Gary Vaynerchuk’s VaynerWatt teams with Moonbug for animated series inspired by collectibles

The VeeFriends are getting their own original series on YouTube. The line of cute, cuddly characters is the inspiration for an upcoming animated series from CoComelon owner Moonbug and production house VaynerWatt.

VeeFriends, as the show will be known, is inspired by the entertainment brand of the same name, which was created by of VaynerWatt Co-Founder Gary Vaynerchuk. Gary Vee, as he is commonly known, has had a long career as a branded content guru, oenophile, and online video innovator. Now, his VaynerWatt studio (which launched last year) is joining forces with Moonbug to develop a 2D animated series that will be aimed at kids between the ages of six and 11.

The VeeFriends animated series will consist of three-minute episodes, which are expected to arrive over the summer. According to Deadline, the show will feature characters from the VeeFriends brand, including Gratitude Gorilla, Quick Quail, and Clever Crocodile. They’ll enter the “ultimate over-the-top challenge arena” to “battle out the biggest issues facing tweendom today” and emerge “a little stronger and a lot more self-aware.”

“Our companies share a vision to contribute to the development and enrichment of the next generation, which naturally allows for a strong partnership,” said Moonbug Co-Founder and CEO René Rechtman in a statement. “The VeeFriends characters and universe that Gary and his team have created will make a strong foundation for an engaging show, which our team is excited to develop.”

VeeFriends dates back to 2021, when Vaynerchuk was bullish on the then-ascendant NFT industry. His take on digital collectibles taught kids the value of soft skills like leadership and creativity. The 250 characters in the collectible line eventually spawned several additional projects, including a card game published by Mattel.

Three years later, NFTs are not so buzzy anymore, but Vaynerchuk and his team have found a new way to get VeeFriends in front of its target audience. The upcoming series will join a host of original productions led or co-led by Moonbug. The Candle Media-owned brand recently hired longtime digital programming exec Courtney Holt as its Head of Music.