Not all kids shows are made equal. No offense to the makers of the PBS show Caillou, but that show made me consider playing in traffic. However, plenty of other shows made and designed for small kids can be delightful. Having raised three kids of my own past this point of childhood, I have been exposed to both ends of the kids’ show spectrum.
The Disney Plus smash hit Bluey, based out of Australia, is one of those shows on the more enjoyable side of the spectrum. Bluey is a wonderful children’s show that follows a family of Blue Heeler dogs and their friends in a world of different dog breeds. Bandit, Chilli, Bluey, and Bingo are the family. Bandit is the dad, Chilli is the mom, and Bingo is the precocious 4-year-old baby sister to Bluey, the 6-year-old girl and title character of this show. The dogs are all anthropomorphic and age as humans do. So when they talk about a 4-year-old or 6-year-old dog, you don’t need to do the math in dog years to find out exactly how old the dogs are. Having the dogs be adorable and yet human-like makes the show more entertaining for the younger crowd.
Personally, I began watching this show because the cohost of my podcast has a 5-year-old who was obsessed with Bluey. But then an odd thing happened: her husband started telling me HE was enjoying it. Not how much he was enjoying it with his daughter, but how much he was enjoying it and watching it on his own. My investigation into Bluey began. So, if you have yet to sit down and watch, with or without children, let’s talk about why you should be.
As with many children’s shows, the writers’ and showrunners’ efforts are to teach lessons about daily life or help instill some virtue into the children who watch it. Bluey is no exception. However, the writers understand the power of their show and have written it to include humor and wit that appeals to all ages.
The show contains lessons about sharing, not taking what doesn’t belong to you, being kind, being a good friend, playing with others, not being bossy, and so many other topics. Each of these topics is layered into a good story that will keep your child’s attention for the entirety of the 7 to 9-minute episode. That’s right, the episodes are built around the attention span of a young child. If your kids are anything like mine, they didn’t make it past the introductory song before they were looking for something else to watch, read, or play with.
The episode “Magic Xylophone” does a wonderful job of showing how to share an item with your siblings, and how to work together to clean up the toys that just seem to never get put away. This is all done in a wonderfully fun story that will entertain you and your child.
Speaking of introductory songs, Bluey has a simple song that will get stuck in your head. But not stuck in your head like The Mickey Mouse Clubhouse Hot Dog song. And if you know, then you know, and I’m not sorry. This song is simple, and it’s the best type of earworm. You, and possibly even your child, will be singing this for some time, not because you have to but because you want to.
It would be easy to ignore this show if you don’t have kids of the proper age or any kids at all. It would be easy to think that there is no reason for you to sit down and watch this. But you would be wrong. This show has humor in it that is designed for the adults watching the show. The episode “Whale Watching” is all about Mom and Dad Heeler (Chilli and Bandit) being a little too hung over from their party the night before to be able to do much of anything. It’s never said that they are hung over, but if you’ve been older than the legal drinking limit for more than 30 seconds, you know what a hangover looks like. Chilli and Bandit are definitely hung over. That’s just one small example.
Many episodes of this show are relatable whether you have kids or not. Stories about love and loss, coping with these things, and finding ways to overcome don’t require having children watching with you. The show’s writing will make you laugh in one episode and pull at your heartstrings in the next episode.
David McCormick, the lead singer for the Australian band Custard, voices Bandit Heeler. He’s not a trained voice actor, just a guy who thought he was doing a one-off show, perhaps just reading a few lines. If we’re being honest, it’s kind of how many of us men stumbled into becoming a father. He’s highly relatable and just fun to listen to.
Look, it’s very simple. Whether you have kids or not, this show is great. Technically, yes, it’s a kids show. But it’s a show that really shouldn’t be defined by its age category. A good show can just be a good show. And that good show can have an audience of all age groups, no matter who it may have been designed for. This show, Bluey, is that show.
You don’t need kids to watch it, but if you do have kids, chances are they will love it. So, get a Disney Plus subscription to watch all 151 episodes over three seasons. Make some popcorn and hot chocolate, regular cocoa for the kids, and some Rumchata mixed in for mom and dad, and just … enjoy.
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