With two girls, I have watched plenty of childrens’ television programming, some bad, some tolerable, and some great for kids. Even the GOAT, Mister Rogers, is not all that interesting after you’ve entered elementary school. But there’s one show for kids that I can not only tolerate, but will watch even without kid cajoling.
“Bluey” is an animated Australian show that was picked up by Disney, and as you might expect, there are now toys for the show at Target (and probably elsewhere). Thankfully, the conglomerate doesn’t seem to have had much influence in the content of the show. It’s stayed true to its Aussie roots, and more than that, it still finds themes that aren’t just appropriate to kids, but might get grown-ups drawn in, too.
While the show focuses on the adventures of an animated dog named Bluey and, to a lesser extent, her sister Bingo, their parents (Bandit and Chili) as well as the greater world around them are brought into play. Best of all, Bandit and Chili are not only relatable, they’re decent but imperfect. Sometimes Bandit doesn’t feel like playing with the kids (but will anyway), sometimes Chili has had it, and sometimes neither parent is on their A game. They are, however, doing their best — which is not only interesting for parents to see, it’s good for kids to see parents that aren’t perfect or dim-witted on TV. Most parents in the animated world (if they’re not dead, per most Disney movies) are absent, awful, or so wonderful there’s no attempt to make them real. This show is not in that category.
That doesn’t mean real issues don’t get tackled in kid-appropriate ways. Chili’s sister struggles with infertility in a way that isn’t hard for kids to understand but doesn’t sugarcoat the issue, either. Some dogs want puppies but can’t have them. Period. But this isn’t to say “Bluey” is a drag or immersed in teaching moments. There are plenty of episodes devoted to play, one of the best being when Bluey and Bingo are “grannies,” slowing down the action as Chili and Bandit try to keep everything imaginary afloat.
While it’s often a long wait between seasons, there are three on Disney+. But be forewarned — they’re just eight minutes long. Savor them, even if you can binge everything. And ask your kids if they want to watch, no matter what age they are. They might like it more than they (and you) expect.
This article was produced and syndicated by MediaFeed.
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Featured Image Credit: Disney.
