I have been intrigued by Blippi ever since the YouTube algorithm alerted me to his existence at a child’s birthday party I attended before my daughter was even born. I looked at the number of views and was absolutely amazed by the fact this person who seemed to be a cross between a clown and a children’s party entertainer was doing reviews of soft play centres in bright blue and orange attire.
There’s no getting away from the fact that technology is part of our lives for good and children’s entertainment on YouTube has surpassed the expectations of those who are used to traditional forms of entertainment through terrestrial television. Preschoolers can now access content that suits their personalities and moods and Blippi has an entire catalogue of content that aims to entertain, educate and motivate children.
In Blippi: The Wonderful World Tour we are first introduced to his friend Meekah who gets us ready for our adventure through song and dance – think of it as a warm up for the main show.
Then we meet Blippi and his buddies who take us on a tour around the world. They are keen to make the children feel like they are part of the show and stay engaged so there is a lot that happens in the space of the hour long performance (with a 5 minute intermission). In fact we don’t technically go around the world which is what I was expecting.
We actually go under the sea, meet some dinosaurs, are introduced to a monster truck and so much more. It would have been fun to see Blippi in different continents perhaps but honestly this stage show is filled to the brim with energy and excitement.
What I particularly enjoyed was the fact that the cast was genuinely ethnically diverse – which was really fantastic. My two -year-old daughter was at times overwhelmed purely because she’s not used to seeing so much in one space. She enjoyed it and was in awe though and I suspect that when she goes back to watch a short Blippi clip online she’ll be excited to know that she saw him in real life.
I would have loved to have seen a little bit of a storyline here, as I mentioned we didn’t go “around the world” and it would have been nice to follow even a very loose story but don’t let that stop you from taking your little one.
They will absolutely love this production and will more than likely talk about it for weeks if not days afterwards.
Need to know: Blippi: The Wonderful World Tour plays until 8 September 2024 at the Harold Pinter Theatre.
