THE JOURNAL
From left: Bandit, Bluey, Bingo and Chilli Heeler in Bluey (2018). Image courtesy of Ludo Studio/BBC
Parents have never had it so good. Well, sure, homeschooling wasn’t much fun. And most of tonight’s carefully crafted dinner will end up in the food waste bin. But at least there’s the cartoons. More than stand-in childcare, these days, children’s TV is actually quite good. Dare we say it, often better than what passes for adult TV. From feature-length Pixar epics to seven-minute episodes of Hey Duggee, some of the best culture coming out right now is made for kids. The latest animated hero is Bandit, the father in the Emmy Award-winning Australian series Bluey. But he isn’t just another “hot cartoon dad”. Sure, he’s hot, but on parenting. So, while your offspring tune in, here’s why you should be taking notes.
First of all, what is a “Bluey”?
A blue, anthropomorphic dog.
Uh-huh.
And also the name of a cartoon about the aforementioned blue, anthropomorphic dog.
I see. And in why would I need to know about it?
You’re the parent of a four-year-old.
Assuming I’m not, bring me up to speed.
Made and set in Australia, in “a world of lorikeets, backyard barbies and jacaranda trees”, Bluey launched in 2018 and quickly became the most downloaded show in its network ABC’s history. It’s since racked up almost half a billion views and is now available internationally on Disney+. Last month, episodes of the show made up nine of the top 10 most-requested CBeebies shows on the BBC iPlayer. And while Bluey is aimed squarely at children, that doesn’t mean that adults aren’t also watching it. In fact, it has gained a cult following among parents.
Well, anything is better than Paw Patrol. Why does the mayor keep a chicken in her handbag? And don’t get me started on that Mr Porter…
But Bluey has also attracted wider critical acclaim. Last year, it won an Emmy. And New York magazine recently called it “the best kids’ show of our time”. The Guardian went one further, naming it “the best show on television”. They went on: “Imagine The Simpsons if everybody liked each other, or Peppa Pig if the father was a functional member of society, and that’s Bluey.”
Bluey (2018). Image courtesy of Ludo Studio/BBC
And I thought Daddy Pig was a bit of an expert at, well, everything. But tell me more about the dad in Bluey, which I vaguely remember from the intro is who we’re supposed to be talking about here…
He’s a good boy.
OK.
He’s a very good boy.
…
No, he is actually a good boy. His name is Bandit, he’s a blue heeler – with grey flecks – and an archaeologist. But, more importantly, he is a father who is always there for his daughters, Bluey and Bingo. He’s the kind of guy who will skip the big cricket match to play horsey races. He dreams, actually dreams, about playing football, if only he had the time, and he hadn’t wrecked his back changing nappies. One time, to apologise for hurting Bingo’s feelings – and, not to derail things, but to appease some fairies, whom he also blamed for a fart that he, in fact, dealt – he did a jig around the family’s post box, while all of the neighbours looked on.
Is he a moron?
No, he’s just playing. What many of us dismiss as mucking about is actually an important part of children’s social development and a tool that Bluey encourages parents to use. “Because the show is so focused on play, it’s perfectly fine that someone who is a confident and caring dad could just switch into these Monty Python scenarios and not be a complete fall-guy and moron,” the show’s creator Mr Joe Brumm told Australian website The Father Hood.
Monty Python?
There’s an episode that nods to Seinfeld, too. But the point, according to Brumm, is that Bandit presents an accurate portrayal of what it means to be a dad today. “They’re across everything – the housework, kids, work, the lot. Compared to my dad’s day, we’ve just had a slow, generation-by-generation change to the point we’re at now, where being a dad just seems like an all-in.”
I don’t know how he does it.
Neither do we. And, as one keen-eyed viewer noted, the location of the family’s home seems to be Paddington, a well-heeled (not to mention blue heelered) suburb of Brisbane, where it would take more than AUD$1m just to get on the property ladder. On an archaeologist’s wage, that is quite something.
Work hard, play hard, maybe?
Well, Bandit is regularly seen in his home office, but – and this is ultimately a lesson for all of us – his kids always come first.
Good for him. And, even at the end of a long day, at our age, he’s still got the energy for it. Because, when I get home from work, I’m not quite so…
Animated?
Exactly. It all sounds like a lot of effort. Especially when there’s a far better parent that they could be watching on TV.
Just press play.