2025: The Year in Kids

As with other sectors of the media industry, the kids’ business felt the challenges of budget constraints and capturing audiences’ attention in a crowded landscape throughout 2025. Known IP seemed to reign supreme as a result. Regardless of whether a program is based on a beloved IP or brand new, over the past couple of years, we’ve heard about how important it is to be wherever kids are. In 2025, companies revved up their strategies to do just that, whether by putting out digital-first series on YouTube or delivering branded games and location-based experiences to engage kids away from the TV.

Throughout the year, many companies introduced games based on their IPs on Roblox, Nex Playground, Minecraft and other platforms. BBC Studios lined up quite a few for Bluey, including a LEGO mobile game, a story-driven adventure game available on the App Store and Google Play Store and a motion-powered game on Nex Playground. BBC Earth debuted a game inspired by Walking With Dinosaurs on Minecraft. Mattel launched the console and PC game Hot Wheels Let’s Race: Ultimate Speed and expanded its partnership with Roblox to introduce new games based on its brands, beginning with a Monster High experience. Other launches on Roblox included Sesame Street: Neighborhood Adventures from Sesame Workshop, Winx Club: Magix from Rainbow and Fixies vs Glitch Boss from Animotion Media. Roblox also launched a licensing platform—the Roblox License Manager—to enable creators to tap into select IP. Its inaugural partners included Lionsgate, Netflix, Sega and Kodansha.

Companies also helped kids engage with their brands via stage shows and location-based experiences. BBC Studios facilitated the return of the Bluey’s Big Play live stage show to the U.K. and Ireland. Gabby’s Dollhouse Live!, a stage show based on DreamWorks Animation’s Gabby’s Dollhouse, was announced for the U.K. El Reino Infantil organized tours of Zenon The Farmer shows in the U.S. and Peru. Boat Rocker Studios planned a tour for its teen drama The Next Step. Other location-based experiences announced throughout the year included a Totally Spies! activation at trampoline parks in the U.S., a Care Bears-themed playground in the U.S. and an immersive Bluey experience at Italy’s Leolandia theme park. Mattel even revealed plans for the development of five destination waterparks integrating its brands.

YouTube was another key part of companies’ strategies in 2025. The popularity of YouTube as a platform was evident as multiple kids’ IP channels reached milestones this year. The Bluey YouTube channel passed 10 million subscribers in March, and it currently sits at nearly 13 million. In June, PAW Patrol’s also surpassed 10 million subscribers, and now counts nearly 11 million. The channel for Mr Bean, which features content from Mr Bean: The Animated Series alongside other content from the long-running franchise, reached a whopping 35 million subscribers. With this kind of success, other companies have expanded their YouTube strategies to get a piece of that pie, too. Sesame Street extended its partnership with the platform, which will house the largest digital library of content from the show. Hidden Pigeon Company signed an agreement that will see the Little Dot Studios U.S. team provide strategic and channel management services for the Mo Willems Workshop YouTube channel.

There was also a wave of content produced strictly for YouTube as well. At the start of the year, Nickelodeon debuted its first original animated series for the platform: Kid Cowboy. Paris Hilton’s 11:11 Media, HappyNest Entertainment and 9 Story Media Group premiered their series Paris & Pups on the platform. Mattel Television Studios launched Barney’s World: I Love Me Too, a 23-minute special, on the Barney the Dinosaur YouTube channel.

The aforementioned special from Mattel is part of the company’s revival of the classic Barney & Friends, which it debuted in 2024. 2025 saw its fair share of revivals as well. Phineas and Ferb returned in June on Disney Channel and Disney XD. The Wonderfully Weird World of Gumball, billed as a continuation of The Amazing World of Gumball, arrived on Cartoon Network and Hulu. Sky Kids brought the Maisy mouse character back to life with My Friend Maisy. Disney Jr. premiered Mickey Mouse Clubhouse+, a “plussed-up” version of Mickey Mouse Clubhouse, which ended in 2016. And Kartoon Studios is breathing new life into Winnie the Pooh with Hundred Acre Wood’s Winnie and Friends, which comes from a creative team featuring executive producer Linda Woolverton, creative director John Rivoli and composer Danny Elfman.

There was an abundance of book adaptation news throughout the year, too. Apple TV premiered a Lulu Is a Rhinoceros special and series based on Not a Box and The Sisters Grimm. BBC Children’s and Education greenlit adaptations of Dexter Procter: the 10-Year-Old Doctor and Crookhaven. Disney Jr. and Disney Channel lined up Hey A.J.!, based on the children’s books by former Super Bowl champion Martellus Bennett. Netflix nabbed the rights to Amy Sherman-Palladino’s live-action Eloise film adaptation. Near the end of the year, Paramount+ gave series orders to Hidden Pigeon Company’s The Elephant & Piggie Show! and The Pigeon Show! Starring the Pigeon, based on Mo Willems’ books.

As mentioned earlier, being wherever kids are is of the utmost importance. The most extreme cases of strategy shifts to keep up with the children of today were a host of closures. Corus shuttered five of its kids’ networks, WildBrain closed down its television channels business, NBCUniversal sunsetted the Universal Kids channel and Sky ceased kids’ commissioning.

You can catch up on all of the kids’ news of last year and stay up-to-date on this year’s articles by visiting TVKids.com and subscribing to TV Kids Daily and TV Kids Weekly for free here. And stay tuned for the sixth edition of the TV Kids Festival, running from February 17 to 20.