By: April Yan
A popular TV series called Bluey has won an International Emmy, enthralled millions of viewers worldwide, inspiring podcasts, an upcoming musical, and all kinds of merchandise. However, what is behind Bluey’s meteoric rise to success?
The secret to Bluey’s success can be its knowledge of parental humor, preschool silliness, and deep humanity. The show is so well received that even grownups watch it with their kids.
“For a while, people didn’t know if it was Peppa Pig or Family Guy,” says Daley Pearson, executive producer of Bluey and the co-founder and director of Ludo Studio in Brisbane, Australia, the headquarters for the show.
The plots of the story are simple. For instance, some themes include the excitement of a floating balloon, the fun of putting on a show, or a tuckered-out child on a family walk. Although one episode lasts only about ten minutes, the show has received highly positive feedback.
The show is also resourceful, especially when Bluey’s parents, Bandit and Chilli, are tired. As a result, the program relates to many parents who become worn out after playing with their children. In a past season, when Bluey asks if they can play a game, Bandit responds, “As long as it’s one where I don’t have to move any part of my body or say anything with my mouth.”
Dave McCormack, who voices Bandit, sees much of himself in the character. “There’s some episodes where he tries to invent games where he just lies on the couch and reads the newspaper or watches cricket or something. I find in real life as a dad, I try to invent games that involve me lying on the couch and watching TV as well,” he says, chuckling.
Bluey’s made-up games have been successful, which is a relief to some parents.
Allison Hasser, a mother of two small children living in Takoma Park, Md., says Bluey is one of the few shows she’ll watch with her kids, “because the adults aren’t perfect.” Hasser singles out an episode in which Bingo is dragging her feet on a family outing, complaining that she’s tired and “can’t walk another step.”
Bandit and Chilli divert her attention by instructing her to do fun activities like race her sister or return a dropped pacifier to a baby’s mom. Bingo instantly goes from sulking to perky with each new task. “I’m basically taking notes,” jokes Hasser, “like next time we take a walk, I’m going to use this, too.”
Another reason why Bluey is so popular is that it depicts reality. Bluey doesn’t shy away from tough topics, including death. For example, when Bluey finds an injured bird on the ground in season one, she and her dad take it to the vet. Despite their efforts, the birdie dies.
“In most kids’ shows, the bird would miraculously recover and, you know, be the comedic family pet for the rest of the series,” says McCormack. “But in this episode, the bird doesn’t recover and dies, and for a kids show to be dealing with the death of an animal is pretty unusual. But it’s good that it deals with real stuff.”
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