Blippi wows young crowd at Etihad Arena with educational performance

Muhammad Yusuf, Features Writer

Popular children’s TV personality Blippi wowed a jam-packed Etihad Arena on February 18, bringing his show from screen to stage with a spectacular regional-first performance of Blippi The Musical.

The family-friendly character proved a hit with his customary singing, dancing, grooving, and general silliness. Blippi The Musical, which has thrilled hundreds of thousands of young fans over more than 500 performances across North America and the United Kingdom, also ran twice on February 19. Encouraging fans to clap, dance, and sing-along, Blippi brought joy to the young crowd in Abu Dhabi by performing some of his most popular songs, including ‘The Dinosaur Song’, ‘Brush Your Teeth’, and ‘Excavator Song’.

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Marking his first appearance in the national capital, Blippi greeted the crowd with a “Hey, it’s me, Blippi!” as he walked on stage to heartfelt shrieks from excited fans. Joined by an ensemble cast of Blippi Buddies that stomped their feet, pretended their hands were claws, and roared aloud, Blippi made sure the audience was treated to a non-stop show of fun, laughter, and entertainment.

Flash Entertainment, Blippi’s host, is one of the Middle East’s leading entertainment companies, pioneering future of events and experiences across sporting events, music concerts, community events and many more along the same lines. Since launching in 2008, it has built a global reputation by always trying to put fans first - hosting hundreds of major concerts, sporting events and community and cultural happenings across thousands of event days, for more than 10 million people. 

A key partner in the development of Abu Dhabi tourism and entertainment sector, it aims to develop this field by producing memorable experiences for fans and partners alike. Flash manages a multi-million-dirham portfolio of assets, including the Etihad Park and the multi-purpose state-of-the-art Etihad Arena on Yas Island, Abu Dhabi.

Round Room Live, Blippi co-host, has been building momentum since its 2016 founding by former merch roadie Stephen Shaw, who had been president of Michael Cohl’s S2BN Entertainment in New York. He produced and promoted kids tours “Yo Gabba Gabba Live!” and “Alvin and The Chipmunks Live” and was also tour promoter for “An Evening with Oprah Winfrey,” and “An Evening with Al Pacino.”

  Blippi in action at Etihad Arena.

Billboard has called Road Room Live “the new leader in the family show entertainment space.” The company specialises in transforming new and iconic intellectual properties into live events, staging experiences ranging from family shows featuring beloved characters to events and exhibitions focused on leading cultural figures and benchmarks.

With a demonstrated knack for turning intellectual properties like Peppa Pig and Baby Shark to live touring productions, Shaw and his Round Room Co-President Jonathan Linden, who hails from Live Nation, have three immersive exhibitions on the road, including “Wake Me When I’m Free: Tupac Shakur,” which is in downtown Los Angeles; “Mandela: The Official Exhibition,” which ran at the Oregon Museum of Science & Industry in Portland; and Jurassic World, which played at Denver after a run in the Dallas area.

And then there’s “Peppa Pig Live” and “Blippi the Musical,” which both are on the road for shows at arenas, performing arts centres and theatres. Round Room Live’s  current roster of touring theatrical shows includes Baby Shark Live!, Blippi: The Wonderful World Tour, Blippi The Musical, Peppa Pig Live, and Blue’s Clues & You! Live On Stage.

Round Room’s Immersive and Entertainment Experiences division is also touring Jurassic World: The Exhibition, and Formula 1: The Exhibition, which is set to launch in early 2023. The company has decades of experience promoting live events across North America and around the world.

Set on the waterfront of Yas Bay, the Arena is the Middle East’s largest state-of-the-art indoor entertainment venue. A huge range of events, from electrifying concerts, exhilarating sports and sophisticated corporate functions, to intimate community celebrations, are on offer here. Blippi, known for his signature blue and orange outfit, teaches kids everything from colours and letters to numbers - and whatever they can think of and were bold enough to ask.

Blippi was first created by American children’s entertainer Stevin John, as part of an educational YouTube series for children and toddlers. The idea for Blippi came to John after witnessing his then two-year-old nephew viewing low-quality videos on YouTube. Taking inspiration from children’s educators and entertainers before him, John wished to portray Blippi as educational but also as thinking and acting as a child would. “My goal with Blippi was to bring positive emotions and memories to the act of learning,” he said. The first Blippi video was published in 2014.

The videos have garnered a large following with over a billion views on YouTube. The production staff was expanded to produce videos in Spanish, establish Blippi Toys, and offerings of DVDs and digital downloads. Says Katelynn Heil, general manager of the Blippi franchise – which, incidentally, is also one of the largest and fastest growing live action preschool brands in the world – “at Blippi, we take pride in entertaining and educating young children and their families. We believe in creating content that inspires curiosity and adventure.

“We make content that extends beyond episodes into experiences through our live shows, action-packed newsletters with DIY experiments and art projects, play-inspired toys and merchandise, and so much more. We believe as many people as possible should be exposed to Blippi content … As a mama of two young children it’s so rewarding to work on a fun brand with strong values.”