You probably know him as the guy in the blue and orange hat who gets way too excited about excavators. To millions of toddlers, he’s a hero. To parents, he’s either a lifesaver or a human migraine. But for a segment of the internet that remembers the early 2010s, there is a much darker, weirder connection to his name. The Blippi Harlem Shake pooping video is one of those things that sounds like a fever dream until you realize it’s actually a documented part of internet history.
It’s gross. Honestly, it’s really gross.
Before Stevin John became the multi-millionaire face of a global children’s franchise, he was a guy named Stevin Grossman trying to make it in the world of "gross-out" comedy. This was the era of Jackass and Dirty Jobs, where being as repulsive as possible was a legitimate path to viral fame. Long before the suspenders and the "B-L-I-P-P-I" song, there was Steezy Grossman.
The Steezy Grossman Era and that Harlem Shake Video
In 2013, the "Harlem Shake" meme was everywhere. You remember it: one person dancing alone to a Baauer track, the beat drops, and suddenly the whole room is in costumes doing something chaotic. Most people used it to show off their office or their sports team. Stevin John used it to do something else entirely.
Under his pseudonym Steezy Grossman, John filmed a version of the meme that went far beyond "chaotic." In the video, which surfaced and was reported on by BuzzFeed News in 2019, John is seen standing over a friend who is naked and lying on his back. As the beat drops, John—who is on a toilet—proceeds to have explosive diarrhea onto his friend.
It wasn't a trick. It wasn't chocolate sauce. It was real.
The video was part of a larger brand of "comedy" John was attempting at the time. He had a website dedicated to this persona, filled with content that would make any modern parent’s skin crawl. It’s a jarring contrast. One year he's doing that, and the very next year, in February 2014, he’s launching a YouTube channel for preschoolers.
The pivot was fast. Maybe too fast for the internet to forget.
Why the Blippi Harlem Shake Pooping Video Resurfaced
For five years, Blippi grew in a vacuum. He became a staple of "toddler TV," filling the void left by high-production shows with simple, energetic field trips. But when you become that big, people start digging. In early 2019, the BuzzFeed report hit the fan. Suddenly, the guy who taught your kid how to spell "Fire Truck" was the same guy who became a "poop meme" legend.
Parents were, understandably, freaked out.
"At the time, I thought this sort of thing was funny, but really it was stupid and tasteless, and I regret having ever done it," John told BuzzFeed in a statement at the time.
He didn’t deny it. He couldn't. The evidence was right there, even if he had spent years using DMCA takedown notices to scrub the footage from the face of the earth. He claimed he had grown up. He pointed to his work as Blippi as proof that he had moved on from being the "idiot" he was in his early twenties.
Can You Still Watch the Video?
If you go looking for the Blippi Harlem Shake pooping video today, you’re going to have a hard time. John and his legal team have been incredibly aggressive about nuking it from orbit. They use copyright law to strike down re-uploads on YouTube, Twitter, and Reddit.
- It is virtually gone from mainstream platforms.
- Archival sites sometimes have clips, but they get taken down fast.
- Most "reaction" videos only show people’s faces, not the actual content.
This "clean-up" operation was essential for the brand's survival. In 2020, John sold the Blippi brand to Moonbug Entertainment—the same company that owns CoComelon—for a reported $120 million. You don't get a nine-figure payout if your primary Google search result is a video of you on a toilet.
The Nuance of the Controversy
Is he a predator? No. Is he a "secret" gross-out artist? Not anymore. Most experts in the field of crisis management actually point to Stevin John as a weird success story. He didn't hide behind a fake apology; he admitted it was "tasteless" and kept his head down.
The reality is that Blippi was a business move. John saw his nephew watching low-quality videos and realized he could do better. He used his background in film production and marketing—the same skills he used for Steezy Grossman—to build something that actually had value.
But for some parents, the "ick" factor never goes away.
There’s a strange irony in the fact that Blippi’s entire brand is built on being "childlike." When a 30-year-old man acts like a 4-year-old, it’s charming to a toddler. When that same man’s past involves "scatological humor," it starts to feel a bit more like a David Lynch movie.
Actionable Insights for Parents and Creators
If you’re a parent grappling with this or a creator looking at how digital footprints work, here is the bottom line.
1. Digital footprints are permanent.
Even with a team of lawyers and $120 million, you can’t truly delete the internet. If you’re building a brand, especially one for children, your past isn't just a "memory"—it’s a data point.
2. Separate the art from the artist.
Most kids have no idea who Stevin John is. They just like the orange glasses. If the content on the screen is educational and safe, many parents choose to ignore the man behind the curtain. Others choose to switch to Daniel Tiger.
3. Use it as a lesson in "The Pivot."
The transition from Steezy Grossman to Blippi is one of the most successful rebrands in history. It shows that you can fundamentally change your career path, but you have to be prepared for the "ghosts" to catch up eventually.
4. Check the "New" Blippi.
If you really can't stand Stevin John, you should know he doesn't even play the character much anymore. Clayton Grimm (often called "Stevin's Blippi" or "New Blippi") took over much of the role to allow the franchise to scale. Stevin John is now more of a mogul than a performer.
The Blippi Harlem Shake pooping story is a reminder that the people entertaining our kids are just people—sometimes very weird, very "early-internet" people. Whether that disqualifies them from teaching your kid the alphabet is a personal call. Just maybe don't look for the video during lunch.
To move forward, you can audit the media your children consume by checking "Common Sense Media" for updated reviews on Blippi's latest spin-offs, or research the new actors like Clayton Grimm who have taken over the mantle to see if their background aligns better with your family values.