Blippi has a new friend in South America. The kid-friendly franchise, which falls under the umbrella of the media company Moonbug, is heading into Brazil with a spin-off character named Juca.
Though the Blippi brand broke out on YouTube, where the titular entertainer reaches more than 17 million subscribers, the new character will be linked to HBO Max. Several Blippi shows are already available on the Warner Bros. Discovery-owned platform, and the launch of Juca’s channel will add one more.
The latest addition to the Blippi universe will debut on the Cartoonito programming block on January 9. On the same day, the first five installments of Juca’s show will arrive on HBO Max. New episodes will drop on Mondays.
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According to Brazilian publication A Touperia, Juca will explore his home country’s culture, food, traditions, and music. He will visit local attractions like the São Paulo Zoo and the Imagination Museum.
Blippi has developed a Lusophone audience thanks to his Portuguese-language YouTube channel, which counts more than two million subscribers and over 1.1 billion views. “Blippi’s growing success in Latin America has inspired us to expand the universe of the franchise by giving life to Juca, Blippi’s first international friend”, said Moonbug Director of Latam Distribution Marta Braun in a Portuguese statement. “We are very excited about this partnership to serve children and their families in Brazil, with a Brazilian character in local adventures.”
Moonbug has pursued a rapid expansion of the Blippi franchise since it was acquired by Candle Media in a blockbuster deal last November. Juca is not the first spinoff character in his family-friendly universe. Last month, Moonbug announced a Netflix show hosted by Meekah, who has her own YouTube channel and also appears in videos alongside Blippi.
For Juca, the rollout strategy will be a bit different. The new character has not starred in collab videos with Blippi yet, though the pair have appeared in some promotional photos together. Of course, since this show is catered to Brazilian audiences, there is some soccer involved.
As the Blippi franchise grows across the globe, its central character will continue his own exploits. A show called Blippi the Musical will hit London and Abu Dhabi early in 2023.
