Cocomelon is truly a favorite of toddlers worldwide. Averaging 129.3 billion views, it is no wonder that why YouTube sensation that specializes in 3D animation videos of both traditional nursery rhymes and their own original children’s songs is such a hit. Across almost all social media platforms, in every mommy group I am apart of, I’ve come across a recurrent theme: “Cocomelon is evil. Cocomelon is like crack for kids. Science has proven that Cocomelon will mentally unhinge your children and make them addicted to problematic behaviours.” As a new mom, this targeted en-masse attack on Cocomelon was bizarre to me; just about as bizarre as every other unsolicited parenting tip I’m regularly given. So, I decided to deep delve into what could possibly be a demonic force with my 7 month old by my side.
Apart from very stretched measures of the imagination, I haven’t seen anything overtly problematic with Cocomelon. All in all, I’m going to make the final judgment that Cocomelon is not a demonic stimulant directed by the Illuminati. It‘s just a basic kid’s show, leaning on the conservative side of the fence regarding family depiction.
It’s true that I’ve observed questionable behaviours from the young characters, like a child bashing and pulling on his car seat straps in an attempt to get out while his parents are driving the vehicle and singing happy-go-lucky songs. I thought this scene had the potential to have children replicate it, thinking that trying to unlock your carseat is harmless play. The songs are a bit annoying. They’re repetitive age-old nursery rhymes that have been rewritten to fit the Cocomelon characters.
All of the families in the show are very “white picket fence” in the sense that they all have two-parent households and the fathers seem to work while the mothers stay home. The show is riddled with cheesy scenes where the children are ushered out into the driveway by their mothers to greet their fathers coming home from work, excitedly screaming “daddy’s home!” While there’s nothing wrong with this depiction, I feel that it normalizes 1950’s America as a standard and precedent. When I look around in today’s world, I see very few families where the white picket fence dynamic still applies. I am happy to see my son absorb active fathers on television in hopes that he will be one someday if he chooses to have children, but worry that without any representation of what varied households look like, he will feel like his own single-parent, mixed-ethnic family is socially misfit.
In terms of attention, I think the colours and nursery rhymes are entrancing to babies. After the feedback I’d read online, I was half-expecting my TV to flash lights and colours like a New York Club Kid rave, but that didn’t happen. I’m not a neuroscientist, but I think the cartoon is reasonably paced. I’ve admittedly never done crack, but if Cocomelon is like crack to babies then I worry for anyone who sings, rocks, dances, fingerpaints or completes any other basic activity with their child because I can’t see how it all wouldn’t fall into the “crack for babies” category. The show has sing-a-long subtitles that line the bottom of the screen throughout, which I enjoy. Parents can sing along, and older children can begin to identify letter patterns that accompany words.
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There is one black family portrayed in the show. Cody, JJ’s token black friend, teaches us values about family and sharing, as his father teaches us the names of different African instruments. I thought this was a cute idea, however would have liked to see more diversity amongst the characters. Biracial or mixed-ethnic families are still not prevalent in children’s cartoons. I have also noticed while walking the toy aisles of Walmart, Target and the like that almost every Cocomelon toy is exclusively JJ, the little blond main character. I’ve yet to see a toy replica of any of his friends, although I’m sure they do exist.
How diversity in media and entertainment affects young people
However, there are five additions to Cocomelon that feature Black characters and kids:
- If your little one is a Cocomelon fan then he is definitely familiar with JJ’s best friend Cody.
- Circle Time With Ms. According to Parents.com, Circle Time With Ms. Monica is where parents and toddlers need to be! As an early childhood educator for over 18 years, Circle Time With Ms. Monica features learning content for toddlers and preschoolers that is fun, engaging, and takes the guilt out of screen time.
- Ms. Bino and Fino are always up and ready for adventure.
- Per Parenting.com, Super Sema is the first African kid-superhero animated series about an ordinary young girl on an extraordinary mission to protect her African village from a heartless villain and his army of pesky robots.
- To offer our songs and videos to our viewers for free, we joined YouTube the same year. This platform has allowed us to reach thousands of children and their families.
Want more of these amazing shows that feature Black characters and kids, click here. Do you have a favorite that didn’t make the list? Let us know by sounding-off and commenting below.
Nielsen’s Streaming Unwrapped data revealed among kids programs: repeat viewing. In its core audience of 2-5 the average viewer watched each episode nearly three times in the fourth quarter alone, which looks more like 180 episodes when extrapolated over a year. In addition to its appeal among young children Cocomelon was also a hit among multicultural audiences. With 56% of its audience coming from African American, Hispanic or Asian American homes, Cocomelon had the highest multicultural audience of any of the top 15 acquired titles.
Regardless of genre or intended audience, the streaming content from 2021 highlights how critical it is that audiences see themselves in the content they seek out and consume. Inclusion and representation are becoming critical to success in the streaming world as well as in the broader media industry.
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