How Australia’s ‘Bluey’ conquered children’s entertainment

Bluey is a godsend in our household. It's not annoying and the amount of classical and original music woven into each episode is wonderful.

There's one particular episode - "Sleepytime" - which I cannot bring myself to watch anymore because I get so emotional. Every parent I talk to with young kids who has seen the episode agrees and knows what I mean. It's really that good, and despite being a fun little show there are a lot of episodes that are actually art.

I'll add that although the kids in the show sometimes get up to mischief, they never do anything that I don't mind my own toddler emulating. My child now rings her xylophone, commands the rest of the family to freeze, and we have fun playing along.

'Onesies' and 'Babyrace' are also highly emotional episodes. Onesies is, hidden for children, about the inability to conceive children, not being able to deal with your relatives' children; 'Babyrace' is about the doubt all parents have about their parenting ('You're doing great' is aimed directly at the audience)

'Chest' always hits me in the feels. Not subtle at all, but it works.

I really like the dynamic between the parents in this episode. Chilly clearly doesn’t think Bandits approach will work, but she lets him have a go.

She stays around as an advocate for the other side, without sabotaging his attempt.

Is that the episode when the kid has the phone and the parents are fighting in them background and the kids are oblivious to it but blueys dad is and makes them mute the sound? Then the other parents make peace and team up to get the phone back?

So many episodes that all have great messaging for both child and parent.

No, the episode you are referring to is called "facytime", I think.

The one I am talking about is "chest"

Please provide the Season and episode number. I would like to find them but my UI is in Spanish so it's hard to find them :(

Onesies is s03e31 and baby race is s02e50.

Note: Disney+ episodes are numbered differently than all other services.

It took me reading your comment to realize that Bella's "You're doing great" at the end is directed at us parents. Thanks for the unexpected tears :)

Just watched that and both of us couldn’t contain it either:)

I also have the picture book and it's even meaner there. A whole page of the mom looking directly at you! It's hard to read for bed-time :)

Baby Race reduces me to tears every time.

Every single time

Bingo: "Are they happy tears, Mum?"

"maybe she saw something she wanted" was a gut punch of the good kind

A great deal of the show is directed at parents which accounts in no small part for its popularity. For instance, new parents who do not have much exposure to young children may find playing with their own kids to be frustrating, boring, etc. The parents in the show are excellent models for how to talk to, play, and have fun with young children

Yes, one of my surprising takeaways from this show is how many new different ways I learned to play with my children. It’s humbling to say this, but there are genuine interesting, quick, and free stuff that I learned watching Bluey. I sometimes finish an episode with my daughter and think “let me give this a try…”

“Camping” shows how seemingly mundane activities become fundamental family rituals, and in last 12 seconds of the episode, that time together with your kids is fleeting and almost ephemeral.

The density of emotion that is packed per minute of each episode is absurd.

I cry my eyes out at those episodes every time I see them, wonderfully written episodes! (I find all the Bluey episodes are).

Of all the children's programming my children have watched, Bluey is by far the nicest for us (the parents) to watch or listen to, and has been the most enduring in terms of popularity with our kids.

Similar to Peppa Pig, the scenarios are often recognizable in a family with young children, but they're generally funnier and the characters are more loveable.

The animation style is a refreshing break from the bright colourful garbage most CGI studios seem to churn out on an assembly line.

And like you said, they won't pick up bad ideas from the show.

As a dad, I used to like Peppa Pig, but now can barely stand it - as opposed to Bluey.

Daddy Pig is fat, useless, convinced he's an expert in everything but failing every time. His parenting skills hover around 0, and always needs to be rescued, usually by Mummy Pig. So much for healthy co-parenting.

Furthermore, Peppa is mean to her friends, who like her regardless, she always gets special treatment.

I'm not saying there isn't a lot of good stuff in PP, there is for sure, but the issues above feature in every episode and they really get to me now.

That’s virtually every sitcom and children’s cartoon, the father is a bumbling idiot. Talk about “toxic masculinity” …

On the other had, I wonder if that is why I gravitated towards King of the Hill in my early years. Generally a positive male role model, competent, trying to do the right thing by his family and community.

That's one thing that makes Bluey so special. The dad isn't perfect, but he's a really good father and husband.

Also the emphasis on community. How Lucky's dad just rolls with it and joins in the game when Bandit steals his sandwich or football.

KotH is almost unique in that the dad isn't the dumbest character. It's hard to name many other shows like this. Bob's Burgers, I guess, but that's about it.

The Middle is another good one.

The other thing is that there is zero conflict in Peppa Pig - any bad thing that happens is resolved immediately. Peppa always gets what she wants. Bluey is far more realistic: the parents can't just wave a wand to make Bluey and Bingo's problems go away, and it leads to a life lesson.

For example, in the "Copycat" episode Bluey finds an injured bird and she and her dad take it to the vet. It dies anyway. But it's a valuable lesson for Bluey: she learns that some things are out of her and her parents' control and by the end of the episode she comes to accept it. They would never do an episode like that on Peppa Pig.

(I currently have a Bluey-obsessed toddler).

Granddad Dog's conflict with Grandpa Pig never goes away though.

It sounds like an Australian Arthur (which is a nice thing to have)

So long, Spanky.

Daddy Pig is fat, useless, convinced he's an expert in everything but failing every time.

I mean the guy is one of the world's top experts on concrete, that's hardly "useless"

and the "dad is the wacky one and mum handles organising" is a pretty common trope in other shows, such as... Bluey :)

The difference, IMO, is that Bandit is constructively wacky. He's generally competent, unlike other shows where only the mother is competent.

It's honestly refreshing seeing the two parents in Bluey, because neither are being degraded and they have a good relationship and exhibit good teamwork.

The makers of Peppa Pig made another program aimed at slightly older children called Ben and Holly's Little Kingdom that was much much better than Peppa Pig. It was much funnier and the characters were so much better and more likeable.

We tried to watch Ben and Holly and it just wasn't entertaining at all. We like Peppa way better.

If you like peppa pig, give wolfoo a chance.

Also the animation for bluey and peppa pig use the same software, CelAction2D. There is an ending of bluey episode which shows the animators using the software to build the scene. My little one was amazed and asked me to get the software. She has an artistic side but this pushed her into learning about animation

If anyone is looking for this, it's at the end of episode 30 from season 3.

My wife will run in from the other room to skip “Sleepytime” because she knows she’ll be bawling by the end of it if she even thinks about it. Does me the favor because I will be too.

My endorsement of the show is that it feels like one of the great sitcoms like Cheers or Frasier, Golden Girls or Roseanne. The stories are never pandering or simple. You never quite know where they’re going to go with a plot line so when it lands, you’re often delightfully surprised or floored. Most kids shows seem like a low effort afterthought full of contrived vapid nonsense. As far as I’m concerned my kids can watch as much Bluey as they like and I’ll buy the shit out of their merch if it signals to other networks to get off their asses.

Forgot to mention the animation in the show is absolutely some of the best I’ve ever seen in a cartoon. I really appreciate the way the show models real physics as things would be in the real world. One of my biggest pet peeves of kids shows is when they show something that is physically impossible (not for comedic purpose, just lazy storytelling). It’s basically just thumbing its nose at kids’ intelligence.

Most kids shows seem like a low effort afterthought full of contrived vapid nonsense.

Kids brain is not adult brain. You need a different kind of training material.

Honestly, look. Human brains are not designed to passively absorb audiovisual dreck that's on TV. We're humans designed to interact with the natural world, plants, animals, and especially one another, in tangible ways.

Video edutainment is a futile proposition. Get your face out of the screen while you still can, and be present to your fellow man.

That is the point, no? That Bluey is not the average " audiovisual dreck ".

By the previous commenters opinion I assume it is. The point being to have people interact with the world instead of passively accepting high levels of stimulation for doing nothing. I believe it’s healthier for all humans of any age to engage with the input->output model of the world.

Nope, it stands out among kids shows, which are typically a wasteland of formulaic stories that amount to nothing and require no introspective thinking.

One thing I think that illustrates this is that my daughter will often have questions for me after watching Bluey. Like actual meaningful questions about life or how the world works. If she’s watching TOTS, she’s just sitting there mouth agape and maybe getting bored enough to just walk out of the room.

Again I think the premise here is that this sort of engagement with the world is better done, for example, as a conversation with an adult that can lead them to the same interesting questions and observations. I did this endlessly as a kid. I'd be sitting bored in a car and look at clouds and ask my parents how clouds worked. This wouldn't have happened if I was given a smart phone.

I don’t disagree, and we get that time and those interactions too in various other contexts. But when I need a break, I’m far more comfortable putting my kids in front of a show like Bluey than other shows because it engages their minds.

Parenting is a marathon, not a race. If it takes a village, parents need to be able to rely on the village from the time to time.

We're not designed to live in buildings either. Or to do math. So I'm not sure about this line of reasoning, because it suggests we should go back to hunter gathering.

Not all audio-visual entertainment is dreck and the reduction of all of it to that is elitist and shitty.

Some kids don't live in a place where they can interact with the natural world, for starters, because our society is awful.

Additionally, not everything even in kids entertainment is dreck either. You have your Bluey's, and you have pregnant Elsa spiderman keyword slurry. A spectrum you'll find in basically every media, kids and otherwise, between actual art that's made by people wanting to share something, and content-mill designed-by-committee (or AI) bullshit that's designed to keep your attention.

The unfortunately true part is now more than ever so much more of the latter of this spectrum is present than the former, because everything in our society is done for profit and not to make the world better, and it's far more profitable to make by-the-numbers repetitive minimum-viable-product garbage that people will tolerate rather than truly great things that take time and care to create that people adore. But that's a curation problem, not a problem with the media itself.

We’re not talking about the same thing here. Lots of kids shows don’t even try to make sense or have a cogent story. So not only are they insulting the intelligence of their audience, they’re also refusing to enrich their critical thinking skills at all. That’s the _other_ kind of kids show out there right now.

Are cartoon physics insulting kids intelligence?

Tom coming back 1 second after being blown up with dynamite makes sense?

Maybe these kinds of cartoons are bad according to you.

There it research that kids are more interested in stuff which is surprising (fixation period, ...) because that builds a model of how the world works, not the easily predicted stuff.

Are cartoon physics insulting kids intelligence?

dclowd9901 already said the issue is when it's "just lazy storytelling". Pixar shows you can tell great stories with cartoon physics.

You don't eat only sugar. You don't eat only carbs. You don't eat only protein. Your body needs a mix.

Many people want their kids to have a healthy diet. Saying Nutella is a "sometimes food" is not the same as saying Nutella is "bad", or that it's a "never food."

Tom & Jerry is a sometimes food. Other shows exercise a different range of critical skills.

I was gobsmaked when I saw a clip from Mr. Rogers where Daniel Striped Tiger asks Lady Aberlin "What does assassination mean?", in a special episode created after the assassination of RFK. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pQv0ZtpRdNk And Mr. Rogers could tackle racism head-on, like https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v4recJ6qXyk in an era when blacks were prohibited or physically attacked for trying to go to "white" pools.

Bluey could take on these sorts of topics for kids, in an age appropriate way. Tom&Jerry could not.

Nor could Blippi, so it's not just cartoon physics that's the issue.

But Mr. Rogers couldn't pull off the classic "coyote paints a picture in a wall, Road Runner enters the picture and speeds off into the distance, coyote tries and crashes into the wall" gag, nor should it. I don't think it's a good idea for kids to only watch Mr. Rogers-type shows either.

kids are more interested in stuff which is surprising

Strange then that kids' cartoons are often so formulaic.

"The Animal Mechanicals are sent to a new floating island to resolve a problem. The team comes up with a plan, and each team member gets to use their special abilities to help out. There are problems along the way, but they are resolved and everyone is happy at the end."

"Something goes wrong. The Paw Patrol are called to help. Ryder comes up with a plan, the pups use their special abilities to help out. There are problems along the way, but they are resolved and everyone is happy at the end. Except for Mayor Humdinger."

Yep, exactly. And I should mention the show _does_ take some liberties with the plot vis a vis skimming over a lot of the setup of the stories. Try to imagine the amount of time the kids and adults would have to take to set up certain activities they do that we never see. I can scarcely imagine my daughters having the patience to go through with that much setup before actually getting to play.

But it’s all in service of telling a fun, unique story, so it gets a pass.

That's true, but just like adults, what kid's brains "need" isn't always the same thing they're most stimulated by. I also think since adults are often around it's very very appreciated to not be obnoxious to adults.

Taking Bluey as a specific example, it's really nice to model positive family relationships. Sesame Street's original goal was to "master the addictive qualities of television and do something good with them."

Sounds like someone hasn’t had to sit through blippi

can I watch this episode adhoc, or do I need to watch the rest? emotional entertainment really gets me

I disagree a bit with the sibling commenter. This episode falls into about the second season of the show midway through. So putting yourself into that context: you’re watching something like 35 episodes of this show and it’s cute and wholesome and the stories are great, some with some emotional impact, but then you get to this episode and it just absolutely blindsides you.

So, I think it will _make sense_ on its own, but I think it _really_ hits hard if 1) you weren’t expecting it and 2) if you have kids.

I’ve seen the episode many times, but I don’t get what’s the blindside?

Are you referring to how it references the fact that parents will eventually leave their kids when they die?

That’s only mentioned indirectly by the mom, no?

Is there a deeper story that I am missing?

The blindside being the unique tone of the episode, compared to what came before it. It still has silliness and is a fun watch.

Some things that I think make it hit differently:

* The house and most scenes are dimly lit

* You see the family in various stages of sleep

* The musical score has some intense crescendo

* The vulnerability it shows

It's a small glimpse of night time in a house with a child that is still transitioning to sleeping on their own. Having had kids, that weight being lifted as they finally "get it" is a unique feeling of bittersweet relief. It also shows the lengths the parents go through to make it a graceful and comforting transition.

> Having had kids, that weight being lifted as they finally "get it" is a unique feeling of bittersweet relief.

Every milestone your kid reaches marks the end of their previous self and we grieve never getting to see that little person again.

This. So much this.

Children open your heart to so much joy and so much grief.

It's definitely an episode that stands out, that's true. My daughter wants to watch it every day.

Is there a deeper story that I am missing?

This is how I felt about the episode before I had kids. I thought it was a fine episode but nothing special. Onesies was my favorite. Of course, we wanted kids, so that hit me where I was at the time. Now I have a two-year-old, and I "get" Sleepytime. There is nothing extra to explain except that it will just mean more to you.

Not saying you don't have kids, just my own experience with it.

You can watch it adhoc.

Edit: Pretty much all the top Bluey episodes have a good emotional pull to them. See https://www.theguardian.com/culture/2022/mar/21/the-10-best-...

Aww, they missed Puppets, the most meta episode of them all about free will!

That was a weird dream!

I CANNOT WATCH THAT ONE, IT MAKES ME CRY.

I just wish they'd say what the music is in the credits - my wife and I often hear something that's familiar but can't put our finger on what it is.

Though I agree that the songs should be listed in the credits, iOS has Shazam built-in now that Apple bought it, which will recognize songs ("hey Siri, what's this song?"). I'd be shocked if Android didn't have something similar.

I’m not sure if that works since at least for the classical music, they seem to be recording their own versions.

Ah, classical; got it. I frankly have not tried it with classical, but do vaguely recall that others have reported the same. Apologies for the wild goose chase.

It does not work. I've tried.

Sleepytime uses music from Holst’s “The planets”. In particular the piece called “Jupiter”.

Just Google “holst Jupiter”.

Yeah, I eventually figured that one out - I was actually familiar with the Holst but couldn't place it, so for a while I was just thinking "oh, I know this from somewhere"

Something something national geographic

Most of the music in Sleepytime is Gustav Holst's Jupiter, though I'm not sure right off the top of my head whether that is used for the credits.

I do wish they'd mention the music and inspiration in the credits. S1E17 (Calypso) is built around Camille Saint-Saens' "Organ Symphony" 4th movement. S1E1 (The Magic Xylophone) is based on Mozart's "Rondo Alla Turca". S1E11 (Bike) is derived from Beethoven's Symphony no. 9 4th movement (a.k.a. Ode to Joy). And the original music is awesome.

We haven‘t watched Bluey yet but when my older kids were young we watched Sarah & Duck. We loved it because it‘s chill and relaxing and a little weird.

Sarah & Duck and Bluey are my favorite kids shows, but they're very different. S&D is more quiet and contemplative, whereas Bluey tends to be more playful and energetic. My daughter grew out of S&D and into Bluey at around age 4.

I used to be frustrated that the parents in Bluey seem to have endless energy and attention to devote to their kids – at least with S&D, I didn't feel like there was such a lofty version of parenting with which to compare myself. But I've come to realize that the playful and fun dad in Bluey is a much better role model, for me personally, than the dads who are just sort of vanilla and kind (Daniel Tiger, Doc McStuffins), not to mention the dads who are just awful (Peppa Pig). Physical comedy, imaginary play, and committing to the bit, are all great for having fun while also connecting with young kids. Sarah and Duck obviously didn't teach my any of that, so it's been a useful change of pace as my daughter has gotten older.

The unlimited energy becomes a little more realistic from season 2 onwards, but I was annoyed too, and maybe even felt guilty... prompting me to address those emotions. Totally on point for the show

"gotta be done!"

Sarah and Duck is a great show. We watched it all the time when my 11 year old was 5-6 and my now 5 year old has grown to love it as well. Agreed on the description - the instrumental music is relaxing and the mix between realism and complete fantasy (like when they go underwater or inside the ball machine) is a lot of fun.

Sarah & Duck is such a nice change from the typical loud and fast action kids programming. Shaun the sheep is another good slower alternative though not always as calming

there are a lot of episodes that are actually art.

Indeed, I can't emphasise enough just how much this is underplayed in:

One storyline contrasts the adult dogs struggling to construct flat-pack furniture while the children create their own adventure

This is a short episode that's fun for kids to watch with some adventure and a bit of parents struggling to build some furniture. It also covers the evolution of life on the planet and futures beyond, growth, aging, letting your children go. It's like 5 minutes and entirely self contained, it's truly incredible.

some adventure and a bit of parents struggling to build some furniture. It also covers the evolution of life on the planet and futures beyond, growth, aging, letting your children go. It's like 5 minutes and entirely self contained, it's truly incredible.

They crammed so much into so little time, it's truly impressive. That episode also depicts a religious creation myth with the parents as deities who provide materials that create the world and are depicted as gods in the kids' "cave paintings". It joins with the aging theme by having the raised deck where the parents are be where the kid playing the aging mother goes after her child moves on, complete with a blink and you miss it homage to Michelangelo's "The Creation of Adam" followed by the Dad saying "This is heaven" to close the episode.

They crammed so much into so little time, it's truly impressive.

It is. I'm aware I'm gushing about it a lot but it's very impressive. It doesn't even feel rushed. To reiterate a point from earlier, this is all while being a fun thing for young children to watch.

To expand - most kid shows that adults can stand to watch are written to adults in some sly way that flies over the kids' heads. Often that adult targeted humor is something that kids have no context for (subtle sexual innuendo, pop culture references) - I think the 2016 "The Jungle Book" remake is a good example of this, with extended and funny references to Apocalypse Now and other mature films. But Bluey will have some innocuous fun episode and the subtle context is actually something about death, parental legacy, being an adult with a life predating your children, the pain of miscarriage, etc. I don't know how they pull off addressing those topics but they somehow do and it's magical.

I’ve been trying to find out what the maker of Bluey, Joe Brunn, is up to now.

Is there a new show coming?

And does anyone know where I can buy an uncensored DVD or downloads collection?

Last I heard he said he wasn't planning to make a 4th season of Bluey. But it was worded in a way that made it sound like it wasn't ruling it out completely.

One thing I admire about the show is that all the children actors' identities are a secret. No one outside of the show's team knows who voices Bluey and Bingo (other than the fact that they're the daughters of someone who works on the show), which probably affords those girls as much of a 'normal' life as possible, something that celebrity children wouldn't ever get to experience.

That also makes me wonder if the reason we're not getting more than 3 seasons is that their voices will change. But man, I really hope he puts out more stuff, whether in the Bluey universe or elsewhere.

I read a conspiracy post about how the kids' voices were AI (clearly not) but the post also pointed out many examples of audio clips being recycled across episodes. I notice it while watching now, so I think you're on to something here.

Conversely other shows have had many different voices actors without noticeable detriment by their targets audiences, such as Peppa Pig, discussed elsewhere here.

There's another episode, called rain, that you might enjoy if you haven't seen it (and some of the sibling commenters might too). There's no dialog, and it's a beautiful balance of the frustration and wonder that comes with parenting.

Rain one of my favorite episodes. The amount of story packed into 8 minutes with just music and animation is so good.

‘Rain’ is special to me because I would do the same thing as a kid, just trodding along and trying to build a dam to hold the water back. My daughter and I do it now when we have a big rain storm

The last available episode, Cricket, is even more devastating. It shows what kind of sibling relationships can be in face of family situations that might be trying for kids, and how they come through for each other. I hope for my kids to have this kind of bond.

Definitely one of my favorites and gets me emotional every time. I can only hope my kids have the same empathy and awareness as Rusty.

The Grandad episode also hits hard as my parents age and I see them only a few times a year.

I guess I better not mention there's a really nicely printed book version of "Sleepytime" then.

https://www.bluey.tv/products/bluey-sleepytime/

Which my child demands almost every night and I struggle to not choke up when I get to the "because I love you" part.

For fans of Bluey, I would highly recommend a similarly positive Puffin Rock: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Puffin_Rock

It shows about a kid bird and her younger sibling exploring their island. It has supportive parents. Themes in the show are exploration, family ties, friendships, problem solving, independence etc.

I'm Irish, but I've never heard of this. I was surprised to see it is an Irish production, and narrated by Chris O'Dowd!

I guess my kids are a bit young and missed it. Same as how many people without kids in the appropriate age range may not have heard of bluey.

Going to try it with my kids, thanks for the recommendation.

Yes! It's the romanticization of the routine of parenting. The music is so romantic and epic. I feel you!

'Sleepytime' ruins me whenever I watch it.

Sleepytime was the first full episode I watched, and it had me in tears.

As someone that had a job that took me away from my daughter too much, “The Quest” does me in. Also the infertility episode hit me like a truck that I didn’t see coming because we also dealt with that for years.

Bluey blew me away when I saw it with my daughter. It's sweet, positive, emotional, well written. It's not the slightest bit cynical, handles every issue with tact, doesn't contain heavy handed messaging and has traditional values. It also has a very positive two parent dynamic. This is an absolute unicorn of a show.

Note: my usage of "traditional values" is not meant to evoke anything political or intended to be interpreted from a culture war lens. I just mean it positively portrays a family dynamic that can be universally appreciated.

It also sets the bar very high for parents.

My friend says she tries to model herself on the Mum from Bluey.

I say it gives children unrealistic ideas about how much play time the average parent can engage in without getting a crick in their back.

Children are capable of understanding the difference between pretense and reality.

My 4 year old loves playacting scenes and games from Bluey but he also understands that I'm not an anthropomorphic dog. Or, for that matter that our dog can't do most of the things the dogs on Bluey can.

This made me laugh, I often think of what bluey's dad would do in certain situations, especially if I'm losing my temper. Though I do almost resent / dialike him, irrational as it is, for being too perfect as a dad.

I respectfully disagree with your second point, while it might make parents (like me) guilty about not playing so much with kids, I think kids themselves can separate reality from TV pretty well.

I don’t think the amount of play time is impossible, it’s just that I can’t focus on playing as much as they do in that show my mind an imagination give out before my body does.

Yes—in an encouraging way.

Eh, well, I dunno. I’ve got kids and I don’t personally let them give me as much crap as Bluey and Bingo do. Like, if they’re running up to the screen at a kids movie I’m taking them home. There’s other people in the theatre to consider. Kids need boundaries along with compassion, and yes, I know that there are the odd Bluey episodes that deal with boundaries, not getting what you want, etc…

…but there’s a lot of what seems like the kids just steamrolling their parents. That’s not sustainable for me. Being a parent is like having two full time jobs. It’s hard enough as it is to just get through the day. The bar is set a little too high.

But hey, my wife and I agree with this, so y’all do you! I’m sure most of our kids will probably turn out just fine no matter how much we model ourselves after Bandit and Chili.

I think it is a wonderful show regardless.

Edit: Knowing the average age in this industry, I have the distinct feeling that quite a few people who are not parents are involving themselves in these discussions and moderations. Just wait. I'm offering a realistic viewpoint positioned against a cartoon. And I'm not being a jerk about it.

I tend to view parenting discussions on HN with a strong gell mann weight.

the key point is that you and your wife agree what those boundaries are. i can't comment on the specific situation, but yeah, if the kids do something that i can't tolerate, then it's game over.

It also sets the bar very high for parents.

Every time I hear this framed as a complaint, I feel the tiniest bit guilty—just for a moment—for personally identifying with Bandit's level of playtime effort and enthusiasm. But I can also commiserate with the few episodes where he let's on just how exhausted he actually is.

It’s actually not a complaint more of an observation.

Certainly, noted that it's observation rather than a complaint on your part. But I am still rather surprised just how often I do see it framed as a complaint nonetheless.

My wife and I discussed this too. We just remind ourselves that the episodes are 8 minutes long (yes, the plots sometimes are for a whole day), so realistically the parents could be spending all this 'time' which is just in 8 minute increments throughout a day/week.

But yes, ignoring that kind of reasoning, it does set a very high bar.

Also, the parents do have quips/groaning about the requests of the kids from time to time which is does add to the authenticity.

Also, the parents do have quips/groaning about the requests of the kids from time to time which is does add to the authenticity.

I love the episode where the mom is trying to leave the house with the kids, and she just runs back into the bedroom to scream for a bit before coming out to talk.

Might misremember the details, but it immediately made me love the show.

She has the breakdown in the doorway in front of the kids. But they all calm down together after the Bluey (mostly, IIRC) asks why they're going to the park.

(We haven't watched an episode in many months, but referenced it when my son was taking forever to brush his teeth and I got frustrated.)

I recently listened to an interview with Joe Brumm, the creator of Bluey, on the podcast "How Other Dads Dad". He said this is a common criticism, and he thinks a fair one.

The problem is his aim was never to be an educational show for parents, but to be an entertaining show. It wouldn't be as entertaining if Bandit didn't play with the kids all the time.

So yeah, although it is a great kid's show and a much better example of parenting than other shows...we should keep in mind it's ultimately entertainment, not a parenting bible.

You are right, but some kids might compare their parents with Bluey's, and it's of course an unfair comparison, they being fictional characters, but children don't care about that.

Edit: typo.

You're right, though a "high bar" in itself is not a bad thing! Hopefully not too many people struggle with pressure to behave like cartoon dogs. On the other hand, we might all take some inspiration from them here and there.

I think you can also see a shift to "lower the bar," though, especially in the third season. Bandit also seems to take a less prominent role. This was disappointing to my family; it seemed like some of the show's "purity" was lost to social pressure or something.

Is that a bad thing? (I'm a parent and I love it)

Good. That is one bar that should be really high and one that parents should strive to achieve.

Yeah I'll go further.

- It doesn't display the dad as a bumbling idiot for a start, an unmistakably uncommon move in home set shows.

- It doesn't synthetically force women to the center stage for the sake of scoring points with left leaning audiences.

- It doesn't shoehorn in political messages that don't belong and largely harkens back to a time where childrens television didn't require scrutiny of the publisher just to see if it fit the parent's flavor of morality.

- It largely fits the actual day-to-day life experiences of individuals who are most likely to have kids young enough to watch Bluey, namely millennials.

- Parent's are main characters in a lot of the episodes: The parents in Bluey aren't some side-object only included for the sake of completeness. The parents are main characters and are developed as thoughtfully as the children. By doing this the producers were able to garner attention from both the children and the parents. It's honestly a bit of a shame that we've sidelined parents for so long for fear of offending people.

- The show unashamedly depicts an intact household with two loving, heterosexual parents. It's "stunning and brave" in the current culture.

- The show depicts two children who are absolutely uninvolved or unconcerned with their sexual identity, despite the current narrative being that they are the age at which they should be.

- The show is diverse, but not for the sake of checking a box. There is no prioritized group in the show and tension between the breeds of dogs are displayed as equitable and able to relate to one another with minimal conflict (much like in real life, despite what you may have heard).

- There is no mention of a god. There is no big G god, nor any pagan gods. There are no "spirits", no "forces", no "inner being" that is wrestled with. It's a kids show and stays a kids show.

I could go on, but at this point I feel I've overstayed the common HN user's tolerance.

The show unashamedly depicts an intact household with two loving, heterosexual parents. It's "stunning and brave" in the current culture.

Eh? I'm trying to think of peer shows of Bluey... Peppa Pig and Daniel Tiger come to mind (Trash Truck anyone? Charming little show), heterosexual parents are by far and away the norm. The idea that it's "brave" to show them feels like a conservative talking point that's out of step with reality.

unconcerned with their sexual identity, despite the current narrative being that they are the age at which they should be

Speaking of conservative talking points... again, I'm really struggling to think of peer shows that have six year olds discussing their sexual identity.

Never seen Daniel Tiger, but Peppa Pig makes the Dad the butt of the joke and portrays him as the overconfident idiot in pretty much every story, while all moms are always infallible.

It's not something that kids might consciously notice, but it's grating and not what I'd exactly call a positive message.

Well that de-escalated quickly!

One moment it's considered brave to even feature a single, intact heterosexual couple of married pigs in a cartoon, but when challenged on this being an insane take, utterly divorced from reality, we've fallen back to "sometimes the cartoon pig dad has humourous foibles as part of his character"?

Have you realized that you are talking about comments made by two different people?

Yes.

I don't really know why you thought it was an appropriate direction to take the "there are no heterosexual couples depicted in modern children's TV! / Yes there are, are you mad?" thread though. Maybe you can enlighten us?

My argument is less about the identity politics and the modern idea of "diversity" and more about how Bluey does not fall into the "stupid overconfident father / smart sassy mother" trope that is pretty much the rule in Western TV shows since maybe the Simpsons?

My wife and I don't like Peppa for that very reason. One of its main catchphrases is "silly daddy".

It's not something that kids might consciously notice, but it's grating and not what I'd exactly call a positive message.

While I agree it’s not a real positive note, it does seem to reflect reality to some extend (in the sense that my wife thinks she’s always right).

I’m fairly certain Peppa’s dad is just modelled on an overconfident 50’s dad.

It’s funny though, so I can live with it.

This reminds me I never cracked how society works in Bing, as well as how kids are born.

- The show unashamedly depicts an intact household with two loving, heterosexual parents. It's "stunning and brave" in the current culture.

You seem to be implying that it's abnormal for heterosexual parents to be depicted in children's media. Is that what you meant?

- The show depicts two children who are absolutely uninvolved or unconcerned with their sexual identity, despite the current narrative being that they are the age at which they should be.

Hm, the "current narrative"? What do you mean by that?

You're doing great! ;)

It doesn't shoehorn in political messages that don't belong and largely harkens back to a time where childrens television didn't require scrutiny of the publisher just to see if it fit the parent's flavor of morality.

As a child of the Captain Planet and D&D moral panic era, when was this time you harken back to?

I'm amazed that you've written this post (presumably in good faith) and not provided a single concrete example.

The replies disagree with your assertions and are providing concrete examples. All of the replies are civil. One might call it civil discourse.

However, I suspect from the priming of your last line that you will not view it that way, and instead view it as "the average HN user" being intolerant of your ideas.

Instead, may I suggest engaging with the replies?

I feel like I'm the only parent on planet Earth that really doesn't like Bluey. Every time I watch it(which is often, my son likes it), it just seems to be promoting bad behaviour at the expense of the dad(like many other shows to be fair - looking at you Peppa Pig), including physical violence(one episode the kids decide the dad now has a stomach ache, so they punch him in the gut - and the dad just plays along with it, it's never commented on as a bad thing). And the mum keeps making reductive comments and making fun out of the dad, even though he literally drops everything the second his kids want anything.

I don't know, I just don't get it. When people describe it as wholesome to me it feels like the opposite - it shows an unhealthy relationship between the kids and the parents, and I don't feel like it teaches my son any valuable lessons at all.

including physical violence(one episode the kids decide the dad now has a stomach ache, so they punch him in the gut

They are pretend playing. There is no indication Bingo meant to actually harm her dad. I pretend fight and let my toddlers beat me up, but I am sure they know only to do that when pretending.

The core of pretend playing, is pretending. Bluey very clearly punches her dad square in the stomach, he lets out an audible sound of pain, and......nothing happens. I agree that maybe Bluey didn't actually mean to hurt her dad - but the way the scene plays out she clearly does and she isn't told about it, the dad just takes it. Because the dad is portrayed as a (in this episode - literal) punch bag who has to accept everything the kids do. No valuable lesson was shown or taught here.

My opinion anyway.

I don’t think it would make terribly compelling children’s television to just show the children misbehaving and the dad disciplining them.

Bluey is firmly in the category of shows for 2-4 year olds, they have to be educational at this point, I'm sorry but that's my firm stance as a parent. There will be plenty of time for pure entertainment where bad behaviour doesn't get corrected later - at this stage a 3 year old can't tell good from wrong, and the message the show sends categorically cannot be "let's punch dad in the stomach because it's funny".

Look at Peppa pig(which has a whole host of its own issues, but whatever) - any time Peppa and her brother do something wrong they get an explanation why it was wrong, how it could have hurt or made someone else sad, they apologise and sing/dance about it - most of the time it teaches a good lesson while still being amusing for little kids.

Bluey and her sister are 6 and 4 years old at the start of the show, now 7 and 5. I don’t think the show is made with 2 year olds in mind. Maybe 3.5 and up, but a lot of the concepts are for the 5+ kids in my opinion.

Good children's programming often presents characters somewhat older (in affect, if not truly in age, e.g. Big Bird) than the target audience, to act as role models. You don't want a typical 3-year-old to look to a typical 3-year-old as an example for what to aspire to, you want them to look at well-developing 4-, 5-, and 6-year olds. This works well anyway, since children often look up to older kids and are interested in what they get up to.

Sure, but the content of Bluey is not going to understandable to a 2 year old. I would guess 3 is when some basic understanding starts, but 3.5 to be safe.

In my experience, below 3.5 or so, more sing song-y and basic repetitious stuff is digestible. Bluey episodes have a plot and lots of dialogue that has to be followed.

> I would guess 3 is when some basic understanding starts

My son is 2.5 and he absolutely understands what's happening in cartoons. He will comment on action saying clear things like "daddy he hit him in the head!" And then you have to pause it and actually explain it's not nice and you shouldn't do that. I wish shows clearly aimed at small children didn't have those moments.

That is my point. Bluey’s stories may require showing a bad action, but a too young toddler will not have the capability to understand the broader context and resolution.

That... very much depends on the 2-year-old. Maybe true on average, IDK.

This is correct. Kids generally don't like watching shows for or starring "babies" (really kids their own age) unless they're very small.

Bluey very clearly punches her dad square in the stomach, he lets out an audible sound of pain, and......nothing happens.

What would you like to happen? I’m not sure I understand here. I’m completely ok with Bluey’s dad not retaliating. Being a Dad means sometimes, you have to take a punch.

No one said anything about retaliating - a simple "look you hurt dad, you need to be careful" would have been 100% sufficient, and as another comment said - it would have been a nice counter lesson to one of the previous episodes about rough play.

>Being a Dad means sometimes, you have to take a punch.

Sure - but as a dad you are also responsible for making sure your child understands that hurting other people is not ok, and they shouldn't do it again, pretend play or not.

but the way the scene plays out she clearly does and she isn't told about it, the dad just takes it.

I did not interpret Bandit feeling any material amount of pain in the scene. More like feigning it for the kids’ entertainment. Also, it was Bingo that punched him (the 4 year old).

I have two data points for you:

My wife and I banned Bluey in our house a couple years ago. We use TV as "quiet time" for our kids (currently ages 3 to 9) after lunch, replacing the time when they used to nap, and Bluey seems to make them go crazy. I haven't even watched any of the episodes, so I can't object specifically to any of the content; we just observed a consistent, counterproductive effect on their behavior.

My neighbor, another dad of two toddlers, expressed something to me a few months ago that was similar to your opinion.

I'm honestly stunned by the overwhelmingly positive comments on this thread, and I'm wondering if I should actually try watching a couple of the episodes mentioned here.

How come your kids are watching a show that you haven’t even seen a single episode of?

My wife is a stay-at-home mom, so she's mostly the parent with the kids in the middle of the day. I think my wife first showed Bluey at the recommendation of one our friends. When I'm working from home, I'm not in the same room as the TV, but I do hear when things turn to mayhem so I think I was the first to suggest that we stop showing Bluey.

I’m sorry. I think my question above was an overstep from me.

No problem. I could see where the question came from.

A lot of the episodes can definitely have high energy moments (or the whole episode) where the kids are running around screaming, yelling, and playing. But, if you filter those episodes out, there are still dozens of high quality calm and thoughtful ones.

I'm wondering if I should actually try watching a couple of the episodes mentioned here.

Yes you absolutely should. One of the things I really like about the show is it promotes imaginative play. It addresses things like how to deal with being bored. Shows like paw patrol and stuff have zero imaginative anything. It's one of the things I love about Bluey.

Yeah, one of the resonant things i've seen in the show (as a non-parent) is that it emphasizes good family play, it's not a very "chill" show in that sense.

I probably won't ever have kids, but having had a bit of a tough childhood, Bluey is actually pretty stellar viewing even as an adult.

I wish Bluey hadn't introduced the concept of a "bush wee" to my kid, I've had to explain that no, we can't pee in someone's yard in the middle of our busy neighborhood...

Aren’t there any trees or bushes that aren’t privately owned?

Sit down for this one - https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tree_That_Owns_Itself

This is a culture difference. The U.S. seems peculiarly against this compared to most of the rest of the world. It seems especially acceptable for kids most places. We may have to accept that we're the weird ones on this. It's just pee.

I have two daughters about the same age and Bluey and Bingo (6 and 3) and we play like that. I have found Bluey has the most positive view of fatherhood of any show my kids have watched. In fact, I was so taken aback by it that it stuck out to me in a very noticeable way, in contrast to everything else.

They all make fun of each other quite often in the series in ways that can take the seriousness out of real-life parallels.

I find that in a sense the show takes the "bumbling dad" and "uptight mom" stereotypes and kind of shows them in a more realistic way that says "hey, it's alright... they care a lot about each other and they figure out how it all works together."

A kid hits dad in the groin and he doesn't try to strangle them (a la The Simpsons) he absorbs a common mistake and rolls on. The mom is a bit uptight, but doesn't helplessly groan in the background like Marge. Sometimes these qualities are shown as strengths, other times as weakness... there are entire episodes where the dad's irresponsibility gets saved by mom's uptight nature... or where mom is too stressed and dad needs to take over and be the clown for a bit.

IMO it's not a show that's meant to model ideal behavior, but it's about how families and relationships can work despite not always being ideal.

I don't see how there are unhealthy relationships. I will agree that Bingo's behaviour in Backpackers was unacceptable - I personally would have gently nudged her with a "don't play so rough", which would have been a great way to reverse the lesson from Yoga Ball.

You are not the only one.

I also think that it shows an unhealthy relationship between the kids and the parents, and was banned in our household

I too do not get the hype. I definitely understand why parents would enjoy it - it’s realistic and relatable and tries to inspire parents to do more.

But for young children? It seems to enforce bad habits, encourage rampant consumerism (the infinite amount of toys for every occasion), implicitly “play along” with bad behavior while ignoring dealing with punishment (at least in the episodes I watched), and depict fairly unrealistic playtime scenarios.

For younger children at least, I think PBS content does a way better job. As mentioned elsewhere, for toddlers, you can’t go wrong with Daniel Tiger. For older children, I recommend checking out Rosie’s Rules and Alma’s Way.

As a parent it's just a genuinely nice show to watch. There is so much complete crap out there now that Bluey is a breath of fresh air.

A few others are good fun as well like Grizzy and The Lemmings. But Bluey reigns supreme.

Although I wish the phone game didn't have in app purchases. At least the Bluey video game on Steam is good and without in app purchases or micro transaction nonsense.

so much complete crap out there now that Bluey is a breath of fresh air

Out of curiosity, as a non-parent, what makes it crap?

I'm not the OP so I don't know what they define as "crap." However, there is a lot of programming out there that solely exists to keep children's attention while doing nothing with it. The most egregious example that comes to mind is the CoComelon channel on YouTube: literally 1-2 hour videos of nursery rhymes with mediocre animation. It's not some small channel either; one of their 2+ hour videos has 484M views.

Cocomelon is seriously the elite of YouTube. And fine for small kids I think, who wouldn't understand things like Bluey. All the messages are around "be nice", "share", "say please and thank you".

There's lots of videos of kids unpacking presents, or having tantrums to get what they want, or weird videos of adults shouting at children... Or videos showing people play computer games for hours on end.

My one year old and two year old both love and understand bluey. They gave Grandma looks of derision when she tried to show them Cocomelon

And fine for small kids I think, who wouldn't understand things like Bluey

You are vastly underestimating what small children can understand.

Yeah, it's fine to distract a two year old with.

There are lots of extremely-cheap kids TV shows on places like Netflix or D+[1], many of which (on Netflix) are imports from e.g. Turkey with bad dubbing, that have plots so inane it's hard to express just how inane they are. Everyone's always acting stressed out and emoting over-the-top (so they hold kids' attention) but nothing is happening, all the conflict is over nothing, anything resembling an actual problem basically just solves itself. This is a very high proportion of the lower-tier shows on those services. It's such amazingly content-free writing that it's hard to believe much of it pre-dates a time when it could have been LLM-penned. [EDIT] Example of the kind of thing I mean: in some of the cheap Disney Tinkerbell/fairy shows, you'll have several characters standing (or floating) around talking, every line delivered with this high-emotion concerned tone, and this will go on quite a while, but when you, as an adult, think about what you're hearing, you'll realize that practically no information is being exchanged, most of the sentences contain no information or are repeating the same stuff for the fourth or fifth time. It's weird filler that achieves a sense of urgency and importance purely by how the lines are delivered, there's nothing going on.

And that's before even considering factors like providing educational or positive-role-model value, just a sheer "is the script, like... a story, with characters?" level. Or the animation quality (universally garbage, of course).

[1] Not even getting into the absolute insanity of Youtube—look up some of the kid-targeted "story"-type Minecraft machinama on there to see some of the most uncanny "narrative" ever, tons of them go on and on and on with the trappings of a story but no actual story, just things happening one after another and weird nebulous goals that never seem to get any closer, like some kind of drug-fueled automatic-writing experiment, it's a friggin' fever dream. And that's before you get to the extremely weird Youtube crap aimed at kids.

tons of them go on and on and on with the trappings of a story but no actual story, just things happening one after another and weird nebulous goals that never seem to get any closer,

So like every JJ Abrams production.

He's not that bad, he tells actual stories, kinda, he's just the laziest plotter in the history of script writing.

"They throw Kirk off the Enterprise! And... uh... Old Spock just happens to be there! Like, right there! Because it's less work for me if he just is, for no reason! I don't want to think of a real reason and maybe have to go back and revise stuff, or remember things later, to integrate that! He just is!"

"They escape on the Millennium Falcon, and Han and Chewie show up... uh, I guess they'll need another ship for that, so now we have two. And I guess there was a homing beacon on the Falcon, that got activated, and Han just happened to be about five minutes away and already sitting in his cockpit and ready to go and not already on the way somewhere else, in hyperspace? Yeah, doesn't matter, I just need him to be there now so he is, doing something else would be hard. Oh shit I have two ships now, and I need them all on the Falcon, so, uh... monsters and pirates destroy the extra ship I just introduced! Yeah there are monsters and pirates now. Do either of those stick around or come back, or are they, like, foreshadowed? No, I just needed them to destroy this ship that I manifested for my own convenience, but no longer have any use for."

"I need these characters to go somewhere else, so, uh... someone/something shows up and chases them away! There are no other consequences or meaningful connections, they just get chased so that they leave and go to where I need them to be."

Et c.

[EDIT] To be fair, most writers do some of this, they just don't do it quite so willy-nilly and build entire plots that way.

[EDIT EDIT] This also doesn't necessarily mean his movies are bad. The plotting... I mean, that part's bad, incredibly bad, like, paragon of bad plotting, should-be-covered-in-film-schools bad, in some of them. But it's not impossible that a movie could still be entertaining, or even good, despite that. I don't mean this to dismiss his entire body of work as absolutely and entirely bad, and actually started out defending him as markedly better at everything than the kind of scripts and TV shows I was writing about, which he certainly is.

You’re probably being too generous in your EDIT EDIT. They are bad. They don’t really make sense except in the very moment, and I think that’s why I can’t remember a single part of even the ones I’ve seen several times (I usually have a movie memorized by third viewing).

It’s like that experiment with chess masters. They show them a board mid-game then ask them to re-create it (which they can do easily), but then they do the same with a random configuration of pieces, which they fail. It’s because there’s no logic to it for their brain to “chunk”. I think it’s the same reason why a movie that you didn’t think was “bad” is completely forgettable. Your brain is built for remembering narratives, but it can sniff out when it doesn’t make sense. Has nothing to do with genre. You can probably remember the main beats of a Pixar film you’ve seen once, even though it was talking toys or whatever.

If it exists just to advertise toys (beyblade) or is so saccharine it makes you sick (Daniel tiger) then it's crap. There's good stuff out there though - bluey, octonauts, peg + cat, carmen sandiego.

There are literally hundreds of thousands of “kids” YouTube videos, clearly created by algorithm, that play a single song (when my kid was young it was finger family) and put bootleg cartoon characters (spider man, the smurfs, etc) dancing to it over a kaleidoscope background.

At least back when my kid was small the YouTube algo would start feeding them up after the second or third video. You’d turn around to make dinner and come back to this never ending loop of … crap.

Frankly, I was pretty impressed with the hustle and curious what the tech stack looked like.

what makes it crap?

Parent of five here. Crap = glorifying bad behavior, teaching bad values (this will be different for every family), depicting no consequences for poor decisions, and/or resolving conflict using only violence.

In general, things that mom and dad don’t have to either retcon or have a long discussion about why it is bad.

Watch about 5 minutes of Blippi and find out :-)

There is some crazy kids programming on YouTube. Some dude puts a hamster through basically a fake version of a saw film. Random animation of tractors driving over poor physics, etc

I'm probably not qualified to answer this question but to thrown my own two cents out there: I've watched both Bluey and Paw Patrol with friends' kids. Obviously take these observations with a grain of salt.

Paw Patrol is essentially the laziest most nonsensical writing, because of course you don't have to write well if you have enough colour being vomited at the screen and you're really just trying to sell toys.

Bluey is essentially the opposite of that. There's decent stories, it seems to tackle some tough stuff sometimes, and just generally it seems well-written and much more representative of what life is like for people (them being dogs notwithstanding).

Separately, I've also seen some straight up terrible stuff on Youtube. Just random garbage which is probably these days more LLM-generated but clearly used to be created by throwing darts at a board. For example, I opened up youtube kids, said I was a parent, and clicked Explore and this was one of the first videos that came up: https://www.youtubekids.com/watch?v=tOXszq1-rxs The themes tend to be (ab)using well-known properties kids already know to get them to watch your video. This came up as related, and at least involves a Yoga routine but you can see the other elements are there: https://www.youtubekids.com/watch?v=QM8NjfCfOg0

The best part is how people are learning that the Disney+ version is censored.

Yes, a childrens show is censored, in current year.

Why? Because some jokes don't play well with adults, even though they go right over kids heads.

Have a Google for "Bluey censored" to see what I mean!

Quite a few of those drew an eye-roll from me.

https://www.fatherly.com/entertainment/banned-censored-bluey...

A couple of them I can understand (like being safe, not showing kids to slide on a wet tile floor), some I can see parents being appreciative for not having to answer questions about certain topics --- but some "edits" like cutting out farting seems a bit too over the top. My preschooler has just discovered farting and thinks it is _hilarious_ (because it is!). I'm proud as can be, but Mom just rolls her eyes. Proud dad here.

It's ironic that they pulled an episode for using a term that is offensive to indigenous Australians and "fixed" it by releasing a version where the phrase was replaced with a racial slur for Italian people

Interesting.. I've always associated "ooga booga" with cavemen or proto-humans; didn't realize there were racial connotations

As a 60 year old Australian that's heard pretty much every insult thrown at Aboriginals I'd say that's more of a recent "some cities" kind of thing.

Aboriginal players of Aussie Rules football had to put up with a lot of abuse from some few members of the crowd making monkey noises and shouting "ape man" and stuff along those lines .. I'm guessing the "ooga booga" comes from idiots chanting that from the cheap seats.

Adam Goodes coped the worst of it for calling them out.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Australian_Dream_(2019_fil...

https://thefinalquarterfilm.com.au/

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j3OJ0kzSXQE

There are worse insults, but none of them are good.

scene where Bluey is playing “Penguins” in the bathroom was cut from the U.K. and the U.S., although it’s still referenced in the episode.

Huh? I'm pretty sure I saw this scene on Disney+.

I find it sad that even showing kids sliding on the wet tile floor is edited for "being safe" - let them learn why its a bad thing to do in the security of home!

Rather ironic that the article itself is arguably censored. I shouldn’t have to click a link to another article and read five paragraphs before finding out what the “racially-insensitive term” is.

Yep, our son has learned he can "throw" his farts toward our noses with his hands and does it every. damn. time. It is hilarious but man that kid is stinky.

Fun fact: one episode of Peppa Pig was censored in Australia.

It was one about spiders, and basically about how spiders are cute, cuddly and there's no reason to be scared of them.

I mean, I sympathise with the decision... Just funny.

Now I’m imaging Australia requiring a disclaimer before any children’s show involving the outdoors or animals: “WARNING: This show depicts fictitious worlds where animals and the outdoors are not trying to kill you at every turn. We remind you to stay indoors and stay safe.”

If they do that let's retaliate by prefacing all episodes of Neighbours with "WARNING: This show depicts fictitious worlds where it's not raining 300 days a year. We remind you to stay indoors and stay dry.”

If it goes that far, they may as well have a disclaimer to set realistic expectations about maximum inclines that cars can drive.

Also, Disney+ plays the episodes too slowly. They come out about 30s longer compared to BBC iPlayer; you can hear it in the theme tune.

Pay walled but I assume it's "somethingsomething parents actually like watching it too." Since that seems to be everyone's reaction, including mine.

My 20 something sister with no kid watches it.

That's been my experience; my spouse and I watched three seasons of Bluey, maybe 80% after our child went to bed. It's a visual parenting manual.

It's a visual parenting manual.

Haha - this is what I told someone the other day. Brandon (Bluey’s dad) is a source of inspiration for me. I’ve put his lighthearted parenting tricks to work with much success!

Bluey’s dad’s name is Bandit.

Paul, haha, that’s a person name!

In Sweden he is called Billy, probably because "bandit" means gangster/thug/criminal, kinda. Most other names of main characters are unchanged, I think.

We really love Bluey.

Like the game of silence, right? That's pure gold!

"Now let's see if you can stay silent until you turn 13." :D

Agreed. It's also just beautiful.

Here's an archive link: https://archive.is/ArnbD

Pretty much spot on, it has a couple funny quotes like the Bluey episode about a cricket match beating the ratings of the actual cricket match, and how the ABC (Australia's BBC) gave the international rights to the British BBC (which was a rather colossal mistake).

I love Bluey. I was raised with Heeler dogs so that was major for my initial openness to the show. I may like the show more than my son does even!

As the father of two young daughters, I adore Bluey. Quite apart from how good the episodes are for adults, I really enjoy the following aspects:

1. It portrays wholesome and positive family relationships, particularly between father and daughters. The girls are also good to one another, with occasional conflict kindly and realistically resolved.

2. It tells simple stories without pushing political messages. Unfortunately, children’s television at large has become another victim of the culture wars, with heavy-handed social messages infecting what should be simple cartoons. Bluey is something I can trust.

3. I don’t have to expose my kids to American accents. They’ll have more than enough of that from regular programming when they grow up.

2. It tells simple stories without pushing political messages.

I did wonder if there'd be any outcry over the DIY episode which is about evolution. Certain cultures seem to have serious issues with that. It did also hint at afterlife, however.

There is plenty of hinting at there being an afterlife throughout the show, but it's aspirational, not prescriptive. It would be nice, wouldn't it?

3. I don’t have to expose my kids to American accents. They’ll have more than enough of that from regular programming when they grow up.

What’s the concern here? I understand American media dominates everything, so I’m guessing you don’t want your kids to pick up small bits of American accent when they’re still developing?

I'm not the OP, but as a child growing up in an anglophone country but with a 'low-prestige' accent (think Indian English or Singaporean English), it was ingrained to me pretty early on that the only 'proper' ways to speak were RP or General American, and one of the reasons was because all the kid shows I watched had characters who talked almost exclusively in those accents. 'Exotic' accents were used mostly for comedic value.

Having a greater variety of shows that model the diversity of the English language would probably have gone some way to dispelling that damaging self-belief? I really love the existence of shows like Derry Girls, because they make me less self-conscious of my 'exotic' accent.

with heavy-handed social messages infecting what should be simple cartoons.

I kinda giggled at this, because I just last night saw "Pass the Parcel", which to me was the one time they sent this up and they did it so well.

That's because its never heavy handed.. How about the episode with grandpa struggling with the new app centric lifestyle: Phones "Are you sure we're playing this right?". Subtly provocative and brilliantly done.

children’s television at large has become another victim of the culture wars

Out of curiosity, as a non-parent, do any galling examples come to mind?

My only problem with Bluey is actually a problem with the Disney+ app on my Vizio TV. The episodes are all fairly short, but then there’s like 5m of credits before the next episode starts and it’s kind of annoying to manually fast forward through them via remote. I often reach for stuff on Netflix just so the next episode will auto play after a few seconds instead of requiring actual manual intervention to keep the little ones out of my hair while making dinner.

As a parent I like it.

It’s just enough time for my kiddo to learn the value of patience. But not so long, that I need to fast forward.

do we assign too much meaning and value to every child interaction?

Do you have kids yourself?

Not really possible. Children are sponges, learning everything they will carry into adulthood from childhood say six through twelve. After that, good luck.

Any veteran parent can give many examples of early interactions that ended up molding their children forever.

My four year old already knows how to use the remote to skip commercials and credits, turn the tv on himself, and find what he wants.

Hasn’t figured out the voice controlled outlet the TV is plugged into yet.

Instant gratification or bust!

Kids are not supposed to binge watch content.

I live in the area where the show is set (the Morton Bay region north of Brisbane) and it’s delightful how many details we recognise in the show.

Having lived in the US for 10 years and returning couple of years ago (with my first 30 years in Australia), I feel like Bluey does a great job of showing some key cultural differences between these countries. I’ve seen some American viewers get quite cross by what they see as a totally unrealistic portrayal of life, but things really are pretty fundamentally different over here.

Moreton Bay? Nah, their home is almost definitely around Ashgrove, Red Hill, Kelvin Grove, Paddington, somewhere around those parts. Suburbs just to the north-west of the CBD, based on having been around those a pile and having seen most of Bluey.

And extrapolating from things that are inevitably close, as listed in https://blueypedia.fandom.com/wiki/Real-Life_Locations

And the buses aren't Translink livery, they're all blue, white, and yellow, so definitely somewhere within BCC, not Moreton Bay Region (although I shouldn't assume you meant the Moreton Bay council).

That said, you could be using Moreton Bay when you really mean SEQLD anywhere north of the Brisbane River, it's been known to happen.

I'd say Moreton Bay was a region of Brisbane where Bluey is set, I don't think OP meant 'its from my suburb or street'.

I'm Australian but never seen the show, what about it do some Americans find it totally unrealistic?

I'm Australian living in UK for 10 years - I haven't watched it, but a friend who's a parent talks to me about it and I've seen clips and it makes me nostalgic about things that I've completely forgotten. Like "crumbed or battered" fish, or "bush wee".

100%. Said as an Aussie who has been living in the states for a decade

I got quite excited once because I thought I recognised Mt Beerburrum in the background of one of the Bluey episodes. I hadn't visited that area in decades.

Bluey is great and we love it, but I do have to say that it is not as directly beneficial for very young children as something like Daniel Tiger. Daniel Tiger has episodes that directly and clearly address things that young children are going through (little siblings, using the bathroom, managing emotions, etc). Bluey has episodes that address those things but does so in ways that are less direct and comprehensible for a pre-school child. Many Bluey episodes are more for the parents, than the children. Bluey will be with us long after our last Daniel Tiger episode is watched.

I will be singing “if you have to go potty STOP! and go right away” until the day I die.

Were a "tactical wee" household which is a reference to the Fruit Bat episode of Bluey.

The Daniel Tiger potty song & book is gaining traction with our youngest, though

Daniel Tiger is so much more difficult to watch as an adult, but I have to give it credit for its potty training episode: that was a huge help when trying to potty train our 2.5-year-old. So I definitely agree that a targeted application of Daniel Tiger can really help, and also easier to digest for a pre-schooler.

However, I do think that having complex messages that aren't easy to understand is probably important for young children. "The world is a complicated place" is a lesson I wish even more adults understood. And I've learned that children may show no comprehension of something the first few times they hear it, but it's in there, making connections, shaping the brain as it grows. I can't tell you how many times I've told my daughter something I thought went way over her head (and did, at first), but randomly came out again months later. So by all means go for the simple Daniel Tiger message when it helps them through a problem they're having. But don't underestimate their capacity for deeply integrating ideas from everything they see and hear -- and I love Bluey for being by far the best young kids' show for them to integrate into their brains.

I agree Daniel Tiger is great for targeting particular challenges with those little sing songs they do to help kids learn and also targets a slightly younger audience. When we were having our 2nd and our 1st was 2 years old we played the baby episode a few times "a baby is coming to our family...". Our son welcomed our newborn daughter perfectly and somehow even found a little red book to (almost) drop on her.

I love that this post is on HN. It's helping me frame why I like Bluey so much. I'm also going to try that Sarah and Duck mentioned elsewhere.

I know it's a little thing, Daniel Tiger's very-heavy autotune on all the singing (and there's a lot of singing) drives me nuts. I'd be shocked if Fred Rogers would have been OK with it. Young kids should hear natural singing voices in media aimed directly at them.

My daughter really likes Daniel Tiger, but there's something about it that really annoys me that I can't put my finger on. I think it's that the characters and relationships just feel too sterile, where as with Bluey it actually feels like you could be watching a real family.

I'm going to be honest here: Bluey means a lot to me, as a 32-year-old childless woman, because this show has really touched me in ways that may not be obvious at first:

I've felt more in touch with my own imagination since I started watching Bluey. I've actually been writing music and sketching in my spare time again, which is something I haven't done since before the pandemic.

It's actually helped me piece together things that I felt as a child that I never properly dealt with, or even knew how to voice back then. I've been able to find healing and peace, and articulate stuff in therapy a bit better.

In general, I just feel a bit happier and a bit better after watching an episode of Bluey. Sometimes I just want to watch something to feel positive emotions without it being overly-happy fluff. There's a realism to Bluey that makes it easier for me to "let my guard down" and feel happiness.

I do kind of live vicariously through Chilli, with my hope being that I can be a mum some day.

Oh, and my cat now has a nickname: Muffin. Make of that what you will.

Oh, and my cat now has a nickname: Muffin. Make of that what you will.

My daughter sent me a meme with the punchline "When you think your child is Bluey but really your child is Muffin". Make of that what you will :)

Can you share?

Here it is, I got the wording wrong in my previous message, but the idea is the same: https://www.reddit.com/r/bluey/comments/xk4lvw/not_my_child/

Edit: I have to admit that Muffin is my favorite character in that show. Make of that what you will.

I hope you get to be a mum. You sound like someone thoughtful and imaginative, which are great qualities for being a parent. Infinite patience would also help - I'm still trying to develop that myself!

Best of luck - I hope it happens for you.

Bluey, I honestly believe, is a show for adults (more specifically parents, but, you know, parents are adults) that kids can also enjoy. Like, traditionally, the "best" kid's media from an adult point of view has been kids shows that are also enjoyable for adults, but Bluey is genuinely the opposite.

There are episodes where it feels like the entire point is to get the adults in the room misty-eyed and sniffling, and it all relies on contexts that younger children just absolutely wouldn't have - but they'd still have a good time! And while Bluey and Bingo (the kids on the show) frequently learn lessons, as you'd expect from educational children's media, those lessons are almost always coupled with examples from Bandit and Chilli (the parents) on how to constructively _teach_ those lessons.

(Not to mention, a bunch of episodes are just straight-up the parents learning lessons, while the kids are just being kids and having fun.)

For me, it fills the niche that Bob's Burgers used to fill - an example of a family that's quirky but genuinely loves one another, and communicates (both their love and in general) to move past situations that could become much more serious without it. (Bob's Burgers has fallen off -- to me -- because the characters feel a lot more like caricatures of their earlier selves and most modern episodes seem to rely on one or more characters carrying the "idiot ball" to make anything happen, but that's a rant for another time.)

My wife and I watch an episode every night after dinner to relax after stressful days (two episodes on the really stressful ones) and it's just... Its' very good. We always feel better by the time the credits roll. We've watched a few episodes with kids and they have a good time, but we've also watched a few episodes with other adults, and it's catharsis. It's on another level entirely. I can't imagine what it's going to be like for kids who grew up watching Bluey, to rewatch it as an adult and catch the entire other level it works on. I'm jealous. <3

Since some parents actively control what their kids watch it makes sense to create a show optimized for that niche - you increase parent appeal, but this will decrease kids appeal, so now you have an optimization problem to solve.

It would be interesting to see a chart with kids preferences - I bet kids enjoy Bluey far less than other shows since it's not optimized for them, but for parents.

When I was a kid it was a free market - I had a bunch of channels with a bunch of cartoons and I chose which ones to watch.

If you think about it, kids crack like addiction to cartoons doesn't make sense to adults (there are theories), so that raises questions if adults can pick for kids, and not for what they imagine kids would enjoy.

Kids are not a reliable demographic; without being “trained” to like things they’ll be perfectly happy watching baby shark on repeat.

Bobs burgers was originally pitched as a show about cannibals

I don't know if I really agree. The creator has stated that the point was to appeal to kids and adults, and I think Bluey pulls that off perfectly.

This is similar to Friendship is Magic, which I'm surprised nobody else has brought up yet. A kid's show that doesn't write "down" to them, and is written by people who are creating what they wanted to see when they were that age. That's how you make truly good entertainment!

a show for adults (more specifically parents, but, you know, parents are adults) that kids can also enjoy

I think this is what gives Disney, and every epic kids’ show, intergenerational momentum.

Does anyone else note the underlying racial component? All the dog families seem to be purebred. I don't remember seeing any mutts, any mixed-race dogs. And there are a few references to certain breeds of dog being better at certain things. I'm sure it is totally unintentional and probably cuts on dialoged by identifying which kids are from which parents, but it did strike me as odd.

And there are a few references to certain breeds of dog being better at certain things.

I mean, different dog breeds have different talents. In Bluey, the Sausage Dog has his moment where he can't run very well but he can roll (at least I think that was how it went). All the different dog breeds get get to use their special talents.

Pomeranians are a small but hardy breed!

I don't really think the different breeds of dogs are supposed to be taken as different human ethnicities or whatever, I think it's just a shorthand to show that kids can be different in all kinds of ways and have fun together. Athletic kids, bookworms, social butterflies, introverts, adventurous, and yes different cultures/ethnicities/religions/etc

having specific breeds and colours for each family makes it a lot easier to track what's going on. for the same reasons that peppa pig doesn't have 8 different types of big cats

I mean Bandit and Chili are different (though related) breeds and the kids each have traits from their parents... Bluey has her dad's coloration and mom's spots, and Bingo is orange like her mother but otherwise looks like Bandit.

Love this show!

Although the Dad never seems to work, plays all day, and sets the bar pretty high for me especially on the last 2 of my 5 children. I'm out of steam.

I too succumb to the emotional episodes, and I am grateful for every tear I share with my kids!

I grew up watching Bugs Bunny, Davy and Goliath, Gumby, and All in the Family as a young kid for a contrast!

I love that they even address that in one of the episodes. In Tickle Crabs:

Bluey: "You're always at work!" Bandit: "I'm never at work!"

What a gem of a show, though yes, it does set the bar pretty high. Though on the plus side I can now burst into a room shout "It's Dad" and my 4 year old will reliably slow clap and then burst into laughter :P

Mine is 'Whats up party people' which he also uses in multiple episodes.

You have to read between the lines and pickup the hints but they both work, ostensibly. There are plenty of episodes where the kids are at daycare/with family that imply the parents are working. Many episodes take place on weekends, and I get the impression the mom sometimes works on weekends.

I will say that Bandit definitely gives off a vibe of being flexible, but I never got the impression it's deliberate. He cares more about his kids than work. At least, that's my interpretation.

There's a whole episode about dad having to working and the kids bothering him while he does!

We don't let our toddler watch Bluey. You can't show characters fighting verbally or physically and then later explain. You CAN NOT EXPLAIN to kids. If they see something being done, it can be done. So no Bluey for my kid.

Because your kid is never going to see humans fighting in real life? Kids don't fight other kids until they see other people fighting first?

Play fighting is normal human behavior. In the show they can see the characters resolve their differences and make up. Not so much with the lady in the checkout line screaming, or the dude fighting the other dude outside wal-mart for the last playstation 7.

Bluey is probably the last thing in the universe that's going to screw your kid up.

My argument against that is that it's too soon for a 2.5yo kid. Play fighting is natural, agreed, but i still believe doing it with the kid yourself or with siblings (no exp with that as of now) is OK, but seeing it on TV I don't expect my kid to understand that its normal play fighting and he can do everything that he is seeing on TV. Glorifying and actually showing bad behaviour in a bad light is already a problem even for adults' TV. I can not expect kids to take the right message from their cartoons.

Again, i am only saying this not an appropriate show for a kid this age. When he grows up to age where I can sit and explain/teach him things I'll be OK with a much wider type of media consumption.

I don't expect my kid to understand that its normal play fighting

In Cartoons, characters do all kinds of things that aren't real. They don't watch fighting and then think "oh hey I should be fighting kids", any more than they think "oh hey I should be dropping an anvil on a coyote". Their brains are more complex than that.

You are projecting your fears on the kid, but fear isn't rational. I recommend finding out for certain how cartoons have an effect on the psyche of a child. Look up some general psychology and child psychology. Confirm whether these biases and assumptions are real or not. Use knowledge and facts, not fear, to dictate your choices.

I love Bluey but my kid won’t actually watch it. I wonder how common that is

Totally common IME. Bluey is for the parents. Kids like it but don't love it.

Yeah she much prefers cocomelon!

Blue’s Clues (Steve era) is the top preference for my toddler

Kids shows teach lessons, but Bluey has all sorts of compassionate parenting lessons. I would love to be as good as a father as Bandit.

My favorite scene is him assembling flat pack furniture without reading the instructions, proudly declaring he won’t take advice from a cartoon dog.

There’s some really fun “blink and you’ll miss it” jokes in the show. At some point, one of the kids is acting like a dog, and I think Chili asks Bandit “what is she doing?” And he replies “I have no idea.”

My 2 faves are 1) "Whale Watching" when Bandit and Chili are clearly hungover from an NYE party. and 2) in the episode "Perfect" when Bandit and Fido are talking about getting a vasectomy but Chili wants to keep her options open. It was risque enough that they re-dubbed it for America but the subtitles are still from the original recording.

I would love to be as good as a father as Bandit.

Man, make sure you don't kill yourself trying! I always think the other parents in the neighborhood want him to dial it back so they don't look bad.

One thing that I appreciate about Bluey, apart from the other things people have commented on, is that the animation style is very aesthetically pleasing. So many kids shows have the exact same 3D CGI style, and some of them honestly look just uncanny-valley creepy.

Another thing that most people wouldn't experience is seeing episodes set in places I might have been in the last couple of weeks. It's obviously stylised and interpretive, but a lot of the buildings and places are very accurately represented!

It’s because it’s cheaper.

I don’t think uncanny is the right word. It’s just bad. The depth and lighting is just wrong.

Absolutely agree with that. Peppa Pig? Can't stand the animations.

It's truly a show about parenting. It covers realistic themes about parenting. It's very well written. With childrens shows, it's easy to make a show appeal to kids. Cocomelon is basically loved by every child ever, but its so annoying to parents. Bluey is great because the parents like it.

It's a great show that demonstrates how to play with your kids. Though I do appreciate the episodes where the parents are exhausted, or must do chores, instead of playing with their kids.

Showing the parents at the end of their ropes is really great to see. I love their pixar style adult only quips that get added from time to time. In the claw episode for example, Bandit (the dad) says `Magic Claw has no children. His days are free and easy` and it always cracks me up.

One of favourite Bluey facts is that the Dad is an archaeologist and the Mother works airport security.

One digs up bones and the other sniffs for drugs.

Never made that connection! Thats hilarious

Strangely enough, there seem to be a lot of hidden references and callbacks in Bluey.

Just one source I found: https://www.reddit.com/r/bluey/comments/ipi4ft/a_thread_for_...

The most interesting part for me is the relationship with the parents and children.

Compared to what I was brought up with (The Simpsons etc) it's nice that children are not only taught interesting values but also what the values of parents are

There's a YouTube video essay I watched a month or so back that touched on this. It looked at parental figures throughout the history of television and used them as a reflection for generational ideals of what a parent should be

The boomers parents made shows like Father knows best, leave it to beaver, etc, where the father was an almost unimpeachable authority figure. Boomers (and gen x) made shows like the Simpsons and family guy, where the oaf father comes in, and family is mostly viewed as dysfunctional, an obligation rather than something to be enjoyed. Gen x produced shows like Bob's burgers which removes some of the physical violence of the family but maintains the Father as an aloof oafish character. And millennial fathers, as depicted by TV, are like bandit. The oaf is gone, but so is the dictatorial authority figure.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZRN5gKC9_CU

It's cool to see Australian values & parenting techniques propagating into American society. Our conquest will be complete soon :)

Just watched The Wiggles documentary on Netflix. They were big when my kids were young and they are from Australia. I have heard of Bluey but didn't know it was also from Australia. They know something about kid shows there, apparently.

The Australian government runs a fully funded free-to-air children's TV channel, called ABC Kids. Without knowing much about what other countries are doing, I can probably assume it one of the best children's content creators of its kind in the world.

The channel is required to make a certain percentage of Australian content, and without the need to worry about advertising, subscriber numbers and merchandising revenue, it has become a haven of local creativity.

I think Australia also struggles to find global audiences, as in some ways the world is still recovering from Australian craze global audiences had in the 90's (Crocodile Dundee, Crocodile Hunter, Mad Max, etc). So finding a new audience with children is perfect.

Without knowing much about what other countries are doing

The US has PBS Kids. They produced plenty of shows like Bluey, such as Arthur, Dragon Tales, Clifford the Big Red Dog and Sesame Street, and a bunch of others. Idk what the lineup is like today though, my experience is from the 90s-2000s.

In Canada, CBC also had CBC Kids, but the content was garbage and not young children friendly, so most parents ended up having us watch PBS or Family Channel (what Disney Channel was called in Canada) instead.

The UK has CBeebies on BBC which had fairly decent content, and often co-produced with PBS.

One thing we've been unable to figure out: is the phrase "for real life" (seemingly a portmanteau of "for real" and "in real life") a phrase that is used in Australia, or is it a Bluey-specific neologism?

Hopefully some HNers down under can enlighten us!

‘For real’ is definitely an Australian-ism (pretty old fashioned, usually inflected up as an incredulous question ‘fa REAL?’, but I’ve not really heard ‘For real life’. Could be a kid thing.

Interesting! We say “for real” here in the US also, but I’d never been able to pin down the full expression from Bluey.

Bluey is a fair sight better than Cocomelon or Baby Shark, I'll say that much. I haven't had much chance to see much of it, but what I did see I liked. It's not all happy, singsongy, bright-colored drivel; the characters are well-developed and have struggles and meaningful arcs.

It helps that I'm a fan of blue heelers, the real Australian shepherd (though I also love the American breed called "Australian shepherd").

the real Australian shepherd

Technically breed through and through to be cattle dogs.

Big difference being shepherd dogs focus outwards and protect, sheep dogs work and move herds on command using eyballs and stalking body language, whereas cattle dogs are "heelers" they get in close and literally bite the heels of massive stubborn cattle that won't budge until nipped.

Heelers are great dogs IF you can live with their needs - they seriously live for three to four hours of hard exercise a day, flat out running, herding, chasing, interacting. If you can't do that then don't get a heeler, they're smart and you'll pay for it.

If you don't have a herd of cattle at least live 10 km from a beach and make them run after you while you bike, motorcycle, or drive slowly there.

Getting a throwing stick that'll travel the lebgth of a football field and|or a tennis ball launcher is a good way to keep them moving, they'll fetch at extreme range for good few hours.

It's not all happy, singsongy, bright-colored drivel

"Oh man, the songs." - Bandit, "Movies".

Has anyone else noticed that “Camping” is basically the Star Trek TNG episode Darmok? Bluey meets a French dog named Jean-Luc. They construct some shelter together and have to hunt a monster. (I.e. Bandit pretending to be a wild boar.) They find a way to communicate despite speaking different languages. One leaves. Shaka, when the walls fell.

In the end, Muffin, her scream echoing—Bluey and Jean-Luc, their tails wagging!

(My wife who’s not really an Trekkie pointed this out to me. Also there’s another read about Jean-Luc’s departure as death and an eventual reunion in the afterlife when we will all finally understand each other. Read it as you like it.)

Wow. Thanks, I can't unsee this now.

Chilli's wisdom definitely hits hard if you have full context. The ending of this episode (and even the book version) nearly brings me to tears every time.

I love it when kids shows do things like this. The BBC show Hey Duggee has an episode called The River Badge which is a homage to Apocalypse Now, recreating a number of similar scenes and pieces of dialogue. Other episodes have references to other movies that kids won't know but that are great fun for adults when they notice.

Here's a somewhat embarrassing admission: I never appreciated Holst's "The Planets" until I saw it used (particularly "Jupiter") in a Bluey episode.

Jupiter is a masterpiece. Mars is fine. Honestly the rest of the Planets Suite is kind of a pass unless you're studying music. Of course Jupiter is the one they remix ("arrange"?) in Bluey.

Yeah, I think that part of my problem is I often heard people talk about Mars, so I tried to use that as my entrypoint into the suite, and to my ear Jupiter is much better.

The family lives in a mansion and their entire life is about playing and exploring all the time.

What a great way to prepare the next generation for a life where most real estate will be beyond reach for most families. And where most parents work all the time and are tired on weekends.

The series has a good soundtrack and voice acting. The mobile game is fine. The Nintendo Switch game is disappointing.

That's Australia for you.

Also, isn't Bandit (Bluey's dad) pretty much the definition of "And where most parents work all the time and are tired on weekends."? Except he's tired pretty much all the time.

You're right: we should only expose our children to content that makes them appreciate that they will not have to be Dickensian beggars or cutpurses.

Our kids absolutely adore this show, and so do my wife and I. It is just about the only thing we'll let them watch.

As others have said: it's because the show isn't trying to force any ridiculous cultural progressivism on my children.

But also: it doesn't seem to be made by (am I joking?) the same people who would otherwise make slot machines. While other kids shows seem like an outright attack on my children's attention, this show is just happy, wholesome short stories about a family having fun together. We absolutely adore this show in my household.

As a sidenote: it's very hopeful to me that a show like this (utterly non-political, just shows a happy family) is as popular as it is. It's culturally dominant for kids. I hope this is a lesson for Disney et al. (Disney+ does carry this show in the US, but it is not produced by them.)

Even though it's not political, the right-wingers feel the need to make their own version with "traditional family values". It's called Chip Chilla: https://www.theguardian.com/culture/2023/oct/17/is-new-kids-...

Seems ridiculous to me; they show "traditional" gender roles in the ripoff show to avoid "indoctrination".

Millenials and Gen Xers (the cohort of which are now raising young children) were raised in a cultural wasteland of sarcasm and irony poisoning, that arose as a response to the perceived "campiness" or naivety of sincere art. And we were force fed it for decades until our "guffaws" and recognition of it were habitual, instinctive, and always expected. Nothing could possibly ever be funny without being hyper self-aware and critical of everything.

The reason these new shows are connecting with us now is precisely because of their outright rejection of this. Sometimes things can just be nice, and fun, and good, and there's no smirk to the camera, or higher level joke being made. It just is.

Postmodern meta-irony is out. Radical sincerity is in.

And we thought we were so clever :,)

Bluey is the only show my kid loved, and never wanted to binge watch. He’d watch one or two episodes and then want to turn the TV off so we could play Silly Hotel or Keepy Uppy or Grannies. Where other shows grabbed his attention longer, Bluey always inspired him to go out and play.

I think this is the real value of imaginative shows like Bluey - it inspires kids to use their imaginations as well.

As a parent, I love watching all the episodes. My 5 year old also loves watching it. One of the few good children shows that has great entertainment with great values for all.

My favorites are always the grannies ("Oh no, my coins!"). My wife loves "Fairytale" because we both grew up in a far off place called the 80s and can relate to all of it.

The episode where the mother tries to get her father to slow down and take care of himself because she knows he won't be around forever is a hard watch since my mother passed away. Also where the kids jump on the dads groin by accident and all you see is a raised eyebrow and a very slight groan is one all dad's can appreciate. A truly wonderful show.

Bluey is awesome, the one disappointing thing is hearing US and UK media try and modify it.

A few episodes have been butchered because something was found offensive - like the kids playing cavemen and saying Ooga Booga or the parents sighing while weighing themselves on a scale. Come on!

Just leave it alone and serve it as is. The creators expressed a few times he's almost had enough of edits over dumb things.

They also tried to get re-dubs done to remove the Aussie accents, luckily that was pushed back on.

They also tried to get re-dubs done to remove the Aussie accents, luckily that was pushed back on.

There seems to have been a period in television where any "hard" english accent had to have an accompanying subtitle under it. Thankfully I don't seem to see this anymore.

One of the things I liked about Peppa Pig was my kiddo would start to take a british accent and say things like "Ready, Steady, Go!" or "Mum"

Bluey is great. For younger ones, Tumble Leaf (sadly now discontinued) is also wonderful - clay-mation, gentle with lovely music and promoting a sense of discovery.

I had almost forgotten about Tumbleleaf. Such a gem of a show. The submarine episodes really stand out.

I'm also a girl dad (ages 3 and 4) and Bluey is a total favorite in our (mountain west US) household. In utter contrast to the singsongy dreck of CocoMelon and its imitators, our kids actually take away memorable lessons they enjoy (going to bed like a big girl, like Bingo!), and my wife and I regularly comment that we'd watch the show on our own without the kids for its sheer relatability.

It's an absolute gem, folks.

If you're so inclined, we found a nice cake topper on Etsy for _my own_ birthday this year: https://www.etsy.com/listing/1481048560/inspired-bluey-caket... turns out to be easily adapted to read "Turning 40" rather than "Turning 4". Super cute & the girls adored it.

I love the cake topper idea! Saving this for my next birthday :)

Anyone else for the longest time thought the opening title sequence[1] was just them farting their names?

Turns out it’s them playing stop the music, and each character is called out as they keep dancing. Still, the names are definitely coming from farts…

1. https://youtu.be/8nv1m-aTCZI?si=gXynjB7rJpPr5Ref

Bluey is an absolute master piece.

Bluey is #1 but I haven't seen Wild Kratt's mentioned anywhere yet. It's given my son a great introduction to the animal kingdom and given him a lot of ammunition for the animal guessing game.

A bit tangential but also related -- I grew up watching 'Adventures of the Gummi Bears' back in the late 80s and early 90s. Recently, I came across it on Disney+ and re-watched it. I was pleasantly surprised that some of the episodes are teaching kids good (again, subjective) morals and behaviors. The language is never crass even when the characters are upset (meaning it's a good thing to teach kids). I liked it so much that I re-watched all of the six seasons twice.

Now that I saw this article and discussion, I'll be trying Bluey next.

Couple of nice attention to local detail things in Bluey :

1. The internal walls of Bluey's house are timber using VJs (vertical joins), typical in Queenslanders (historical style of house in Brisbane & Queensland).

2. The panoramic shots of Bluey's house identifies it to locals as clearly situated somewhere in the city's hilly inner west, with St. Brigid's Church [1] in Red Hill identifiable, as well as Mount Coot-tha in the background.

Of course, there's a lot more in the drawings that shows local detail (plants, animals, etc). The above are just two that are particularly nice for Brisbane ppl to see and recognise.

[1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/St_Brigid's_Church,_Red_Hill

So wholesome!

I saw some people wondering if there will be more shows - my kids use the iView app and a VPN to watch Bluey (which has been handy to get access early to new episodes!) and they've been advertising they'll be doing a long-form 28 minute episode this year.

For those who want to see quirky Australian children's television programming for older children may I suggest this? https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Round_the_Twist

One underrated aspect of the show is the backgrounds being grounded in reality

I live in the city (Brisbane) the show is set in

Effectively every detailed background is recognisable but tastefully selected (not shoved down the viewer’s throat)

If you do ever visit Australia, take the kids to see Brisbane

My partner manages front of house for the Live Action Bluey theatre show, she was the first person to put Bluey on my radar (we have no children)

The live action show was so popular they’ve recently just put it on for a second session

The kids get to watch Bluey inside the QPAC building (a common background in the show, next to the Eye of Brisbane)

Bluey is just a wholesome show focused on showing good role models. Much of the kids TV today is just trying to distract them, Bluey teaches lessons about family and is entertaining for adults too.

Reminds me of shows like Little Bear or Magic School bus. Teaching kids about topics, while entertaining them and modeling good behavior.

One other interesting note: all the home schooled families around us (from the hippy commune to survivalists, left & right) rave about Bluey. So it has a very good cross ideological / cultural appeal (given the global audience). Ultimately, I think it’s because it hits on a deep truth about supporting one another - that everyone can connect with and want to pass to the next generation.

Bluey is female, blew my mind when I first learnt this after watching a few episodes.

There is a sizable consumer base that buys episodes specifically for their dog. It is one of the few shows my dog will lay down and watch, which I guess is attributed to their use of "dog friendly" colors.

Also interesting is the strangeness of the theme song time signature and game that goes along with it! https://www.businessinsider.in/entertainment/news/people-are... https://eightify.app/summary/music-and-performance/decoding-...

achieving a level of poignancy alongside its humour

This quote about a particular episode sums up Bluey for me. It's tremendously well written - funny to both kids and adults alike, and often hits you in the feels. It's genuinely good TV.

The stuff which makes it out of Australia in terms of media, food, and software (hello Sublime Text) is some of the best.

What confuses me is why are their politics so messed up when it comes to tech.

When I was a kid one of my dogs was a Blue Heeler Australian cattle dog. Wonderfully faithful, energetic and powerful, and always inquisitive. I miss him terribly.

Bluey is adorable, so is "Trash Truck" available on netflix.

https://archive.ph/ArnbD

Bluey is entertaining, and my kids like watching it. However, we've noticed that the behavior of the kids (pups) on the show is a bit contagious...and our little one has started mimicking some of the kids' bad behavior/sayings. This is a very big change from her normal personality, so we're yanking Bluey from the rotation in favor of Daniel Tiger and other similar shows. YMMV, of course, but for us the entertainment value is outweighed by the negative impact on behavior.

"Lucky's Dad" is low-key the best character in the show.

Love the show, all around great characters, stories, problem solving and conflict resolution… One thing I’ve found strange is what items/scenes they choose to change (“censor”) from the AU version to the US version. Could be a Disney decision and the mouse gets what it wants but still…

My niece likes this show and I had never heard of it before. When I was a kid I liked cartoons that were on the air like 5-10 years before because even when I was 5 I found newer cartoons annoying. This one was pretty neat though and I agree it's refreshing after seeing the slop on the screen blasting from iPad kids.

One thing I really appreciate is that it's quiet, the characters are soft spoken, stock sounds don't play constantly, there isn't constant music, it's simple and doesn't make my head hurt.

The beauty of Bluey is that, for me at least, all the games were games we played as kids (keepy uppy, shadowlands, mucking around in the stream). Now my kid wants to play these games (and not be on a screen) and I get to play again. Everyone wins

Fun fact for the non-Australians, the actor who plays Bandit is part of an awesome indie-rock band named Custard formed in the late 80s. Worth checking out if you're into that sort of thing.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Custard_(band) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v03j7my0V6c (relatively recent single)

Here’s a podcast with the creator of Bluey about how he ‘Dads’ in real life that I suspect a few of you might enjoy.

https://howotherdadsdad.com/episode/how-joe-brumm-dads

Something else that is kind of awesome is you occasionally get posts on the /r/australia Reddit group along the lines of, "I saw this on Bluey, do you really do that in Australia?"

E.g. https://old.reddit.com/r/australia/comments/16a8s6d/clothes_...

tl;dr it's actually a really good show