Blippi is the title character of a children’s educational show on YouTube. Blippi’s curious and energetic persona has become one of the world’s most popular preschool entertainers. Blippi takes his friends on field trips and has guests visit his treehouse, and talks a lot about trucks, automobiles, dinosaurs, colors, and letters.
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But the loveable Blippi has come under fire from some parents who think that the show lacks any educational value and promotes dangerous and unhealthy values (such as running alongside a bus, making a mess and not cleaning it up, and the use of power tools).
Who Is Blippi?
Created and played by Stevin John, Blippi’s first episode was posted on Blippi’s YouTube channel on January 27, 2014. Since then, Blippi was purchased alongside other children’s programming in 2020 by Moonbug Entertainment. Based in Los Angeles, California, the TV show for children ages 2-7 is available on other social media platforms. Blippi is now dubbed in Spanish, French, Portuguese, German, Italian, Hebrew, Arabic, Swedish, and Polish for children worldwide.
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New episodes air every two days or so, and there are several channels to organize themes such as full Kids TV Shows, Kid’s Songs, Sign Language for Kids, Blippi Toys, Blippi Wonders, and dubbed versions. While Blippi is available on a range of social media platforms, Blippi’s Treehouse is a spin-off series only available on Amazon Kids+.
Has Stevin John Been Replaced As Blippi?
Blippi started out as a one-man venture on YouTube aimed at creating high quality pre-school children’s programming. Stevin John noticed his nephew was watching videos for children on YouTube, but the quality was low. John created the character, made the videos, and did his own filming and editing. He was inspired by growing up in a small town with tractors, trucks, and cars, and his mother made Blippy’s costume!
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The show was a success and has since grown into a full production team, expanding platforms, the introduction of live shows, and introduction of new characters like Meekah. The show has expanded beyond the creator, and so has the title character.
Why was Clayton Grimm chosen to be the new Blippi?
With the creation of a live show and musical tour of the Blippi show, stage performer Clayton Grimm was cast to play Blippi during the tour while the original Blippi continued production on YouTube. This new Blippi was met with some backlash from fans, who were caught off-guard by the change and criticized John for a “bait and switch” move.
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Clayton Grimm has played Blippi in the live show version since 2019. Starting May 8, 2021, Grimm also began performing as an alternative Blippi on Blippi’s YouTube channel. Fans have been frustrated at the transition, criticizing Grimm as “the imposter” or the new Blippi.
The spin-off series, Blippi’s Treehouse, announced a new character on October 9, 2021. The new character was introduced as Meekah, Blippi’s best friend, played by Kaitlin Becker.
Is Blippi Dangerous For Kids?
Reviews of the show are mixed. Like with Blue’s Clues, some parents worry that Blippi being an adult but acting like a child is grooming behavior. While some parents worry that he throws things around and smashes things up, which might promote violence, others find value in his ability to get down to kids’ level and act silly, sing, dance, and have fun while teaching something new. One parent found his energy too overstimulating for their child.
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However, it is a children’s show meant for pre-schoolers and was designed to meet a need for children’s YouTube videos. Blippi isn’t dangerous, just goofier than an older kid’s show. It’s worth listening to your child’s interests to determine if the show is appropriate for them.
Does the original Blippi plan to return to the show?
Also in October 2021, 34-year old Stevin John announced that he and his fiancee, Alyssa Ingham, were expecting their first child. The soon to be dad posted the announcement on Instagram. On March 9, 2022, Lochlan David John was born. Welcome, baby Blippi!
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So what happened to Blippi? Good news, actually! Blippi simply got a lot bigger than its creator! To help manage the expansion of the show, Clayton Grimm was recruited to help Stevin John portray the title character. The character is the same person, and the original Blippi has not left the show, but fans may be seeing more of Grimm’s new Blippi for the next little while.
We’ll still get to see more Blippi!
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