Last year, Kidscreen spotlighted six YouTube creators that had the potential to break out and become big names—and a few of our selections, like Mark Rober, Salish Matter and Danny Go!, have since taken off. Now, we’re turning this into a regular feature, where we highlight creators who could become the next Ms. Rachel. So if you’re looking for hot creators to partner with or want a sense of what channels kids are watching, we’ve got you covered. 

Name: The Hollingsworth family/Gracie’s Corner
Subscribers: 6.26 million
Total views: 5.8 billion
Year of launch: 2020
Subgenres: Music, education
Target age: Preschool 

In the vast sea of digital-first kids franchises, data has shown that there is a noticeable diversity gap among the most popular YouTube channels—which the 2D-animated channel Gracie’s Corner has been on a mission to address. Known for inclusive and catchy singalongs, the channel was launched during the pandemic by the Hollingsworth family: Graceyn, her father Javoris and her mother Arlene.

Every episode features a young girl named Gracie singing and dancing with her family and friends. Her catchy soundtrack—featuring a breadth of music genres, from hip-hop to reggae—is a mix of nursery rhyme covers and original educational tunes covering topics like the ABCs, Black history, emotional wellness, how not to be a bully and eating your veggies. 

For its efforts, Gracie’s Corner has become a formidable awards contender, beating competition like Disney, Cartoon Network and PBS to win NAACP awards for Outstanding Children’s Program and Outstanding Animated Series. The channel has also attracted high-profile celebrity collabs—including songs with R&B legend Charlie Wilson (“Have a Good Time”) and rap superstar Snoop Dogg (“Girl Power”), to name a few.

The channel has also been building out its licensing program, including partnerships with HarperCollins (preschool books), Cameo Kids (personalized video messages) and Target (haircare products). In other beyond-the-screen expansions, Gracie’s Corner embarked on a live tour for the first time last year.

Expert insight:

Children’s media consultant Josanne Buchanan highlights how Gracie’s Corner prominently features a Black, female main character in the leading role of an educational series—helping fill the need for greater inclusion of authentic Black stories in the genre. 

The Gracie’s Corner IP enjoys a lot of love from parents and caregivers, which Buchanan credits to the edutainment combo of its high-quality songs that are perfect for co-listening (thanks to Javoris, a musical engineer) and a seamless learning framework (which Arlene was instrumental in developing).

And one key characteristic that sets Gracie’s Corner apart from many other kids channels is that the child, Graceyn, was also directly involved in the creation process. “We know that Gen Alpha is the creative generation; they want to be involved in the creation of the content they watch,” Buchanan explains. “Seeing Gracie directly involved in the series’ creation alongside her parents makes the show relevant to young Gen Alphas because it allows them to see a character who transcends her content. She is not just an animated girl—she is a living, breathing creator whose involvement in the series’ creation positions her as a positive example for kids.”

Video highlights:

Released in 2022, the popular “Phonics Song” tags along with Gracie and her pals in ancient Egypt, where they sing about the sounds of letters. With a whopping 252 million views on YouTube, it’s a great showcase of the channel’s earworm power—and it even won two Webby Awards in 2023.

Buchanan points out that Gracie’s Corner authentically engages with experiences and challenges faced by Black kids every day. “For example, the song  ‘I Love my Hair’ was created after real-life Graceyn was bullied for her hair at school. This is an experience we know is unfortunately common amongst Black girls.”

She cites a 2022 focus group study that found that 54% of 12-year-old Black girls and 32% of 14-year-old Black girls had experienced hair-related bullying or teasing. “Findings like this support the need for content that authentically addresses culturally specific topics and supports self-esteem for Black children.”