One view, two views, Dr. Seuss is on YouTube

A family media brand with a famous name is drawing inspiration from YouTube’s top kid-friendly channels as it expands the scope of its operation. Dr. Seuss Enterprises, the entity that owns the rights to Dr. Seuss’ 60-plus children’s books, is partnering with Little Dot Studios to transform the author’s official YouTube channel into an “always on” content hub.

Videos that will result from the Little Dot pact will include “storytime” sessions featuring classic Dr. Seuss books and gamified phonics videos for viewers who are discovering the joy of reading for the first time. The target audience will include babies as well as older kids, and Spanish-language content will serve bilingual households.

To be clear, the Dr. Seuss YouTube channel is not new. For years, its videos have mimicked the sing-songy uploads of hit YouTube channels like CoComelon and Toys and Colors. Dr. Seuss Enterprises even experimented with a vlog format when it rolled out the Grinch for some virtual Christmas monologues.

That effort was a bit old-school, at least by 2022 standards. Literary vlogs are associated with the early 2010s more than the early 2020s, and given the dated nature of some Dr. Seuss publications, his brand is wise to pursue a more updated form of children’s entertainment.

With help from Little Dot, the Dr. Seuss hub is rolling out kids’ videos that would not look out of place on a chart-topping YouTube family channel. There are some Shorts in the mix, and Dr. Seuss Enterprises is turning characters like The Lorax and The Cat in the Hat into YouTube personalities — just as CoComelon has made channel regulars like JJ into brand mascots.

“YouTube is such an important entertainment destination for families. Parents trust Dr. Seuss to deliver high-quality, educational, and entertaining content,” said Dr. Seuss Enterprises President and CEO Susan Brandt in a statement. “The Dr. Seuss YouTube channel will bring our trusted and beloved characters to life in fun and unexpected ways. We expect our channel will be a go to resource for parents and teachers looking for content they can confidently share with the children in their care.”

If Dr. Seuss Enterprise sticks with its strategy, it could attract enough preschool-age viewers to factor into our Top 50 charts. But for now, the channel has some growing to do. At the moment, it counts about 91,000 subscribers.