Claude Brooks has a habit of orbiting greatness.
As a child actor, Brooks circled the late King of Pop, Michael Jackson, landing a bit part in The Wiz. As a more seasoned thespian, he went line-for-line with comedy god Eddie Murphy in Bowfinger. Around the same time, he was producing a cult hip-hop sketch comedy, The Lyricist Lounge Show, which featured a then-unknown Tracee Ellis Ross. Brooks maximized his facetime with Murphy and gathered crib notes on what made Saturday Night Live sparkle, hoping to elevate his own show — which lasted only two seasons.
Decades later, Brooks — who now has numerous production credits to his name — is collaborating with another cultural icon: hip-hop legend Snoop Dogg. Together, they created Doggyland, a children’s YouTube show that teaches life lessons through music and rhyme. With a focus on emotional and age-appropriate cognitive development, sing-alongs like “The Affirmation Song” have gone viral and found fans far beyond their target audience.
The animated series stars Bow Wizzle (voiced by Snoop), a father figure to a crew of colorful pups. The visuals style isn't Pixar — but the messaging is premium. And this isn’t a one-and-done project — Doggyland is expanding into books, toys, and merch.
Wearing a shirt emblazoned with a children’s music box, Brooks — a calm, confident figure with a proven ability to sell big ideas — sat down with LEVEL to talk about Doggyland’s origins and why his daughter is his most trusted content barometer.
LEVEL: How did you and Snoop come together to form Doggyland?
CLAUDE BROOKS: Years ago — this goes back over 20 years — I co-created The Lyricist Lounge Show on MTV. I'm from Harlem, so hip-hop has always been in my veins. That’s when our relationship began. We stayed in touch and developed a few things here and there.
Fast forward to the early days of COVID — another IP I created, Hip Hop Harry, was having a big resurgence. We started doing IG Lives on Saturdays with influencers, celebrities, and fans. Snoop reached out and said, “Hey man, I love what you're doing with kids. I’d love to do something similar — but aligned with my brand.” So we got into the trenches and developed Doggyland.
LEVEL: What made you want to focus on kids' programming?
We both believe that who you are largely gets shaped during your toddler years. That’s why when we created Doggyland, we leaned more into social-emotional development than pure cognitive learning. A lot of our songs and storylines are built around that idea — helping kids grow emotionally. And that’s opened it up beyond toddlers to older kids — even 10- or 12-year-olds. We’re seeing adults resonate with our content, sometimes even more than kids!
LEVEL: There’s a song about voting mechanics for children. How do you simplify such a complex topic?
It’s not a political song, per se. It’s about helping kids understand that sometimes you get to choose what you want — and you also have to live with the outcome.
LEVEL: Was there a moment when you realized your content was truly resonating with kids?
One of our biggest hits is “The Affirmation Song.” It ended up being one of the top three kids' songs of 2023. And it continues to trend not just in the U.S., but around the world. We get videos from parents and teachers — people playing it in the car on the way to school. Special needs schools have reached out saying, “This helps us. This is how we start our day.”
LEVEL: How did you come up with that concept?
We were working on our version of “Wheels on the Bus” and had just finished a great track called “Everybody’s Different,” which, as the name suggests, is all about embracing individuality. My daughter helps voice some of the kids’ characters and sings on all the choruses.
One day, she came up to me and said, “Daddy, you should do an affirmation song.” That was her idea. She said, “Mom and I do affirmations on the way to school, but if you put it into a song, I think you could make it way cooler than what we do.”
LEVEL: She's genius! You’ve teamed up with social media star Van Van. How did that happen?
We connected about a year and a half ago. She rapped over the affirmation track and it went super viral. Her dad told us she’s always wanted to play a character in Doggyland, so we premiered her character and her first song, “I'm Grateful.”
LEVEL: Snoop is a natural pitchman. Did he take time to really learn the business side of this?
Absolutely. People have embraced him because he’s giving you the real, organic version of himself. One of his biggest reasons for doing this was his grandkids — they’re right in the demo. It means a lot to him that they have something Papa Snoop is part of. And now he’s realizing, “You know what? I’m Uncle Snoop to the world.”
LEVEL: The show is aimed at ages 2 to 8. Are you thinking about how to grow with your audience?
Definitely. We think a lot about quad viewing — which is when the whole family watches: uncles, aunties, older siblings, cousins. If your older sibling is into something, you want to be into it too. That’s why we produce songs with real musicality. These are tracks you can bump in your car — whether they’re “kids’ songs” or not. And we layer on choreography — created by Syria Reed — that you can follow along with. So teens might connect more with the dance moves, but they’re still engaging. It’s all about quad viewing.
Catch Bow Wizzle, Woofee, Yap Yap, Chow Wow, and Barks A Locks on the KIDZ BOP tour this summer. You can purchase tickets here and treat yourself to a VIP meet-and-greet experience here.