Netflix adds new Dr. Seuss series, expanding its children’s programming

Winning the hearts and minds of children could be part of the solution to Netflix’s recent growth problems. That’s why it’s doubling down on Dr. Seuss.

The streaming company announced Tuesday that it was premiering five new animated series based on books by beloved children’s book author Theodor Geisel, better known as Dr. Seuss.

The series are “One Fish, Two Fish, Red Fish, Blue Fish,” “The Sneetches,” “Horton Hears a Who!,” “Wacky Wednesday” and “Thidwick The Big-Hearted Moose.” The company did not say when the new shows would debut on the service.

The new content builds on the streamer’s existing Dr. Seuss content, which kicked off with the animated series “Green Eggs and Ham” in 2019. That series starts its second season April 8.

The deeper dive into the world of Dr. Seuss furthers Netflix’s strategy to expand in two crucial areas: content based on established characters and stories and children’s programming.

These two areas are important to every streaming service, not just Netflix (NFLX), because they hook in young viewers and their parents (who foot the subscription bill.) Streaming services need content for all ages to diversify their libraries and broaden their subscriber base. Which is why services are investing heavily in content for kids that has familiar characters.

For example, Disney has plenty with Disney Animation and Pixar, HBO Max has Sesame Street, Paramount+ has SpongeBob SquarePants. Now, Netflix has more Dr. Seuss.

WASHINGTON, D.C., JANUARY 11, 2010. Nine-year-old Anthony Andrade reads Roald Dahl's 'The Giant Peach' with Kirkland & Ellis's paralegal Travis Lauchman as part of Everybody Wins! at the Marie Reed Community Center. Everybody Wins! is a children's literacy and mentoring nonprofit organization. Its purpose is to build the skills and love of reading while targeting mainly low-income elementary students. The organization brings volunteer mentors into schools for weekly one-on-one reading exercise. (Photo by ASTRID RIECKEN For The Washington Post via Getty Images)

Related article Netflix buys rights to Roald Dahl's beloved children's stories

Netflix has been doing this, too. The company announced in September that it acquired the rights to the stories of Roald Dahl, and plans to create a “unique universe” of products based on them. Dahl is best known for stories like “Charlie and the Chocolate Factory,” “The BFG” and “Matilda” – all of which have been made into movies.

Dr. Seuss and Dahl may not seem like the biggest names, but Netflix needs all the help it can get since the company has had seen its growth stagnant lately.

The company is still at the top of the streaming world with more than 221 million subscribers globally, but its last totals came in lighter than expected and its outlook going forward was so lackluster that it caused its stock to plummet. Netflix’s stock is down 43% this year.

Netflix said on Tuesday that its Dr. Seuss shows will “serve as a true anchor for the company’s expanded focus on pre-school” by introducing concepts of foundational learning.

“This new slate of programming will explore themes of diversity and respect for others, all told through fun and engaging stories that incorporate the whimsical humor, distinctive visuals and rhythmic style of Dr. Seuss,” the company said.

Heather Tilert, Netflix’s director of preschool content, added that Dr. Seuss’ books have been “a core part of families’ libraries for many years” and that she takes “great pride that we are bringing them to our catalog of Netflix shows, in a fresh and modern way that resonates with audiences today.”