One of ViacomCBS’ preschool properties of the moment is Blue’s Clues & You!, a classic children’s program that has had a very successful international relaunch. Here are the latest updates
The property
Blue’s Clues & You! is a preschool animation series produced by Nickelodeon starring an animated little dog named Blue! Every day, Blue leaves paw prints on three objects around his house to communicate what he wants to do. With him is his owner and inseparable friend Josh who interacts with viewers to unlock the clues. In each episode, kids enjoy solving puzzles and interactive learning games. From “snack time” to “mail time,” Blue guides them to learn new things and boost their self-esteem.
TV Programming
The series currently consists of two 20 x 22 minute seasons with a third one in the works.
The new Blues Clues & You! launched in March 2020 on NickJr, ViacomCBS Italia’s pre-school platform broadcast on Sky 603, immediately achieving great results. In February 2021 it debuted on Cartoonito’s free-to-air channel. On both channels, it has built a loyal and engaged audience.
The series also airs on an international YouTube channel which has more than 700,000 subscribers and over 540 million views.
Master Toy
Just Play is the master toy licensee with hundreds of Blues Clues & You! products. In Italy the toys will be distributed by Giochi Preziosi starting in September 2021. In collaboration with Giochi Preziosi, ViacomCBS is creating a robust marketing plan to support the launch and sale of the products.
Data and Results
The music and the mystery quest aspects are viewers’ two favorite elements of the show. 83% of children surveyed named Blue as their favorite character and 78% chose Magenta, another character in the series. Parents were particularly impressed by the interaction between Josh and the viewers throughout the show.
In 2020, other interesting data came from NPD which voted the property the “new” number one property in the Infant, Toddlers and Pre-school segment, and as The “new” number one property in the plush segment. (Source NPD POS US Toys Panel – Full Year 2020).
On-board partners
In the toy sector, in addition to Giochi Preziosi with the master toy distribution, including some secondary toys, other partners include Ravensburger (puzzles) and Melissa & Doug (arts & craft). Other licensees include carnival costumes from the Ciao company and Edizioni Play Press in newsstand publishing. ViacomCBS will also soon announce partners in the Food and Softlines segments.
