There is a new trend on YouTube that is mesmerizing kids. One of the channels that features this trend is getting over 100 million views a week. And a family of channels that feature this trend has attracted over 5 million subscribers and over 4 billion views to date. What is this trend that has captured the attention of so many kids? Maybe not what you'd expect.
The trend is adults dressed up in superhero costumes acting out skits that play out like a silent movie. Nothing fancy or spectacular. There are a few special effects, but they are simple...almost to the point of being shoddy.
So why are kids mesmerized by these videos? A studio executive says kids love these videos because of...
- silent film - kids internationally appreciate that there are no spoken words / this also forces the characters to represent the story physically and broadly
- surreal story lines
- using superheroes that kids already know and like
- using elements that kids like including candy, fun music, squirt guns, lasers and flying.
Davey Orgill, a Christian father who makes YouTube videos with his wife and kids, came across this trend last year and was blown away by the number of views it was getting. So he ordered some costumes for his family, opened the YouTube channel SuperHero Reality TV and started making videos using this format. In just 3 weeks, the channel was clocking 20 million views within 48-hour periods.
Children's ministry leaders who want to grab the attention of kids and get their message to them should take note of the success of this trend.
What if you used this format to tell Bible stories and share Biblical truth? This could be done live or by video.
Do you have shared experiences for kids and parents together? The format the Orgills are using with kids and parents being in the video together would no doubt be a big hit for this.
Are you looking for ways to extend the weekend lesson into the home during the week. What if you had a contest for families to make videos in this format about the lesson and then post them on a YouTube channel you create?
Below are some examples of this video trend that kids are loving. What do you think about this trend? Share your thoughts with us in the comment section below.
