Watch: Blippi Details His Super Fun Friendship With Fellow YouTuber Ms. Rachel
There’s so much to learn about Blippi it truly will make you want to shout.
Inspired by the educational YouTuber’s love of learning, we wanted a crash course on what makes the beloved children’s entertainer tick. So when the star of Netflix series like Blippi’s Adventures and Blippi’s Job Show sat down with E! News ahead of his April 19 appearance at the Los Angeles Times Festival of Books, we clocked in, starting with the question he receives most often from his tiniest viewers.
“They love to ask if my watch really works,” he explained of the timepiece he uses to transport himself on various adventures. “And it does, it just frequently doesn’t have a charge in it.”
Most times, excited fans ask “‘Is that your wonder watch? Does it work? Can we go somewhere right now?'” Blippi continued. But since it requires a special set of batteries, more often than not, “I’m like, ‘Well, it’s not charged right now.'”
The content creator (played by Ben Mayer), however, is always rarin’ to go, gamely submitting to a roundup of questions from his preschool-aged fans.
What Is Blippi’s Favorite Part of His Job?
Admittedly, said Blippi, “every part is maybe my favorite.” But the one that most often has him yelling “Yahoo!” is meeting new people.
“One of my favorite things to do is being with people on the streets, getting to know them and just chatting,” he shared. “Because the coolest thing for a kid is to see their favorite character that they grow up watching on TV in person. And so I just love talking to them about, ‘What’s your favorite thing to learn about? Can you tell me something new? What’s going on with your day?'”
It’s part of the reason he and best friend Meekah (Cashae Monya) are performing on the children’s stage at the L.A. Times Festival of Books. His tiniest fans “get to see that there’s another whole universe out there that’s between two covers of a book and that’s just such a cool thing to do,” Blippi explained. “So, inspiring kids to find new ways to learn and to explore the things that they’re interested is, is maybe one of the coolest parts of my job.”
Brett Farmer/Shutterstock
What Is the Coolest Activity Blippi Has Tried?
While Blippi acknowledged he’s attempted a lot of amazing jobs, the one that really got his heart racing was a 2024 trip to the Formula 1 United States Grand Prix.
“I got to be on the track,” he detailed to E!. “I got to sit in a car and meet tons of drivers. It was so cool. I got to race around the track and I went, like, 170 miles an hours, which is really, really fast.”
He also enjoys speeding toward new science experiments, which is why he found a recent volcano-making activity so explosive. “We took some baking soda and you mix that with vinegar,” he detailed, “and then it makes it bubble up just like a volcano. It is super cool.”
Another phenomenon that spins him into a frenzy? “Tornadoes are fascinating,” he answered in response to one query about where the natural disasters most frequently take place. “When you have hot air and cold air, they kind of chase each other around in a circle, and then they form a big funnel.”
They most often take place in the Midwest, he added. “If there’s a lot of stuff in the way, the wind can’t really spin,” he noted. “So when you have a lot of flat land, that makes it really easy for a tornado to form.”
What Activity Would Blippi Like to Try Next?
Expect to see Blippi cooking up some fun in the near future. “I would love to do a cooking show,” he shared. “Because then you can learn about science, too, because baking and cooking is chemistry, right? It’s mixing things of certain weights and volumes and then making a loaf of bread or a cake or something like that.”
Plus, added Blippi, “I also like food.”
Who Does Blippi Look Up To?
No surprise Blippi is a fan of finding the helpers. Fred Rogers—i.e. the titular star of Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood—”was such a lovely, wholesome, just good person to emulate and to learn from,” raved Blippi. “He has so many good little phrases and just great morals for people to learn. And he also inspires kids to explore their imagination and their curiosity and to live in that world, and that’s what I want to do.”
He also has some pretty big feelings about his “great friend” Ms. Rachel. “She’s awesome,” he noted of his sometime collaborator (real name: Rachel Accurso). “She teaches so many great things to little kids that I also teach to, so she is an awesome resource.”
Courtesy of Netflix
Who is Blippi’s Best Friend?
While there’s so much to learn about Blippi, this one was a no-brainer for him, making him want to shout, “Meekah!” And his bestie serves as a bit of a grounding force when he’s setting off on adventures.
“She is a wonderful person to help regulate and to teach me how to problem solve and to think critically about things and, you know, rein it in,” he raved of Meekah. “Sometimes if I get too excited, it’s good to take a step back and be like, ‘I can be excited, but maybe let’s be a little patient.'”
Another aspect of Meekah that’s quite the draw, he added, “She’s a really great artist, so I’ve become a pretty decent artist because of her.”
Who is Blippi’s Favorite Author?
Oh, the places he’s gone with a Dr. Seuss book. “It’s a great way to learn rhyming schemes and to learn syllables and pronunciation,” he noted of the author’s vast collection. Though he also thinks his 5 Minute Stories is worth a read, admitting, “I’m a little biased!”
As for those learners who haven’t yet flipped for reading, “The easiest things you can do is ask your kid what interests them,” he advised. “They have so many things that they’re fascinated in, and the next step from there is taking them to a library or a festival where they can learn about that thing that they really enjoy, and they can pick up a book that they really love.”
The key is to “lean into your child’s interests,” he added. “That’ll be a really easy way for you to get them interested in reading.”
And if you’re on the hunt for your next page-turner, take a crack at this list of new reads.
Mariner Books
G.P. Putnam’s Sons
For most readers, Judy Blume has been there every step of the journey—from children’s classics like Are You There God, It’s Me Margaret and Tales of a Fourth Grade Nothing to her more mature reads like Wifey and Summer Sisters. But now, the iconic writer’s life itself is making way to TBR lists thanks to Mark Oppenheimer—and adding to the intrigue? An apparent falling out between the biographer and his subject over the course of the writing.
Viking
The Irish novelist has been a fan-favorite among thriller enthusiasts since In the Woods, and with good reason: they’re addictive and unpredictable. And years after ditching her Dublin-area settlings for the West of Ireland and the tales of Cal Hooper, Tana French is back with what purports to be her final outing for the retired American cop as he investigates the death of a young woman in his small town—and gets tangled in the long-simmering tensions that come to a boil as a result of this local tragedy.
To her millions of followers, influencer Natalie Heller Mills projects a life of traditional family perfection: a doting husband, a brood of perfect homeschooled children and a farm that doubles as a chic Instagram backdrop. However, her pioneer life masquerade is no match for the real thing as she awakens in the early 19th century with no idea how she got there—or how to get back to her reality. The dual timeline novel, tracking her rise to social media notoriety and navigating life in 1805, is a wild, twisty ride through the world of tradwife influencing.
Doubleday
When Patrick Radden Keefe published his 2024 New Yorker article about the death of British teen Zac Brettler—whose secret life posing as the son of a Russian oligarch ultimately ended in tragedy—it could have been easy to question what more there is to say. However, this is the author of Say Nothing and Empire of Pain we’re talking about. So, unsurprisingly, Keefe more than delivers with gripping, unflinching examination at the seedy world of money and power Zac became enmeshed in—and his family’s quest for the truth in the years following his 2019 death.
Berkley
Charlie Jones arrives at her new job managing in farm shop in a remote island only to meet Charlie Jones, who has turned up for his new job at the farm shop. Beyond their shared name, they’re each desperate for a fresh start far away from home. However, unable to work out which of the Charlie Joneses is actually meant to be running the shop, the owners have a proposition: they both take on the job for a few months and at the end, whoever is the best fit gets the job. But as they set out to prove they’re the one meant to last, they may find they have more in common than a name.
Ballantine Books
Prepare to dive into your favorite books—quite literally. Rainy March is, as the title suggests, a book witch with the ability to journey into the worlds of beloved books to fix malicious changes. There’s just one rule: Book Witches can visit but never linger too long in a book. But after her grandfather—and a precious book—go missing, must risk it all by travelling through countless classic novels with the fictional detective Duke of Chicago to help find him. And in the process, she not only has to confront the unearthed family secrets but confront her feelings for the Duke.
Penguin Random House
Prepare to set sail on a thoughtful examination of fandom in Emma Straub’s latest, which follows 50-year-old divorcée Annie on a cruise centered around the boy band of her youth, Boy Talk. Without ever looking down on upon Stan culture, the book is an honest portrayal of aging, celebrity and the culture that shaped our youth.Although, what truly makes Straub’s book work so well—aside from its 360-degree examination of the cruise through the lens of Annie, Boy bander Keith and cruise employee Sarah—is that it doesn’t matter what boy band stole hearts as the reader came of age, as she captures that magical feeling in a timeless way.
William Morrow
Imagine your ex has turned your life together into fodder for his semi-autobiographical graphic novel—which has become a massive sensation and parlayed him into internet fame. At least, that’s what Cherry is going through as she picks up the pieces of the dream life they were supposed to share. As she takes steps forward, she runs into someone from her past, Russ, who may just be the key to moving on from the heartbreak.
Atria Books
Release: April 21
Sure fall is considered spooky season but there’s always room for a spring scare. And in The Caretaker, the We Used to Live Here author introduces readers to Macy, who desperate for a job agrees to a three-day stint as the caretaker of a property in the Pacific Northwest, despite the ominous signs that something is afoot. Indeed, it soon becomes clear that something is very, very wrong.
Flatiron Books
Take a step back just a few years into 2007 Brooklyn, where Alicia Canales is back home in Fort Greene and looking ahead into the next chapter of her life. During this time, she becomes ensnared in the world of her mysterious artist neighbor, who throws legendary parties. Set amid a changing neighborhood landscape at a precarious time to be coming of age—after all, the financial crisis looms just ahead—Xochitl Gonzalez delivers yet another can’t-miss story.
Grove Press
After barely scraping by in Edinburgh, John-Calum returns home to his insular, deeply religious community in the Outer Hebrides of Scotland, of which his father John is a revered member and his Glasgow-born grandmother Ella is forever an outsider. Beyond trying to avoid cracking under the scrutiny that comes with being home—especially as a still-closeted queer person—Cal’s relationship with John is a complicated web of love, resentment and frustration, which occasionally turns violent.However, at the root of this fractus dynamic is the similarities neither is willing to acknowledge. It’s a really moving, unflinching story about fathers and sons, legacy and homophobia in ‘90s Scotland—continuing to cement Douglas Stuart as a must-read.
Berkley
The day before her wedding, Frankie wakes up to a note from her fiancé calling off the wedding. With the honeymoon already paid for, she decides to decamp the lush rainforests of Tofino, a quiet inlet on the coast of Vancouver Island, British Columbia. She doesn’t go alone, however, as her childhood best friend George reluctantly tags along. And after years of distance growing between them, the week serves as an opportunity to rebuild their fading friendship—or let it blossom into something more.
Cardinal
American actress Monica Logue arrives in Derry to immerse herself in the community before filming on her new show about The Troubles commences—only to go missing. Naturally, the TV star’s disappearance is talk of the town, and everyone has an opinion or theory about where she is. And that’s where the heart of the story lies, as each chapter follows a different person untangling their relationship with the show and the events it is depicting, with the beleaguered screenwriter’s attempts to complete his scripts serving as a throughline.It’s a heart-wrenching and at times deeply funny examination of The Troubles’ lasting imprint in the North of Ireland—and the complicated experience of seeing a painful moment in time become commodified for public consumption.
Forever
Five years after the first installment in her Hollywood Renaissance series, the beloved romance writer is back with a follow-up, this time centered around screenwriter Verity who must reunite with the composer behind her biggest heartbreak to collaborate on a Harlem Renaissance biopic that may make or break both of their careers. With stakes higher than ever, they set out to create a story and score that captures hearts—and possible Oscar glory. Although, in order to move forward Verity and Monk may just have to come to terms with their past.
Bold Type
Years after breaking out with When Brooklyn Was Queer, the historian candidly details his own journey as a queer person in the ‘90s and early 2000s. Weaving through his own experiences with AOL chatrooms and navigating the nightclub scene as a broke student, Hugh Ryan examines the Queer experience in run up to Y2K and the internet boom. It’s compelling, unfiltered and takes a thoughtful approach to detailing the complicated time in a person’s coming of age.
