Netflix is making a bigger play for young viewers with the launch of a games app for kids, the renewal of two preschool shows and a new series based on one of the most enduring nursery rhymes of all time.
The streamer on Monday launched Netflix Playground, a gaming app aimed at kids 8 and under that features activities with characters from Peppa Pig, Sesame Street, Storybots and other kids’ shows in Netflix’s library. The app is free for all subscribers and promises no in-game purchases or other fees and no advertising (regardless of whether the linked account subscribes to Netflix’s ad-supported tier).
Games will also be playable offline, should parents not want to burn their wireless hotspot on a long car ride. The Playground app launched Monday in the United States, Canada, U.K., Australia, the Philippines and New Zealand and will debut in the rest of the world on April 28.
Along with Playground’s launch, Netflix on Monday ordered an animated preschool series called Young MacDonald. Created by Gabrielle Meyer (Ada Twist, Scientist), the show centers on Mac, the grandson of Old MacDonald who cares for his farm animals and crops with the help of a pig named Dumpling. The streamer has also ordered new seasons of animated shows Trash Truck and The Creature Cases.
“We’re building a world where kids can not only watch their favorite stories, they can step inside them and interact with their favorite characters,” said John Derderian, vp animation series and kids & family TV at Netflix. “We’re creating a seamless destination for discovery, learning, and play. Whether it’s reuniting with Hank and the Trash Truck crew for new adventures or making a smoothie with Peppa Pig, watching and playing on Netflix can be the fun and easiest part of every family’s day.”
Games in the Playground app will let kids color, play matching games and develop pattern recognition, along with — in the Bad Dinosaurs game — “jam out with a turntable, keyboard and sound effects to make a fart-filled new song.” Families who have used the PBS Kids app will have an idea of some of the offerings in Playground (minus the fart-filled song part).
Netflix has renewed its push for kids and family viewing in the past couple of years, acquiring Sesame Street in May 2025 and making deals with popular creators including Mark Rober and Daniel Coleman, aka Danny Go!, whose show also made its Netflix debut on Monday. Over the next few months, Netflix will also debut new episodes of CoComelon Lane, Rober’s CrunchLabs, Ms. Rachel and Sesame Street along with a Gabby’s Dollhouse feature film that’s set to premiere May 23.
