Moonbug Entertainment, an international children's media company, has licensed one of its most popular properties – CoComelon – for use in an English course in Hong Kong.
The partnership with Genius Education Limited is Moonbug’s first licensing deal with an educational centre in Asia.
Moonbug met Genius Education at the Hong Kong International Licensing Show (HKILS) in April this year. That was the first time Moonbug had participated at the fair.
CoComelon, a program that specialises in catchy nursery rhymes and educational songs, has become one of the most watched YouTube channels worldwide.
It is also distributed on more than 100 other media platforms, including Netflix, opening up multiple licensing opportunities for its IP.
In Hong Kong, Moonbug is working with Genius Education to create CoComelon-themed English teaching aids that are aligned with the curriculum requirements from the Hong Kong Education Bureau.
Initially, the two partners only planned to produce worksheets for learning. However, after working together, they decided to create additional collaboration formats as well, including songs, videos and even exploring the idea of a study tour.
“The partnership is a great example of new models for licensing IP,” said Ivan Wong, Moonbug’s APAC Head of Consumer Product & Experiences.
Moonbug is actively exploring different ways to cooperate with its partners, he added.
The educational course format also complements Moonbug’s philosophy of integrating learning into daily life.
The company works closely with education experts and research teams to develop educational stories that are appropriate for its target audience – mainly young children who are five years old or younger.
In Hong Kong, Moonbug worked with Genius Education to keep Moonbug’s UK-based team informed about the Education Bureau’s curriculum requirements.
The UK team, in turn, offered guidance on story settings that were in line with CoComelon’s themes.
Three primary schools in Hong Kong have expressed an interest to use the CoComelon teaching aids as a result of this partnership.
Moonbug set up its first Asia team last year. Moonbug sees Hong Kong as a gateway to enter Mainland China, prompting the company to attend HKILS.
Mr Wong was surprised by the number of international buyers attending HKILS, including visitors from Europe and Asia, especially Southeast Asia, as well as Mainland China.
HKILS, an annual flagship event for the licensing industry, is organised by the Hong Kong Trade Development Council.
The show will be held again at the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre on 28-30 April next year.
