In the following interview with ttvnews, Víctor M. López, CEO of Krakatoa, partner of Smilehood, talks about Plim Plim’s success as one of the most internationally recognized characters, and his vision for the current and future of the children’s content industry.
Few children’s characters have managed to transcend geographical, generational, and cultural boundaries as much as Plim Plim, the clown whose infectious songs continue to entertain and teach values to children -and adults- around the world.
This year, Plim Plim has achieved truly historic milestones, surpassing 17 billion video views on YouTube, becoming one of the most-watched children’s channels on the entire platform.
The character has also managed to consolidate its presence far beyond the small screen, reaching theaters, events, music, apps, merchandising, and much more. And it’s going for more, following the recent announcement of the start of production of its own series, which will take its universe to a new narrative level.
Plim Plim’s success stems from its home, Smilehood, experts in the production and development of children’s content, whose experience is reflected in its international growth and the global recognition of its brands.
In the following interview with ttvnews, Víctor M. López, CEO of Krakatoa, a Smilehood partner, shares his vision of Plim Plim’s growth and its impact on children’s audiences, his predictions for the future of the children’s content industry, the importance of generating productions that nurture young minds, and the new developments the company is preparing for the near future.
Just a few days before the official start of the last quarter of 2025, how has this year been for Smilehood in terms of growth and business? What milestones would you highlight?
This is the best year in the company’s history, also in terms of business and growth. Plim Plim surpassed 1.5 billion video views in August, with a cumulative total of 17 billion over the past 12 months. Less than 5% of these videos are shorts, making it the #5 channel by video views in the Túbular universe, which includes more than 48.4 million creators on YouTube.
We have reached 41.9 million subscribers across all channels, and in terms of revenue, with YouTube, we’re set to reach eight figures, doubling last year’s figures.
And all of this helps us consolidate the process of transforming Plim Plim into a brand that goes far beyond the good numbers from YouTube: book sales will far exceed 100,000 units in Latam this year, the promising results of Bandai in Mexico and Spain and Arbrex in the other countries of the region, with very high toy placement and sales, being able to count on the best licensing agents in Latam, the launch of consumer products throughout the region and the imminent agreements with televisions and platforms, will round out an excellent year for Plim Plim.
And to top it all off, Smilehood and Krakatoa have begun production on Bumpy the Bear, in collaboration with TVE, a series of 52 music videos that is the public broadcaster’s first “digital first” program for children.
One of the most important brands in Smilehood’s catalog is undoubtedly Plim Plim, which continues to resonate with audiences around the world. What makes this character so special and what makes it so long-standing?
It’s difficult to determine why a piece of content is successful. As you can imagine, we’ve tried to analyze it time and again, among other things, to try to replicate this result, but the conclusions are difficult to define. So, I’ll give you my opinion: Plim Plim is a unique and recognizable character; he’s unlike any other. Contrary to the trend toward uniformity, Plim Plim still has a distinctive style. Original music is enjoying an unbeatable reception. With over 1.15 billion video views, “Abejita” has also become a viral phenomenon, but it’s not the only one. We’re seeing extremely high retention for the new songs we’ve released; seven have already surpassed 500 million video views. We’re maintaining the essence of the content and offering a unique experience wherever children are, whether on TV, on platforms, or in the theater. And we mustn’t lose sight of the fact that when you speak to preschoolers, you’re speaking to the whole family. Perhaps these are the reasons, or others, but the truth is that Plim Plim’s alchemy works, and its audience is growing worldwide.
Plim Plim has also managed to consolidate its presence far beyond the television screen, reaching theaters, events, music, apps, merchandising, and much more. What added value does Plim Plim bring to different partners in the entertainment industry that has enabled this growth?
Plim Plim has permeated the entire industry, as you rightly say, and all our commercial partners are achieving great results, regardless of their sector—Google, of course, but also television channels, theaters that fill up with every performance, toy companies like Arbrex and Bandai, Penguin Random House, licensing agents, and so on. These strong financial results are driving everyone to increase their stakes in the brand and expand its presence in more and more areas and new territories. It’s not often that content that has grown and established itself on YouTube achieves relevance, for example, in licensing, and Plim Plim is achieving this.
What is your current vision of the children’s entertainment industry? What are the main challenges of producing content for new audiences, with their changing consumer habits and new technologies that continue to evolve? And how has Smilehood managed to stay at the forefront of the market?
Starting at the end, I think the first step was to stay true to the values that inspired Guillermo Pino and his team in the creation and production of Plim Plim. And, from there, to grow and evolve with the market. The largest audience is on YouTube; the data for children’s content is incomparable to that of television, but we must take care of and support TV channels because they add a stamp of prestige to your content, just like the platforms themselves. Theater plays have an enormous impact on the audience that watches them: not just the little ones, but the entire family. Plim Plim offers content tailored to each medium, be it an app, a meet-and-greet, and, hopefully, in the future, an amusement park. Content creators and producers must be platform-agnostic and live as close as possible to families, children, and, if I may say so, society. Less short films and more quality content.
As for the state of the children’s entertainment industry, it continues to evolve. I’ve been creating and producing children’s content for almost 25 years, and the industry hasn’t stopped changing constantly. The emergence of technology happened a long time ago; in 2006, we were already publishing Pocoyo on Google Videos and YouTube, even on eMule, and we joked back then that we were “pirating ourselves.” AI already impacts a large part of processes; our job is to continue learning from it and applying it as a new tool, just as light tables, 3D animation software, Wacoms with optical pens, or cloud-based rendering systems once did.
The world never stops changing, and we have to adapt. YouTube and social media democratize access to content. It’s no longer the executives of large companies or production companies who decide what works and what doesn’t. The public is sovereign and chooses freely, and we must serve them. The crisis at the majors means there’s less money in the system. They’re restructuring, laying off companies, and refining their business models. In return, there’s more money in advertising, direct relationships with consumers, and online sales platforms. This is progress, and it can’t be stopped. Partnering with it is fun and rewarding if you figure it out.
But there’s one aspect we can’t forget: we produce content for children. That implies a responsibility. There’s medical evidence that tells us, for example, that viral shorts are harmful to children, that they’re becoming mental fentanyl for them. It’s an obligation to avoid them, reduce them, and approach them differently. We’re seeing children’s channels leveraging their growth on shorts. This adds no value to the content and harms children, and the solution is simple: let’s apply it.
Anything else you’d like to add?
I’d like to highlight the incredible work the Plim Plim team is doing in all areas: music and audiovisual production, data analysis, brand building, theater, viral marketing, business development, and more. But above all, I’d like to share with you the extraordinary concern the company has for the people who live at Smilehood, whether they’re in Argentina, Canada, the United States, or Spain. The company’s core priorities are the people who work there: offering solutions to their problems, caring for their health in the broadest sense of the word, and sharing their successes with everyone. Perhaps the secret to Plim Plim’s success lies in that: putting the team first. At a time when it seems people matter less, Smilehood leaves no one behind, no one.
