IATSE is premiering the second season of the live streaming series on YouTube Cocomelon: Watermelon patch While the show’s crew members strive to convince production to sign a union contract.
The crew union announced a sit-in on the educational series that offends young children on Wednesday after a failed attempt to unify production. “Instead of providing fair wages and benefits to the crew, the producer is attempting to hire employees for production in Sun Valley, California,” IATSE claimed on Instagram.
According to the union, 22 crew members who previously worked in the first season returned for the second season, as they faced a decline in working conditions, with a greater workload expected for each crew member.
The strike began on Wednesday, the seventh day of the 16-day filming period, and the union claims production has begun trying to hire replacement workers. A Local 80 member who was later hired joined the picket line, which continues Thursday.
Hollywood Reporter I reached out to Moonbug Entertainment, which is owned by Candle Media, which produces Cocomelon Titles, for comment.
Watermelon patchwhich stars Ally Rivera Quiñonez as preschool teacher Mrs. Appleberry, and is a spin-off from the original film. Cocomelon YouTube channel, which created a sensation in the 2000s. The animated videos are so popular that they have given rise to such spin-off series, as well as concerns that their animation is too fast and addictive for children. Universal Pictures will release a Cocomelon The film is released in February 2027.
According to IATSE, at least one Cocomelon The animated series currently being distributed on Netflix has a contract with The Animation Guild, itself a local affiliate of IATSE. Cocomelon It will move to Disney+ in 2027 after Netflix refused to renew its license for the series, even as it continues to stream episodes. Cocomelon Derivatives Cocomelon Lane and Blippi.
