SPRINGFIELD — YouTube phenomenon Blippi is jumping out of his videos to the live stage to star in “Blippi: Join the Band Tour.”
Along with his best buddy, Meekah, and a host of other friends, Blippi is taking his tour to Springfield Symphony Hall on Friday at 6 p.m.
Blippi is a live action, educational children’s show for kids ages 2 to 6 years old, which debuted a decade ago on YouTube. Through singing, dancing, and exploring, Blippi helps children understand the world around them by going on all kinds of learning adventures, from snowy hills to wildlife parks. He has taught millions of kids how to count, colors, letters, and much more.
“Kids and families will experience Blippi and Meekah like they have grown to love, trust and respect. They are still your fun, curious, excited duo who are leading the charge. But what is new and fun and that kids haven’t seen before is that in this new stage show Blippi is building a band to learn about, teach and have fun with music… to learn about the drums, guitar, bass and keyboards and the elements of songs and notes and counting,” said Josh Blackburn, senior producer at Round Room Live Productions and producer of “Blippi: Join the Band Tour,” in an interview with The Republican.
“It’s all about the joy in music. Blippi is learning about music and growing his knowledge, and he is just curious about how music comes together. So, through the process of the show, we learn about different genres and then we get to remix all the genres and different songs at the end of the show. Kids are going to be dancing and singing the whole time,” he said.
“If we have you dancing in the aisles from the moment you walk in until the moment you leave, then we’ve had a great day,” he added.
The show features 18 songs to sing and dance along to including “everyone’s favorite song,” according to Blackburn, “The Excavator Song,” as well as “Blippi Wiggle,” “Tik Tok Rock,” “Count Monster,” “Curiosity Shake,” “Dino Dance,” and songs by Meekah such as “Feeling Happy” and “Get the Wiggles Out.”
Blackburn explained that what makes Blippi so popular is that he “connects with kids in a very special way.”
“Blippi meets kids where they are at. He doesn’t talk down to kids or preach or lecture to them. He’s on their level learning and exploring and showing curiosity on their level,” he said.
Blippi was conceived by Stevin John in 2014. The inspiration behind creating the YouTube videos was his 2-year-old nephew who, at the time, was watching a YouTube video about tractors. John knew he could do better and set out to do so. Among the many sites he has visited and explored through his videos have been playgrounds, aquariums, farms, zoos, baseball clubs, and factories. He sold the Blippi brand to Moonbug Entertainment in 2020 and the role is now performed by several actors.
Tickets, priced at $47.99, $59.64, $71.29 and $76.39, are available online at symphonyhallspringfield.com.
A special ticket is also available for the “Blippi Photo Experience” where, with your camera, you can take your child’s photo with the YouTube sensation onstage after the show. Participants will also receive a tour lanyard with a special pass to commemorate the day.
For more information about Blippi, visit blippi.com.
