If your kids have been fans of Blippi, the children’s entertainer for a while, they probably noticed when the channel (which boasts 17.7 million YouTube subscribers) debuted a new actor to play Blippi. When the change was made, some kids (and, ahem, their parents) were not happy. Like, at all.
Since the new Blippi actor’s introduction in May 2021, both actors (Stevin John, the originator, and Clayton Grimm, originally from the live production of Blippi) have appeared as Blippi on the YouTube channel.
There have been other changes to the YouTube channel like the addition of Blippi’s friend Meekah, but none seem to have stirred up the audience quite as much as when Grimm was first featured as Blippi.
It’s been several years and people still aren’t over it. Social media is filled with the hashtag #NotMyBlippi and comments like “That’s not the real Blippi.
While the toddlers and preschoolers who have been watching Blippi may notice a difference, do they really even mind it as much as their parents?
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Reasons for Blippi’s Absence
“The role of Blippi originated with Stevin John and has grown to include Clayton Grimm as well as a variety of talented actors who take part in the live show. Being Blippi is a state of mind and as the franchise continues to grow so too will the actors that play him.
Stevin created Blippi to provide edutainment for kids aged 2 to 7. Over the years, he amassed 12.4 million subscribers, and, for many, he has become practically indistinguishable from Blippi.
Stevin stepped back from Blippi to spend time with his family. Stevin wasn’t “fired” and he didn’t “quit”. He’s still involved with Bippi behind the scenes and is still bringing in the dough.
The reason he stepped away was because his then-fiancee, Alyssa Ingham, was going to have a baby and he wanted to concentrate on his family.
It’s understandable because having to produce that much content is not easy. His son, Lochlan David John, was born on March 9, 2022.
Blippi was replaced by another actor. A new actor stepped into Blippi’s shoes in a video uploaded to the Blippi channel on May 8, 2021.
Despite his infectious enthusiasm and charismatic personality, the new Blippi (Clayton Grimm) left many viewers feeling confused.
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How the show fans reacted to his absence
Dozens of parents headed to social media to express their disappointment and point out that their kids, no matter how young, have spotted the continuity issue.
“Did they not think my extremely observant 4-year-old would notice a different dude playing #blippi?” tweeted @Bobby_Dawson.
“Oh, our oldest was way into his videos. But like…did they think kids just wouldn’t notice it’s a whole different person? That’s crazy,” wrote @carolinetweeted.
Several complaints address the lack of sufficient warning about the casting decision. But a post shared by Blippi’s official Instagram account on May 8, 2021, mentions the changes.
“Due to popular demand, we are bringing more Blippi from The Live Show to you all! Don’t miss the launch of Learn With Blippi tomorrow on Blippi’s YouTube channel. Who’s ready!?” reads the caption.
Blippi came under scrutiny for similar reasons a few years ago. A similar scandal broke out after the premiere of The Live Show.
Instead of Stevin, to whom many of his younger viewers appear to have developed a sense of attachment, another actor was hired to portray Blippi in The Live Show.
As parents like Angelina Sakowski told BuzzFeed News in 2019, the creators ostensibly failed to provide sufficient information on the cast of The Live Show. As she said, she bought a ticket without reading the fine print, only to realize that Stevin wasn’t starring in The Live Show.
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