If you and your kids are tired of the familiar Christmas specials of yore, pocket.watch is providing something fresh for this year’s holiday season. The creator media company, which is known for its work with some of the biggest family channels on YouTube, has announced a new programming slate for one of its flagship brands. Toys and Colors will be busy this December, with a 22-minute holiday special leading the way.
The Toys and Colors special, titled Elf Academy, is a star-studded affair. After teaming up with Sesame Street earlier this year, the Toys and Colors gang is now hanging out with creators like Lana’s Life and members of the San Diego Padres MLB team. In addition to its celebrity cameos, Elf Academy also features a musical number titled ‘Holey Moly Holiday’.
Elf Academy initially launched on November 21 on Ryan and Friends Plus, a streaming hub pocket.watch launched to support another one of its creator partners. Ryan and Friends Plus will also host Toys and Colors Club, an inclusive addition to pocket.watch’s holiday slate. (If you prefer to watch on more familiar platforms, Elf Academy is coming to Hulu on November 27.)
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With more than 81 million subscribers on its primary channel, Toys and Colors has become one of the biggest children’s media brands operating on YouTube. It leveled up to a higher viewership tier during the 2023 holiday season, when it became the most-watched YouTube channel of any type. As it sustained those gains throughout much of 2024, pocket.watch increased its investment in the early education franchise.
“Toys and Colors continues to redefine what a modern family franchise can be,” said pocket.watch Chief Content Officer Albie Hecht in a statement. “This holiday slate showcases the brand at full power, premium originals, bighearted storytelling, major talent partnerships, and unforgettable moments for kids and parents to enjoy together.”
For pocket.watch, the holiday season is a pivotal moment. Recent research from Precise TV has shown that three-quarters of children ask their parents to buy something after seeing it in a YouTube ad. Though much of that purchase intent flows through YouTube Shorts, kids have stronger recall on long-form videos — which happen to be Toys and Colors’ specialty.
Through programs like Elf Academy, pocket.watch has the chance to drum up some of that purchase intent. ‘Holey Moley Holiday,’ for example, is one of the tracks on Holiday Hits Snow Day Soundtrack, a seasonal compilation available on platforms like Spotify and Apple Music.
Even for viewers who won’t make any purchases inspired by Elf Academy, the special represents one of the most ambitious projects in the Toys and Colors universe to date. Millions of kids around the world love the bright, cheery YouTube hub, and they’ll get a chance to celebrate it this December.
