13 Fascinating KIDZ BOP Facts (Including the Worst Lyric Change)

It's a phenomenon that has been around for nearly 25 years, and surprisingly, there are no signs of slowing. Yes, we're talking about KIDZ BOP. Whether you love it, hate it, love to hate it, or hate to love it, we're willing to bet you have a strong opinion about the ever-rotating cast of child performers.

With their latest summer tour already underway in 2025, we thought we'd revisit some of the more remarkable and perhaps little-known facts about this grand-slam children's music franchise — including the consensus about the worst lyric swap in KIDZ BOP history.

This post was updated in October 2025 to include updated information about KIDZ BOP and additional editorial enhancements.

It all started with the first KIDZ BOP album, which was released on October 9, 2001. The OG CD featured pop hits like "Kiss Me" by Sixpence None the Richer, "Livin' La Vida Loca" by Ricky Martin, and "Bye Bye Bye" by *NSYNC — all sung by kids.

KIDZ BOP has had several KIDZ BOP Kids go on to enjoy larger celebrity status, including Ross Lynch, Olivia Holt, and Zendaya (pictured), who appeared on KIDZ BOP 15. She also had a song of her own, "Replay," appear on KIDZ BOP 26.

Since its debut, KIDZ BOP has had over 14 billion streams and sold more than 24 million albums.

KIDZ BOP was Billboard's #1 Kids' Album Artist for 11 consecutive years starting in 2010 starting in 2010. In fact, according to Billboard, "In 2013, the franchise’s albums accounted for 18.8% of all children's music sales."

The KIDZ BOP Kids perform more than 60 live shows in the U.S. each year.

KIDZ BOP was strictly an American craze until February 2017, when the project launched in the UK. Since then, KIDZ BOP Germany was added in 2019, and KIDZ BOP France and KIDZ BOP Mexico in 2021.

KIDZ BOP is known for swapping inappropriate lyrics for more kid-friendly versions, which many argue isn't effective at all. In fact, Christopher Bell, an associate professor of media studies at the University of Colorado, calls Kidz Bop "an abomination." "I don't need a sanitized version of 'Despacito' (sung by Luis Fonsi and Yankee Daddy, pictured)," he's stated. "I need 8-year-olds not to be singing 'Despacito' because that [song] is super dirty. And KIDZ BOP doesn't always make that distinction."

On average, four KIDZ BOP albums are released each year. To date, over 50 main KIDZ BOP albums have been released, along with several themed and special editions.

A KIDZ BOP fashion line launched in the third quarter of 2024 in partnership with IHL Group. This is the second fashion collaboration. The first was with the now-defunct children's clothing line Crazy 8.

KIDZ BOP Kids, who are typically between the ages of 10 and 16, are homeschooled. When they're on tour, their teacher travels with them to keep the education consistent.

The KIDZ BOP YouTube channel has over 5.3 million subscribers and more than 2,500 videos.

The KIDZ BOP Kids are heading out on a 45-city US tour, which began on June 14. Click here to find a show near you.

And finally, according to our unofficial research, it appears that when it comes to lyric changes, the most ridiculous of all the KIDZ BOP songs is the KB version of Macklemore's "Thrift Shop." Listen here and decide for yourself.