Until recently, owners of preschool properties have been a bit leery of having a presence on TikTok, even if their IP appeals to a nostalgic young adult audience as well as their core market of young children. And that continues to be the stance of many licensors even today. But now that the platform accounts for a substantial amount of the social media time of teens and young adults, several licensors have jumped in.
For these IP owners, TikTok is a way to reach nostalgic teen and young-adult fans with fresh content; form or strengthen relationships with young parents of preschoolers; and even, in some cases, bring in new teen and young adult fans who may not have experienced the property the first time around. In addition, some of these properties have found themselves at the center of fan-generated memes—not always the most positive in nature—making it a logical move to establish an official presence for purposes of trademark protection and brand integrity.
Among the preschool properties that have debuted on TikTok since mid-2022:
- Bluey. The property’s success on the platform has confirmed its wide audience appeal, well beyond its core preschool and early elementary base. Its fans also include parents of young children, as well as teens, college students, and childless young adults who are discovering the property for the first time, often through TikTok. These groups are finding Bluey to be calming, positive, escapist, funny, and meme-friendly. Bluey’s official account on TikTok, which can accommodate full seven-minute episodes, has 2.6 million followers.
- Sesame Street. This classic has accumulated 580,400 followers since its debut on TikTok last year. The property has long been tapping into nostalgia among young and even not-so-young adults with merchandise and a presence on other social media platforms—such as Twitter (now X), where fans and critics have been engaged in conversations about things like Big Bird getting a COVID vaccine—and this is an extension of that strategy. The property has gone viral on TikTok for reasons as varied as its positive representation of black hair and the discovery that Cookie Monster’s real name is Sid.
- Teletubbies. Licensor Wildbrain rebooted this property for a new generation of preschoolers in 2022 and has also been rekindling its profile among nostalgic millennials. It has gained 1.1 million followers—and 18 million likes—on its official TikTok account. Teletubbies has also taken off virally due to conversations on a number of topics, including conspiracy theories and some negative reactions to the show’s content by parents of current preschoolers.
- Peppa Pig. This character has been starring in teen-driven TikTok memes since at least 2019, well before its official 2022 launch on the platform. Most recently, the property went viral when a grandpa found figurines of Peppa and family, which his granddaughter had snuck into his suitcase when he went on vacation, and made a video of their adventures in Mexico. Previous memes have included people placing Peppa in unexpected places and asking her how she got there (the “what are you doing inside my chocolate” TikTok trend); discussions around the idea that Peppa is more than seven feet tall; and conspiracies about how a second Peppa is locked in the family’s home (the “wallpaper house” trend).
Other properties for young children, such as Blippi, The Wiggles, and Yo Gabba Gabba, also have a presence on TikTok, but many others continue to stay away for now.
Those that are on the platform—often at least in part because user-generated TikTok trends tell them there is an audience there—use it in a variety of ways. They share nostalgic videos, and post clips that fans relate to differently now that they are adults, sometimes accompanied by unexpected soundtracks that add more meaning. They also comment on or create new content, often humorous, tied to popular TikTok trends, memes, or current events. And they share user-generated content and converse with their fans. For properties that end up resonating with the TikTok audience, a presence on the site can be an important part of the marketing mix.
RaugustReports will not post this coming Monday, September 4, due to the U.S. Labor Day holiday. We’ll be back to our regular twice-weekly schedule on Thursday, September 7.
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