Roi Fabito, better known as Guava Juice, is the YouTuber extraordinaire who has been slaying the game for well over 10 years.
Born and raised in North Carolina, with roots in the Philippines, Roi began his YouTube career as one half of Wassabi Productions, alongside Alex Wassabi. After building up a strong following, he decided to go it alone and start his own channel. The rest, as they say, is history.
With over four billion views and 10 million subscribers on his channel, Roi has turned Guava Juice into something quite spectacular. His channel, which is made up of crazy challenges, bathtub experiments, silly DIYs and random shenanigans, is a safe place for both young and old, reminding us all that we should always take some time out to have fun.
Alongside his YouTube channel, Roi has built an incredible Guava Juice empire. Just last month, Roi launched his very own range of Guava Toys including slime buckets and pancake art kits, which have been rolled out in Target stores. Roi also launched the Guava Juice Tub Tapper mobile game, which received over 120,000 downloads in its first week. We can’t forget Roi’s quirky original songs which are available on iTunes and Spotify either, in addition to his merch.
Furthermore, Roi recently appeared on season three of the YouTube Originals series Escape The Night, alongside fellow influencers including Joey Graceffa, Liza Koshy, Manny MUA, Colleen Ballinger, and more.
Roi is also a keen philanthropist and is passionate about giving back to underprivileged, ill and at-risk youth, with the aim of giving them hope and leaving them with a smile on their faces. Some of his work includes partnering with The Make-A-Wish Foundation on three occasions.
We recently caught up with Roi to talk all things Guava Juice, Guava Toys, working with The Make-A-Wish Foundation, and much more.
Your YouTube channel Guava Juice has been an incredible success for over 10 years now. How do you continue to come up with new and original ideas?
I watch a lot of YouTube. It basically comes down to always keeping up with what’s trending and do it as soon as possible. Also, I watch a lot of Japanese YouTube channels to grab some inspiration, because if you watch some of these Japanese game shows, they do some crazy things.
Is there a particular video/challenge that you’ve done which stands out as a favourite of yours from over the years?
I love filling my bathtub with anything living. For example, the first live thing I ever put in my bath tub were snakes. It just makes it so much more interesting! The relaxing version of that is when I filled the tub with puppies. It honestly is a huge stress reliever and there needs to be a spa somewhere that does that exact same thing.
Guava Juice started off as a gaming channel. How did it evolve into what it is now?
Honestly, I was burnt out. I posted 2 videos every single day for 6 months straight, and after a while it just got boring and redundant. I felt like I wasn’t challenging myself creatively. Prior to Guava Juice, I was in a channel called Wassabi Productions. I thought about the content I made back then and drew inspiration from it. All the sketches, challenges, and experiments I did back then made me excited to try to do it again.
How do you feel that YouTube has changed during the time you’ve been on the platform?
The algorithm changes all the time. Every year a whole new genre of videos populate. For example, pranks were popular a few years back. Last year, it was diss tracks. Two years ago it was all about vlogging. The platform is constantly changing regardless of what content people produce and how YouTube wants to push videos into people’s feeds.
You recently collaborated with your friend and old digital partner Alex Wassabi. As expected, the video was greatly received by your fans! What was it like to reunite with him for a video?
Honestly, it felt like nothing ever happened. I was doing Wassabi videos for about 8 years prior to starting Guava Juice. When the camera started rolling it felt like muscle memory, I knew what it was like collaborating with Alex Wassabi because we’ve done it for such a long time. Major nostalgia for sure. It was fun.
Aside from YouTube, you’ve expanded your brand in so many ways. One of our favourite things are our hilarious songs about everything from Nutella to fidget spinners. What three things in today’s current culture could potentially feature in your next tracks?
I like to write songs about what is trending or what I love. Right now, as I am typing this, I am looking for some potential instrumental beats to use for my next song. The song could be about how much I love my dog, or about Fortnite, or taking a bath. Who knows! You just have to wait and see.
You’ve launched a mobile game called Guava Juice Tub Tapper, which is very addictive. How did the concept come about?
I have been absolutely addicted to ‘clicker’ games ever since college. I’ve always wanted to have my own clicker game centered around things I love. We figured we should base it around bath tubs since I am infamous for it. Ideas kept snowballing from there as far as adding every little detail based around my videos.
You’ve also just released a range of Guava Toys, which are being sold at Target stores. Can you tell us a bit about the range and how it came to life?
I wanted a way to share a piece of my personality and the creativity of my videos into real life. I want kids to feel how I feel whenever I make my videos, and the perfect way to do this is to bring my personality into their homes with Guava Toys.
You appeared in the YouTube Originals series Escape The Night. You made it to episode three – how was the experience?
The experience was amazing. The set was surreal. It really engulfed me thinking that I was in the 1970’s in a carnival. It was my first experience being in a YouTube Red feature. I wasn’t ready for the long nights, but I was scared half the time so the night went by fast! My favorite part was working with other talented creators. Spending time with everyone made me realize how much we all can relate since we have to constantly create.
You recently partnered with The Make-A-Wish Foundation for the third time. Can you tell us a little about why this particular charity is so important to you?
I love inspiring kids and bringing a smile to their faces. In a way, I’m a big brother to these kids, and I have to be the best role model I can be. Growing up, I didn’t have a role model or an older sibling to look up to. I grew up moving back and forth throughout the United States and that was really difficult on me. I never want any kid to feel afraid or shy how I was. That’s why I make these videos, to bring a smile to everyone’s faces. Make-A-Wish is the epitome of what I do because I get to meet fans in real life. The thing is these kids have one wish, and they can use it on anything they want. When they want to use it on me, there is no way I can deny that. Make-A-Wish is so important to me because it allows me to meet with kids in hopes that I can help them have a stronger and happier mindset.
These days there is such a pressure on children and young people to grow up before their time. Is this something you keep in mind when releasing new content, as your channel actively encourages both young and old to have fun?
Every time I post a video, I always think about my little cousins back home, Ethan and Kyle. They watch my videos constantly, and they always know everything about me. Whenever I film content, I always pretend they’re watching me in real life. I’m constantly making sure I’m not doing anything bad or saying anything bad. Most importantly, I make sure the content I’m filming will make them laugh and inspire them to have fun and be themselves. Also, their parents watch my videos with them, so if they’re not offended or mad about it, then I’m doing the right thing!
What’s next for Guava Juice?
I want to have my own guava juice. That would be amazing!
Thank you to Roi Fabito aka Guava Juice for his time. Make sure you subscribe to his YouTube channel and follow him on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter.
Are you already subscribed to Guava Juice? Let us know your favourite video from Roi on Twitter @CelebMix