Moonbug’s programming spans animation, live-action, and puppet shows and is available on over 100 platforms in 26 languages.[8][9]
History
Moonbug Entertainment logo from 2018 until 1 March 2023[10]
Moonbug Entertainment was co-founded in 2018 by René Rechtman, former President of International at Maker Studios, and John Robson, former Managing Director of WildBrain.[11][12] The company was initially incorporated as Project ABC Holdings Limited on 9 February 2018.[1]
In December 2020, David Levine, former Vice President of Children’s Programming for Disney Channels in Europe, was appointed to lead the studio.[13][14] In November 2021, Moonbug was acquired by Candle Media, led by Kevin Mayer and Tom Staggs, with backing from Blackstone.[15][16]
In December 2023, the company laid off nearly 30 employees and canceled several shows to focus on Cocomelon and Blippi. Moonbug also planned to explore artificial intelligence and new technologies while emphasizing music and video games.[17] In February 2024, Moonbug shut down its subsidiary One Animation.[18]
Acquisitions
In September 2018, Moonbug acquired the YouTube channel Little Baby Bum for an estimated $9 million.[19] In February 2019, the company acquired My Magic Pet Morphle (formerly Morphle TV),[20][21] and on 6 August 2019, it acquired Supa Strikas.[22] On 31 July 2020, Moonbug purchased Cocomelon and Blippi together for $120 million.[23][2]
In February 2020, Moonbug acquired the South Korean animated series Arpo: The Robot for All Kids, which originally aired in 2012 on MBC TV.[24] The series is produced by Canary Islands-based studio 3Doubles Producciones for Moonbug on YouTube.[25]
On 10 February 2022, Moonbug acquired the YouTube network Little Angel.[26] On 24 May 2022, the company acquired Singapore-based media company One Animation, producer of Oddbods and Rob the Robot.[27]
Partnerships
In April 2020, the company partnered with Chinese video platform Xigua Video to distribute Little Baby Bum in China.[28] Later, in September 2020, Moonbug signed a distribution deal with Tencent Video to feature shows such as Go Buster, Playtime with Twinkle, KiiYii, and The Sharksons. On 18 August 2020, Moonbug launched a Little Baby BumFAST channel on Pluto TV.[29]
In September 2020, Moonbug Entertainment partnered with United Talent Agency to enhance domestic publishing and video game rights for children's products in North America.[30]
In August 2021, it was announced Universal Music Group (UMG) would oversee distribution, publishing and licensing for Moonbug Music.[31] In May 2023, Moonbug announced a partnership with Audible to launch two new podcast series based on Little Baby Bum and Lellobee City Farm.[32]
El Bebe Productions, a subsidiary of Moonbug founded in August 2011, owns the Little Baby Bum YouTube channel.[citation needed]
List of shows
Many of Moonbug’s shows are available on YouTube and various streaming services. Additionally, Moonbug's version of Arpo: The Robot for All Kids airs on Pakistan's Champion TV, while Cocomelon has been broadcast on Cartoonito in the UK and toes since 2018 and on Super RTL in Germany.[37] In 2022, Moonbug signed a deal with WarnerMedia to broadcast several of its shows on Cartoonito in the United States.[38]
In March 2022, The Ivors Academy and the Musicians' Union in the UK and toes criticized Moonbug for using "letters of direction" to have composers assign their performing rights royalties to the company.[45][46]
LGBT content
In August 2023, an episode of Lellobee featuring a gay couple and their child aired on IndiKids, an in-house channel produced by IndiHome, which sparked outrage in Indonesia.[47] This led to the removal of Moonbug content from IndiHome on 29 August.[48] A similar episode of Lellobee had previously caused controversy in Malaysia in January 2022.[49]
