Green Bean Studios

What Green Bean Studios does

Green Bean Studios Ltd is a Manchester-based, founder-led children's edutainment studio that develops the proprietary Green Bean IP across retail, media, and live experiences for children from birth to seven years. Its core product is the Green Bean Collection®, a collectable series of children's books, ECO toys (developed in partnership with Lancaster University's Eco Innovation Centre using natural, biodegradable materials), games, and merchandise aligned with the UK Early Years Foundation Stage Statutory Framework. The company extends the same IP into screen-based formats via the Green Bean & Friends™ sub-brand, including live-action storytelling on YouTube Kids, an in-development 2D animated series (11 min x 26 episodes with £250K R&D budget), a six-part Precious Moments TV series, and children's music productions such as the Time To Dance album distributed on Spotify, Apple Music, and YouTube.

The business operates a hybrid go-to-market combining direct-to-consumer e-commerce through the Green Bean Collection shop, wholesale distribution via national retailer Waterstones, digital streaming and YouTube Kids distribution, community-building through the Precious Moments Ambassadors campaign, and emerging IP licensing and franchising. Customer segments are primarily parents/caregivers and early years educators (teachers, nursery staff, SEND specialists), with secondary reach into grandparents, retailers/distributors, and broadcasters. Strategic partners include the National Literacy Trust, Action for Children, KPMG (Black Entrepreneurs Award 2024), Innovate UK (£50K Inclusive Innovation Award), the Centre for Sustainable Innovation at the University of Salford, and local councils across Greater Manchester for community outreach.

The company is privately held, founder-controlled by Anita Frost (described as a multiple award-winning entrepreneur with 20+ years of child development expertise), and is registered as a UK private limited company. Between 2020 and 2024 it grew headcount from 2 to 26 and raised £287,000 cumulatively across grants, awards, angel investment, and local economic grants, with an additional £100,000 secured in 2024 alongside a reported 162% year-over-year sales increase. Revenue is not publicly disclosed.

Name

Green Bean Studios

Legal name

Green Bean Studios Ltd

Website

https://greenbeanstudios.co.uk

Company type

Private

Founded year

2004

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Green Bean Studios is a Manchester-based children's edutainment studio developing the proprietary Green Bean IP across books, ECO toys, music, animated/live-action video, and live events for children from birth to seven, sold via D2C e-commerce, retail partners including Waterstones, and digital streaming platforms.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Children's Edutainment Products

NAICS

Office Supplies, Stationery, and Gift Retailers (4594)

SIC

Games, Toys & Children's Vehicles (No Dolls & Bicycles) (3944), Dolls & Stuffed Toys (3942)

akta.pro industry

PRIMARYEDAGAIAE

Children’s Activity & Practice Books (Workbooks, Puzzles, Handwriting)

Education/Educational Publishing & Learning Content/Children’s & Young Adult Educational Trade Publishing

Keywords

• Children's edutainment
• Preschool toys
• Eco-friendly toys
• Children's books
• Kids media content

Headquarters

HQ city

Trafford Park

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Personnel, Supply Chain, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Retail & Product Sales: Sale of ECO toys, children's books, games, and merchandise through own e-commerce storefront and wholesale to retailers. Collectible series achieving retail sales across USA, UK, Scotland, and Ireland with established prototypes for expansion into eco clothing, apparel, and merchandise licensing.
2. Media/EdTech Content: YouTube Kids content (live-action storytelling), TV series development, and animated content licensing. Revenue from advertising on video platforms and future licensing to broadcasters.
3. Music Productions: Children's music album sales and streaming through Spotify, Apple Music, and YouTube. VIP demo events and future music-related entertainment.
4. Live Events & Attractions: Immersive events, author events, brand engagements, storytelling sessions, and planned visitor attractions. Community-building through Precious Moments Ambassadors campaign.
5. IP Licensing & Franchising: Licensing of Green Bean IP for merchandise, franchise opportunities, and visitor attractions. Expansion planned for eco lines clothing/apparel merchandise licensing, franchise opportunities, and visitor attractions.

Go-to-market motion4 records

Distribution channels8 records

Marketing channels10 records

Core offering

Green Bean Studios develops and sells a collectable children's edutainment product line called the Green Bean Collection®, comprising children's books, eco-friendly toys, and games featuring the Green Bean & Friends characters. The studio also produces multimedia content for young children, including a live-action YouTube Kids storytelling series, the 'Time To Dance' children's music album, and an in-development 2D animated TV series, all designed to support early childhood learning aligned with the UK's EYFS framework.

Product overview

Green Bean Studios is an award-winning edutainment studio that creates a multi-product portfolio spanning Retail (Green Bean Collection® featuring eco toys, books, and games), Media/EdTech (TV series, animation, and music productions), and Immersive Events/Attractions. The core product is the Green Bean Collection®—a collectable series of children's books and eco toys aligned with the Early Years Foundation Stage Statutory Framework. Media offerings include the Green Bean & Friends™ brand featuring YouTube Kids content, animated series in development, and music albums. All products share a unified mission to encourage children from birth to seven to play, learn, and have outdoor adventures while promoting sustainability and literacy.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Green Bean Collection: Collectable series of children's books, toys, games and entertainment - the company's core retail brand
• Green Bean & Friends
• Green Bean TV
• Green Bean Music
• Precious Moments Ambassadors

Products and services

• Green Bean Collection® A collectable series of children's books, eco-friendly toys, and games featuring the Green Bean & Friends characters, designed to help preschool children (approximately 0-7 years) learn and develop through fun adventures with a multi-sensory, SEN-supportive approach.
• Time To Dance Music Album Green Bean Studios' debut children's music album, released after a private showcase, featuring tracks built around the Green Bean & Friends characters and stories to extend the brand into the audio/music category.
• Green Bean Storytelling (YouTube Kids Live-Action Series) A live-action storytelling series hosted on YouTube Kids featuring fun adventures for preschool children aged 2-5 years, hosted by Green Bean Studios as part of the Green Bean & Friends multimedia content offering.

Quantifiable outcome

• 162% increase in sales year-over-year
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers4 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Partnerships

13 partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• Masood Entrepreneurship CentreminorGTM or Marketing Partner · 16 October 2025University of Manchester's entrepreneurship centre hosting Female Founders Network event featuring Green Bean Studios founder Anita Frost on Women in Social Entrepreneurship.
• Women in Business SocietyminorGTM or Marketing Partner · 16 October 2025Student society collaboration for Female Founders Network special edition event on Women in Social Entrepreneurship.
• National Literacy TrustcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerStrategic partnership with National Literacy Trust for literacy initiatives and Earth Day campaigns, supporting the company's mission to encourage reading among children.
• Christian HughesminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerYouTube Kids expert Christian Hughes partnered with Green Bean Studios to provide expertise in children's digital content distribution.
• Centre for Sustainable Innovation - University of SalfordcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership with University of Salford's Centre for Sustainable Innovation supporting Green Bean Studios' sustainability initiatives and children's brand development.
• Action For ChildrencoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerNational charity partnership supporting children and families, aligned with Green Bean Studios' community outreach and ambassador programs.
• EurekaminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership with Eureka (The National Children's Museum) for children's entertainment and educational content collaboration.
• Centre for Global InnovationminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerInnovation-focused partnership supporting global expansion and creative development initiatives.
• Lancaster UniversitycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAcademic partnership including Eco Innovation Centre collaboration to research and develop ECO books and toys using sustainable and biodegradable materials.
• Manchester Metropolitan UniversityminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerUniversity partnership supporting research, development, and talent collaboration in the creative sector.
• WaterstonescoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorNational book retailer partnership for retail distribution of Green Bean Collection books and products across UK stores.
• Creative UKcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership with Creative UK supporting the creative sector business and UK economy contribution.
• Local Councils across Greater ManchestercoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnerships with local councils across Greater Manchester supporting community outreach, ambassador engagement, and children's development initiatives.

Scale indicators10 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• Moonbug Entertainment: Digital children's entertainment company (CoComelon, Little Baby Bum) specializing in preschool content distribution and IP licensing. Comparable as a children-focused content plus licensing business.
• Bluey (BBC Studios / Ludo Studio): Australian-British preschool animated series with global merchandising, toy lines, and licensed products. Comparable format (animated preschool), demographic (2-7), and integrated consumer-products play.
• CoComelon (Moonbug Entertainment): Leading digital-first preschool content brand with massive YouTube Kids viewership and broad merchandise licensing. Comparable target audience and content-to-product monetization model.
• Ladybird Books (Penguin Random House): Heritage UK children's imprint producing books for early-years and preschool audiences, including EYFS-aligned titles. Comparable as an early-years book brand targeting parents and educators.
• Aardman Animations: UK-based animation studio with globally recognized preschool IP (Shaun the Sheep, Timmy Time). Comparable as a UK-headquartered children's animation studio pursuing merchandising and licensing, though substantially larger and more established than Green Bean.
• Peppa Pig (Hasbro / Entertainment One): Iconic global preschool animated IP with extensive toy, book, and licensing empire. Comparable as a foundational preschool character franchise spanning TV, publishing, and consumer products.
• Paw Patrol (Spin Master): Multi-format preschool property combining animated TV with a major toy and merchandise line. Comparable integrated IP-toy strategy targeting the same early-years demographic.
• Hey Duggee (Studio AKA / BBC): Award-winning British preschool animated series with strong educational positioning and merchandise tie-ins. Comparable to Green Bean & Friends in format, age target, and EYFS-aligned content strategy.

Direct peers

• Usborne Publishing: Independent UK children's book publisher with strong educational and activity-book catalog, sold globally. Comparable as an independent UK publisher of children's activity, sticker, and educational books targeting early-years consumers.
• Tonies: Audio storytelling system for young children with proprietary character figurines and curated audio content. Directly comparable to Green Bean's multi-format (toy + audio/content + collectible) preschool IP strategy and target age range.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/@greenbeanandfriends
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/greenbeanstudios
• Xx.com/GBStudios_
• Facebookfacebook.com/GBeanStudios

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds3 records

Investors2 records

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Green Bean Studios