Had you told us in 2018 that an animated Aussie show about an anamorphic family of blue heelers would become a global phenomenon, we’d have said you were barking mad!
But such is the special case of Bluey!
WATCH NOW: Seven scenes that have been censored in Bluey. Article continues after video.
Thanks to its sweet relatable storylines and moving life lessons, the ABC series continues to grow in popularity.
Here, we unpack all you need to know….
Accent Takeover
A recent article in The Independent claimed the show’s soaring popularity in the US is resulting in American children now adopting “Aussie accents and phrases!”
Producer Daley Pearson agreed, saying: “I’ve seen a lot of TikTok videos from parents saying their kids are talking Australian now thanks to Bluey.”
G’day, kids!
Mystery Voices
The names of the young actors who adorably voice Bluey and Bingo never appear in the credits, which is a deliberate move to protect the children’s privacy.
Fellow cast member Melanie Zanetti, who voices Bluey’s mum Chilli, has previously mentioned that all the children featured are “members of the family of people in the production.”
“I am so glad that the creatives on the show decided that no one would be in the credits to protect the young cast,” Melanie added.
Peppa Who?
The creative force behind Bluey, Australian animator Joe Brumm was inspired by his two young daughters’ fascination with the hit UK series Peppa Pig.
He decided he wanted to make something similar, but with a distinctly Aussie flavour, and so Bluey was born!
For the uninitiated, the show centres around the Heeler family. Six-year-old Bluey is the main character, then there is her younger sister Bingo, dad Bandit and mum Chilli.
Joe has explained that every episode and storyline generally starts from something he is noticing in his kids’ lives or his wife’s life or his own “that just keeps coming up.”
Gender Reveal
As any dog lovers know, blue heelers are indeed a real breed.
However, what stumps many people is whether Bluey is a boy or a girl.
In fact, it’s one of the most popular Google search questions involving Bluey!
For the record, Bluey and her sister Bingo are referred to as girls in a number of episodes.
However, producer Daley says the production team welcomes the gender being unclear.
“I hesitate to correct people, especially kids, that say, “I really love him,” Daley reveals.
“I think kids see what they want to see. They want to be Bluey, so if they’re a boy, they see themselves…I think it was a bit of a happy accident.”
Filming Secrets
David McCormack lends his dulcet tones to Bluey’s dad Bandit.
Despite playing a couple on screen, it took four years before David met his ‘wife’ Melanie in person!
The pair are based in separate Australian locations and record dialogue remotely.
They finally came face to face in November 2022 when they travelled to New York to appear on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon.
WATCH NOW: Eva Mendes says her daughters love to watch Bluey. Article continues after video.
Hollywood Approves
Celebrities can’t get enough of the precocious pup!
Rose Byrne admits to binge-watching with her sons, Billy Joel once threw a themed party for his daughter’s 6th birthday, and couple Eva Mendes and Ryan Gosling say their two youngsters “love the show.”
Some of these famous fans have even gone on to appear on Bluey.
Eva voiced a yoga instructor helping Bandit get fit, while Natalie Portman, who has been spotted reading Bluey books to her kids, narrated an in-show whale documentary.
Bandit is a rockstar!
Before he became the voice of Bandit, David was better known as the vocalist and guitarist of the rock band Custard!
The ’90s Aussie band has released 13 albums and David is recognisable from an iconic music image where he’s wearing a brown jacket and black hat while standing next to a door with a Christmas wreath on it.
Quite the controversy
There have been a few instances where Bluey waded into controversial territory.
The most recent incident involved a new episode “Excercise’, which was accused of fat shaming after Bandit and Chilli stood glumly on a bathroom scale and pinched their bellies.
After concerns from body image experts, the episode was re-edited.
Similarly, the episodes ‘Teasing and Flat Pack’ were edited after viewers expressed concern over the episode’s inclusion of a term that had negative racial connotations.
Adults enjoy it too!
One of the big drawcards of Bluey for parents is that it is also very fun for grown-ups, which the series creators say is no accident!
Daley says the team is always mindful of including moments that make their adult production crew laugh.
“You want the parents and children to connect,” he says.
“I don’t think anything gets by that isn’t loved by somebody in the crew.”
Actor David adds that he loves the “real” and relatable parenting moments in the show, such as when Bandit tweaks game ideas so they involve him lying down or reading the newspaper.
“It’s a funny thing that happens in real life,” he says.
