ケロポンズ&プッピーズ on YouTube: Two- to Three-Minute Exercise and Play Songs (and How to Watch Safely)
FamilyTube channel guide #12
Three straight days of rain, and the kids are running laps around the living room and leaping off the couch while the grown-ups tidy up and keep yelling "Careful!" At times like that, kids don't need to sit still. They need someone to lead them in a good, proper wiggle. But a lot of "kids' exercise" videos on YouTube are either packed with effects or go on for half an hour. If you want real people leading simple moves that get kids sweating in two or three minutes, ケロポンズ&プッピーズ (Keropons & Puppies) is well worth getting to know.
This is the official channel of ケロポンズ (Keropons) and プッピーズ (Puppies). It's mostly exercise songs and あそびうた (play songs) led by real performers, plus パネルシアター (panel theater, stories told with a board and paper figures) and picture books. Most videos are two or three minutes and end when the dance does. For parents who want kids to burn off energy at home without screen time dragging on (including me, a dad of twins), it's a really handy channel, as long as you're still willing to pick videos one at a time.
- Official channel: youtube.com/@keropons_poupies (about 495,000 subscribers and 260 videos as of October 2026)
- Latest upload (October 9, 2026): "ソースマン／ケロポンズ・福田りゅうぞう【ダンス】" (Sauce Man, Keropons and Ryuzo Fukuda [Dance])
What is ケロポンズ&プッピーズ?
According to the channel description, ケロポンズ is a group that formed in 1999 and has contributed songs to shows like 「おかあさんといっしょ」 (Okaasan to Issho, "With Mom") on NHK Eテレ (NHK E-Tele, NHK's educational channel). The description also says they're 「子ども達に大人気」 (hugely popular with kids) and regularly hold 「親子コンサート」, concerts for parents and kids to enjoy together. This YouTube channel is where ケロポンズ and プッピーズ share those songs and performances.
The channel's most famous song is エビカニクス (Ebikanics, the shrimp-and-crab workout), an exercise song where you copy the way shrimp and crabs move. Its official music video has about 185 million views. Besides the exercise songs, there's quieter パネルシアター that tells stories with a board and paper figures, and songs like にんじゃの50音 (The Ninja's 50 Sounds) that turn the Japanese kana chart into a game. Everything is performed by real people, and the mood is lively but gentle.
The channel has 260 videos so far and was still uploading as of October 2026, including newer ones like ストレッチ忍者／プッピーズ (Stretch Ninja, Puppies). One thing to note: new uploads have far fewer views than the classics. That doesn't mean the new ones aren't good. It's just that the classics are the ones most people know, so starting with them in your first week is the safer bet.
Age note: The channel description doesn't list an age range. My own take is that it works best for about 18 months to 6 years, and kids in the early elementary grades can dance along too.
Why parents love it
1. Two or three minutes: one good round of moving
Most videos are just two or three minutes, which is about how long kids can stay focused and follow along from start to finish. One dance before heading out, after a nap, or after sitting and drawing for too long is just right, and it won't get kids so revved up they can't stop.
2. Real people demonstrate, so the moves make sense
In every song, someone on screen is actually doing the moves, so kids can copy just by watching. With the shrimp and crab moves in エビカニクス, grown-ups can jump right in too, no practice needed.
3. Panel theater for when you want to slow down
Besides the exercise songs, the channel has パネルシアター, where stories unfold slowly with a board and paper figures. It's a good pick when you want kids to calm down after dancing, or for kids who simply prefer a slower pace.
4. A group with real history, not random dance videos
According to the channel description, ケロポンズ has been performing since 1999 and has contributed songs to Eテレ shows. Compared with kids' dance videos from unknown sources, parents have a better idea of who their kids are dancing along with.
My take as a twin dad
My approach to movement channels like this is simple: one video at a time, and stop when the dance is done. Keropons videos are short enough to answer "my kid needs to move right now," instead of running in the background as music.
My advice is to pick based on how your child is doing in the moment. When they need to burn off energy, one round of エビカニクス or にこちゃんたいそう (Smiley Exercises) is plenty. Kids who'd rather take it slow can watch panel theater like ねこのお医者さん (The Cat Doctor). Sitting down to hear a story is a good way to shift gears, too. There's no need to add a bunch of videos on day one. Letting kids really learn one dance usually works better than watching lots at once.
To be honest, even on a lively-but-gentle channel, the newer videos can differ in style and pace. So I think of it as "movement time a parent picked," not "a channel kids scroll through by themselves."
The catch: great show ≠ safe YouTube
Even an official channel with real history runs into the same problems once it's on YouTube: suggested videos in the sidebar, autoplay, and the comments section. Your child finishes a two- or three-minute round of エビカニクス, and the next thing YouTube recommends might be a long compilation that plays on and on, or some other kids' channel you've never even seen.
That's the gap FamilyTube is built for:
Kids only watch parent-approved YouTube videos.
No recommendation feed. No endless scrolling. No surprise next video.
You keep the Keropons exercise songs and panel theater. You drop the algorithm.
Where to start: your first week
Step 1 — Start with the classic exercise song
For the first one, I'd go with エビカニクス／ケロポンズ［Official Music Video］ (posted April 28, 2012, with about 185 million views). It's 2 minutes 37 seconds, the shrimp and crab moves are easy to copy, and it's their signature song and the most-viewed of these three. The first time, get up and dance along yourself. When kids see grown-ups moving too, they usually get even more into it.
Step 2 — Add a gentle exercise song and a panel theater story
Once your child has エビカニクス down, add にこちゃんたいそう／ケロポンズ (posted September 5, 2018, with about 33.03 million views), another exercise song kids can follow just by watching. For a change of pace, try 【ねこのお医者さん】ケロポンズ・パネルシアター (The Cat Doctor, Keropons Panel Theater; posted June 20, 2016, with about 71.88 million views). It tells a story with panel figures, runs a little longer than the exercise songs, and is great for sitting down to watch after dancing. Add just one at a time, and wait a few days before adding the next.
Step 3 — Preview new uploads, and clear some space before dancing
Recent uploads, like the latest one, ソースマン, may be less familiar to you, and newer videos generally have far fewer views than the classics. That doesn't mean they're bad. I'd just watch them once yourself to make sure the pace and content are a good fit before deciding whether to add them. If you'd like to play with kana while you're at it, you can preview にんじゃの50音 too.
The other thing to think about is space. With follow-along dance videos, kids tend to get more and more into it as they go. Before you start, move toys and anything else on the floor out of the way, mind the table corners, and leave a spot where they can dance safely. Younger kids are best off with a grown-up dancing alongside them.
Step 4 — Pick one move and do it again
A two- or three-minute workout plus one "no-screen version" is just right. Ask your child, "Which move did you like best?" and then do it again together on the play mat. It doesn't have to be perfect. The point is showing kids they can keep playing after the screen goes off.
How to watch ケロポンズ&プッピーズ safely in FamilyTube
- Open FamilyTube on your iPhone or iPad and go to the Parent Area.
- First, check Recommend to see if ケロポンズ&プッピーズ is there. If it isn't, tap Search at the bottom, switch to the Search channels tab, and type the channel name, ケロポンズ.
- Once you open the channel, you can see every video on the Videos tab, or switch to Playlists to browse by topic.
- Tap ＋ next to a video to add it, or open a playlist and check the videos you want. Start with one starter video, like エビカニクス, and add more over time.
- Turn on Child Mode and hand over the device: your child can only tap videos you approved.
Result: your child gets a good workout with Keropons, and every video they see is one you picked.
Download FamilyTube on the App Store
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Quick FAQ
Is ケロポンズ&プッピーズ free on YouTube?
Videos on the official channel are generally free to watch, though availability may vary by region.
Forming in 1999, writing songs for Eテレ: how do you know?
Both come from the channel description. We haven't separately checked the broadcast history of each song.
Can I add new uploads with low view counts?
Yes, but I'd preview them first. Low views don't mean the content isn't good. It's just easier to start your first week with classics like エビカニクス.
Can I add the whole channel at once?
I wouldn't. The channel has 260 videos: exercise songs, panel theater, picture books and new uploads. Picking videos one at a time and keeping your approved list short is much easier to manage than adding everything at once.
Does FamilyTube replace YouTube?
No. FamilyTube plays the YouTube videos you choose. It just keeps YouTube's recommendations and that never-ending "next video" off your child's side of the screen.
Bottom line
ケロポンズ&プッピーズ is a really handy channel for burning off energy at home: real people demonstrating, simple moves, mostly two or three minutes per video, and panel theater for when you want to slow down. You'll still need to put a little thought into picking videos, but pick well and it makes wonderful rainy-day movement time.
Start with these three: エビカニクス, にこちゃんたいそう and ねこのお医者さん. Keep your approved list short, and watch in FamilyTube so a two- or three-minute workout doesn't get stretched into a whole afternoon by YouTube's recommendations.
For nursery songs and hand-play, check out our ボンボンアカデミー (Bom Bom Academy) guide. For gentle kids' songs, there's the Super Simple 日本語 (Super Simple Japanese) guide. For numbers, see the セサミストリート日本公式 (Sesame Street Japan Official) guide; for three-minute science, the でんじろう先生のはぴエネ! (Denjiro-sensei's Happy Energy!) guide; and for everyday habits, the しまじろうチャンネル (Shimajiro Channel) guide. You can also browse all channel guides for more picks parents can trust.