When were you indoctrinated into the warm world of Bluey? For me it was about six months ago, during that weird period where you know your baby isn’t actually old enough to take in anything they’re watching on television but you really need to sort out some washing and it seems like the best option to keep them entertained. And so my son George was plonked in front of CBeebies, which was where we discovered Bluey.
For those of you who don’t know, Bluey is an Australian children’s cartoon, created by Joe Brumm, that began in 2018, and follows the life of a 6-year-old Blue Heeler puppy Bluey and her family, consisting of father Bandit, mother Chilli, and little sister Bingo. The show achieves the tricky to master balance of being silly and wondrous enough for young children, whilst including jokes and sentimentality to engage with parents who are watching their children learn and grow up like Bluey and Bingo.
Since it first aired Bluey has built up an impressive fanbase, with over half a million followers on Instagram (as well as pockets of adult fan accounts such as @blueymums, who makes Bluey inspired memes for her 774k followers). Awards have followed, including Logies, Childrens’ TV Baftas and an Emmy in 2019.
This month, the show has managed to go even more viral, with a new 28-minute episode, called The Sign, reported on in the press around the world - complete with spoiler alerts - with parents revealing they have simply been emotional messes since the episode dropped (one X user said it was 'better than Oppenheimer' while another said, 'The emotional power of the #Bluey special episode, The Sign, cannot be underestimated. I may need a minute…' It also has fans divided, however, with some viewers upset that the storyline wrapped up its conflict far too neatly. The positives outweigh the negatives, however, and the episode has a near perfect 9.9 score on IMDB (tying it with Sleepytime as the most popular episode ever).
So what makes the show so special? It’s the magic with which Bluey and Bingo see the world: and that Chilli and Bandit allow them to paint even the most mundane tasks with. There’s always time to play, and there’s always time to learn a life lesson in that household (but it's not worthy, don't worry). The sweet moments you have with your own children are echoed in the moments Bandit and Chilli share with theirs. Bluey reminds us that the true wonder of life lies in the silly moments you spend playing with your kids, even when you thought you were too busy.
There are a few particularly epic episodes. Rug Island is one of them. A pack of pens sparks a day of imagination, with Bluey and Bingo pretending to live on a deserted island after Bandit told them he’d been too busy to play. He shows up after work and they allow him to join their new world before he has to go ‘home’ while they stay on Rug Island. The ending makes me cry every single time. It’s not the only tear jerker of an episode. There’s Sleepytime, which has now become renowned amongst parents for being one of the most emotional episodes of television in existence. Andrew P Street wrote for the Guardian that, ‘In years to come, this Bluey episode will be used by humankind to test if someone is actually a replicant.’ It takes the form of a dream, with Bingo seeing elements of her life around her as she drifts through the solar system - with her mum as the Sun. At the end, Bingo tells Chilli that she has to go because she’s a big girl, with her mum replying that she’s always going to be there and always loves her. Cue the tears of every parent on the planet. There are whole Reddit threads devoted to the power of Sleepytime.
I haven't gone quite so far as to watch it when George has gone to bed, but I wouldn't judge any parent who did. It's heartwarming at a time when not much else is. This is the unique power of Bluey. To be fun and silly, poke fun at parenting (look out for the pass the parcel episode), share knowing glances with parents who are struggling and exhausted, but then also remind you to slow down and enjoy the magic. It's what Bluey and Bandit would do.