At the beginning of last year, I learned of a show called Bluey. It was a children’s show made in Australia about a blue dog named Bluey and her family consisting of her father Bandit, her sister Bingo, and her mother Chilli. When I first saw clips of it, I thought to myself “This is a cute show, kids must love it!” And who could blame me? It’s a cute show about talking dogs, with one of the dogs being blue; a recipe for a perfect show! But when a friend of mine recommended that I watch the show, I was confused. “Isn’t this for kids?” I thought to myself. Friends, I don’t admit this often, but I was so wrong.
Like in most kids’ shows, Bluey learns life lessons that help her grow up to become a better person. Unlike others, however, the show makes a point of letting you know that everything that Bluey learns, she remembers. The time structure of the story is linear, and yes there are fillers, but for the most part, everything happens one after the other. This makes the lesson learning, at least in my opinion, more effective, since it reinforces that everything that Bluey learns, she carries with her. One (that one being me) would argue that because of this, it helps kids learn and remember the lessons that they learn throughout the show better, since they can see those lessons applied.
So, we can all agree, with a linear time structure, Bluey is able to help kids retain the lessons in the show better. So why should we watch it? Kids’ shows aren’t made for adults! That’s where Bluey’s writers come in. The creators of the show knew that this shouldn’t be a show that parents put on for their kids, but rather it should be a show for kids to watch with their parents. There are lessons for parents within the show as well, reinforcing parents that they are doing just fine, and that they should look at what they should/shouldn’t do with their kids.
We now understand the draw with parents, but not us! Why do we, college students in the 21st century, watch a children’s show about a talking blue dog. I argue a few things. Firstly, this might be one of the funniest shows that I have ever seen. It is somehow able to teach me about spending my money wisely while also being able to make me piss my pants laughing at all the jokes made throughout the show. I couldn’t believe how funny
this show was when I began watching it, and its full honesty, I still can’t believe just how funny it is. There is a running bit where Bluey makes it known to the audience that she makes random noises when she’s bored (which is so 6-year-old coded), so out of nowhere, Bluey will just make random noises! It’s the silliest thing, and it brings me so much joy, and I firmly believe that it will bring you joy too.
I also think that this show is able to teach us lessons that our generation of kids shows lacked in teaching us I believe. I think that when it came to our shows, they were more focused on information and fun facts rather than teaching us how to be good people. The closest thing I can think of is Caillou, and that show was terrible. All Caillou did was cry; how is that entertaining?! Bluey has found this perfect blend of being able to entertain and teach at the same time, which is something that is hard to come by in modern kids shows here in the United States.
But this show goes deep as well. There are times when this show has made me cry, made me feel for the characters involved, and made me question myself. It is able to tackle heavy issues like marital problems, infertility problems, and even politics in such an interesting way. I think that we could all learn a thing or two from Bluey and Bingo. Whether that be learning how to take care of ourselves, learning how to be better friends to our siblings and our non-related friends, or even teaching us how to be better parents in the future. I may be crazy (which I am), but Bluey is one of the best shows I have seen in my life, and I will make sure that my children watch it when they’re ready for TV. Until then, it’s just me and my comfort show, and maybe soon, your comfort show too.