The animated educational series Gracie’s Corner achieves numbers that many children’s shows would be jealous of. The YouTube channel has four million subscribers, over 100 million views a month and over 2.1 billion views in the whole year. But judging the success of the show based on ratings alone misses the point, say the creators and husband and wife Javoris “Jay” Hollingsworth and Arlene Gordon-Hollingsworth (newcomers to this year’s Kids Entertainment Power List). After all, even these impressive numbers are hardly a blip compared to Cocomelon nursery rhymes, According to Statista.com, with 172 million subscribers, it leads all YouTube channels with children’s themes worldwide. But where Gracie’s Corner What is striking is the need it satisfies, as the Hollingworths discovered with their own three children.
When the Houston-based couple turned to children’s programming during the pandemic-induced lockdown, they were disturbed by the lack of diversity. They found that there were relatively few shows on the landscape led by Black children or other children of color. With rare exceptions like Netflix’s The magic of Motown and the Tanzanian show Akili and I, There simply weren’t enough programs teaching children to count, spell, or just be kind that featured characters with different faces, and they rarely incorporated the rhythms of black music or drew on these unique cultural traits.
“We didn’t know it was that bad, especially with the learning content for children under six, toddlers and preschoolers,” recalls Arlene, who is a licensed clinical psychologist. When Jay, then a chemistry professor at the university, suggested starting their own YouTube channel with fun and varied learning content, Arlene was on board.
Four years later, Gracie’s Cornerwhose main character is based on and voiced by her eldest daughter Graceyn, is thriving. Earlier this year, the show won the NAACP Image Award for outstanding children’s program and beat such well-known names as Netflix Ada Twist, scientist And Alma’s Way by PBS Kids. This recognition, says Jay, “is such a valuable award because it validates that we are doing work that positively impacts and resonates with our community.”
As with most children’s programs, music is a big part of Gracie‘s Corner. Jay, who played music in church as a child, Gracie’s Cornerbelieves there is a notable difference between their approach and other music-focused children’s shows.
“When people think of children’s music, they often think of traditional music,” he says. “The kids we’re really trying to reach can actually relate to it when they hear it, because it’s similar to what they might hear in the car when they’re out with mom or dad.”
The familiarity of different musical styles, such as the go-go music in the remix of “Mary Had a Little Lamb,” the Afrobeat remix of “Twinkle Little Star” and the reggae-inflected “Colors,” is not just captivating for children. “When parents hear it, they really like it,” he says. “If they like it, they now dance and sing with their children.”
Or with their grandchildren, as rapper Snoop Dogg did before he and his own kid-friendly Doggyland YouTube channel merged with Gracie‘s Corner last year for the catchy and empowering song “Girl Power,” which generated 13 million views. This cross-generational touch is not just reserved for Snoop and his family. It is a theme that runs through all Gracie‘s Corner. Both parents and grandparents take center stage in the energetic “Row, Row, Row Your Boat” remix by bounce queen Big Freedia (37 million views). And many of the videos also feature an adorable little sister, mirroring Graceyn’s own sister.
Gracie‘s Corner aims to address important childhood issues and instill basic values and habits. “There are many skills that children should be taught very early on, such as facing their fears, positive self-talk and affirmations,” says Arlene.
One of Gracie‘s CornerOne of the band’s early hits, the powerful and affirming “I Love My Hair,” was inspired by a painful memory. “I was bullied at school because of my hair,” says Graceyn, now 11, “and my parents thought it would be good to make a song about loving your hair just the way it is.”
Making “I Love My Hair” was also a turning point for me, says Graceyn. “It gave me the courage to make more songs and just be myself.”
Gracie‘s Corner features Gracie as a bright brown girl with afro puffs, big eyes, a button nose, and a bright white smile. She also changes her outfits frequently, wearing everything from an ancient Egyptian shift dress in “Phonics Song” (164 million views) to a full HBCU marching band uniform in “Count to 100.”
The animation is usually as upbeat as the music. In last year’s “Happy Dance Song,” Gracie leads her friend in a variety of moves, from doing the cha-cha-cha to waving her hands above her head, or dancing alongside Philly rapper 2Rare in the recent “Veggie Dance Remix.”
The man responsible for this distinctive style is Victor Emerenini, a Nigeria-based animator who Jay found through a freelance website. Gracie‘s CornerThe success has helped him expand from a one-man operation to a full-fledged studio in Abuja with a team that Gracie’s Corner.
Like Jay, Emerenini believes in Gracie‘s Corner’S global appeal. “Having a black lead character in a cartoon song is a feature that Nigerians celebrate the most,” he says. “The sound is definitely relatable and the messages in each song are also the same ones that are being promoted in Nigeria.”
During the summer, the family tries to keep the same pace as they do throughout the school year, recording only once a week. But that doesn’t mean they don’t have surprises in store, including “several collaborative projects with legendary music artists.” Themed birthday gifts, backpacks, hoodies, t-shirts, pillows, blankets and other merchandise are currently available at Walmart and Amazon, as well as on their website, GraciesCornerTV.com.
While Gracie’s Corner’s target audience is children, its most important lesson is for other creatives: “You don’t have to be a big, billion-dollar production company to make a lasting impression,” Jay says.
