Stevin John, widely recognized as the children’s entertainer “Blippi,” found himself embroiled in controversy stemming from a viral Harlem Shake meme video dating back to 2013. In the video, Blippi, boasting 3.6 million followers, was depicted participating in a shocking act involving his naked friend. For Video click below.
As anticipation for BuzzFeed’s exposé grew, Blippi took extensive measures to purge the internet of this damaging footage. The evolution of online content preservation and legal protection allowed what was once a widely circulated video to become increasingly elusive by 2019.
BuzzFeed journalist Katie Notopoulos refrained from directly sharing or linking to the contentious Harlem Shake Poop video in her piece. Instead, she highlighted that Blippi’s attorney had issued a cease and desist letter, emphasizing copyright infringement.
This legal maneuver was not exclusive to BuzzFeed; in January, a representative claiming to act on behalf of Blippi initiated a copyright takedown request with Google. The aim was to suppress links leading to a Russian website hosting the contentious video, labelling it as unauthorized and unlawfully stored.
The takedown request described the “Harlem Shake Poop” video as NSFW material depicting a graphic scenario between two individuals. It asserted the unauthorized use of the video and condemned the Russian website for illicitly hosting and indexing the content.
Blippi, in response to the media scrutiny, clarified to Motherboard that his efforts to remove the video were not prompted solely by BuzzFeed’s investigation. He stated that he had been consistently pursuing the removal of the video wherever it surfaced.
Blippi defended his actions, arguing that filing a takedown notice did not equate to “extreme lengths.” He also criticized the characterization of BuzzFeed’s report as a “blockbuster investigative report,” hinting at concerns regarding modern journalistic standards.
The saga surrounding the Harlem Shake Poop video underscores the complexities of managing one’s online image and the challenges posed by the internet’s enduring memory. Despite efforts to scrub the video from the digital landscape, its existence and the ensuing legal battles serve as a cautionary tale for content creators navigating the ever-evolving online realm.