This year, Netflix has a few New Year’s tricks up its sleeve. The company has taken tired kiddies and annoyed parents into consideration this holiday season and have put together a New Year’s Eve special of All Hail King Julien that will allow parents to fool their younger kiddos on when the New Year has actually hit, so they can hop into bed earlier than that midnight timestamp.
That’s right, the All Hail King Julien countdown will feature the titular Madagascar franchise character who will give families the opportunity to pretend it's the New Year at whatever time they want. The special segment has been available on Netflix since December 29, which means moms and dads who already have access to the streaming service can feel free to pop that sucker on at 8 or 9 p.m. if they choose and countdown to the New Year before the sugar crash from all the New Year’s grape juice kicks in. You can find the All Hail King Julien countdown in trailers and more. If you aren’t familiar with the animated program, the full Season 1 of All Hail King Julien is also available to peruse on Netflix.
In a press release, Netflix says the idea for the special came from Wakefield Research on behalf of the streaming service. The company found that 34% of parents actually have started or plan to start their New Year’s Eve parties early to fool kids into thinking it is midnight. The company also found that numerous parents search for countdown in other timezones to get kiddos into bed and up to 22% even stage countdowns on their own. So, there is some demand out there for a kids-oriented countdown special.
We know the number of parents who lie to their kids about the time on New Year's Eve aren’t super high, but they are high enough to warrant an animated special. Plus, what I like about the special is that it is super kid-oriented, rather than a talking program with celebrities that kids can’t really follow (Here’s looking at you, Ryan Seacrest). Check out the preview for the event program and you’ll see what I mean.
Obviously, if you aren’t a fan of lying to your kids about the time or if your kids are old enough to handle their shit, you can totally go about your usual New Year’s Eve business. Even if seeing the ball drop around the world is good enough for most families, it’s a smart move for Netflix to produce an alternative for those who are looking for other options. At the end of the day, alternatives to regular content are what Netflix does best, and I’m not shocked the service found a way to help out parents this holiday season.
