pocket.watch Launches New Franchise Based on HobbyKidsTV

Generation Alpha has a new franchise from pocket.watch — HobbyKids Adventures.

Based on the YouTube family behind the channel HobbyKidsTV, HobbyKids Adventures will debut as a new animated series from Butch Hartman (The Fairly OddParents, Danny Phantom) in collaboration with pocket.watch and the HobbyKids family. Rapid expansion into consumer products including toys, apparel, bedding, room décor, pajamas, backpacks, and other categories will follow, with Walmart on board as the exclusive retail partner at launch. The franchise will be supported through a partnership with Hardee’s and Carl’s Jr. (CKE) that will see HobbyKids Adventures Star Pals kids’ meals on the menu at more than 3,800 restaurants across the U.S. this August.

“We were thrilled when the HobbyKids family signed on as pocket.watch’s first creator partner back in 2017 and we immediately started brainstorming around ways we could work with them to build them into a true global franchise leveraging their obvious and palpable appeal,” says Chris M. Williams, founder and CEO of pocket.watch. “With the launch of the series, and the amazing partnerships with Walmart and CKE, we are excited to once again be bringing kids and families more of what they love through expansions of their favorite creator brands.”

Leveraging an audience that has fueled more than 7.5 billion views since 2013, HobbyKids Adventures will premiere June 22 on the HobbyKidsTV YouTube Channel.

Toys and other product offerings aimed at kids ages 3 and up will include toys and novelties from Just Play; apparel from The Bentex Group; bedding and room decor from Franco Manufacturing; and pajamas from BioWorld.

“At Walmart, we strive to be the first to bring unique product trends and innovations to market, and HobbyKids Adventures is a great example of that,” says Anne Marie Kehoe, vice president of toys at Walmart. “Offering our customers a line of exclusive apparel and toys from their favorite characters and personalities, like the HobbyKids YouTube stars, is just one way we deliver on being America’s Best Toy Shop.”

The HobbyKids family — HobbyMom, HobbyDad, HobbyFrog, HobbyPig, and HobbyBear — will take part in an eight-weekend experiential tour visiting approximately 24 Walmart stores across the country.

“We are so excited to be working with pocket.watch to bring HobbyKids Adventures to life,” HobbyMom & HobbyDad said in a statement. “What they’ve been able to accomplish exceeds our wildest expectations of where we thought our channel could go when we started back in 2013. From the series to the toy and apparel lines, we can’t wait to share this massive and exciting endeavor with our fans.”

About the author

James Zahn

James Zahn, AKA The Rock Father, is Editor-in-Chief of The Toy Book, a Senior Editor at The Toy Insider and The Pop Insider, and Editor of The Toy Report, The Toy Book‘s weekly industry newsletter. As a pop culture and toy industry expert, Zahn has appeared as a panelist and guest at events including Comic-Con International: San Diego (SDCC) Wizard World Chicago, and the ASTRA Marketplace & Academy. Zahn has more than 30 years of experience in the entertainment, retail, and publishing industries, and is frequently called upon to offer expert commentary for publications such as Forbes, Marketwatch, the Wall Street Journal, the New York Times, USA Today, Reuters, the Washington Post, and more. James has appeared on History Channel’s Modern Marvels, was interviewed by Larry King and Anderson Cooper, and has been seen on Yahoo! Finance, CNN, CNBC, FOX Business, NBC, ABC, CBS, WGN, The CW, and more. Zahn joined the Adventure Media & Events family in 2016, initially serving as a member of the Parent Advisory Board after penning articles for the Netflix Stream Team, Fandango Family, PBS KIDS, Sprout Parents (now Universal Kids), PopSugar, and Chicago Parent. He eventually joined the company full time as a Senior Editor and moved up the ranks to Deputy Editor and Editor-in-Chief.