I‘m an Adult that Recently Started Watching “Bluey”
And I’ve been hooked ever since…
Bluey is an Australian children’s television show that came out in 2018 about a six-year-old blue heeler puppy named, well, Bluey who spends her days navigating life with her younger sister, Bingo, her parents, Bandit and Chilli, and her friends. I didn’t think too much about it since I wasn’t the target audience. To me, it was something like Blue’s Clues, Peppa Pig, or Sesame Street. I had no interest in watching them since they’re not for me.
But while I was scrolling on TikTok, I noticed that there were several videos where it’s not the kids watching Bluey, but adults watching the show. And I’m not just talking about parents, either. The more of these TikToks I watched, the more curious I got about the show. There was something about it that’s making adults like the show, and in the case of parents, liking it more than their kids do. It probably helps that I’ve also seen clips of the show on my TikTok For You page, which piqued my curiosity even more. And as someone who’s a firm believer that animated media should be accessible to anyone, why not give it a watch?
So, early this month, I decided to give Bluey a shot.
I. Was. Hooked.
I could not stop watching after one episode ended, I probably watched more than five episodes anytime I sat down to watch the show. Each episode is roughly around seven minutes so it made it easy to breeze past them.
And it’s not really hard to see why, the show has a very light-hearted premise. Bluey and her younger sister Bingo are incredibly adorable, and just hearing them laughing in the episodes whenever they were playing with their parents or friends is definitely going to bring a smile to the viewer’s face. It kind of brings me back to when I was younger and spent all day playing with my cousins. I also never thought I would enjoy hearing both kid and adult characters in the show shout “Hooray!” or “Yay!” whenever the kids were able to tackle a problem that needed solving.
A great thing about this show is that, although Bandit and Chilli are loving parents to their kids, they aren’t perfect. They get exasperated with the kids for wanting to play when housework needs to be done, when they have work to do or go to, or when they won’t go to sleep when it’s bedtime. That the show doesn’t necessarily treat them as being wrong for having their frustrations helps, too. The episode “Sheep Dog” revolves around Chilli “needing twenty minutes” after a long day dealing with the kids and Bandit does his best to distract Bluey and Bingo so that they don’t bother Chili while she’s relaxing.
Bluey also doesn’t try to hide the fact that, while having kids can be a rewarding experience, it is difficult. Parents of young children can relate to the struggles that Bandit and Chilli face when it comes to their rambunctious daughters. And sometimes, they’ll hurt their kids by accident, but try to make up for it when they do. This show is just as much about parents learning lessons as it is children learning them and I like that. In a way, it models what a family with healthy dynamics looks like.
But I think another reason why adults would tune into this show is the fact that Bluey, while being a children’s show, does not hesitate to discuss heavier topics that an adult can relate to. One episode “Copycat” focuses on the concept of death while another episode, “Baby Races”, discusses insecurities that parents can have when raising children, especially when it’s their first child. “Onesies” brings up the concept of infertility without outright saying the word when Chili is explaining to Bluey why they haven’t seen their Aunt Brandy for a long time. Even if the children aren’t old enough to understand these topics, it’s still a good way to introduce them.
If I had any sort of complaint about the show, it’s the fact that some of the scenes and even full episodes, are censored on the Disney+ platform. I saw some of the scenes that were censored and…I didn’t think they were a big deal? If anything, I thought the scenes added more humor to the show. It stinks that I won’t be able to watch the episodes in their entirety, but at least I can find a way to get a hold of those censored scenes/episodes. Other than that, I currently don’t have any real gripes about the show. I just enjoy it that much.
The creator of Bluey created this show as a result of fondly thinking back to when he raised his two daughters when they were young, and you can tell how much love and care went into making this show considering the positive reception it’s received and its immense popularity with both children and adults alike. Reasons for that could be the nostalgia of parents raising their own young children, the nostalgia of having fun as a young child, or even just the appeal of what a healthy family dynamic looks like. Whatever the case, viewers are guaranteed to have a good time.
Hey, if someone like me, a twenty-six year-old woman who doesn’t have kids, enjoys the show, why can’t you?
