I’ve started 2026 with a song loved by millions. It’s new to me, but it’s now chiseled into my brain.
One verse goes like this:
“Icky sticky sticky sticky sticky bubble gum, bubble gum, bubble gum
Icky sticky sticky sticky sticky bubble gum, bubble gum, bubble gum
Makes your hands stick to your head
And you pull ’em, and you pull ’em, and you pull ’em away!”
It turns out that bubble gum also sticks to your elbows, tummy, ears, knees, mouth and other body parts. Who knew? Apparently 68 million people — that’s how many times the video has been viewed in its five years on YouTube. This same singer’s YouTube channel has amassed 13.5 billion views. Yes, that’s billion with a B.
Folks who keep track of such things estimate the creator’s net worth is between $10 million and $50 million. Perhaps it’s time to dust off my accordion and come up with some icky sticky zydeco.
The bubble gum song was my introduction to Ms. Rachel, a beloved educator and entertainer for babies, toddlers and their parents. Credit for the revelation goes to Tatum, my grandson who just turned 1.
Tatum’s vocabulary is limited to “yah” and “dah” right now. But I bet he’ll be saying “icky sticky” right after he starts walking.
Tatum’s world stops when Ms. Rachel is on TV. There’s no crying. His bottle can wait.
All eyes are Ms. Rachel, who is Rachel Griffin Accurso, a modern-day “Mister Rogers.” She and her husband Aron created nursery rhymes, puppets and skits that have earned them 18.5 million YouTube subscribers and a Netflix series.
A page from Ms. Rachel’s “100 First Words” book.
Her songs and movements aren’t random. Based on child development research, her presentations are designed to teach children letters, numbers, colors, shapes, animals and more.
Ms. Rachel and her husband were inspired by their son, Thomas, who did not speak until he was 2 years old. With little helpful media available, they created a YouTube channel to fill in the gap.
I admit I’ve totally missed the Ms. Rachel train. My children, now grown, came up with “Blue’s Clues,” SpongeBob Square Pants and Barney, the “I love you, you love me” dinosaur. Even Barney generated $500 million in retail sales back in the 1990s.
The field remains lucrative and crowded. Tatum’s eyes were also glued to Lenny Pearce, who uses electronic dance music to teach toddlers about fingers, shoulders, knees, toes and “Row Row Row Your Boat.” He’s got 161,000 YouTube subscribers and an upcoming Toddler Techno Tour of Australia and New Zealand.
Wait. Where’s my accordion?
Herman Fuselier is executive director of the St. Landry Parish Tourist Commission. A longtime journalist covering Louisiana music and culture, he lives in Opelousas. His “Zydeco Stomp” show airs at noon Saturdays on KRVS 88.7 FM.
‘ The preceding article may include information circulated by third parties ’
‘ Some details of this article were extracted from the following source www.theadvocate.com ’
