Roughly two months after its announcement, Nickelodeon is set to premiere Ryan’s Mystery Playdate, a preschool-aimed series starring seven-year-old YouTube luminary Ryan ToysReview, whose unboxing channel has soared to unprecedented heights with 19 million subscribers and an average of 1 billion monthly views.
The live-action series, created and produced by Ryan’s studio partner, Pocket.watch, will premiere on April 19 at 12:30. The premiere is titled Ryan’s Kickin’ Playdate/Ryan’s Viral Playdate, and will see the unboxing phenom take on pancake-stacking, frog-catching, and whoopee cushion-deflating challenges. A total of 20 episodes will follow Ryan as he tackles various physical challenges and attempts to solve mystery box puzzles to reveal the identity of his playdates.
Ryan’s Mystery Playdate will co-star Ryan’s parents, and will also feature appearances by proprietary animated characters, including Gus The Gummy Gator and Combo Panda. Nickelodeon says the series “encourages physical play, models positive family relationships and features a creative problem-solving curriculum.”
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A second episode of the series will air on April 20, before it moves to its regular Friday timeslot. Full-length episodes and ancillary content will also be available on NickJr.com and the Nick Jr. app. As part of the launch, Nickelodeon is also hosting a sweepstakes whereby fans can win a playdate with Ryan — with every episode featuring a mystery word that parents must enter in order to apply. Details and submissions are available here.
In addition to Ryan, Viacom-owned Nickelodeon is also in business with fellow youngster YouTubers Annie and Hayley LeBlanc, as well as JoJo Siwa. For his part, Ryan — who pocketed a reported $22 million last year — is also in the midst of a global licensing push, having recently signed 40 new deals that will bring his likeness onto a slew of upcoming products including sleepwear, accessories, Halloween costumes, party goods, water bottles, furniture, and home goods.
