Tic Tac Toy, a well-known children’s YouTube channel, is all about engaging vlogs featuring the Nashville-based Maxwell family, comprised of Addy, Maya, Lucy, Jason, and Colin, taking the lead in running the channel.
Additionally, they manage Tic Tac Toy Shorts, their second channel. The channel trailer introduces Tic Tac Toy as a dedicated space for entertaining and amusing films tailored for children. The content on the channel spans various categories, including challenges, toy reviews, and skits.
With over five million subscribers and an impressive three billion views, the channel has gained significant popularity. The videos are crafted to be kid-friendly, and appealing to children of all ages.
Curious to know more about the individuals driving the channel’s success and its journey to popularity? Join us as we delve into the story behind Tic Tac Toy.
Early Personal Life
The dynamic team behind Tic Tac Toy is, at its core, an actual family unit. Before venturing into the realm of YouTube, Jason, the father and a devoted toy enthusiast, earned a living by selling toys.
In 2015, when his daughters displayed a keen interest in YouTube channels that are all about toys, Jason, along with the family’s mother Lucy, started a journey to understand the nuances of creating their own toy-centric channel.
Today, their main channel proudly boasts a substantial subscriber base of 5.3 million.
Within the family, Addy assumes the role of the older sister, Maya is the younger sibling, and Colin is the youngest brother. Together, they contribute to the vibrant and engaging content that has garnered widespread popularity of their channel.
Education
It’s unclear which schools the children attend as there are no reliable reports of this information, though it’s believed that Jason and Lucy are homeschooling their children.
Career
The Tic Tac Toy YouTube channel was created on 30 December 2015, and the oldest video available for viewing dates back to 29 Apr 2017, which shows the children enjoying a ride in a fire truck, and has an impressive 22 million views.
The Maxwell family consistently delivers high-quality content on their Tic Tac Toy channel, treating viewers to well-scripted skits complete with elaborate sets. This distinct content style evolved after initial forays into variety shows with specific themes, reviews, and toy unboxings, reviews.
Jason and Lucy have embraced managing the channel as a full-time endeavour. Recent months have seen an expansion of their responsibilities with the successful development and self-publishing of a journaling book entitled “All About Me.”
Reflecting on their pre-channel lives, Jason shared that Lucy was a former teacher, while he had a background in finances.
Both harboured a love for all things entrepreneurial, with Jason previously engaged in flipping toys online. The catalyst for their YouTube journey occurred during Christmas break in 2015, when they observed their children engrossed in toy unboxing videos.
Recognising the potential, they embarked on a learning journey, mastering video production, audio, editing, lighting, and other important elements like SEO. Two months later, they posted their first video, marking the beginning of what’s become their successful venture.
The decision to start a toy-based channel was a natural progression for the parents, given their expertise and their daughters’ avid interest in other similar YouTube channels. With a background in selling toys and a penchant for studying charts, numbers, and graphs due to their business background, the parents embarked on creating content that resonated with their audience.
After 18 months of focusing on reviews and toy unboxing content, they observed a gradual decline in their growth rate, prompting them to strategize for renewed momentum. Recognising the saturation of the market with similar content, they decided to take a fresh approach by introducing a variety show format to their toy channel.
Inspired by iconic shows such as “Sesame Street” and “Pee Wee’s Playhouse,” they incorporated different segments such as unboxing, mail time, and a joke of the day, involving their kids in the process.
https://www.facebook.com/TicTacToyFamily/posts/pfbid0gHR4UM2rTwcpwvNSt195HPtQSeYxPymQWrBsdV2qRnV21wjtXsweJNzz3GfvNV9Hl
This innovative concept, influenced by the unique charm of beloved shows, allowed them to brand distinct characters, and create content that stood out from the crowd.
The initial success of the variety show format brought about a little bit of growth, but Jason quickly identified inconsistent retention metrics. It became evident that the segmentation of the content contributed to viewer drop-off, prompting a strategic shift.
Recognizing the significance of longer retention times for YouTube’s algorithm, the family began adding interesting and full story arcs, and intensifying their investment in scripting and production quality. This transition set them apart, as they were pioneers in introducing well-scripted skits to the toy genre, resulting in significant channel growth.
One of the major challenges for the family is the constraint of time. Education is a top priority in their household, with Lucy being a valedictorian, and Jason having pursued post-graduate study in finance and business.
Their daughters are actively engaged in traditional schooling and various activities, such as gymnastics, violin lessons, horseback riding, and ballet. The family places high value on family time, friendships, and church. To manage their priorities effectively, they’ve designated only a few hours on Saturdays for video filming, requiring them to be exceptionally efficient with their time.
The family’s journey with YouTube began to show promising signs when they received their first payment in 2016, totalling around $105; witnessing the potential to supplement their income was a gratifying experience. As subsequent monthly payments increased, with one reaching approximately $600, Jason recognised the significant growth.
Even during this period, surpassing 100,000 subscribers seemed like an ambitious goal, and Jason initially perceived YouTube as a small addition to their overall income. The turning point came when they ventured into scripted content, attracting the attention of Semaphore for sponsorship.
During negotiations, JD Obbards asked Jason about his expected compensation for a deal with a brand, leading to a pleasantly surprising outcome. Their first deal with Semaphore exceeded Jason’s initial estimate by about tenfold, marking the beginning of a lasting partnership with the company.
Interesting Facts
In addition to their flagship channel, the Maxwell family manages four other channels, collectively amassing around 2.5 million subscribers.
Their influence extends beyond the digital space, as the Maxwells, in collaboration with Blip Toys, have successfully launched a Tic Tac Toy product line available in Walmart and Target stores nationwide.
Major toy manufacturers generously sponsor approximately half of the family’s weekly videos, all produced within the comfort of their Nashville area home basement. This collaboration enhances the engaging content that resonates with their audience.
Later Personal Life
Information about Jason and Lucy’s relationship isn’t readily available, and the same goes for the children, who are still very young.
Physical Characteristics
Jason has brown hair and green eyes and Lucy has blonde hair and blue eyes. Maddy has her father’s brown hair and her mom’s blue eyes. Maya is blonde with blue eyes and Colin has brown hair and brown eyes.
Apart from this, there is no information available about the family members’ weight or height.
Net Worth
As of early 2024, the Maxwell family has an estimated net worth of $2.6 million.
