Notes From The Intern: Why Bluey Is Great
Credit: Ludo Studio
I am currently on vacation with my extended family, which includes 7 children aged 10 and under. I’ve been watching the content these kids consume, and generally speaking, I’m concerned. They are watching mindless YouTube videos rife with expletives, harmful stereotypes, and stupid premises. This stuff is garbage.
When examining this world of media targeted toward kids, it is easy to become hopeless. But one show stands alone as a light in the darkness: Bluey.
For context, I am a 20 year old woman with an 18 year old sister. I don’t have young children in my life. Despite this, I started watching Bluey last year. My dad had just dropped me off at the Cleveland airport for my flight from Cleveland to Newark, with a connection to Dublin, Ireland. I had never flown by myself, and I had never been to Europe. I was going to be in Ireland for 2 months for a humanitarian trip my university had organized.
Alone in the airport, I sat by my gate. I had books and movies downloaded for the flight, so I figured I would stream something off the airport’s wifi while I had access to it. Scrolling through Disney+, I saw Bluey advertised at the top.
Now, I don’t know why I clicked on it. Maybe it was because they were 7 minute episodes, and my flight was supposed to take off soon. Maybe it was curiosity from seeing it advertised so heavily everywhere in my daily life. Or maybe I was more scared than I let myself consciously believe, and I needed something comforting. Whatever it was, I was glad I chose it.
Credit: Ludo Studio
Credit: Ludo Studio
As I sat there alone, my flight was delayed time and time again. It was delayed so many times that I knew I would miss my connecting flight. While everyone around me freaked out about missing their connections, Bluey helped keep me calm.
In Ireland, I watched every episode of Bluey probably 3 times over. I loved it. The show reminded me of my own family: an attentive, loving father, a kindhearted and sharp mother, a know-it-all, loud older sister, and a goofy, vulnerable younger sister. The animation style was fun, clean, and gorgeous. The music was absolutely fantastic (Bluey often rearranges famous classical symphonic pieces).
But I think the thing that sets Bluey apart is the way it treats its audience. Unlike many other shows aimed toward children literally any age (0+), Bluey does not question the intelligence of its audience. It does not contain the call and response pauses many children’s TV shows do, and the message of the episode isn’t painstakingly laid out every time. Rather, the creators of Bluey cater not only to the children watching, but also the parents. That means that the pacing, dialogue, and plot are not dumbed down to the audience. The episodes contain jokes that mom and daughter alike will laugh at. And the show explores some very serious, deep themes at times. Neurodiversity, moms comparing themselves to others, the cycle of life, premature babies, infertility, and death are all subjects Bluey handles with grace and poise.
More recently, I decided to watch a new episode of Bluey on the plane ride to this very internship in San Diego. “The Sign” was Bluey’s first long episode, being 28 minutes long. Three-quarters of the way through the episode, I started sobbing. Literally. Sobbing. And I didn’t stop until the episode was over. The person sitting next to me probably thought I was crazy. But you know what? Other people must have been touched by that episode too, because it is currently #13 on IMBd’s highest rated television episode list.
This isn’t the only Bluey episode that has made me cry my eyeballs out. My absolute favorite is “Sleepytime” (#25 on that list, season 2 episode 9 for anyone who wants to watch). At times in my life I am away from home a lot, it reminds me that my family will always be there for me, even when I can’t see them.
Credit: Ludo Studio
I think Bluey has a little something for all of us. I like it for its humor (I often laugh out loud watching it), its messaging, and its lovable and three-dimensional characters. It makes me smile to know there is high-quality content out there made specifically for the people whose brains need it most: kids.
Peace and love,
Meghan Belden
