IATSE Goes on Strike Against ‘CoComelon: The Melon Patch’ Children’s Series
The International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees (IATSE) has gone on strike against the second season of the YouTube children’s series, “CoComelon: The Melon Patch,” as the crew says they have not been provided “fair wages and benefits.”Hoping to persuade production to sign a union contract, the show’s crew union announced the picket of the series on Wednesday.“Rather than provide fair wages and benefits to the crew, the producer is trying to hire scabs for the production in Sun Valley, Calif,” IATSE wrote in an Instagram post.
According to IATSE, 22 crew members who worked on the first season returned for the second, only to find a decline in working conditions and increased individual workloads.Wednesday marked the seventh day of a 16-day shoot, and the union is claiming that the production began attempting to hire replacement workers.Variety has reached out to IATSE for comment. Moonbug Entertainment responded with no comment.“The Melon Patch,” which launched in September 2025 and stars Allie Rivera Quiñonez as the preschool teacher Ms. Appleberry, is a spinoff of the original “CoComelon” on YouTube. “CoComelon” became a viral sensation online, known for its 3D-animated music videos featuring toddlers, parents, and the character JJ, who explore daily life through nursery rhymes and original songs.Universal Pictures is set to release a feature-length “CoComelon” film in February 2027. Although Netflix remains the streamer for spin-offs “CoComelon Lane” and “Blippi,” the primary “CoComelon” animated series, including all of its existing seasons, is set to move from Netflix to Disney+ in 2027.
According to IATSE, 22 crew members who worked on the first season returned for the second, only to find a decline in working conditions and increased individual workloads.Wednesday marked the seventh day of a 16-day shoot, and the union is claiming that the production began attempting to hire replacement workers.Variety has reached out to IATSE for comment. Moonbug Entertainment responded with no comment.“The Melon Patch,” which launched in September 2025 and stars Allie Rivera Quiñonez as the preschool teacher Ms. Appleberry, is a spinoff of the original “CoComelon” on YouTube. “CoComelon” became a viral sensation online, known for its 3D-animated music videos featuring toddlers, parents, and the character JJ, who explore daily life through nursery rhymes and original songs.Universal Pictures is set to release a feature-length “CoComelon” film in February 2027. Although Netflix remains the streamer for spin-offs “CoComelon Lane” and “Blippi,” the primary “CoComelon” animated series, including all of its existing seasons, is set to move from Netflix to Disney+ in 2027.