Full disclaimer: Bluey is pretty new to our family, so we are relatively fresh converts.
As a family that is typically very outdoor and adventure driven, TV doesn’t play a huge part in our lives. But when it does, we have always had the Disney, Stan and Netflix’s of the world at our fingertips.
All of that changed recently when we moved house, and while waiting weeks (and weeks!) for our NBN connection, we stumbled upon the endearing beauty that is Bluey.
And it didn’t take long for my kids to fall in love.
I have a seven-year-old daughter, and three-year-old twins, a boy and a girl.
Bluey has proved to be one of the rare shows that they can enjoy and love equally, and now we all (yes, my husband and I included) really look forward to our Bluey time together.
With the promise of a hilarious new season airing this week, advertisements constantly luring us and building up the excitement, my kids (okay, yes, all of us) have been waiting in anticipation for the first episode to air. I mean literally — my kids were counting down the actual days.
So, what’s the appeal? Why is a simple tv show about a family of dogs so captivating?
Here’s my take.
Bluey is heartwarming. It’s real. It’s also seriously funny.
Bluey and her sister Bingo and their parent’s Bandit and Chilli have the kind of family dynamic all of our kids are longing for.
The jokes, the Aussie humour. The pure silliness of it all.
The “Oh no’s” and the “Not this game” from Bandit and Chilli when the girls want to play are also seriously relatable. We’ve all been there. But they play anyway. And they’re all in. Fully devoting their time to the kids.
They prioritise playtime — and I believe that is where the magic lies and is what keeps the audience so enamoured.
Bluey and Bingo giggle and laugh their way through play, asking a million questions and begging their parents to keep on playing too. It’s something that all kids want. They can relate.
Bluey and Bingo are just like our kids. They have wild imaginations, endless curiosity, and regardless of how old they get, the desire to play and have fun with their family doesn’t fade.
But there are tender moments too with subtle lessons wrapped up in silliness. Bandit telling Bluey that “making up games is more important than you think” is something we can all learn from.
For us, it has translated to real life, as we have found ourselves saying ‘yes’ to playtime with our kids more and more, rather than putting it aside in favour of other “tasks”.
We’re all busy constantly, but our kids don’t stay young for long and personally I want to cherish these young and pure moments for as long as we have them.
To our family, Bluey is a slice of pure, childlike escapism that we can all benefit from. Bonus that it usually has us in stitches for a full episode.
And what isn’t beautiful about that?