Latest news with #SongsForLittles
Telegraph
7 hours ago
- Business
- Telegraph
The former nursery teacher building a YouTube empire
For most people, Rachel Accurso's January deal with Netflix for four episodes of Ms. Rachel – with the promise of more to come later this year – barely registered, if at all. And most people couldn't understand why pro-Israel group StopAntisemitism would be pressing US attorney general to investigate whether this same Rachel Accurso was operating as a pro-Hamas foreign agent. For parents, however, the Netflix deal was more important than Taylor Swift and Timothee Chalamet joining a reboot of Friends for the streamer. And Accurso's take on Gaza was a headline grabbing controversy that caused rows on Mumsnet. Accurso is a kids' YouTuber and host of a show called Songs for Littles. She's both integral to the Netflix business plan a lightning rod for the culture wars - one suspected by the pro-Israel group StopAntisemitism to be operating as a pro-Hamas foreign agent (a claim she vehemently denies). But watching a Ms Rachel video, you wouldn't immediately pick that up. Fair warning, unless you're watching with your child, it's not the most riveting content. Even with a pre-schooler, it is not really a shareable experience, unless it's about 4pm, you're still in your pyjamas, the floor is a mess, and you've opened the wine early again. In an episode titled Learning with Words and Colors for Toddlers, for instance, Ms Rachel appears in her uniform of pink shirt and denim dungarees in front of a brightly coloured animated background. 'Hi friends. I'm so excited to learn with you today,' she says. An animated egg appears next to her. 'What's that? It's a surprise egg. Yes. Maybe if we say open, it will open! Can you say open?' Pause. 'Open. Wow! it's a ball!' She looks at the ball and the screen in delighted surprise. 'Red ball. Red ball. Maybe if you say ball the ball will bounce. Say ball. Say ball. Say…' Pause. 'Ball.' The ball starts bouncing. And so on. She has an excited, open face and the patience to pause just long enough to encourage pre-schoolers to try for each word. And she's so wholesome she's somehow found the Platonic ideal shape of everyone's favourite primary school teacher. So parents love her for many things, not least of which is the length of her videos. Most are, at minimum, 30 minutes long whilst episodes of Songs for Littles, which sees her romp through classics like Wheels on the Bus, Old MacDonald and London Bridge is Falling Down, is a solid hour of content. That's a lot of time off to stare into space or text the parent group chat and one of the reasons she has been called 'the world's babysitter'. But they also love her for letting them do so without feeling guilty. Or at least, not as guilty as if the kids are watching the deranged animation CoComelon or any AI generated kids' animation on YouTube channels such as Yes! Neo or Super Crazy Kids. Miss Rachel is the closest thing to a Playschool presenter the Internet has produced. Before she found fame, the 42-year-old earned master's degrees in early childhood education and music education and worked as a music teacher in the Bronx. She left her job to spend time with her son, Thomas. Around his first birthday, she noticed that he was behind on speech development so started making videos for him. She and her musical theatre husband uploaded the videos to YouTube in 2019, and they immediately struck a chord with young children and their parents. She now has over 15 million subscribers, a small production team and earns between $10 million and $17 million a year through ads and merchandise. This is because YouTube is by some considerable margin the most popular place for kids' viewing. According to a May survey from Precise TV and Giraffe Insights, 72 per cent of two- to 12-year-olds in the UK watch YouTube, against subscription-based streamers (64 per cent), phone/tablet games (54 per cent) and console games (43 per cent). Kids spend an average of 83 minutes a day on YouTube, with only 26 per cent preferring British content over American. In part, this is due to the broadcasters retreating. 'All kids viewing used to be with broadcasters, but they've taken their foot off the pedal over the last decade, more so than any other genre, because you can't really monetise kids' content,' says Tom Harrington of Enders Analysis. 'There's not much you can advertise against it, kids 0-4 viewing isn't measured, and kids don't really need new content because they love watching the same thing again and again so there's no point commissioning 50 new episodes of Fireman Sam.' But kids' content is huge for streamers, he adds, because adults are fickle – they can take out a subscription for the latest cool drama then let it drop – but children are hyper loyal. They want their favourite shows available all the time again and again and again. 'In the data, what we can see is that preschool content is at the top for Netflix,' according to kids' content media analyst Emily Horgan. 'Preschoolers have a limited media footprint. Parents put them in front of Netflix because it's a safe space.' That's why Netflix just bought Sesame Street and originally did a deal with YouTube animation CoComelon in 2020. All eight seasons of that show appeared in the Netflix top 100 until 2024, when viewing started to trail off. In May, Disney + swooped in an bought the full eight eps of the strange cartoon, which it plans to show from 2027 alongside Bluey – which amassed 55.62 billion viewing hours on the streamer last year. In other words, Ms Rachel's theatre-kid-on-Adderall vibe woman is a serious part of Netflix's business. To be fair, she does actually know what she's doing. 'There's techniques Ms Rachel uses that are interesting – everything's incredibly slow, she's incredibly expressive, she talks to the camera and when she says something, she'll give a visual cue,' explains Rachel Diment, a UK speech and language therapist. 'I work with lots of kids that may have cerebral palsy or autism, and they're fascinated. In terms of supporting early language milestones, I would say Ms Rachel versus, say, Teletubbies then Ms Rachel's amazing.' The Teletubbies are unlikely to pose much of a threat to her empire, but Gaza might. Christian conservative parents have previously objected to her Instagram and TikTok content, which is not kid focussed. In 2024, she wished everyone a happy Pride Day, which lead to complaints. But but the Israel-Hamas war is proving a rolling maul of controversy and follows her advocating for Palestinian kids injured or made homeless in Gaza. She first posted about the conflict in May 2024 on Instagram, announcing that she would be raising money for Save the Children's emergency fund for children in Gaza, Ukraine and Sudan. Within hours she had raised $50,000 with orders for 500 personally recorded videos. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Ms Rachel (@msrachelforlittles) A few days later she followed up with a message saying 'children should never experience the horrors of war – nor be killed, injured or taken hostage.' The messages seemed designed to be non-political and she has specifically posted in support of hostage children Ariel and Kfir Bibas. Her posts brought a backlash, and Accurso has posted tearful videos rejecting claims she is antisemitic and talking about her Christianity, saying she loves every child. Remarkably, she managed to ride out the row for almost a year. But in May, StopAntisemitism asked US attorney general Pam Bondi to find out whether Accurso was 'being remunerated to disseminate Hamas-aligned propaganda to her millions of followers.' Accurso has called accusations she received money from Hamas 'absurd' and carries on posting messages on Tik Tok, including a recent video where she told political leaders to 'be ashamed' for not doing enough to stop the killing. The conservative calls for boycotts and imitation 'Christian Ms Rachel' don't appear to have hurt her popularity. She's added two million subscribers this year. 'The kids don't know what her politics are and if the kids watch and they're quiet then I think that's more powerful than probably any political belief,' says Harrington. 'I would argue that you'd have to be quite a resilient person to say, well, I'm not going let the little ones watch that. I'd just prefer if they screamed for the next four hours.'
The Onion
22-05-2025
- Entertainment
- The Onion
The Onion's Exclusive Interview With Ms. Rachel
Rachel Accurso, better known as Ms. Rachel, is a popular YouTuber who creates videos for toddlers. The Onion sat down with Ms. Rachel to discuss education, social media, and the backlash to her public support for the children of Gaza. The Onion : Why did you create your show Songs For Littles ? Ms. Rachel: I figured if that dipshit Blippi could make it big, anyone could. The Onion : What song do children love most? Ms. Rachel: 'Toxicity' by System of a Down. The Onion : What inspired you to speak out about Gaza? Ms. Rachel: While I've enjoyed a great deal of success, my real dream has always been getting called an 'antisemitic cunt' online. The Onion : What's the biggest advantage of creating content for babies? Ms. Rachel: They can't leave death threats in the comments. The Onion : Any fun stories from the set? Ms. Rachel: One day, no matter how many times I tried, I just couldn't count to four correctly. Turns out, I was having a stroke. The Onion : What do you say to children who recognize you in public? Ms. Rachel: Don't touch the overalls. The Onion : What do you say to your critics? Ms. Rachel: Good luck potty training your child without me.
CNN
20-05-2025
- Entertainment
- CNN
YouTube star Ms. Rachel sings with 3-year-old double amputee from Gaza
YouTube star and children's educator Rachel Accurso, whose 'Songs for Littles' have been viewed billions of times, meets and sings one of her trademark songs with Rahaf, a 3-year-old double amputee from Gaza. Accurso, who has millions of followers across social media, has been outspoken about her views that the children in Gaza face a humanitarian crisis, and says she has received both support and bullying for her posts.
Yahoo
09-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Ms Rachel flooded with well wishes after secretly welcoming daughter via surrogate
Ms Rachel has welcomed a baby via surrogate, and fans have flooded her post with well wishes. The YouTube megastar, 42, known for her catchy children's songs, announced the happy news yesterday on Instagram. Posting a sweet pic with her baby, she wrote that her little one was called Susannah, and that she couldn't 'carry this pregnancy for medical reasons'. 'We welcomed sweet baby Susannah into the world,' she told her 2.6million followers. 'We are so in love! 'Sometimes timing isn't what you plan and the road to get there is bumpier than you expect, but when you hold your little ones you know… I'm meant to be your mama. 'I was unable to carry this pregnancy for medical reasons and we were blessed to have a surrogate who gave us the most precious gift possible.' She concluded her post, saying thanks to her surrogate and her husband, Aron. 'We are now all family forever,' she continued. 'We have immense gratitude and a deep bond. It's been a truly beautiful experience. I'm in awe of her. 'Aron - Thank you for being the best husband and dada!' Her post has been commented on hundreds of times by fans, with actress Jennifer Garner also sending her love. 'Congratulations, Rachel!!!! And my little sister is Susannah, it's the most beautiful name. I'm so happy for your family,' she wrote, alongside red heart emojis. Another said: 'Congratulations! She couldn't have a better role model in this life than you. What a gift to share your humanity, compassion and empathy with the next generation. Thank you for all that you do.' And another added: 'Congrats, she's so perfect. Thrilled you and your husband have the opportunity to be the best parents ever.' Ms Rachel already has a child named Thomas, who was born in 2018. She started her YouTube channel - Songs For Littles - when her son was diagnosed with a speech delay. Fans had been waiting for videos for Ms Rachel, as before the announcement, she hadn't posted any new YouTube content in two months. She had told followers the reason she hadn't been posting as she had 'family issues' to attend to.
Yahoo
09-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Ms Rachel flooded with well wishes after secretly welcoming daughter via surrogate
Ms Rachel has welcomed a baby via surrogate, and fans have flooded her post with well wishes. The YouTube megastar, 42, known for her catchy children's songs, announced the happy news yesterday on Instagram. Posting a sweet pic with her baby, she wrote that her little one was called Susannah, and that she couldn't 'carry this pregnancy for medical reasons'. 'We welcomed sweet baby Susannah into the world,' she told her 2.6million followers. 'We are so in love! 'Sometimes timing isn't what you plan and the road to get there is bumpier than you expect, but when you hold your little ones you know… I'm meant to be your mama. 'I was unable to carry this pregnancy for medical reasons and we were blessed to have a surrogate who gave us the most precious gift possible.' She concluded her post, saying thanks to her surrogate and her husband, Aron. 'We are now all family forever,' she continued. 'We have immense gratitude and a deep bond. It's been a truly beautiful experience. I'm in awe of her. 'Aron - Thank you for being the best husband and dada!' Her post has been commented on hundreds of times by fans, with actress Jennifer Garner also sending her love. 'Congratulations, Rachel!!!! And my little sister is Susannah, it's the most beautiful name. I'm so happy for your family,' she wrote, alongside red heart emojis. Another said: 'Congratulations! She couldn't have a better role model in this life than you. What a gift to share your humanity, compassion and empathy with the next generation. Thank you for all that you do.' And another added: 'Congrats, she's so perfect. Thrilled you and your husband have the opportunity to be the best parents ever.' Ms Rachel already has a child named Thomas, who was born in 2018. She started her YouTube channel - Songs For Littles - when her son was diagnosed with a speech delay. Fans had been waiting for videos for Ms Rachel, as before the announcement, she hadn't posted any new YouTube content in two months. She had told followers the reason she hadn't been posting as she had 'family issues' to attend to.
