Blippi, the famous American children’s entertainer and educator, is a character portrayed by Stevin John. Through his character, John has become one of the highest-paid YouTube stars and amassed incredible wealth. In 2024, Blippi’s net worth is estimated at $120 million – and it keeps growing every day.
If you have children, you’ve probably seen Blippi on YouTube, Netflix, Hulu, HBO, Amazon Video, or Peacock. The character is energetic, curious, childlike – and always dressed the same, wearing an orange beanie cap, suspenders, bow tie, and blue shirt.
Interestingly, the man behind Blippi wasn’t always named Stevin John. More interestingly, while Blippi’s net worth mostly comes mostly from this role, its creator has earned a lot from other investments and ventures, as well.
Let’s dig into his story and how he became a multimillionaire.
Blippi’s Net Worth Breakdown:
After conducting extensive research, we’ve gathered information to create a breakdown of Blippi’s net worth. As expected, not all of his earnings and contract details are disclosed to the public, but we found enough to provide a comprehensive overview of his main assets and sources of his wealth.
Asset or Income Source | Contribution to Net Worth |
Moonbug acquisition | $120 million, unknown share |
Merchandise sales | $10-$27 per item |
Blippi licensed content | Undisclosed |
YouTube earnings, 2020 | $17 million |
Blippi Toys channel ad revenue | Up to $348,700 per month |
YouTube ad revenue, estimated | $14.9 million per year |
Real estate | $27.8 million |
Stock portfolio | $15 million |
Luxury cars | $600,000+ |
Total Net Worth | $120 million |
Blippi Net Worth: Early Life and Education
Stevin John changed his name to this sometime before 2019, but this wasn’t his name originally. He was born Stephen John Grossman on May 27, 1988, in Ellensburg, Washington.
After finishing high school, Stevin John chose to join the military. He initially aimed to become a fighter pilot, so he signed up for the United States Air Force in 2006 as a C017 Globemaster loadmaster at the 4th Airlift Squadron. His role involved securing, loading, and escorting cargo and passengers.
Two years after he enlisted, John exited the military service and the United States Air Force, citing personal reasons.
“I enjoyed being in the military but I didn’t like the idea of eventually having a family and not being with them for months at a time so I did my term and decided not to reenlist,” he shared in an interview with the Daily Mail.
After his time in the military, John moved to Los Angeles, where he became a marketing consultant and explored filmmaking. In 2013, his nephew encouraged him to start creating content. He began making videos for his nephew Hunter when he was two, motivated by the belief that there was a lack of quality educational content on YouTube.
“I saw my nephew watch videos on YouTube and they weren’t the best quality just background music with footage and I thought ‘I can do something better than this and it will be fun to create content for him’,” he said.
Personal Life
Stevin John is engaged to Alyssa Ingham and has one child with her, their son Lochlan David John.
In 2021, the children’s entertainer announced that he proposed to his long-term girlfriend on social media, sharing photos from the special moment.
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Blippi Net Worth: Making Millions Through Educational Videos for Children
Stevin John joined the entertainment world almost straight out of military service, but his success didn’t come overnight. He had ups and downs and struggles, especially at the beginning of his career. Fast forward to today, and Blippi’s net worth has reached over $120 million, and the entertainer and educator is making the most of his wealth from his Blippi character.
Let’s take a look at how he achieved such fame and fortune.
Steezy Grossman
When John started making his first videos in 2013, he used the name Steezy Grossman, his first persona in video content. At the time, he created a large number of comedy videos under this moniker, including Turdboy and Underwear Man.
The famous character Blippi wasn’t always focused on children’s entertainment. In fact, in 2013, he published a comedic video of himself taking a deuce on another man. His Harlem Shake video was based on the same-named dance craze, where one person dances on the soft part of the song by Baauer, and when the beat drops, a whole crowd joins them.
However, John put his own spin on the meme, titling his video Harlem Shake Poop. When asked about this by BuzzFeed, Blippi stated:
I’ve grown up a lot since then, and I trust people will see me as the person I am now, not the idiot I was back then
The Birth of the Blippi Character
The first Blippi video was published on January 24, 2014, and here John is now – counting millions in his net worth. The first video featured John starring in his new character, taking inspiration from other entertainers such as Mr. Rogers. In the beginning, John did all of the filming, graphics, and editing himself – which isn’t the case today.
Fast forward to 2020, Blippi’s creator joined Moonbug Entertainment, a multi-channel network, which became a subsidiary of Candle Media a year later. His show on the network is dubbed in Spanish, Portuguese, French, German, Italian, Japanese, Danish, and Polish.
Moonbug Entertainment was formed in 2018 and combined popular YouTube channels to assemble a kids’ network based on streaming. They acquired popular names like Dr. Poppy’s Pet Rescue and Magic Pet Morphle, as well as Cocomelon and Blippi.
While the exact details of the contract are undisclosed to the public, many sources mention that Moonbug spent $120 million to acquire Cocomelon and Blippi, as well as a few other, less popular channels. Judging from Blippi’s popularity at the time, it is safe to assume that he got at least a third of this sum as part of the contract.
Blippi’s Rise to Fame in Children’s Entertainment
Up until May 2021, the Blippi character was only played by Stevin John. However, Clayton Grimm started playing Blippi in live performances, and in May of the same year, he performed for the first time on the channel, using the moniker Blippi. He would later start hosting as an alternative Blippi with John.
Due to the massive popularity of John’s moniker, in October 2021, Moonbug Entertainment announced that they’d be adding a new character to the show named Meekah, played by both Cashae Monya and Kaitlin Becker.
That same year, in December, the network created a spin-off series titled Blippi’s Treehouse, which aired on Amazon Kids+ and included two more character puppets, Scratch and Patch.
In January 2022, Netflix, one of the most popular streaming platforms, acquired the license to Blippi, among other children’s entertainment brands.
In October 2022, Moonbug Entertainment went into partnership with Virgin Media, Richard Branson’s company, to bring programs including Blippi to the United Kingdom. Moonbug also partnered with POPS Worldwide and brought his content to the POPS Kids app, expanding Blippi’s reach into Southeast Asia, as well.
What Else Does Blippi AKA Stevin John Invest In?
Blippi earns a fortune through his show, but that is not his only source of income. Blippi has built an empire based in a production/distribution warehouse in Las Vegas. In addition to the Blippi channel, which counts over 3.6 million subscribers, he has at least two other channels, sells a range of merchandise, and makes profits from other ventures.
Let’s take a look at what else contributes to his net worth.
Merchandise Sales
The Blippi brand is huge with children and merchandise includes dolls, books, bikes, t-shirts, action figures, and a replica of his outfit i.e. his hat and glasses. Customers can also buy birthday party decorations and plates. In January 2021, he launched a new toy line, Blippi Toys.
Blippi’s merchandise, which includes clothes, pajamas, toothbrush kits, and other products, is priced between $10 and $27.
Licensing Deals
Over the years, Blippi has signed at least two licensing deals.
K-Swiss Deal
In addition to his Blippi-themed merchandise, John has also earned a lot from a licensing deal with K-Swiss, the company that sells Blippi-branded powder blue and orange kids sneakers.
Jazwares LLC Deal
In 2019, Blippi signed another licensing contract, a master toy deal with Jazwares LLC. This contract allowed the company to sell merchandise such as toy vehicles and other Blippi toys based on the show, starting in 2020.
In 2020, Jaswares created the famous plush toy called My Buddy Blippi, which can recreate 15 of his Blippi’s signature phrases and sounds.
Web Series and Documentaries
Over the years, Blippi has created documentaries and a web series, which add to his net worth as well. Moonbug partnered with Round Room Live to create Blippi the Musical, a live show. The show was originally scheduled for 2020, but the performances were postponed due to the pandemic.
His animated children’s web series is Blippi Wonders, which is all about John’s moniker aka Blippi. The series is streaming on Hulu, Amazon, and Netflix.
On Blippi Wonders, children can see their favorite entertainer along with TABBS, an orange cat, D Bo, a blue dog, and Blippi Mobile, a blue car. This series is also produced by Moonbug, but this time in collaboration with Rainbox GCI and IoM Media Ventures.
The Blippi Story
Not only can children watch Blippi’s video they can also buy Blippi Story on Amazon, his storybook of 5-minute stories. The stories are perfect for bedtime and other occasions, with the most popular ones being Bedtime with Blippi and My Buddy Blippi.
Funny and Educational Videos on YouTube
Thanks to his viewership on his YouTube channel, Blippi reportedly earns $2 million a month. In 2020 alone, Blippi’s videos on his YouTube channel, as well as the ad revenues, added $17 million to the entertainer’s net worth.
The main Blippi channel now has 20.3 million subscribers. This is not his only channel, though. There is also a Blippi Toys channel, featuring videos of John with toy trucks, counting 12 million subscribers in July 2024. And, there is the Spanish-dubbed channel counting 17.1 million subscribers!
According to SocialBlade, Blippi Toys generates up to $348,700 each month in ad revenue while the main channel earns up to $495,700 per month. Blippi Español is said to earn as much as $389,400 monthly. At the top end of these estimates, Blippi’s YouTube channels are earning him around $14.9 million per year.
In the beginning, Blippi was posting low-quality YouTube videos across various streaming platforms. But, once he gained fame and garnered an increasing following – he now has billions of views on YouTube – he expanded his production staff. Not only did he establish his merch brand and several channels, but he reportedly earned a substantial income from digital video downloads and DVDs.
Real Estate
Blippi’s success has allowed him to earn a fortune, and he hasn’t been shy in spending it – John has invested a fortune in real estate. In 2019, he and his wife bought a $2.8 million mansion in Toluca Lake, Los Angeles. He recently listed it for $3.6 million, but there is no confirmation of a sale.
His primary residence in California cost him $16 million at the time of the purchase, and $3 million more for renovations. It is now estimated at $25 million.
In addition to these properties, Stevin John also owns several rental homes in Washington, though their number and value haven’t been publicly disclosed.
Other Assets
His success with young viewers has led Blippi to a fortune of millions, which he has invested not only in real estate but in luxurious assets such as cars, as well. Let’s take a look at some of the luxury cars he has acquired over the years:
- Tesla X worth around $100,000
- Audi R8 V10 Plus worth around $100,000
- Volvo XC40 worth around $70,000
- BMW X8 worth around $200,000
- Mercedes-Benz C-Class worth around $50,000
- Audi A6 worth around $120,000
Investments in Stock Markets
Several sources also mention that Stevin John has invested a lot in stocks and bonds, though this hasn’t been officially confirmed. According to MoneyMade, the entertainer and educator has a $15 million stock portfolio.
What Can We Learn from Blippi’s Journey?
Blippi’s story teaches us several valuable lessons. Despite his initial dreams of becoming a pilot, Blippi found his real passion where he least expected it. This teaches us that it is never too late in life to find your passion and that you shouldn’t be afraid to pursue what you believe in.
Stevin John saw a gap in the market for high-quality educational content for children and filled it with his Blippi persona. Uncovering good opportunities is only step one, but this only leads to financial success if you pursue it, which is exactly what John did.
Initially, he created content under a different persona – for an entirely different audience, a young audience, but not children. However, he then decided to shift to creating content for young minds, not only content that entertains, but also educates. Being willing to change and adapt when necessary is a great way to get new opportunities for success.
Over the years, John has reinvested in his brand. His digital videos improved over time because he expanded his team and boosted production quality as his audience grew. Investing in your business is an ongoing process, and it is vital to sustain and accelerate its growth.
By collaborating with networks like Moonbug and expanding his content across different social media platforms, John has maximized his character’s reach and profitability. Collaboration is often the key to greater success, and it’s what brought Blippi and his YouTube content to the level it has today.
Not only did he collaborate with a media network, but Stevin John’s highly successful retail empire also contributed significantly to his fortune. The man wearing orange suspenders has diversified his portfolio so well that he now has annual earnings of millions of dollars. This confirms the importance of having multiple income streams and diversifying your investments for better financial stability.