YouTube’s biggest kids channel gets its first live action spinoff

The first live-action addition to the CoComelon universe is coming this fall. The most-watched kids’ channel on YouTube — which counts more than 186 billion lifetime views on its flagship channel — is giving teacher Ms. Appleberry her own spinoff called Melon Patch Classroom.

Details about Melon Patch Classroom are limited at this time, but the series will center around a character who was introduced in one of CoComelon’s billion-view sing-alongs. She is a preschool teacher whose students include JJ, the animated character who has become the de facto face of the CoComelon brand.

Melon Patch Classroom will offer the same blend of music, comedy, and edutainment that has vaulted CoComelon to unprecedented viewership. The brand owned by media company Moonbug (which is itself a subsidiary of Candle Media) often ranks as the most-watched YouTube channel of the week. In addition, Netflix data from the first half of 2023 identified CoComelon as the streamer’s 58th-most-watched offering over that period.

As Moonbug looks to bring CoComelon beyond animation, it will enter the Melon Patch Classroom. Ms. Appleberry will welcome some special guests to her space, giving kids a chance to meet real-life versions of characters who have already appeared on the franchise’s cross-country U.S. tour.

Moonbug already knows how to turn live-action, kid-friendly properties into multiplatform franchises. That’s what it did with Blippi, the popular YouTube channel that has spawned a handful of character-driven spinoffs. The expansion of Moonbug’s IP is integral to its retail plans — and CoComelon is naturally a major part of that push as well.

Melon Patch Classroom will arrive in the fall. More details about the series, including its full trailer, exact premiere date, and cast, will be revealed in the near future.