A group of Postal Service employees appear in the new holiday video with Blippi, a popular children’s character with his own YouTube channel, and Mr. ZIP.
The employees filmed the 18-minute video in Santa Clarita, CA, in August, alongside Clayton Grimm, who performs as Blippi.
“The experience was amazing,” said Lebec, CA, Postmaster Jamie Wright, one of the employees. “The co-workers I got to work with and get to know better was a highlight for me for sure.”
In the video, Blippi visits the Santa Clarita Post Office to mail a letter and ends up receiving an education on all things postal from Wright and her co-workers.
The group includes Anyssa Hinojos, a retail associate, and three employees from the nearby Santa Clarita Processing and Distribution Center: Ernie Martinez, a mail handler equipment operator; Andrew Villanueva, a mail processing clerk; and Christopher Nance, a maintenance operations manager.
The video, which debuted on YouTube last month, was mostly unscripted.
“They gave us an idea what to say and then we all just went our own way using our imaginations,” Wright said.
The mom of six said she appreciates the educational aspect of the Blippi video — as well as the opportunity to perform herself.
Wright also appeared in a USPS TV commercial in 2015 and has performed the national anthem at a few stamp dedication ceremonies.
“I’m not afraid of the limelight,” she said.
Mailing smiles
Yes, people in this fast-paced digital world still mail holiday cards.
Just ask Glenwood, MD, Postmaster Paula Logue, who spends much of her free time creating her own cards and mailing them to family and friends. On average, she makes 185 cards each year.
“People love opening a card they retrieved from the mailbox,” Logue said. “Who’s it from? What’s it going to say? What’s it going to look like?”
According to USPS research, holiday cards made up 46 percent of the mail that households received during the 2023 holiday season.
“All I want to do is make people smile when they open their card,” Logue said. “If I have done that, then my job is done.”
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