Here’s a baffled grown-up cheat sheet on some of the most popular kids’ shows in the world, created and marketed by London-based Moonbug Entertainment.
CoComelon
The company’s flagship monster ratings are made up of singing and dancing cartoonish characters as they take incredible pleasure in tasks not usually considered joyful, such as brushing teeth, eating vegetables, or learning about coloring. Plus children’s songs.
Target audience 1 to 3 years old
Example text: “We’ll find any color if we look around / This is red! This is orange! Look what we found!” (from ‘Learning Color Song’.)
Little Baby Bum
Life lessons and musical adventures centered around a cartoon girl named Mia and her friends, including anthropomorphic farm animals. Plus children’s songs.
Target audience Baby up to 2 years
Example text: “If you’re in bed sick and feel so down/I’ll help you feel better soon,” Mia sings to the tune of “If You’re Happy and You Know It,” carrying food to a bedridden cow in “The “Kindness Song!”
blippic
A rare live-action Moonbug offering, Blippi is a grinning, endlessly enthusiastic dude played by two actors, one of whom is the character’s creator, Stevin John. Blippi has orange glasses, orange braces, an orange bow tie and a cheerful fascination with raspberries, oral hygiene, aquariums, the color blue and countless other subjects. Occasional nursery rhymes.
Target audience 2 to 6 years old
Example text: “Colorful balloons are everywhere / don’t pop them, they make a loud noise.” (from “Colorful Balloons Song.”)
Lellobee City Farm
Set on Grandma Mei’s “urban micro farm,” as it states on the Moonbug website, Lellobee features a recurring cast of children and animals. This time, the singing and dancing celebrates slightly more mature pleasures, such as cycling, and slightly more evolved lessons, such as the inevitability of accidents. And yes, there are nursery rhymes.
Target audience 2 to 5 years old
Example text: “Yes, I like cycling / I can ride whenever I want.” (from “You can ride a bike!”)