In an age of endless distractions, Goofi is creating a global media franchise for children that prioritizes learning, creativity, and empathy over mindless entertainment.
We live in an era where screens and devices dominate our lives, and our children are no exception. Research consistently shows that excessive exposure to devices and digital entertainment harms our children’s ability to concentrate, learn, and maintain mental and physical well-being. The growing children’s media landscape, often dominated by mindless content, has exacerbated this challenge.
This is where Goofi, a Bangladesh-based learning media company, is quietly revolutionizing how children engage with content and media.
Unlike traditional purveyors of books and toys, Goofi is building a media franchise with the ambition to become a global phenomenon akin to Disney, but with a core focus on 21st-century skills. Through a carefully crafted universe of characters, stories, and interactive experiences, Goofi empowers children aged three to twelve with creativity, problem-solving skills, empathy, and moral values—offering a vital alternative to the mindless entertainment that plagues today’s media landscape.
Goofi’s roots trace back to its parent company, Light of Hope Ltd., a pioneer in children’s education and future skills development in Bangladesh. Light of Hope operates an ecosystem of ventures aimed at equipping children with the skills they need to thrive in an uncertain future.
Goofi is a critical pillar in this strategy, complementing Light of Hope’s other initiatives, such as Kids Time, which offers online and offline courses on essential skills.
Goofi’s founder, Waliullah Bhuiyan, recognized that to instill crucial skills like creativity and empathy in children, he needed to create a vast, immersive universe—much like Disney—where children could learn through multiple mediums: books, toys, TV shows, and engaging characters.
This realization led to the formal establishment of Goofi in 2019. The company launched with a range of books, later expanding into animation, audiobooks, and toys—all while maintaining a steadfast commitment to ethical production and quality.
Goofi operates as a media franchise, a concept best understood through examples like Marvel, DC or Disney. These franchises extend a single character or concept across multiple platforms—comic books, movies, toys, and more—creating an ecosystem that engages audiences in diverse ways. Goofi follows a similar model but with a unique twist: its primary goal is to prepare children for the future.
The company’s strategy begins with a series of unique characters, each with their backstories and personalities. These characters come to life through storybooks designed to foster values and skills, which are then adapted into animated TV shows, audiobooks, and learning toys. This multi-platform approach ensures that children can engage with Goofi’s content wherever they are, making learning a seamless part of their daily lives.
Bangladesh’s market presented both challenges and opportunities for Goofi. Unlike Western markets, where brands often start with comics or animation, Goofi began with story and activity books. The company recognized that in Bangladesh, there was no pre-existing ecosystem where a character could gain popularity and then be adapted into other media. The company recognized that reaching children in Bangladesh required it to create its content universe.
The initial approach was to create activity books and then books with characters, with the understanding that those characters were initially unknown. The strategy was that if the content was powerful enough, it would be able to cross the cultural and geographical boundaries.
Starting with books allowed Goofi to establish an immediate revenue stream, which was reinvested into expanding its operations. The strategy paid off: at the 2020 Ekushey Book Fair, Goofi’s stall, featuring 12-13 books, saw a constant stream of visitors. Despite higher price points—some book series cost up to 1600 taka—the company sold out, with even other publishers purchasing books for their children. This early success validated Goofi’s approach and set the stage for its nationwide expansion.
However, the COVID-19 pandemic forced Goofi to pivot. With a nationwide lockdown announced in March 2020, the company shifted its focus to online sales. The high quality and engaging nature of its books, combined with a focus on different learning styles, made Goofi a hit with parents and children alike.
What makes Goofi's origin particularly interesting is the strategic decision to start with books rather than animation or digital content. This decision was driven by both market conditions in Bangladesh, where books are more accessible than other media, and the incredible power of books as a medium.
Books enjoy certain cultural power and authority that no other medium does. Books are an elastic format that can be turned into movies, audiobooks, merchandise, and so on. The decision to launch with books quickly made Goofi a legitimate player in the space on day one while opening up new doors of opportunities to expand its media empire ambition.
Waliullah Bhuiyan, the founder and mastermind behind Goofi, planned his expanding universe in 2019 when he launched the brand. He is perhaps one of the most important figures in Bangladesh when it comes to developing the child education and learning market. He and his different kids' brands, not just changed the entire industry but also inspired others to invest and grow the whole ecosystem. And it all started with its successful book launch at the 2020 book fair.
After its success with books, Goofi began to expand the reach of its characters by focusing on animated content. The company realized that it could not reach all children through books alone. It invested heavily in developing stories and scripts, focusing on creating content for the Bangladeshi audience. It started working with the popular TV channel, Duronto TV, to bring the Goofi stories to television, ensuring that millions of children could access the values and messages of Goofi through animation.
Today, Goofi's product portfolio includes:
What makes this ecosystem particularly effective is its integrated approach. Children can engage with Goofi's characters and educational content through multiple channels, reinforcing the educational messages and making learning a natural part of their daily lives.
The brand name ‘Goofi’ is taken from the English word ‘Goofy’ which means ‘naively curious’. Kids are naively curious and the brand wants to help these curious children to become creative and empathic future leaders.
At the heart of Goofi’s success are its core characters. Goofi has four main characters, each designed to represent a key aspect of learning and personal development. Each character reflects a stage of development between the ages of 3 to 12, aligning with Goofi's target age range.
Addy, a little bunny, is imaginative and creative, encouraging children to think creatively.
Bluetooth, an adult monster, encourages children to ask questions and helps them to be a better problem-solver.
Tiya, a young monster girl, focuses on emotional intelligence and deals with empathy, relationships, and controlling one's own emotions.
Sofia, an adolescent girl, is focused on moral values and deals with dilemmas, with themes related to self-confidence and morality.
The logo of Goofi shows a robot named ‘Goofi’ from the future that has traveled back to learn why people of the past were more creative and empathic. This overarching narrative is part of the brand's universe, which the company has only begun to reveal.
These characters are brought to life through books, animations, audiobooks, and even life-sized Muppets that interact with children at schools and events. The characters have become so popular that children write them personal letters, a testament to the emotional connection Goofi has forged with its audience.
The move into toys was not initially planned as the toy industry in Bangladesh is challenging. However, Goofi realized that toys would help in its storytelling, and enhance the learning process, particularly for younger children.
The impetus to get into toy manufacturing came with the shocking discovery that most of the toys available in the market contained high levels of toxic metals, with levels exceeding EU safety standards by 10 to 20 times.
However, Goofi’s foray into toys was mostly driven by a shocking discovery: many toys in the Bangladeshi market contained toxic materials, with levels exceeding EU safety standards by 10 to 20 times. This revelation led Goofi to produce its own line of safe, non-toxic, and eco-friendly toys. This realization, coupled with the fact that most parents were unaware of these dangers, led Goofi to decide to produce its own line of toys.
The company’s toys adhere to six principles:
Non-toxic: Free from harmful chemicals and materials.
Safe: Physically safe, with no sharp edges or small parts that could cause choking.
Learning-oriented: Designed to support skill development.
Eco-friendly: Made from eco-friendly materials, avoiding plastics.
Hand-crafted: Hand-crafted or minimum use of machines through training local artisans, creating a social impact by reducing unemployment.
Impactful: Made with a goal for positive social impact by empowering women through work, improving education, and health.
Goofi is focused on the positive social impact that comes with the toys. The company communicates that by purchasing a Goofi toy, parents not only provide their children with a safe and educational product but also contribute to positive social change.
Over the last several years, Goofi has grown from a book publisher to a multi-platform children's learning ecosystem that includes media production, book publishing, and toy manufacturing. Goofi operates as a media franchise with a focus on creating a learning ecosystem for children. The company estimates that its messages and content reach 3 to 4 million children. Goofi has a presence in schools, with content and products available through school libraries.
Goofi's operational structure is built around three core principles: storytelling and content creation, product development and quality control, and scalable distribution.
Its revenue model is diversified across multiple streams, including direct sales of books, educational materials, and merchandise, licensing fees from media content, product sales from toys and merchandise, revenue from events and activations, character merchandising, and digital content distribution.
The production and manufacturing process employs a collaborative model with local artisans for toy production, while maintaining an in-house content development team for stories and educational material. The company partners with animation studios and TV channels for media content, ensuring professional quality across all platforms.
Distribution operates through multiple channels, combining traditional retail partnerships with e-commerce platforms, direct-to-school programs, and media partnerships for content distribution. This multi-channel approach ensures maximum reach and accessibility for its products and content.
The marketing strategy takes a character-driven approach, leveraging direct engagement through events and school programs. A strong social media presence complements its educational partnership programs, creating a comprehensive outreach strategy that resonates with both children and parents.
This operational model demonstrates Goofi's commitment to building a scalable and sustainable business while maintaining high-quality standards and positive social impact.
Goofi’s vision extends far beyond Bangladesh. The company aims to reach a global audience by producing content in multiple languages, targeting 70% of the world’s children through the top seven languages. By 2025, Goofi plans to export its toys to international markets and expand its product ecosystem to include offerings for children aged two to ten. The company aims to expand into retail, by establishing a sufficient product portfolio that enables them to open shops.
In the next two years, Goofi plans to focus on the toy segment and on directly interacting with children.
In the long term, Goofi aspires to become one of the largest global brands inspiring learning and personal growth for children. Its journey—from a local book publisher to a multi-platform media franchise—offers a compelling model for how businesses can address critical societal needs while building sustainable, impactful operations.
What makes Goofi particularly interesting is how it addresses multiple challenges simultaneously. It's tackling the future skills gap through engaging educational content, addressing safety concerns in the toy industry through ethical manufacturing, creating employment opportunities through its production model, and building a scalable business that can have a global impact.
In a world where the future of work is increasingly uncertain, preparing children with the right skills becomes crucial. Goofi's approach—combining education with entertainment, maintaining high ethical standards, and creating social impact—offers a model for how businesses can address critical societal needs while building sustainable operations.
For investors, Goofi represents a unique opportunity to participate in building a global brand with a purpose. For parents and educators, it offers a trusted partner in children’s development. And for children, Goofi is a universe where learning is fun, engaging, and transformative.
As Goofi continues to grow, its commitment to quality, impact, and innovation will be key to its success. The company’s journey so far suggests that it has the vision, strategy, and execution capabilities to become a significant player in the global children’s educational media landscape.
Cover photo: Wali with his muppet characters
