Why is Bluey such a cultural phenomenon?

Australian animated series “Bluey” premiered in 2018 and has since captured the hearts and minds of children, parents and childless adults alike. In 2023, it was the “second-most popular streaming show in the U.S., where it was watched for 731 million hours,” said Vox. Following the domestic lives of a canine nuclear family, the program treats its young audience members as sophisticated beings who can handle emotional complexity. But “Bluey” made headlines last week because its season three finale, an unusually long and poignant episode titled “The Sign,” made scores of adult viewers weep, too. 

The background of ‘Bluey’ mania

“Bluey” is centered around a family of four blue heeler dogs: Bandit and Chilli are the parents, Bingo and Bluey are sisters, and the titular Bluey is 6 years old when the series begins. Plot points are dedicated to the simplest joys and woes of daily life: sibling squabbles, imaginary play and raising children from a parent’s perspective. “Bluey” is just as much about Bandit and Chilli’s experience as it is about their kids, and both parents take great pains to validate the feelings of their little girls. Bandit, in particular, is always indulging their imaginative desires. He emerges as a “shining TV example of a competent, involved parent, forgoing the bumbling-dad trope you can see in so many animated series (Homer Simpson, Peppa Pig’s Daddy Pig),” said The Cut. The series is also unafraid to confront the difficulties of parenting. “That’s the audacity of ‘Bluey,'” said The Atlantic. “It trusts that its young audience will be able to understand stories that are about the foibles and insecurities of parents too.”