Blippi, the lovable and high-energy character, has quickly become every kid’s best friend! For parents that will be hard to say. And reasons couldn’t be far-fetched with Blippi controversial videos parading the internet. But some parents love him too because he makes learning fun and educational.
Well, that’s not his target audience’s cup of tea. Dressed in his bright blue and orange outfit, he brings learning to life with his catchy songs, funny dances, and nonstop enthusiasm. Kids can’t get enough of Blippi, with the tractors and firetruck adventures.
How the Idea of Blippi Came About
Blippi’s story began when Stevin John, the creator behind the character, was babysitting his nephew. While trying to find something fun and educational for his nephew to watch, he noticed there weren’t many exciting options for kids. That’s when he had the idea to create a character who would make learning an adventure.
“My nephew Hunter was the first inspiration for making Blippi videos when he was a toddler,” “He’s 11 now, so he’s past the Blippi age. It was really rewarding making videos for him and kids like him when he was younger. I think having my own child in the Blippi age will make it really special and even more exciting,” he said in an interview.
He threw on a silly costume, grabbed a camera, and brought Blippi to life! His first videos were simple but full of fun energy—and kids loved them.
Blippi takes his young viewers on real-life field trips to places like fire stations, farms, zoos, and playgrounds, making ordinary places feel magical and exciting. With every episode, Blippi helps kids explore and understand the world around them, from colours and shapes to animals and vehicles. His friendly way of explaining things, mixed with a bit of goofiness, has kids laughing and learning all at once.
The Popularity of Blippi
The master of SEO brought his online marketing experience to the game to promote his videos and make them go viral. In an interview on a K-Swiss podcast, John said he used a lot of “generic SEO, titles, descriptions, tags” to build his audience. The videos were rewarded by the algorithm as they continue popping up in Youtube’s recommendations.
Blippi’s popularity exploded as kids around the world began tuning in to his YouTube videos and they couldn’t even wait for another one to drop. He has massive subscribers of about 27 million and all his channels combined have a whopping 8 billion views. He became the most paid YouTuber earning $17 million. This huge success came in 2020 when we were forced to stay at home during the pandemic. However, the show was already garnering fans before the pandemic where Stevin told the K-Swiss hosts during an interview that the channel was already getting 400 million views per year across platforms.
Soon, he was everywhere! His videos were streaming on big platforms like Netflix, he launched toys and books, and he even went on tour to meet his little fans in person.
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Blippi Controversies
But, Blippi controversial videos begin to pop up and he is not without criticisms. One was when he organised a live show for his little friends. Blippi’s creators decided to introduce a new performer to play the character on tour without a clear announcement, surprising many fans who were expecting Stevin himself. Some parents felt misled, thinking they were buying tickets to see the original Blippi in person, and couldn’t understand why they didn’t get to experience the real Blippi.
Well, it doesn’t seem like the little fans noticed but the parents weren’t pleased. Anyway, considering the amount of success and being a father, anyone would have expected that he would need some help with his work.
There have been backlash even from people on Reddit wherein many believe he doesn’t genuinely love children but he is making those videos for money. Some have buttressed their points by saying he doesn’t directly interact with children unlike other children’s entertainers but he is only the one often featured in his videos. This also came with the fact that his team has to get some to play Blippi for the his live meet and greet.
Another Blippi controversial most talked-about video Stevin John was made before he created Blippi. This was in 2013 when he intentionally pooped on a friend in a bathroom in a rendition of the ‘Harlem Shake’ meme.”. This Blippi controversial video was done in a bid to go viral and get views.
Many parents were shocked to learn about Stevin’s past comedic choices, and it raised questions about if he is suitable to be a children’s entertainer. Stevin told Buzzfeed, admitting that it was him. “Yes, I did make a gross-out comedy video when I was in my early twenties, long before I started Blippi,” he told Buzzfeed. And we are left to pick up the pieces.
He apologised, “At the time, I thought this sort of thing was funny, but really it was stupid and tasteless, and I regret having ever done it. I’ve grown up a lot since then, and I trust people will see me as the person I am now, not the idiot I was back then.”
Stevin apologised, explaining that he’d made it as a joke years earlier and had since shifted his focus to creating positive, educational content for kids.
Despite these blippi controversial times, Blippi’s popularity has remained strong, and many families continue to enjoy his educational videos. Stevin John has continued to focus on bringing kids high-quality, educational, and fun content, and the character of Blippi has continued to grow with new videos, toys, books, and more. These issues may have caused some headlines, but they haven’t stopped Blippi from being a beloved part of kids’ lives everywhere!
