https://www.gosh.nhs.uk/news/blippi-films-hospital-helpers-at-gosh/

Blippi films Hospital Helpers at GOSH

13 Jan 2025, 2:40 p.m.

A man in an orange and blue hat with glasses, wearing a blue shirt and orange braces is smiling in front of a sign saying Great Ormond Street

Volunteers and staff were thrilled to star in the popular Blippi series to show how they provide a warm welcome to patients at Great Ormond Street Hospital.

The YouTube episode, called Hospital Helpers, shows Blippi meeting volunteer Shirley and her therapy dog Ted, Play Team members Tania and Holly, and GOSH Arts ballerina Tara.

Blippi is a hugely popular educational series on YouTube, which has over 22 million subscribers from around the world.

Blippi films at GOSH

The 10-minute episode starts with Blippi being welcomed to the hospital via the Octav Botnar entrance by Shirley and Ted. The therapy dog, who is nicknamed Dr Ted because he often wears a lab coat, then takes Blippi to Koala Ward.

Blippi meets Tania and Holly from the Play Team who help him learn about syringe painting and how it can help patients get used to procedures such as injections.

He then heads to the rooftop garden to learn some moves with GOSH Arts ballerina Tara, who helps entertain patients.

The episode can be seen on Youtube.

  • A man in an orange and blue outfit strikes a pose mid air while jumping next to a ballerina who is also mid-jump. She is wearing a blue top and white tutu. They are both on a roof garden

    Blippi and Tara the ballerina

  • A man in an orange and blue outfit is sat between two Play Team members who are both wearing purple t-shirts. They are all holding syringes and pots of paint. They are surrounded by toys

    Blippi meets Holly and Tania from the Play Team

  • A man in a blue and orange outfit is next to a volunteer in a yellow tshirt. They are both looking towards the camera along with a therapy dog, Ted, who has a white coat on

    Blippi, Shirley and Ted

Blippi meets patients and staff

While at the hospital, Blippi met many patients and staff, including Amari who was being treated on Squirrel Ward. During his 22-month stay at GOSH he was treated for NDMA Encephalitis and Colitis and underwent a Bone Marrow Transplant and bowel surgery.

Amari, who was four at the time, showed Blippi his room which was decorated in orange and blue – the same as Blippi’s outfit – and showed him some of his favourite toys.

His mum Sebrina said: “It was a tough long journey but having things like this for the children always brightened up the day and you're able to have nice memories in such hard circumstances.”

Amari added: “It was so good meeting Blippi, I was so happy.”

Research internships: building a more inclusive pipeline into clinical academia

Through our Research Hospital Internship programme, the NIHR GOSH Biomedical Research Centre (BRC) is enabling healthcare professionals from diverse backgrounds to take their first steps into research.

Working together to transform research

Our Highlight Report shines a spotlight on some of our brightest and best work in 2025-26. Our Impact report brings together a series of case studies and reflections that showcase the breadth and depth of PPIE across our organisation.

UK-wide excellence in paediatrics

Through the Paediatric Excellence Initiative, the NIHR GOSH Biomedical Research Centre is building a connected, collaborative UK-wide system to accelerate paediatric research.

Families and researchers come together for BPAN Family Day

Families affected by BPAN came together with clinicians and researchers at GOSH