Cecilia Galatolo
Children are creatures of habit, finding security and stability in routine. However, this isn’t the only reason Bluey has been my children’s favorite cartoon for months – actually, for years now – by far!
“What’s so special about it?” I wondered while watching it with them. I was watching an episode one time, and it really moved me – as I understand, this is often the case for other parents. This episode sent a message to even us grown-ups about how to be a family. While watching, I tried to pinpoint all the various strengths of the cartoon. Here’s what I found:
1. The sisters get along well
Bluey, the protagonist of the animated series, is a cute, smart little dog. She has a mom, a dad, and a little sister named Bingo. The two sisters get along pretty well – even though they often get in spats – because they always find ways to make up. They play, have fun, and sometimes get bored, but those are the moments when their creativity brings about the best pastimes. Children love to see these little dogs come up with new ways of spending time together at home. TV? Almost non-existent to these two pups who, after all, have “better” things to do.
2. The parents are very close
Bluey and Bingo’s parents are very close to one other. Years into their marriage, they still like to joke around. They confide in one another, and they enjoy spending time alone together. (We don’t always think about this, but it is a valuable lesson for children to learn that their parents’ marriage is healthy.) They aren’t perfect. Sometimes they bicker and hold things against each other (as with all families), but their greatest strength is their unity.
Here is another quality of the series: Your kids see a family united, not just “on paper,” but one that’s really, truly bonded. That unity can offer them security.
3. Everyone plays together often
Bluey’s mom and dad have their own personal spaces, work, friendships, and care about letting their daughters know that a parent is not “just” a parent. However, they still spend a lot of time together with their kids. They love to play games that involve the whole family. The funny, witty dad likes pretending to be different characters. Sometimes he’s a sick patient and they’re the doctors, and other times, he’s a rag doll. Once, he pretended he was born the day prior and has to learn everything from the girls. Their father’s willingness to enter their “pretend world” – without losing his paternal authority – is absolutely hilarious for little kids who watch the cartoon. At the same time, they are fascinated by the dad and what he’ll come up with next.
4. Fears and problems can be talked about together
In Bluey’s family, no one is ever abandoned. Fears, problems, and even the silliest, seemingly superficial anxieties are shared with others. At one point, Bingo doesn’t like to sleep alone because she’s afraid of the dark. Her mom patiently helps her find peace again in her own room, together with her sister (without giving in to the letting her join her and her husband in bed, which would only confirm, for her daughter, that her fears are substantiated). With gentleness, resourcefulness, and patience, she manages to make the pup understand that her nursery is a cozy, safe place and that daddy and mommy are in the next room, ready to come to her aid if she calls.
5. Loving does not mean being flawless, but accepting each other for better or worse
Children watching this cartoon learn to have a benevolent view of others’ faults – even “grown-ups’” who are just as fallible as kids. In some episodes, we see the parents’ patience wears thin; at other times they “compete” over who is going to get a break, while the other has to be there for the daughters. Bluey’s parents are human; they’re not perfect. They are not always in the best shape, and they are not constantly super energetic. The children, watching them, recognize their parents in themselves: Sometimes they’re enthusiastic, and sometimes they’re exhausted. Yet, love also encompasses accepting one another when we’re not in the best mood or are worn out.
6. The cartoon reflects a real family
Where can you watch this cartoon? It’s currently on Disney+, and it’s trending around the world. We recommend watching it together with your children, as it’s been described as “very deep and yet so playful.”
Interestingly, Joe Brumm, the Australian animator and writer who came up with the series in 2017, was inspired by his own experience as a dad. He, too, is a father of two girls!
Maybe that’s why the series resonates with viewers so well: It’s incredibly true and authentic. Behind the family depicted in the cartoon is probably a close-knit, “normal,” real, human family that has figured out the secret to enjoying time together.
