to creating content specifically designed to help children navigate important developmental transitions. The “Potty Training Song” has accumulated over 424 million views, becoming a widespread potty training video on YouTube. Similarly, the “Yes Yes Bedtime Song” with over 1.7 billion views has helped countless families establish smoother bedtime routines.
Corporate Acquisition and Explosive Growth
In July 2020, marking a new chapter in the CoComelon story, Jay Jeon sold Treasure Studio to Moonbug Entertainment, a British firm focused on children’s content.
By 2021, the channel had expanded its content to include Spanish, Portuguese, Mandarin Chinese, German, and Arabic, truly becoming a global phenomenon. That same year, Moonbug itself 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.
Expansion Into Streaming Platforms and Beyond
CoComelon’s influence expanded well beyond YouTube with its launch on Netflix in June 2020. The streaming partnership continued to flourish with the development of “CoComelon Lane,” a narrative-driven series based on the CoComelon universe that premiered on Netflix in November 2023. Unlike the traditional sing-along format of the YouTube videos, this series was built around a social-emotional learning curriculum focusing on milestone moments for preschoolers and the feelings that accompany them.
Additional spinoff series followed, including “JJ’s Animal Time,” “Cody Time,” “Nina’s Familia,” and more – each expanding the CoComelon universe while maintaining its core educational values. The brand also diversified into consumer products, streaming music, games, and live entertainment experiences that brought the beloved characters to life for young fans.
Educational Philosophy and Development Approach
Throughout its evolution, CoComelon has maintained its focus on educational content that helps children learn and grow. The brand works closely with child development experts to ensure that every episode is crafted with care and learning value, based on early learning principles.
What sets CoComelon apart from many other children’s programs is its approach to addressing real-life challenges faced by toddlers and their parents. Rather than presenting idealized, perfect scenarios, the content acknowledges that parenting is messy, beautiful, and sometimes overwhelming – and that’s perfectly okay.
This judgment-free approach to supporting parents has resonated deeply with families worldwide. Instead of adding to the chorus of voices telling parents what they “should” be doing, CoComelon offers practical support through catchy tunes and relatable scenarios that help families navigate everyday challenges.
The Future of CoComelon
The CoComelon journey continues to evolve with ambitious plans for the future. In May 2025, it was announced that the first-ever CoComelon animated feature film had been greenlit, to be produced by Moonbug Entertainment, Flywheel Media, and DreamWorks Animation, with distribution by Universal Pictures. The film is scheduled to premiere in theaters in 2027, introducing JJ and his friends to the big screen.
Today, CoComelon stands as the third most-subscribed and second most-viewed channel on YouTube, with over 167 million subscribers and billions of monthly views. Its episodes are among the most-watched content on Netflix, with the streaming service revealing that CoComelon episodes were watched more than 200 million times in just the second half of 2023.
A Legacy of Learning Through Music
From its humble beginnings as a family project created by parents for their own children, CoComelon has grown into a global phenomenon that helps millions of families navigate the joys and challenges of early childhood. Its success story demonstrates how authentic, needs-based content created with genuine care and educational purpose can resonate across cultural boundaries.
The true story behind CoComelon is ultimately one of parental love and ingenuity – a father and mother who combined their talents to create something special for their children, only to discover that they had tapped into a universal need for engaging, educational content that makes life a little easier for families everywhere.
By transforming everyday moments into musical learning opportunities, this colorful world of nursery rhymes and relatable characters continues to bring joy and practical support to families around the globe – a legacy that surely exceeds anything Jay Jeon and his wife could have imagined when they uploaded those first simple alphabet videos back in 2006.
