Photography courtesy of Moonbug
Blippi and Meekah
Photography courtesy of Christie Parker Brunk
Levi Brunk
Levi Brunk's dream is about to come true. This month, Blippi and Meekah will be visiting The Magic House to film an episode with the 3-year-old toddler from Wildwood. The visit comes after Levi won the nationwide “Blippi & Meekah in My Hometown” contest.
In coordination with the city of Wildwood, Blippi and Meekah will also host a special meet-and-greet for fans on September 14 from 5–6:30 p.m. at Lafayette High School Theater, with limited spots available. (Check the city of Wildwood's Instagram for updates and details.)
On the educational channel, which features Blippi and best friend Meekah, the two hosts visit a variety of fun locations to teach kids about the world around them. For the contest, entrants were asked to submit videos showcasing an exciting location in their hometown. Levi’s winning video follows him (dressed in Blippi’s signature orange suspenders, bow tie, and pinwheel hat) as he introduces himself and plays at The Magic House. According to Katelynn Heil, general manager of the Blippi franchise, Levi’s enthusiasm caught the team’s eye and led to him being selected as one of five finalists.
“One of the great things that we saw with Levi was that he really rallied his local community—he was on the local news, in local newspapers,” says Heil. “We saw that the community engagement really paid off. He was in second place all the way up to the last day, and then we saw thousands of votes pile in and put Levi on top.”
Last November, the first iteration of “Blippi in My Hometown” became the channel’s highest-performing episode of the year. Heil says the idea originated from Blippi’s fan community on social media—a presence that has been steadily growing since Blippi’s creator, Stevin John, posted his first video in 2014. John was inspired to make the channel after noticing that his nephew didn’t have access to many educational, kid-friendly programs on YouTube. John’s initial videos centered around his own childhood passion: construction vehicles. “Turns out, not just his nephew watched [the video], but actually hundreds of thousands of people, which later turned into millions” Heil says.
Levi’s mom, Christie, credits Levi’s love of all things construction-related to Blippi. She also believes that Blippi’s videos have helped Levi develop a grasp of letters, shapes, and colors. As a former teacher, Christie appreciates the balance of entertainment and education that she’s found through Blippi’s channel. When she learned about the contest, she knew that Levi had to enter. “Ever since Levi learned to talk, he has asked me pretty much every day, ‘Mommy, can Blippi come to my house to play? Can Blippi come meet me? Can we go play with Blippi?’” Christie says.
Now, Levi’s wish is about to come true. “I don’t think he can quite believe it yet,” says Christie. “We’ll probably be watching that episode every day for the rest of our lives. He’s so excited.”
