Whether or not you’re a parent, chances are you’ve heard a Gracie’s Corner original song. The award-winning YouTube animated series has taken the world by storm with its catchy music production and fun, yet educational content. As familiar as most of us have become with the music, did you know there’s a real family behind the popular cartoon?
It all started when the Javoris and Arlene Hollingsworth noticed a void in the edutainment space when looking for quality programming to show their children during the pandemic. To fill their time, their eldest daughter Graceyn wanted to create her own YouTube channel but for safety, Javoris and Arlene decided it was best to create an animated character in her likeness instead.
“We saw an opportunity for us to create something where our children and children of color were at the forefront,” Javoris tells ESSENCE. “But at the same time, I also saw it from the musician standpoint.”
A seasoned musical engineer, Javoris put his talent to the test by creating well-crafted beats over educational lessons voiced by Graceyn. Thus Gracie’s Corner was born. In just a few years the channel has amassed millions of views and subscribers. The series has also attracted stars for musical collaborations that include Big Freedia and Snoop Dogg. So, what’s behind the massive success.
“It veers away from the traditional children’s music where after enough times, you almost want to pull your hair out,” Javoris expains. “I wanted to make it fun and fresh and also relatable, like something that you or our kids probably would hear on a radio riding on a street or something. Pairing it all together where we’re taking these amazing genres that we’ve all grown to love and just connecting it with the children’s content, making sure that it’s clean, educational, fun.”
Since its launch the series has created its own universe complete with merch, educational resources and downloadable songs. But the family says that’s only the beginning.
“Ultimately, the goal is to build out Gracie’s world, to where there’s a full narrative that showcases who she is as a person, get to know who her family…What does her mom like? What is her dad like? Because right now, it’s still a bit of a blank slate because of how we have it formatted it,” Arlene explains. “A long form series is the next step for us where we have full-blown episodes.
According to the couple there have also been conversations with networks to pick up the developing series, a major move in the inclusive edutainment space.
“We want the series to gain global exposure because it’s well-rounded,” Arlene explains. “It’s educational in a really thoughtful way, which is completely intentional,” she points out. Arlene, a trained practicing psychologist and Javoris, a former chemistry professor incorporated their professional knowledge into the series to transform nursery rhymes into applicable knowledge over infectious beats.
Javoris adds: “This is really only the beginning and we can’t wait to start shining a light on everything Gracie’s World has to offer.”