“The Unexpected Princess” headlines a five-show slate premiering July 13, giving parents something positive, entertaining, and kid-friendly for their children to watch this summer, alongside “Jalen’s Neighborhood,” “ABN Newsroom,” “The Earth Report,” and “Poppa Bear Dad Jokes” from “Super CJ” creator Yaba Baker
Nationwide — Just Like Me TV premieres five original animated series on July 13, 2026, in the biggest single-day launch in the studio’s history. Leading the slate is The Unexpected Princess, the story of 13-year-old Aniyah, a robotics champion who discovers she is heir to a hidden Caribbean island kingdom powered by dazzling advanced technology. Aniyah headlines the launch alongside four companion series: Jalen’s Neighborhood, a heartfelt neighborhood comedy; ABN (Animal Broadcasting Network), a TMZ-style animal news satire anchored by cat journalist Kitty Walters; The Earth Report, following alien field correspondent X-9, who is constantly confused by human behavior; and Poppa Bear Dad Jokes, a family comedy short.
All five premiere on the Just Like Me TV YouTube channel on July 20, with early access for subscribers via Just Like Me World’s Patreon channel starting July 13. Watch all five trailers at YouTube.com/playlist?list=PLfspNMJbDtv8
The launch is the brainchild of Yaba Baker, founder and CEO of Just Like Me World. Baker’s breakout hit Super CJ: The Strongest Boy in the World, which grew to 203K subscribers, received over 6 million views in more than 80 countries on its Just Like Me TV YouTube Channel, with the story of a 12-year-old Black boy chosen to save the world. This five-show slate is Baker’s biggest bet yet on the same idea, at scale.
For parents searching for summer viewing that’s actually good for their kids, the timing matters as much as the story. Just Like Me TV has built its reputation on weaving real social-emotional tools — box breathing, grounding techniques, naming big feelings — directly into entertaining, kid-approved storylines rather than delivering them as a lecture. The five-show slate continues that approach, giving families a funny, adventurous, and genuinely positive lineup built on the kind of emotional groundwork parents and educators have praised in Baker’s previous work.
Aniyah’s story carries particular weight this year. Disney’s own Tiana series, once positioned as Hollywood’s next major Black princess property, was shelved in 2025, and no comparable Black princess series is currently in production or announced anywhere in the industry. That leaves The Unexpected Princess as, for now, the only new Black princess story reaching audiences — a point researchers who track representation in children’s media have long flagged as a persistent gap, with studies from USC Annenberg and Brigham Young University finding Black characters underrepresented and, when present, rarely given real narrative power. Aniyah rules an island nation where ancient tradition meets futuristic technology, giving young viewers a princess who isn’t a guest star in someone else’s fairy tale, but the monarchy itself.
“We built five shows because kids deserve more than one way to see themselves,” said Yaba Baker, founder and CEO of Just Like Me World. “But Aniyah is our headliner for a reason. In 2004, I created Princess Briana, a Black princess, five years before Disney introduced one, because I refused to believe our girls had to wait to see themselves as royalty. More than twenty years later, The Unexpected Princess is giving today’s children something that still remains far too rare: a Black princess at the center of her own world, leading her own story, in new episodes where little girls around the world will see themselves in Aniyah’s story.”
About
Just Like Me, Inc. is an independent, Black-owned children’s animation studio founded by Yaba Baker, dedicated to culturally rooted, globally resonant storytelling for kids across races and across cultures. Its flagship channel, Just Like Me TV, has reached audiences across five continents. Learn more at ShopJustLikeMeWorld.com
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