Twenty somethings are doing it, according to the Today Show October 16, 2015. Even more mature adults are doing it. The goofy videos our grandchildren are watching on YouTube are a multi million dollar industry.
One of the most popular video stars, Cutie Pie made $12 million this year playing video games on You Tube with silly comments, according to the Today Show. $53,000 is average household income and people making silly videos are making millions of dollars.
One of the commentators on the Today Show segment mentioned young children mesmerized by YouTube videos of adults opening presents and toys on the video. Our four year old grandson is hooked on DCTC (Disney Cars Toy Club). If his parents would let him, he would watch DCTC on YouTube all day. This Grandma watched with him. Amy Jo opens large play doh eggs with surprises inside. Shopkins sells items but mostly opening packages is the storyline each and every YouTube video. There are commercials before, which is apparently where they make their money. To me, as an adult, this is the most boring video of all time. There seems to be agreement among the adults on the web.
There is actually a Huffington Post article on line where the author, Melissa Maypole interviewed her own children about DCTC. In “These Grown-Ups Are Making a Living Playing With Toys Online, and Internet Kids Love It!” she says her children’s pretend play was different and THEY showed her the youtube video. She says:
“It was basically a couple of grownups talking in high-pitched voices and playing with their own collection of dolls and toys. Turns out that the video wasn’t an anomaly. In fact, there are several channels out there that do this, including All Toy Collector and The Mommy and Gracie Show. One of them, Disney Cars Toy Club (not officially affiliated with Disney and known on YouTube as DCTC), is fast approaching a million subscribers. I watched a few of the videos and found them a little odd but kid-friendly enough. I was amused and impressed at how my girls interacted with these videos, so I gave them the green light to subscribe to a couple of them.”
“Even so, I still didn’t quite understand why my daughters were so intrigued by the concept of watching adults playing with toys. My older kids (12 and 15) didn’t get it either, and my 12-year-old asked, shouldn’t they be playing with their own toys instead of watching other people play?”
. . . . “So playing with toys for a living definitely sounds like a sweet gig, but why is there an audience for this type of content? When I asked my girls to tell me what they liked about these toy channels, I got an earful. While 6-year-old Taylor simply told me she enjoyed the videos because they were “funny,” my 8-year-old had a lot more to say. She told me about how she enjoyed watching the dolls come to life on the show as the filmmakers animated their arms and legs and talked for them. She liked how real it all looked, as if her Barbie dolls had truly come alive to star in their own reality shows. When I inquired as to whether she prefers to watch these videos or play with her own dolls, she replied, “both!” Ms. Maypole interviewed Brandon and Amy Jo from DCTC. Here are some important things they said:
“One important thing that we want parents to know is that we have no control over the advertisements that run on our videos. The ads that viewers see are based on the YouTube account owner’s demographic information. However, account owners can control this by going into their settings. ”
Ms. Maypole continues:
“Parents who are concerned about the quality of the screen time their kids consume may wonder if there are any benefits at all to videos that feature adults playing with toys. Other than showing kids how to play with the toys they have in innovative ways, do videos such as these have any other advantages? When I asked the creators of DCTC this question, they freely admitted that the major draw for kids is the entertainment value of the videos they create, but as parents themselves with experience and training in child development, they do feel as if kids benefit in other ways:”
“Beyond that, there are language and social skills to be gained, and if children “play along” with our videos (many parents tell us they do) then there are fine and gross motor skills to be developed as well. One cool by-product of this is that we hear from kids and parents all over the world who say that they are learning better English by watching our videos!”
What does Ms. Maypole conclude:
“After talking one-on-one with the folks at DCTC and viewing their videos myself, I’m definitely okay with allowing my children to subscribe to their channel. After all, adults have been creating media for kids for decades, so although it may appear strange at first, it really isn’t much different. Plus, these particular YouTubers seem to be conscious of their potential impact on children and aware of their position as role models, often telling kids to make sure they complete their homework, go outside and run around, and not to watch too many videos. They’re also working hard to be responsible about any unintended consequences their videos may have on kids, making sure to refer to girl dolls and characters as not just “pretty” but “strong” and “smart” as well. Having said that, I don’t think it’s safe to assume all YouTubers shoulder this level of responsibility. I recommend parents thoroughly review a channel’s content before giving their kids the go-ahead to view its videos.”
Apparently, they pay 45% of earnings to google, and still make a fortune. This Grandma tried to find out how much. But I could not. Maybe you can. On socialblade.com they are listed as number 40, with a rating of A+ for Disney Cars Toy Club DCTC Entertainment 2,313,3102, subscribers and 358,661,140 viewers. Wow!
There are more just like them on YouTube. For example, watch the segment.
If you want to learn more read this article.
Why did we not think of this silliness? Next time you speak to your grandchildren, ask them what YouTube videos they watch. Hope they say Sesame Street! Or maybe your grandchild can become the next YouTube star. . . think Justin Bieber!
Joy,
Mema
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