Moonbug Entertainment and Sanrio are partnering on a new co-branded series that will bring together “Hello Kitty” and “CoComelon” characters in a major collaboration set to launch in 2026. The announcement was made by Kevin Mayer, co-CEO of Candle Media, Moonbug’s parent company, during the APOS Summit in Bali (June 24-26).

As Variety reports, the multi-year partnership will feature characters including Hello Kitty, Cinnamoroll, and CoComelon’s JJ in a crossover series. Moonbug will handle worldwide distribution for the project, with plans for a YouTube rollout as part of the launch strategy.

Beyond the co-branded series, the partnership will extend to consumer products initiatives, though specific details remain undisclosed. The collaboration represents another instance of brand crossovers in the children’s entertainment space, joining recent partnerships between major companies, including Mattel and Hasbro.

The announcement comes as Mayer revealed growing metrics for Moonbug’s properties. CoComelon has grown from 60 million YouTube subscribers five years ago to 200 million today. In January 2025 alone, CoComelon and other Moonbug properties generated 10 billion views.

Mayer also noted that Moonbug’s music streams across all platforms surpassed Taylor Swift’s total last year, highlighting the company’s reach in children’s entertainment.

Platform Strategy and Future Plans

The Hello Kitty collaboration is part of Moonbug’s multi-platform strategy. The company is also developing a “CoComelon” movie with Universal slated for 2027, which Mayer described as “the apex of the CoComelon story.”

Separately, CoComelon is moving from Netflix to Disney+ starting in 2027. The series has been available on Netflix since 2020, where it has been the platform’s number one show globally in aggregate since 2021, according to Mayer.

“We want to take our properties and strategically deploy them across all the different streaming platforms,” Mayer stated during the APOS conference, explaining the company’s approach to content distribution across various digital touchpoints.