Friends, I have now written not once, not twice, but three times about the magical Australian cartoon that is Bluey. My blog about which Bluey episodes make me cry is (currently) my most viewed post by a long shot. At no point in my amateur blogging career did I think this would be my legacy, but here we are!
My household’s love for Bluey runs deep, but we know it’s not a perfect show. (Like Chili says, “Perfect is tough, Bluey!”) While there are so very many episodes to love, there are a few that I could probably do without…
A couple of friends have confessed to me they’re not fans of the show at all– an opinion I can respect despite our own healthy obsession. At the risk of this turning into a *hot take* blog, here are the Bluey episodes I could personally live without seeing again:
Blue Mountains– Chili and the kids turn their hands (paws?) into little characters that walk around the Blue Mountains, aka Bandit. The visuals for this episode are almost entirely closeups of the Heeler family’s fingers, which isn’t that entertaining. I know there’s a good story being acted out, but I lose interest in the episode– and so do my kids.
Kids– We actually had to put this episode in “time out” for a while! In a trip to the grocery store, Bluey acts like the parent while Bandit acts like the child. There’s one particular scene where Bluey chastises Bandit by grabbing him by the ear and pulling him around. One of my sons would imitate this by sneaking up and painfully grabbing my own ear (or my husband’s) any chance he got, and because he couldn’t resist the impulse, we stopped watching this episode.
Tina– Bluey and Bingo’s unusually large imaginary friend Tina gets a little out of control as the kids try to get out of chores and basic hygiene. There’s just something about an imaginary giant whose teeth are falling out because she doesn’t brush them that I don’t find appealing, even if there’s a good lesson behind it. I also get a weird bullying vibe from the episode whenever I watch it, and I don’t love how Chili and Bandit go along with all the shenanigans while letting the kids figure things out.
Featherwand (and Magic… and Asparagus)- Alright, what does this trio have in common? These episodes all show Bluey and/or Bingo using some form of imaginary magic against their parents, who play along. It’s a GREAT display of imagination and super involved, playful parents… but I do not have that level of stamina to play along with my own kids when they imitate the games. I can play a game of “Heavy” (from Featherwand) for about two minutes before I have to tap out. Whenever my kids watch these episodes, they want me to play on the same level as Chili and Bandit, and I’m just not that amazing.
So there you have it! If you’re a Bluey fan– even a huge one– are there any episodes you’d rather not watch? Let me know which just doesn’t take the cake for you!
