FUN Union’s pre-school programme BabyRiki hit the main Chinese digital platforms on 8 July, 2017 and in just seven days the episodes have totalled 25 million views. Out of the 52 episodes 30 have been published on Tencent Video, iQiyi, Youku, Mango TV and Beva.
BabyRiki is an animated series with content that covers all aspects of a child’s life. From physical well-being to social-emotional well-being and soft skills, the musical stories are based around age-appropriate experiences with educational concepts introduced in familiar surroundings and context for infants. It is produced in mixed technique using 3D CGI and live-action video.
FUN Union aims to bring uplifting, entertaining and educational content to children all over China. For CEO Christine Brendle, this success is no surprise. “BabyRiki resonates with toddlers and parents due to its appealing characters and beautiful setting. The series was developed alongside child psychologists to ensure that children would learn through fun and engaging storylines. It has no violence or evil characters and focuses strongly on developing social-emotional skills.”
Chinese director Zijing Wu said, “This is a testament to the success of high-quality content with strong educational values in China. Following our recent announcement about our co-production with CCTV Animation, we’re very pleased with these initial results.”
BabyRiki will launch across all digital platforms in China by the end of the summer (additional 20 platforms) as a secondary round of digital distribution. Its licensing business in the region will kick off with a strong focus on premium children’s products.
The co-production deal with CCTV Animation is for a new children’s animation series Krash and Hehe which is scheduled to premiere in 2019. FUN Union has been building communities in China through its proprietary edutainment platforms. Riki’s tailor-made learning journey with its website is for parents and kids to enjoy together.
For the little ones, there are carefully designed contents such as interactive games, light-hearted songs and engaging animations that helps develop key life skills. There is also a plenty of content designed for young parents – all delivered through associated WeChat accounts.