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Cocomelon—an extremely popular children's program on YouTube and Netflix—left some parents slack-jawed over the show's reference to another Netflix series that is not as kid-friendly.
The kid show held impressive records after being considered the most viewed YouTube channel in July 2020 and remaining in Netflix's top 10 most-watched shows list the longest.
Cocomelon is rendered in 3D animation and entertains viewers through both traditional nursery rhymes and original children's music.
But while geared towards pre-school-aged viewers, adults who happened to catch one episode were shocked after recognizing the names in one of the songs which allegedly referred to the tragic Watt's family—who are featured in the Netflix documentary series, American Murder: The Family Next Door.
The names of the schoolchildren featured in the song were Cece, Bella, and Nico, which happened to be the names of the children who—along with their mother, Shannan, who was pregnant with Nico at the time—were killed by their father, Chris Watts.
Watts famously portrayed himself as a distraught father and husband who claimed his family was missing but later admitted to police he killed his pregnant wife by strangulation and their two daughters, four-year-old Bella and three-year-old Celeste, by smothering them with a blanket on August 13, 2018.
DID YOU KNOW COCOMELON CREATED AN EPISODE ON YOUTUBE AS TRIBUTE TO THE DEATH OF THE THREE CHILDREN OF WATTS FAMILY (American Murder)https://t.co/DVNVCdWQcs at 2:03
— nen (@jannentheris) October 17, 2020
While speculation over whether or not Cocomelon's song was based on the Watts family murders, a Redditor did comment on one of the many threads around the discussion:
"That episode was dedicated to Bella, Celeste and Baby Nico (Shanann's children). The creator confirmed that already."
Not me crying watching cocomelon because there are three kids that have the same name as the deceased Watts children.
the names aren't that common it has to be in memory of right???
😭😭😭😭😭😭😭
— dumpster cat (@juliebinggeser) January 14, 2021
Cocomelon's connection to the Watts family was also mentioned in the trivia section of the show's IMDB page, which read:
"Cocomelon is honoring the memory of CeCe, Bella, and Nico Watts—whose lives were stolen in 2018 by their father, Chris Watts."
However, there was no link available to verify that information.
Regardless, Cocomelon's tribute to the Watts family resonated with many viewers.
Today I learned that the show Cocomelon pays tribute to the three little angels who were murdered by their father, Chris Watts. They named three characters Bella, Cece, and Nico. My heart. pic.twitter.com/1WdNRUQYtv
— a bitch w eyeliner (@lipstick__lexx) November 14, 2020
After watching the american murder and knowing the watts children who were murdered was bella, CeCe and nico I knew the names sounds familiar..
— Celine Sengson-Cagas (@cecehpot) October 8, 2020
then i realized it is also the names of 3 of jj's friends in preschool in cocomelon!!
— Celine Sengson-Cagas (@cecehpot) October 8, 2020
Cocomelon did a tribute to Shannan Watts and her babies and it's so fricken beautiful🥺😔❤️ #cocomelon #Bella #Cece #Nico
— Vivalesi Ralifo (@VivalesiR) December 19, 2020
that specific episode of cocomelon, they did a tribute to the watts family and it gave me goosebumps
— ᴸnana✰¹ᴰ (@softieedward) October 19, 2020
I respected cocomelon so much more when they made a tribute to the watts babys 💕😖 gives me chills everytime I hear it
— myɑ (@__bxndit) November 19, 2020
I just noticed today that cocomelon subtly honors Cece, Bella, and Nico Watts in some of their episodes 😭😭😭
— Aly (@alybcarroll) October 12, 2020
Im done. The Bella child on cocomelon just said she's thankful for Nico because he plays with her and knowing they are named after the Watts children just makes me all 🥺🥺🥺🥺🥺🥺 thinking of them playing in heaven together
— amanda 🎄 (@girlgangmama) December 15, 2020
Cocomelon was created on YouTube on September 1, 2006, as a way to provide viewers with free educational programming.
With 92 million subscribers, Cocomelon - Nursery Rhymes is one of the most subscribed channels in the U.S. behind the YouTube channels T-Series, and PewDiePie.
There were some viewers who found the kids' show honoring the deceased children to be very depressing.
I think I already gathered enough courage to watch the american murder. But everytime I watch cocomelon with my lo, I'll be reminded of this horrific tragedy.
— Kristy E. Regaya (@kristyencinares) October 7, 2020
I just found out the Netflix show Cocomelon I play for Xavier is in memory of the Watts babies and mom... I am now sad
— Leah Alonzo (@leahraee01) November 23, 2020
According to The Independent, Cocomelon started as a hobby fifteen years ago by a couple in Orange County, California, who made short animated videos to entertain their sons.
Jay Jeon, the founder of Treasure Studio, Inc. that creates Cocomelon, had experience as a filmmaker and storyteller, while his wife—who wished to remain anonymous—worked as a children's book illustrator.
Jeon said of the show's characters:
"We've tried to create characters that are adorable, likeable and universally relatable. We began to think of JJ, YoYo, and TomTom as our imaginary kids, and over time, we built a family around them—parents, grandparents, animal friends, school classmates."
"And we think a lot about our audience and what they're going through: growing up, daily challenges, learning new things. Life! We hope they share experiences similar to those of our characters."