YouTube network Bogglesox TV is looking to draw in new kid viewers with its latest acquisitions—Grandpa in my Pocket (pictured) and Ha Ha Hairies from Adastra Creative.
Bogglesox now holds exclusive rights to comedy/drama series Grandpa in my Pocket, which debuted on CBeebies in 2009 and won a BAFTA for Best Children’s Program the following year. It tells the story of a boy whose grandfather has a magical cap that shrinks him down to pocket-size.
Full episodes of live-action series Ha Ha Hairies, about a chaotic family living in Hairyland, will also be available on the channel. Turner co-commissioned the show (with S4C) in 2012, and it went on to roll out in EMEA on its Cartoonito Channel.
Bogglesox TV targets YouTube viewers in the zero to eight age range, and was originally established in 2016 to showcase experimental productions from UK filmmakers as part of a Skillset training scheme. It’s owned by Magic2Media, a digital startup run by Mellie Buse and Martin Franks. The channel now has 14,000 subscribers and more than 19 million total views. It features original projects including stop-motion series Bitziboos, My Magic Theatre, Spider in the Bath and Magic Pencil. In the last month, more than 500,000 hours of content was watched on Bogglesox, representing a 400% increase over the previous month.
YouTube nets seem to be doing quite well for their owners of late. Just last week, DHX’s Q3 financial report showed that WildBrain’s revenue had jumped 49% to US$12.2 million, from US$8.1 million a year ago.