BLIPPI’S ADVENTURES Focuses on Fun, Curiosity with Minor Questionable Elements
By Movieguide® Contributor
BLIPPI’S ADVENTURES is a live-action Netflix series that features two seasons of learning with “fun and friendly Blippi,” played by Stevin John and Clayton Grimm. Blippi takes viewers along with him to experience new places throughout the nation and across the world. The show is produced by the popular children’s production company Moonbug Entertainment.
Through childlike mannerisms, Blippi teaches kids about things like American Sign Language, cooking, crafting, science and more. Each episode is like a virtual field trip. Blippi visits parks, children’s museums, farms and even race car tracks.
Blippi interacts in a high-energy and engaging way with a lot of interjections of “Yeah!” “So silly!” or “So fun!” in his dialogue. He tries to make viewers feel like they are learning along with him and is always very safety-conscious. Sometimes the focus is more on having fun than learning. But it’s not all goofiness and games—Blippi also learns about things like sidereal clocks and bowling alley mechanics.
The worldview displayed in BLIPPI’S ADVENTURES is subtly moral. The show rarely approaches anything related to perspective, but when it does, it reflects positive values like politeness and kindness.
BLIPPI’S ADVENTURES has no language, violence or other immoral content. And while talking to other people is certainly included in each episode, relationships or developing constructive social interactions are not the focus. Value is placed more on learning about objects, ideas, animals, and places. Blippi tries to attract kids by behaving like one and doing things kids would be interested in doing. This means that he isn’t always a great role model. In his chid-like enthusiasm, Blippi will sometimes carelessly toss an object away from him over his shoulder when he is done with it, for example. Blippi always keeps things fun and lighthearted. Despite his efforts, some young viewers might think the zombie-ified monster truck featured in one of the episodes looks a little scary. It is also worth noting that while BLIPPI’S ADVENTURES doesn’t contain talk of evolution that conflicts with the Biblical worldview, other BLIPPI shows do.
The production plan for the show doesn’t seem to be very ambitious. It’s a little repetitive. Blippi often does the same actions, like testing objects to see what sinks or floats in water, and he visits similar places across episodes. Occasionally, Blippi will interact with someone who is not an actor, and they will use language (the ‘GOAT’ acronym, for example) that a preschooler might not understand.
The legendary children’s show host, Fred Rogers, appealed to children in a gentle, calm and wise manner. Blippi takes the opposite approach. He is goofy, silly and full of high energy. Mr. Rogers valued people and curiosity. Blippi values fun and curiosity. There are some missed opportunities here regarding production, how the show targets kids and how it could be more helpful to children’s emotional and behavioral development. But it is overall wholesome, with some minor questionable elements.
