Cloudco Entertainment, owner of the Care Bears brand, along with digital kids media company Moonbug, launched the second season of the Care Bears: Unlock the Music series of original music videos this month on the brand’s YouTube channel, with a new video rolling out each week.
In August 2020, Cloudco and Moonbug introduced the’ “YouTube-first” animated music video series featuring the bears and original pop music. The series features original 2D animated music videos and pop songs meant to complement the Care Bears: Unlock the Magic TV series in style and tone while incorporating elements that make it appropriate for the digital platform. Since its launch, season 1 garnered nearly 95 million views and generated over 130,000 new subscribers to the brand’s YouTube channel.
Unlock the Music Season 2 will feature 20 new music videos that will introduce new characters and highlight hemes such as sharing and caring, friendship, the power of hugs, and how it’s okay to sometimes feel grumpy inside. The music video drops will align with new product launches and the music will have a contemporary pop/dance sensibility, mixed with some 80s synth sounds as a nod to the brand’s roots and nearly 40-year history.
“Season 2 of Care Bears: Unlock the Music will continue to deliver the engaging and entertaining experience kids and parents have grown to love,” said Dan’l Hewitt, Head of Global Business at Moonbug. “We are thrilled the Care Bears YouTube channel is flourishing in the Moonbug network; the number of new subscribers not only underscores the appetite for new and original Care Bears content, but also how important a strong digital distribution strategy is to building retail success.”
“We’re ecstatic to see the momentum of Care Bears: Unlock the Music continue with a season 2 of more original pop songs and more music videos,” said Cloudco Entertainment President Sean Gorman. “Our dance skills at Cloudco were getting a quite rusty over the last year, so the timing is great to pick up some new moves from the Care Bears as we all emerge from this global pandemic and return to our previous disco/break-dancing/hip-hop obsessed public lives.”
As with season 1, Moonbug will co-own season 2 of Unlock the Music with Cloudco and is responsible for global distribution, along with distribution of the Care Bears back catalogue on YouTube which features nearly 40 years of content.
Moonbug’s lineup of programs for kids includes Cocomelon, Blippi, Little Baby Bum, and My Magic Pet Morphle, among others, available in 26 languages. The company’s content is distributed on over 100 platforms globally, such as YouTube, Netflix, Hulu, Amazon Prime Video, Joyn, Sky, and Roku.