Blippi, the YouTube edutainer with a penchant for repeating himself and narrating his every move, is coming to Abu Dhabi! He's coming to Abu Dhabi! Did you know he's coming to Abu Dhabi?
If you have children under five, you might be familiar with the bow-tied blue-and-orange-clad character, with his bright glasses and indefatigable cheeriness.
You might also know he's performing at Etihad Arena in a show called Blippi: The Musical on February 18 and 19.
Racking up one billion views per month on YouTube, Blippi leads children through familiar environments, such as a children’s museum, a ball pit or an indoor play centre. He crawls, barks like a dog, stumbles and gets up. And he talks. Oh, how he talks.
He verbalises every move he makes so that toddlers and preschool-age children can learn the words associated with his actions. But now you, the parent, are investing in noise-cancelling headphones, even as you marvel at just how absorbed your children are and how keen their powers of association.
Blippi: The Musical will take the capital’s children through a special live musical performance of this feat of self-narration. Gambolling about onstage with other Blippi characters, Blippi and co will sing and dance and invite parents and children to sing along as well.
“Now that Blippi has grown as a character, we’re so thrilled to be able to bring him off the screen to delight children live on stage,” says Josh Blackburn, the executive producer of the musical.
Blackburn worked with an army of designers, writers, actors, choreographers and composers to put together the Abu Dhabi show.
There are now two Blippis, the original, Stevin W John and new actor Clayton Grimm — a changeover that was somewhat controversial and much talked-about among parents on social media. It's not clear yet whether John, Grimm or indeed a third actor will be part of Blippi: The Musical in Abu Dhabi.
You can, however, expect all the familiar Blippi songs including The Excavator Song, whose vague resemblance to 1990s indie rock makes it a step up from Baby Shark in terms of tunes to have in your head for 12 days straight.
This will be Blippi: The Musical’s first foray in the Middle East after running for more than 500 performances across the US and UK. It is being staged by Flash Entertainment.
“Since Blippi is a digitally native brand and character, we had to dig deep into all of the children's content available on YouTube, Netflix and other streamers to know what kids and families expect and are familiar with in relation to these brands,” says Blackburn, who describes Blippi as the “ultimate play date”.
“Blippi, while an adult, speaks to children on their level, and inspires children’s natural curiosity for the world around them. He encourages learning through doing, playing and exploring, and children are delighted to learn alongside him.”
Blippi: The Musical will hold four performances at Etihad Arena, Yas Island, on 18 and 19 February 2023. Tickets are available at www.etihadarena.ae
MATCH INFO
New Zealand 176-8 (20 ovs)
England 155 (19.5 ovs)
New Zealand win by 21 runs
RACE CARD
4pm Al Bastakiya – Listed (TB) $150,000 (Dirt) 1,900m
4.35pm Dubai City Of Gold – Group 2 (TB) $228,000 (Turf) 2,410m
5.10pm Mahab Al Shimaal – Group 3 (TB) $228,000 (D) 1,200m
5.45pm Burj Nahaar – Group 3 (TB) $228,000 (D) 1,600m
6.20pm Jebel Hatta – Group 1 (TB) $260,000 (T) 1,800m
6.55pm Al Maktoum Challenge Round-1 – Group 1 (TB) $390,000 (D) 2,000m
7.30pm Nad Al Sheba – Group 3 (TB) $228,000 (T) 1,200m
Dubai World Cup prize money
Group 1 (Purebred Arabian) 2000m Dubai Kahayla Classic - $750,000
Group 2 1,600m(Dirt) Godolphin Mile - $750,000
Group 2 3,200m (Turf) Dubai Gold Cup – $750,000
Group 1 1,200m (Turf) Al Quoz Sprint – $1,000,000
Group 2 1,900m(Dirt) UAE Derby – $750,000
Group 1 1,200m (Dirt) Dubai Golden Shaheen – $1,500,000
Group 1 1,800m (Turf) Dubai Turf – $4,000,000
Group 1 2,410m (Turf) Dubai Sheema Classic – $5,000,000
Group 1 2,000m (Dirt) Dubai World Cup– $12,000,000
RESULTS
5pm: Handicap (TB) Dh100,000, 2,400m
Winner: Recordman, Richard Mullen (jockey), Satish Seemar (trainer)
5.30pm: Wathba Stallions Cup Handicap (PA) Dh 70,000, 2,200m
Winner: AF Taraha, Tadhg O’Shea, Ernst Oertel
6pm: Abu Dhabi Fillies Classic Prestige (PA) Dh110,000, 1,400m
Winner: Dhafra, Fabrice Veron, Eric Lemartinel
6.30pm: Abu Dhabi Colts Classic Prestige (PA) Dh110,000, 1,400m
Winner: Maqam, Fabrice Veron, Eric Lemartinel
7pm: Handicap (PA) Dh85,000, 1,600m
Winner: AF Momtaz, Fernando Jara, Musabah Al Muhairi
7.30pm: Maiden (PA) Dh80,000, 1,600m
Winner: Optimizm, Patrick Cosgrave, Abdallah Al Hammadi
UAE cricketers abroad
Sid Jhurani is not the first cricketer from the UAE to go to the UK to try his luck.
Rameez Shahzad Played alongside Ben Stokes and Liam Plunkett in Durham while he was studying there. He also played club cricket as an overseas professional, but his time in the UK stunted his UAE career. The batsman went a decade without playing for the national team.
Yodhin Punja The seam bowler was named in the UAE’s extended World Cup squad in 2015 despite being just 15 at the time. He made his senior UAE debut aged 16, and subsequently took up a scholarship at Claremont High School in the south of England.
MATCH INFO
Liverpool 3
Sadio Man 28'
Andrew Robertson 34'
Diogo Jota 88'
Arsenal 1
Lacazette 25'
Man of the match
Sadio Mane (Liverpool)
The specs
Engine: 5.0-litre V8
Power: 480hp at 7,250rpm
Torque: 566Nm at 4,600rpm
Transmission: 10-speed auto
Fuel consumption: L/100km
Price: Dh306,495
On sale: now
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Vidaamuyarchi
Director: Magizh Thirumeni
Stars: Ajith Kumar, Arjun Sarja, Trisha Krishnan, Regina Cassandra
Rating: 4/5
COMPANY%20PROFILE
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The specs
Engine: 3.8-litre V6
Power: 295hp at 6,000rpm
Torque: 355Nm at 5,200rpm
Transmission: 8-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 10.7L/100km
Price: Dh179,999-plus
On sale: now
Timeline
2012-2015
The company offers payments/bribes to win key contracts in the Middle East
May 2017
The UK SFO officially opens investigation into Petrofac’s use of agents, corruption, and potential bribery to secure contracts
September 2021
Petrofac pleads guilty to seven counts of failing to prevent bribery under the UK Bribery Act
October 2021
Court fines Petrofac £77 million for bribery. Former executive receives a two-year suspended sentence
December 2024
Petrofac enters into comprehensive restructuring to strengthen the financial position of the group
May 2025
The High Court of England and Wales approves the company’s restructuring plan
July 2025
The Court of Appeal issues a judgment challenging parts of the restructuring plan
August 2025
Petrofac issues a business update to execute the restructuring and confirms it will appeal the Court of Appeal decision
October 2025
Petrofac loses a major TenneT offshore wind contract worth €13 billion. Holding company files for administration in the UK. Petrofac delisted from the London Stock Exchange
November 2025
180 Petrofac employees laid off in the UAE
Groom and Two Brides
Director: Elie Semaan
Starring: Abdullah Boushehri, Laila Abdallah, Lulwa Almulla
Rating: 3/5
The%20Emperor%20and%20the%20Elephant
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