What is Blippi's Net Worth and Salary?
Blippi, also known as Stevin John, is an American children's entertainer and educator who has a net worth of $40 million. The character, known for his childlike spirit and signature blue-and-orange attire, appears on an eponymous educational kid's show streamed on YouTube, Amazon Video, Hulu, and Netflix. Launched in 2014, today, his Blippi character provides educational videos for children. His character always wears a blue and orange beanie cap as well as a blue shirt, orange suspenders, and a bow tie. John used to be a gross-out comedian and was known as Steezy Grossman. He found his inspiration for Blippi when his two-year-old nephew was watching low-quality YouTube videos. He published his first Blippi video in January 2014. Since then he has sold Blippi toys and DVDs and also produces content in multiple languages.
The franchise was purchased by Moonbug Entertainment in 2020. That same year, Blippi was one of the highest-paid YouTube stars on the planet, with earnings of $17 million. The YouTube channel currently has over 17.7 million subscribers.
Earnings
In 2020 Blippi earned $17 million from his various endeavors. That was enough to make him one of the ten highest-paid YouTube personalities on the planet for the year. Today, the brand earns money from a highly successful retail empire that includes toys, accessories, and digital videos.
Moonbug Acquisition
In July 2020, British TV conglomerate Moonbug Entertainment acquired both Cocomelon and Blippi in separate deals announced at the same time. It has been falsely reported that Blippi was acquired for $120 million. That's not accurate. The purchase price was not revealed. At the same time they announced the Cocomelon and Blippi acquisitions, Moonbug also announced that it had raised $120 million in new financing from Goldman Sachs and Fertitta Capital. The money would be used for future acquisitions.
Real Estate
In 2020, Stevin John paid $2.8 million for a home in Los Angeles. He listed this home for sale in June 2024 for $3.6 million.
Early Life
Stevin John was born Stephen J. Grossman on May 27, 1988, in Ellensburg, Washington. Growing up on a farm, he was always surrounded by cows, horses, and tractors, stoking his curiosity. He aspired to become a fighter pilot and limo driver as an adult.
Military Service
Partially fulfilling his dream of aviation, John joined the United States Air Force in 2006 on active duty. At the 4th Airlift Squadron in Washington, he served as a loadmaster for the C-17 Globemaster military transport aircraft. Among his duties, John did calculations and planned cargo placements to keep the airplane gravitationally centered during flight. He completed his Air Force service in 2008.
(Photo by Leah Puttkammer/Getty Images for Round Room Live)
Blippi
Upon moving back to his hometown of Ellensburg, John was dismayed when he saw his two-year-old nephew watching poor-quality YouTube videos. In response, he decided to create a new children's show that would be both fun and educational for young viewers. The result was "Blippi," which premiered in January 2014 on YouTube. On the streaming show, John stars as the titular character, a childlike man who always wears the same blue-and-orange attire, including a beanie cap, bow tie, and suspenders. According to John, Blippi was inspired by past children's show entertainers and educators, such as Mr. Rogers.
"Blippi" went on to attract a major following, with its videos garnering billions of views on YouTube; it now also streams on Hulu, Netflix, and Amazon Video. In 2020, the franchise was purchased by Moonbug Entertainment, and the show was dubbed in such languages as Spanish, Italian, German, Hebrew, Arabic, and French. In October 2022, Moonbug partnered with Virgin Media to bring the show and other Moonbug programs to the United Kingdom, and "Blippi" expanded to Southeast Asia in March 2021 when an agreement was reached to bring children's content to the POPS Kids app. In January 2022, Netflix acquired the streaming license to "Blippi."
The success of "Blippi" led to the creation of a merchandise line comprised of various toys, books, and clothing. One of the notable merchandise items is the "My Buddy Blippi" plush toy, which reproduces 15 of Blippi's signature phrases and sounds. Among the franchise's other properties is a spinoff series entitled "Blippi's Treehouse," which debuted in December of 2021 on Amazon Kids+.
Below is Blippi's most-viewed video on YouTube. As of this writing, it has over 911 million video views:
Criticism
Despite its popularity, "Blippi" has been met with a great deal of criticism by parents and cultural commentators. Many have taken issue with the overly simplistic nature of the show and character, finding little value in the repetitious songs focused on pizza and trucks. Meanwhile, Current Affairs' Nathan J. Robinson denounced the program as "dead and sterile."
Especially controversial was "Blippi The Musical," a live show first performed in 2019. The production was heavily criticized for what was perceived as a bait-and-switch, as John himself did not actually appear in the show as Blippi; he was replaced by an impersonator named Clayton Grimm. Ticket-holders were ultimately offered a refund.
Steezy Grossman
Before Blippi, John made a series of juvenile gross-out videos as the character Steezy Grossman, a boy who was born as excrement as a result of his parents having anal sex. He produced a number of tasteless videos as Grossman, including one in which he defecated on a nude accomplice after performing the Harlem Shake on a toilet. In 2019, John expressed his regret for having made that video and used Digital Millennium Copyright Act takedown notices to remove it from search engines and social media pages.
