Caribu promised to revolutionize family connection by merging video calls with interactive children's books. Then Mattel bought it, and the narrative shifted from 'disruptive startup' to 'corporate feature.'

"Caribu isn't competing with Zoom or FaceTime—it's carving a niche in the 'grandparent economy,' where the goal isn't just seeing family, but doing something together."

The tech stack is unremarkable but functional. jQuery and Bootstrap point to a legacy frontend, while Tailwind CSS indicates some modernization. The lack of advanced analytics or sophisticated SEO (only 41% organic traffic) suggests Caribu isn't aggressively optimizing for growth. Instead, it's likely relying on Mattel's distribution channels and brand equity to sustain its user base.

• The 'grandparent economy' is real but underserved—Caribu solves a specific pain point.
• Acquisition by Mattel likely stalled independent growth; innovation may be sacrificed for brand synergy.
• Traffic data reveals a loyal but small user base—scaling requires a pivot to broader family use cases.
• Tech stack is functional but outdated; lacks the modern edge of competitors like Marco Polo or Jitsi.