Bluey is an Australian children’s animated show created by Joe Brumm for Disney Plus. The show centers six-year-old Bluey Heeler and her family: dad Bandit, mom Chilli, and 4-year-old sister Bingo. Although the show’s target audience is kids, I discovered Bluey on social media, after seeing videos of parents saying that they watch Bluey even when their kids aren’t in the room. Even though I don’t have any kids in my life, with episodes only being 7 minutes in duration, I knew I needed to check out the show. Three seasons in, nothing has ever made me laugh and cry more than Bluey.
Even though the parents and kids make mistakes and express that no one is perfect, the Heeler family showcases healthy familial and parental relationships. Most kid and teen shows I watched when I was younger failed to include parents as main characters, such as Dora the Explorer, Spongebob Squarepants, iCarly, and Shake It Up to name a few. And growing up witnessing unhealthy relationships in my own life, it’s refreshing to see the portrayal of a loving and non-toxic family with flaws. Even more, Bandit and Chilli actively play with their kids, something I don’t remember much from my childhood. Sure there was the occasional hide and seek or board game, but never participating in daily made up imaginary games. Additionally, Bluey and Bingo’s parents are very present in their lives, especially their father, a possible sore spot for those of us who didn’t interact much with our dads. But Bluey allows adults to retroactively live through the show to discover those experiences and unpack buried emotions.
There is so much to enjoy and learn from Bluey. Although there are lessons learned in each episode, the messages aren’t obnoxious or feel like they’re being shoved at you. All viewers can relate to Bluey, even if you aren’t a parent and don’t have kids, at one point you were a kid. And the lessons are also pertinent to adults, including topics of resilience, perfectionism, compassion, adventure, comparison, work/life balance, etc. And sometimes, it’s Bandit or Chilli that learns a lesson instead of Bluey and Bingo, as a parent or just as a person. Bluey is a show about more than silly games and childhood. Some episodes even explore complex and difficult topics like loss, gender roles, and neurodivergence.
Bluey also reminds viewers that you’re never too old to use your imagination and play. As we grow up, adults lose their sense of imagination and play. We fall victim to societal norms and pressures that tell us to act a certain way and make us fear embarrassment or judgment. Bluey teaches us to literally dance like nobody’s watching in S2 Ep 3’s “Dance Mode.” It’s important to have fun and be creative, reconnecting with child-like wonder. Bluey’s parents both jump into Bluey and Bingo’s imaginary worlds, acting silly and playing games with them. There’s beauty in seeing the world through children’s eyes.
And as much as kids can learn from adults, adults can learn from kids. Like in S3 Ep 5’s “Born Yesterday,” where Bandit observes the intricacies and beauty in a leaf, learning from Bluey and Bingo to appreciate the small things in life. Or S3 Ep 18’s “Rain,” where Bluey reminds Chilli that you can play in the rain and not just see the weather as an inconvenience. And in S3 Ep 12’s “Housework,” Bandit and Chilli realize, after watching their children clean, that housework doesn’t need to be a mundane task, but instead dancing can be added. And it’s ok if you look silly in the process!
I encourage you to get in touch with your child-like wonder in your everyday life to find magic in yourself and your surroundings. Look down at the grass long enough to see bugs (S1 Ep 6 “The Weekend”). Make new friends (S2 Ep 37 “Café”). Dance just because (S3 Ep 12 “Housework”). Eat ice cream (S2 Ep 33 “Ice Cream”)… No matter what age you are, Bluey is for everyone, whether you watch the show for entertainment, to escape reality, heal your inner child, learn valuable lessons, or just to enjoy the art and music. Who knew that the storytelling of an animated kid’s show about dogs in Australia could have such a big impact on viewers. If you haven’t seen Bluey yet, here are my top five favorite episodes I recommend: “Grannies” (S1 Ep 28), “Sleepy Time” (S2 Ep 9), “The Creek” (S1 Ep 29), “Bike” (S1 Ep 11), and “Camping” (S1 Ep 43).
Kindergarten 
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