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
Impact Lives Here
The University of Cincinnati is leading public urban universities into a new era of innovation and impact. Our faculty, staff and students are saving lives, changing outcomes and bending the future in our city's direction. Next Lives Here.
Related Stories
UC public relations course reaches vulnerable community
December 19, 2025
Rather than having students find opportunities for real world applications of their degrees beyond class, why not bring it to them in the classroom? The public relations campaigns class, offered through the communications department in UC’s College of Arts and Sciences, gives students a taste of experience in the field.
UC student breaks world record in competitive speedcubing
December 19, 2025
UC computer science student Sujan Feist set a new world record in speedcubing at competition this month in Coshocton, Ohio. Feist is the reigning world champion in the 2x2 division.
Bazinga! UC physicist cracks ‘Big Bang Theory’ problem
December 19, 2025
A physicist at the University of Cincinnati and his colleagues figured out something two of America’s most famous fictional physicists couldn’t: theoretically how to produce subatomic particles called axions in fusion reactors.