NEW YORK--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Nickelodeon will unbox its playful new preschool series Ryan’s Mystery Playdate, starring seven-year-old YouTube superstar Ryan of Ryan ToysReview, on Friday, April 19, at 12:30 p.m. (ET/PT). Created and produced by pocket.watch, the new studio creating global franchises from the YouTube stars and characters loved by Generation Alpha, the live-action series (20 episodes) follows Ryan as he tackles a series of imaginative, physical challenges and solves mystery box puzzles to reveal the identity of his playdate. A brand-new episode of Ryan’s Mystery Playdate will also premiere Saturday, April 20, at 12:30 p.m. (ET/PT), before the series moves to its regular timeslot on Fridays at 12:30 p.m. (ET/PT) on Nickelodeon.
In Ryan’s Mystery Playdate, Ryan, his parents and animated friends Gus the Gummy Gator and Combo Panda, work together to complete unique challenges and unlock mystery boxes that contain hints to help him discover who his mystery playdate is. The series encourages physical play, models positive family relationships and features a creative problem-solving curriculum.
In the series premiere, “Ryan’s Kickin’ Playdate/Ryan’s Viral Playdate,” Ryan is put to the test with challenges ranging from stacking pancakes to catching slimy frogs before meeting his highly skilled playdate. Then, Ryan must deflate a room full of whoopee cushions to reveal the identity of his internet superstar playdate.
Following the linear series premiere of Ryan’s Mystery Playdate, NickJr.com and the Nick Jr. App will feature original short-form content and full-length episodes. Episodes will also be available on Nick Jr. On Demand and DTO.
Beginning Friday, April 19, through Sunday, April 21, Nickelodeon will launch the Ryan’s Mystery Playdate Sweepstakes. Each episode of Ryan’s Mystery Playdate will feature a mystery word that parents can enter on RyansMysterySweepstakes.com, giving kids a chance to win a playdate with Ryan.
Since its inception in 2015, Ryan ToysReview has grown to become one of the world’s largest YouTube channels with videos that feature Ryan and his family playing with toys for kids. The channel, along with other channels featuring Ryan and his friends, averages over one billion views monthly and currently has over 18 million subscribers. In addition to videos of Ryan playing with toys, Ryan ToysReview also features fun and easy science experiments, educational content, and videos that document daily life for the family of five, which includes Ryan’s younger twin sisters. Ryan’s World, a companion consumer products line developed by pocket.watch, featuring Ryan and the universe of characters created by Ryan and his parents, launched nationwide last year.
Pocket.watch is the new studio that specializes in entertaining and inspiring kids and families through digital-first content and sparking their imaginations with lifestyle products ranging from toys to toothbrushes. The company inspires kids to seamlessly move between screen time and playtime and boasts a growing portfolio of franchises that includes some of the largest kids and family YouTube brands in the world alongside original characters and talent that the company has extended into premium series, consumer products, books, games, live events and more. Pocket.watch was founded in March 2017 by Chris M. Williams and is located in Culver City, CA where it maintains an office and studio. The management team is made up of studio veterans and visionaries from traditional and digital entertainment including Albie Hecht, Stone Newman, Jon Moonves and David B. Williams. Investors include Viacom, Greycroft, Third Wave Digital and United Talent Agency (UTA), as well as notable strategic angels including Robert Downey Jr. (Team Downey) and Jon Landau.
Production of Ryan’s Mystery Playdate for Nickelodeon is overseen by Cathy Galeota, Senior Vice President, Preschool Content.
Nickelodeon, now in its 39th year, is the number-one entertainment brand for kids. It has built a diverse, global business by putting kids first in everything it does. The company includes television programming and production in the United States and around the world, plus consumer products, digital, recreation, books and feature films. Nickelodeon’s U.S. television network is seen in more than 90 million households and has been the number-one-rated kids’ basic cable network for 22 consecutive years. For more information or artwork, visit http://www.nickpress.com. Nickelodeon and all related titles, characters and logos are trademarks of Viacom Inc. (NASDAQ: VIA, VIAB).
