His first YouTube appearance was an early 2014 video of Blippi, a fun yet educational children’s show he came up with to entertain his young nephew. But brand-building entrepreneur Stevin John has certainly come a long way since then. Thanks to a loyal following of children and adults alike (he has over 35 billion YouTube views to date), the program is now available on all the major streaming platforms and has related merchandise, a touring musical, and spinoff series like Blippi’s Treehouse. The creator and original host even managed to sell his brand in a lucrative $120 million licensing deal about four years ago.

A Blippi Sink or Float video filmed in the backyard racked up 82 million views on YouTube.Stevin John