If you have had a conversation with me in the last year and a half you have definitely heard about, or at least heard me reference, Bluey.

Bluey is a cartoon about a family of Heelers (an Australian breed of dog) set in Brisbane, Australia. And it is unapologetically Australian. The main character is a 6-year-old girl dog (the titular Bluey) who has a younger sister named Bingo. Their parents, Bandit and Chilli, feature heavily in the show as actual characters, who encourage a lot of imagination play in their young daughters and often go the extra mile to engage with their girls and help them learn valuable lessons through play. You can and should check it out on Disney+ as the company bought the distribution rights for North America.

I often hear Bluey couched as “Peppa Pig with better parenting” but let me stop you right there. Peppa Pig is trash and I will not have you slandering Bluey by comparing it to that pig version of Caillou. It’s true that both show’s main characters are young girls. They both have a younger sibling. They both have… accents, I guess? But Peppa is insufferably whiny, and really rude. There are no consequences to her actions ever. Bluey is full of life lessons. And that makes all of the difference. It’s also not a kid’s show, though it is obviously made for kids. What I mean is that it’s a family show. It was intentionally made for parents and children to enjoy together; something missing from most of the other offerings for kids these days.

Perhaps my favourite thing about Bluey and what sets it apart from other kid’s programming is that it puts the children at the centre of the show without having them be the centre of the universe. The children in Bluey are valued, but not venerated. While the innocence of childhood and childlike perspective is beautiful and something I delight to see in my kids, Bluey doesn’t shy away from the fact that, as parents, it is our responsibility to help kids grow up. Often that means them learning hard truths, understanding the consequences of their actions, learning the value of solving a problem independently, and finding their place in the world. There are the usual childhood lessons about sharing, empathy, patience, and trying your best. And then there are episodes about how hard it is to make adult friends, the pressures of motherhood, and the highly relatable struggle of trying to get your kids out the door (or back home). They also deal with how illness is a part of life, how to include kids with different abilities, and recognizing that as an adult you’re not ready to lose a parent because you still need them…. Yes, they cover that in a seven-minute episode!

There are so many amazing episodes and I wish I could do a breakdown of every single one and why I love it. However, with two seasons and 120 seven-minute episodes, I thought it might be better to scale back.

So without further ado, here are some episodes I think are essential viewing:

Season 1

Bob Bilby

Bingo gets to bring home a classroom toy and take pictures of all of the fun things she does with Bob Bilby in a scrapbook to show her class. The only problem is the Heelers forgot to limit their screen time and their time with Bob is running out!

Though the episode deals with screen time, it doesn’t come off as judgmental about it. Parents and kids alike are seen watching their phones, tablets, and tv. While the episode is a great reminder to take a break from screens and have fun as a family, the message is more about the time that you spend on your screen is time away from other things. 

Takeaway 

Have you ever had to run an errand with your kids only to be faced with every parent’s worst nightmare: waiting. It makes 5 minutes seem like an eternity and who knows what shenanigans the kids will get up to in that time?! 

Someone needs to go to the washroom. Another got a hold of some flyers. That one is thirsty? This one is hungry? Is it even worth the spring rolls?!? This episode is hashtag: relatable af.

Copycat

Bluey decides she is going to spend the day playing what is possibly the world’s most annoying game: copycat. But the game is derailed when they find an injured budgie on their walk and have to take it to the vet. Sadly, the poor budgie doesn’t make it, and Bluey struggles to understand death through play by re-enacting the day’s events. It’s definitely one of the sadder episodes, but it is told very tenderly, and can help parents broach the topic of how death is a natural part of life.

Camping

The Heelers and their cousins are camping in the outback. Bluey meets a French-Canadian dog named Jean Luc who does not speak any English. Despite their communication barriers, they figure out how to play together (with the help of Bandit). But then, Jean Luc and his family return home and Bluey is sad that she might never see her friend again. Kids will love to see how Bluey and Jean Luc work together to catch the wild hog, aka Bandit. Parents will love the life lesson that sometimes friends don’t stay in our lives forever, and that’s okay.

Season 2

Flat Pack

Chili and Bandit are performing the task that tests even the strongest of marriages: building furniture from IKEA. While they work together to build a new porch swing, Bluey and Bingo use the empty boxes and packaging for a game. Bluey plays the mother and Bingo plays her daughter. They move through stages of evolution: starting off as frogs, then lizards, then dinosaurs, birds, small mammals, monkeys, cave dogs, and finally, civilized dogs. As they progress, Bingo also “grows” in the game, starting off as a baby and ending with her building her own rocket ship, bidding her “mother” farewell, and flying off to a new life. The episode is rife with metaphor that kids probably won’t get, but if you don’t shed a tear when Bandit reaches out his hand a la Davinci’s ‘The Creation of Adam’ then do you even have a heart?

Granddad

Chili and the girls are going to visit her dad who just had heart (worm) surgery and is supposed to be resting and recovering. But when they get there, he’s digging up a stump and then runs off to play in the woods with his grandkids. Chili chases after them, tracking them like The Predator, determined to force him to rest, eventually admitting that she wants him to take better care of himself because she is not ready to lose him. It’s an important lesson for all generations: take care of yourself so that you’re around for the people that need you.

Library

Library is one of several episodes this season that heavily features the Heeler’s cousin Muffin. Muffin is 2 and a brat. Muffin is my 2-year-old. To a tee. 

In an effort to not have to explain that he ran a yellow light, Uncle Stripe tells Muffin that she is the most special girl in the whole world. Muffin takes this to heart and decides that the rules don’t apply to her, causing conflict while playing with her cousins. Muffin has to learn that while she is loved and cherished, she isn’t more special than any other dog in the world, and so the rules still apply to her. A hard lesson to learn, and a hard one to teach!

Bin Night

This episode covers the span of a month by showing the girls helping Bandit take out their garbage bins every week. It’s a really great example of how to involve kids in chores, talking to your kids about their day, and providing comfort and encouragement. I love how subtly the episode also shows us how Bandit and Chili communicate to each other about their kids. 

Baby Race

Get out the tissues! This episode is for the moms. Anyone that has had a child in the last 10-15 years knows the mom struggle. Especially with the internet, mom groups, and social media… you always feel like you are being judged, and unsure of if you’re doing the right things. This is Chili’s struggle in the episode as she recounts the story of Bluey learning how to walk for her daughters. It can be tempting as a parent to compare yourself to other parents and compare you children to theirs. But motherhood isn’t a race. Our children’s accomplishments and milestones are their own. We all learn to walk eventually. 

Sleepytime

Sleepytime is my favourite episode. 

Bingo is determined to be a big girl and spend the whole night in her own bed. After two bedtime stories: one about a baby chicken and the other about planets, she has a dream where she hatches from the planet Earth with her favourite stuffed animal, Floppy. Her dream mirrors the real life nighttime activities of the Heeler family (something parents of young children will find highly relatable). There is very little dialogue in the episode, and it is easily the most abstract. 

The episode utilizes Gustav Holts’ The Planets orchestral suite. Each movement for the suite is named after a planet in the solar system and is intended to represent a different character (i.e. Mars is the Bringer of War, Jupiter is the Bringer of Jolly, Uranus is the Magician, etc.). The things and family members that Bingo encounters while she sleepwalks are represented by different planets. She herself is Earth. Bandit is Jupiter (the gas giant… get it?), Floppy ends up on Saturn’s rings, and when she is cold and alone, she dreams she is on Neptune. Then suddenly, she is rescued by a comet and brought to rest on Mercury and bathe in the warmth of the sun, while at the same time in real life, Chili climbs into her bed and embraces her to stop her crying. I can’t think of a better metaphor for a mother’s loving hug. 

Honorable Mentions

All of them. No really! Just watch the show.

Okay, other than all of them (but seriously, watch all of them), it’s really worth checking out:

Season 1: The Sleepover, Grannies, Kids, Teasing, Asparagus, Shaun, Daddy Putdown, Keepy Uppy, BBQ, The Weekend, The Dump, The Pool, Bumpy and the Wise Old Wolfhound

Season 2: Squash, Daddy Dropoff, Army, Bus, Seesaw, Barky Boats, Swim School, Mr. Monkeyjocks, Bad Mood, Octopus, Muffin Cone, Duck Cake, Handstand, Road Trip, Ice Cream, Mum School, Dance Mode, Bingo, The Show, Rug Island, Sticky Gecko, Escape, Cafe

And if you can find it online, watch the banned episode (in North America… thanks Disney!) Dad Baby… but maybe without the kids first. ;)