UK Edition
Wimbledon turns to YouTube star Blippi to get under-fives into tennis
The entertainer will produce tennis-themed videos for his 20 million online subscribers
Wimbledon has turned to an American YouTube star to help popularise tennis among under-fives.
The All England Club has partnered with Blippi, a children’s entertainer with more than 20 million online subscribers, to produce two Wimbledon-themed episodes for this year’s tournament.
Organisers hope the videos, which have racked up more than 300,000 views, will encourage youngsters to follow in the footsteps of Andy Murray and Emma Raducanu.
Blippi, dressed in all white save for a pair of oversized orange glasses, is seen haphazardly playing on the practice courts and hauling cartons of strawberries.
Ella Ottaway, children, young people and families manager, said: “We are very keen to inspire the next generation of future fans and how important it is to engage with fans at such a young age and Blippi is such an exciting and global phenomenon.
“It’s introducing people to Wimbledon in ways that aren’t necessarily associated with tennis.
“So you have got different connections for different audiences. This was one of the fist collaborations in the UK that they [Blippi] have done, and obviously Wimbledon being so iconic and British it was a really, really exciting process.”
Ulrika Hogberg, head of community strategy, added: “We consumed Wimbledon in a very analogue way, it was always on TV and so that is what you watched for two weeks.
“And now parents, kids, just consume content in such a different way and I think Blippi totally serves that by having his own YouTube channel and having content at the ready and at your disposal at any time.”
The episodes are presented by American actor and musician Clayton Grimm whose play Blippi: The Wonderful World Tour was nominated for an Olivier Award.
It marks the latest attempt by the All England Club targeting a younger online audience.
In 2023 the All England club launched a branded Fortnite racing game set around SW19 along with a WimbleWorld Roblox experience, introduced for younger players, and a tennis app called Wimbledon Smash.
Blippi’s founder and former presenter Stevin John, 36, caused controversy in 2019 when a video of him defecating on a naked man as part of a stunt was unearthed by the news website BuzzFeed.
Mr John, said he regretted the “stupid and tasteless” video and has tried to have the video removed from the internet.