May 8, 2024
How Jools TV’s Trap, Drill, And Reggae Jingles Reimagine ‘Edutainment’ For Black And Brown Children
Jools TV is taking YouTube by storm with its "edutainment" content for kids and the culture.
Jools TV is growing in popularity as the perfect example of what you get when you combine education with entertainment for children and the culture.
Founded in 2020 by The Brim family’s mom and dad duo Justin and Patrice, Jools TV‘s adventure, learning, and music platform has children falling in love with its signature trapery rhymes. With 560,000 YouTube subscribers (and growing), the animated kids channel puts diversity at the forefront of its education and entertainment content.
It’s a passion project birthed out of pain after Justin and Patrice lost their eldest son, JJ, at the age of three. The Chicago family sought to ensure a fulfilling upbringing for their second son, Jaxon, when they decided to honor JJ’s memory by crafting an animated platform for their children. With the addition of two more sons, Jett and Jhy, the Brims launched Jools TV in 2020.
“As first-time parents, we were navigating the world of YouTube, searching for content that was suitable for our child, and noticed a lack of representation,” Justin and Patrice told BLACK ENTERPRISE. “We found some channels that we allowed our son to watch, and as he watched them, my husband and I were in the background, remixing the songs he was listening to.”
With diversity and inclusion in mind, the Brims decided to launch a platform where children like their own would feel seen and represented while their caregivers jammed along.
“We also reminisced about how awesome it would be to start our own channel to offer our child and countless other children representation in the space,” they said. “That’s when we decided to take matters into our own hands and create Jools TV—a channel that would entertain and educate children while promoting diversity.”
Jools TV, short for “Js Of Our Lives,” addresses the need for diverse representation and engaging animation in children’s programming. Through its “edu-tainment” (a blend of education and entertainment), Jools TV aims to empower the next generation in a captivating manner suitable for kids of all ages.
In its four years of operation, Jools TV has accumulated over 100 million total views. Among the platform’s notable supporters include Cardi B, who cites the channel as her son’s “absolute favorite,” Missy Elliott, Ciara and Russell Wilson, Michael B. Jordan, and NFL player Alexander Johnson.
“Our rapid growth shows that there was a need for our channel. Additionally, we believe that our product can serve as a wonderful opportunity for parents and children to connect and enjoy together,” the Brims says. “We have infused melodies from popular ’90s and 2000s songs with famous nursery rhymes for kids, we aim to create a sense of nostalgia and familiarity for both parents and children.”
Each installment of this family-produced series imparts valuable life lessons, accompanied by catchy “Trapery Rhymes.” All aspects of content creation, from conception to completion, are handled internally. Their energetic hip-hop renditions serve as engaging vehicles for teaching children essential life skills while ensuring they remain entertained and informed.
“We regularly ask our children about their interests, school experiences, and sources of entertainment to collect data for our channel,” the Brims explain. “Our four boys range in age from 4 months to 8 years old, so it helps us to know what topics resonate with them. We also review a list of popular nursery rhymes and relatable subjects for children their age.”
The latest addition to Jools media empire is the book JJ’s Affirmations. The self-empowerment book for kids looks to spark conversations about self-acceptance, diversity, and individuality.
“We were thrilled to release this book because it features our eldest son, JJ, as the main character,” Justin and Patrice shared. “The book is a tribute to who he was when he was alive—an affirming, kind, and caring person toward his family and everyone he met.
“The story aims to encourage children and adults alike that loving oneself is the best form of self-care. We have plans to release three more books this year, each authored by one of our children,” they added.
Depicting a variety of characters and narratives can introduce children to experiences beyond their daily lives and play a crucial role in their growth and development. The Brims family are making edutaining content creation look easy and they have no plans of slowing down.
“Our goal is to expand our brand globally. We are increasing our content output and expanding our merchandise line, and we are excited to introduce a new channel to the brand,” they shared.
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