By: Caroline Wang

The Cricket World Test Championship on June 7th was a major win for Australia, but something else caught everyone’s attention: a special episode of Bluey.

It’s no secret that the cartoon Bluey has become a worldwide favorite. Featuring mom Chilli, dad Bandit, sister Bingo, and Bluey, the show mainly focuses on six-year-old Bluey and her adventures. She uses her humor and creative ability to play elaborate games that are presented in unpredictable ways. After three seasons and 151 episodes, the show tried its hand at an episode about cricket and left the audience in tears.

Cricket has often come up in the series, but it was just casually discussed by the characters. Until now… The viral story captures Bandit telling the story of a cricket game at a birthday party. At the time, Rusty was still a minor player. He is seen in the episode as someone who thinks that cricket is nothing more than “hitting a ball around the grass.” To this, her dad responds, “Cricket’s about more than that, kid.”

With the open-ended ending, the twist has left many people feeling emotional. Timed to be released on the same day as the Ashes series and day five of the World Test Championship Final, Bluey’s cricket episode was announced to be the top-rated non-news show on Sunday, with 563,000 viewers. Former 18-Test former Aussie batter Ed Cowan admitted that he was moved to tears. “Honestly, I was bawling my eyes out.”

From one simple cartoon to making audiences cry, the cartoon has come a long way. What will be next for Bluey?