[HN Gopher] 'Bluey's World': How a Cute Aussie Puppy Became a $2...
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       'Bluey's World': How a Cute Aussie Puppy Became a $2B Juggernaut
        
       Author : adrian_mrd
       Score  : 108 points
       Date   : 2025-03-19 12:14 UTC (2 days ago)
        
 (HTM) web link (www.hollywoodreporter.com)
 (TXT) w3m dump (www.hollywoodreporter.com)
        
       | resource_waste wrote:
       | >"The parents were so relatable and mirrored the parent I wanted
       | to be,"
       | 
       | Ooof fiction teaching Idealism. From Nietzsche to Plato, its
       | agreed, fiction corrupts. One day the floury idealism will be
       | seen not to work, and the damage will have already been done.
       | 
       | I've seen Bluey, it was funny, it taught some general concepts...
       | but if my kids are going to watch TV, why not Bill Nye the
       | Science Guy or similar?
       | 
       | Remember that these children's characters are corporate mascots,
       | not friends.
        
         | Centigonal wrote:
         | how is Bill Nye any less of a character than Bluey's parents?
        
           | 01100011 wrote:
           | Let your kids watch Bill Nye and then next thing you know
           | they'll be into speedwalking and designing burger guns in the
           | basement. IYKYK.
        
             | jjulius wrote:
             | God bless Almost Live!
        
         | hylaride wrote:
         | Sir, it's a show for toddlers that adults can watch and relate
         | to. Watch the repetitiveness of Daniel Tiger or the brain
         | destroying Cocomelon (which should be banned) then get back to
         | me.
        
           | bitwize wrote:
           | I was rewatching Max Headroom recently and my favorite
           | episode stood out to me. It's about an addictive game show
           | called "Whacketts" which is so mind-numbingly insipid that
           | even the punk operator of the pirate TV station that runs the
           | show wonders why it's so popular. Turns out that the
           | Whacketts broadcast is interlaced with a signal that looks
           | like rapidly changing hexadecimal numbers and functions as a
           | "drug" that induces euphoria in anyone who is visually
           | exposed to it.
           | 
           | When I was a kid I thought this was somewhat dodgy science
           | fiction. As an adult in the age of Cocomelon and Skibidi
           | Toilet, I'm not so sure.
        
         | fkyoureadthedoc wrote:
         | Bluey considered harmful? I won't hear of it. Get his ass.
        
         | jasonjayr wrote:
         | "I'm not going to take advice from a cartoon dog" - is exactly
         | one of the lines in the show.
         | 
         | There are shows geared to teach science in appropriate ways to
         | kids in this same demographic. But that's not the point of
         | Bluey -- it's modeling an ideal family, in a way that's
         | understandable to young children, while being relatable for
         | their parents to watch and appreciate along side with them.
         | They represent a loving, functional family, that likes to have
         | fun, and sometimes has hard issues to deal with, that children
         | get to see. For some families it's an unattainable ideal, and
         | for others it's a mirror of a modern 20-30yo parents raising
         | young kids, complete with modern situations.
         | 
         | It's hard to stress out just how perfectly they nail a show
         | that both kids + parents can watch, that they both find
         | enjoyable, in this demographic, without pandering, or being
         | annoying about it, because it's such a rare find.
         | 
         | The praise this franchise receives is extremely well deserved.
        
         | jjulius wrote:
         | >... but if my kids are going to watch TV, why not Bill Nye the
         | Science Guy or similar?
         | 
         | This comparison almost makes me wonder if you have kids.
        
           | jamiek88 wrote:
           | Right? Completely different shows, ages, approach, intentions
           | etc.
           | 
           | Might as well have said 'watch masterchef instead'.
        
         | mikeocool wrote:
         | Somebody doesn't have kids
        
           | resource_waste wrote:
           | I have 5.
        
             | audunw wrote:
             | And do they only watch science shows teaching STEM
             | subjects? Or do they get to watch shows that have some
             | emotional lessons as well? If so, what shows?
             | 
             | I think people are reacting because Bill Nye is not even
             | remotely in the same category. It has a different kind of
             | value, and frankly it's not as important as the kind of
             | value kids get from Bluey.
             | 
             | It's very nice if kids learn science. Great even. But the
             | most important things kid can get from TV shows (if
             | anything, it's okay to watch things for fun as well) is to
             | learn social skills. Bluey has a lot of that, and it does
             | it without being annoying about it like Daniel Tiger. It's
             | a good balance
        
               | infecto wrote:
               | It also feels like a show for kids graduating out of
               | Bluey.
        
             | skinkestek wrote:
             | Hi another person with 5 kids :-)
        
         | kentonv wrote:
         | Fiction gives us a channel to explore problems we wouldn't
         | otherwise regularly see in our day-to-day lives, and learn
         | about the right ways to answer them, so that when we are
         | confronted with them for real, we have a better framework for
         | dealing with them than our basic instincts provide.
         | 
         | Real-world ethical problems tend to be much more complex than
         | those presented in fiction, but that's exactly why we need
         | fiction to provide us with the building blocks via easier-to-
         | understand case studies.
        
         | mcphage wrote:
         | > but if my kids are going to watch TV, why not Bill Nye the
         | Science Guy or similar?
         | 
         | "There are more things in Heaven and Earth, Horatio, than are
         | dreamt of in your philosophy."
        
         | infecto wrote:
         | Because Bluey is for 3-6 year olds or around that range and the
         | most important thing for them to learn at this age is social
         | skills. There is plenty of time after for Bill Nye.
        
         | light_triad wrote:
         | Nietzsche and Plato were some of the best fiction writers ever
         | produced.
         | 
         | Storytelling, allegory, dramatic dialogue, compelling
         | narratives, and 'myth making' can have different goals -
         | sometimes it's to teach the glory of science. Other times it's
         | about social relationships and how to be a functional human.
         | 
         | Bluey works so well because the combination of kids'
         | entertainment with adult themes and storylines portraying
         | positive role models feels unforced - some folks may not enjoy
         | it, that's fine.
        
         | Vaskivo wrote:
         | There's an episode where the father is trying to teach Bluey to
         | play chess. It is implied by the mother that he's only doing
         | that because "all smart kids play chess, therefore she should
         | learn chess."
         | 
         | The teaching fails, not because she doesn't understand but
         | because she and Bingo end up making up the fantasy of the game.
         | (To the point that sacrificing a piece is a shock and
         | abhorrent).
         | 
         | It ends up with the mother intervening, beating the dad at the
         | game and saying "Work on the heads later, for now, just
         | hearts."
         | 
         | So to you, I say: Bill Nye, yes. Bluey, yes too. Each in their
         | own time... If the kids feel like it.
        
       | Verdex wrote:
       | As a kids show bluey is adequate. However, I suspect its secret
       | is that it's really a show for parents with young children that
       | just happens to hold the attention of kids.
       | 
       | My daughters like bluey (ages 3-8). But they also enjoy many
       | things on TV and bluey doesn't stick out that much.
       | 
       | On the other hand, I happened to be in the room for an episode
       | where blueys dad is having a hard time making some sort of cake
       | and bluey cleans up something to help him out without being
       | prompted. I most definitely felt heard watching that episode.
        
         | owenfi wrote:
         | Agree, except I think you missed the beginning of that episode.
         | 
         | Like there are no overnight successes, there are many prompts
         | and maybe not the best strategies (such as "I'll give you a
         | dollar if you clean up").
        
         | slothtrop wrote:
         | I think that's it. They've found a balance in "family"
         | entertainment that is sophisticated enough to please adults,
         | much the way Pixar and 90s Disney films had. The Simpsons at
         | outset was also sort of like this for older kids. There was
         | moral panic at the time, but it didn't prevent the show from
         | being an incredible phenomenon, heavily merchandised the way
         | Bluey is now. I must have been obsessed with the Simpsons since
         | 7-8 years old.
        
         | wijwp wrote:
         | > However, I suspect its secret is that it's really a show for
         | parents with young children that just happens to hold the
         | attention of kids.
         | 
         | That's how a lot of successful children's movies/shows work in
         | a way.
         | 
         | Have you ever rewatched older kids movies as an adult and
         | realized how many adult-level jokes they slipped in that you
         | never noticed as a child?
         | 
         | If you're asking parents to spend 1.5 hours at a movie theater,
         | you better throw in some adult humor in there as well.
        
           | Cyph0n wrote:
           | I don't think inserting innuendo is necessary. In fact, I
           | personally find it distasteful and nothing more than an easy
           | way out.
           | 
           | I think the proper way to do it is to include themes and/or
           | characters that adults would relate with too. Ghibli movies
           | are one example where this is done well (most of the time).
        
           | dralley wrote:
           | That's every classic Pixar movie
        
             | IshKebab wrote:
             | Yeah Pixar does it a lot, and Bluey, and Peppa Pig a
             | little. But it's really uncommon in kids TV shows. 99% of
             | them are straight up dross just for kids with no
             | accomodation for parents.
             | 
             | That's why Bluey is so popular. It's the only good TV
             | program for adults that kids will also watch. (And I agree
             | it's only super popular for adults, kids are way more into
             | trash like Blippi.)
        
           | hylaride wrote:
           | Sesame Street is this way. Watch versions from your youth and
           | you'll see references to pop culture everywhere. From the
           | specific 1970s rock bands, Star Wars, Monsterpiece Theater,
           | etc. It's so obvious when I see it now, but a lot of it went
           | over my head at the time.
        
         | skrebbel wrote:
         | > But they also enjoy many things on TV and bluey doesn't stick
         | out that much.
         | 
         | Fwiw my kids (9 - 12) watched every episode at least 4 times
         | already by now. Especially my youngest thinks it's 10x better
         | than anything else on offer. In terms of categories, there's
         | basically Bluey, and everything else. Just to say, tastes
         | differ.
         | 
         | I agree it's a great show for parents too but the idea that it
         | doesn't stick out much for the kids doesn't resonate with me.
         | There's so many details, so many layers, so much to discover.
        
           | grepfru_it wrote:
           | Wait until your kids have kids and say "hey kids I used to
           | watch this show bluey" and will turn it on and ..then they
           | will understand..
        
           | hnlmorg wrote:
           | My kids love Bluey too.
           | 
           | When they were little they loved it because there were
           | cartoon animals laughing and playing.
           | 
           | When they were slightly older they loved it because the jokes
           | were funny.
           | 
           | And when they got a little older still, they loved it because
           | the silly things the parents did in the show reminded them of
           | the silly things us parents do. So they'll often call out
           | "that's what you do daddy!" during the episodes.
           | 
           | The show is a work of genius because it feels like a slice of
           | real life but packaged in a way that is entertaining for
           | kids. So I do completely agree that it has a lot of appeal
           | for adults too, and that definitely helps.
        
         | simonsquiff wrote:
         | It's undoubtly a brilliant show for parents - in fact I'd
         | describe it as a show about parenting. But it's much more than
         | an adequate kids show, it's certainly top tier for my kids. My
         | 4 year old has been enormously influenced by Bluey, in a
         | positive way. She's very playful, and Bluey is all about fun
         | and silly games. She wants to play all the Bluey games, and
         | will riff off them too, it's been a huge source of inspiration
         | for lots of fun together. She loves the show, it's definitely
         | right up there for many kids too.
         | 
         | I also fully agree with the other posters saying how it's an
         | excellent model of top-tier fathering. It's definitely helped
         | me up my game, I've leaned much more into daddy-fun silly
         | games, partly because Bluey gives you a bunch of games that you
         | can copy (and your kids will understand), but also because it
         | helps encourage spontaneity and improv. I think my best advice
         | for dads with 3+ year olds is 'watch Bluey'
        
           | RobinL wrote:
           | I agree. Bluey is a great show. As a dad it can either make
           | you feel inadequate or motivate you to to better. You just
           | have to accept no dad can be Bandit all the time, but try to
           | be Bandit as much as possible.
        
       | dlachausse wrote:
       | What I really appreciate about Bluey is that it's one of the few
       | children's shows with a really great and relatable Dad character.
       | The Dad in most children's shows is either barely present or a
       | total idiot that nobody respects.
        
         | doh wrote:
         | Hear hear
        
         | bombcar wrote:
         | Bluey may have done more for fathers (and families) than
         | anything in recent history. So many are dealing with fatherhood
         | without having a role model themselves, and everything on TV
         | being "fat dumb lovable idiot" sitcom-types.
         | 
         | The episode "The Sign" is an incredibly deep story from
         | multiple angles.
        
           | zeroonetwothree wrote:
           | One of the best episodes of any show I've ever seen.
        
           | op00to wrote:
           | He also normalizes farting in your kids' faces. More
           | seriously, Bluey is so enjoyable because the characters have
           | dimensions and seem way more real than just about anything
           | else on TV.. at least that you'd watch with kids.
        
             | grepfru_it wrote:
             | The dad is who you want to aspire to be when you see his
             | relationship with his kids. Definitely sighup'd my idea of
             | parenting after watching a few episodes
        
               | op00to wrote:
               | I think it sets a high bar, which is ok because they also
               | show the parents at low points without making them look
               | pitiful or less worthy of love.
        
               | bag_boy wrote:
               | Absolutely.
               | 
               | Bandit is a fantastic role model and I have learned a lot
               | from this pretend dog dad lol.
               | 
               | My father is deceased. I feel like a lot of the advice he
               | would have given me, I picked up from watching Bluey.
        
               | jamesliudotcc wrote:
               | In the Flatpak episode, he rolls his eyes and states,
               | "I'm not taking advice from a cartoon dog!" The episode
               | is mostly about how Bluey takes after the parents in a
               | game where she's raising Bingo through adulthood while
               | they also go from fishes through dinosaurs to modern
               | humans, er, dogs.
               | 
               | This show is so good on so many levels.
        
             | mcphage wrote:
             | > He also normalizes farting in your kids' faces.
             | 
             | ALLEGABLY!
        
           | sklargh wrote:
           | Took me a year or two to realize I was benchmarking Bandit as
           | an optimal dad of two kids. It is a powerful influence.
        
         | neal_jones wrote:
         | Never before has a dog made me feel so lacking as a father /s
        
           | markus_zhang wrote:
           | It's just doggies singing songs, mate.
        
             | patch_cable wrote:
             | It's not. And the fact that you think they sing songs makes
             | me think you've never watched it.
        
               | IanCal wrote:
               | I'm pretty certain that's a quote from Bandit.
        
               | patch_cable wrote:
               | Ah fair enough.
        
               | salicideblock wrote:
               | The post you replied to is a reference to Bandit saying
               | "it's just monkeys singing songs, mate", when he goes to
               | the movies with Bluey.
        
               | patch_cable wrote:
               | Ah I missed that. Fair enough then.
        
         | silisili wrote:
         | I like it for that reason. It's one of the few shows that we
         | can watch as a family with the kid laughing at the kids and me
         | paying more attention to the parents.
         | 
         | I'm always impressed by TV or movies that can pull that off,
         | usually one or the other of us finds the content uninteresting.
        
         | ashton314 wrote:
         | _I am NOT taking advice from a cartoon dog!_ --Bandit Heeler,
         | episode "Flatpack" I think
         | 
         | Bandit is the dad all of us dads wish we could be.
        
       | sylens wrote:
       | Different Bluey episodes resonate with different people for
       | different reasons, but the Cricket episode from Season 3 is just
       | about as perfect an episode of a kid's show as I've ever seen. In
       | about 7 minutes it manages to tackle how being passionate about
       | one of your interests or hobbies and sticking with it even when
       | you experience setbacks pays off.
        
         | grokkedit wrote:
         | my god cricket is the best episode, and it's crazy that no
         | information about any character is even remotely needed to
         | appreciate it
         | 
         | the authors created a great character in rusty
        
           | yannyu wrote:
           | Fun fact, Rusty was originally going to be the main
           | character. And if you put Bluey next to Rusty, you'll see
           | they're the same shape, just colored differently.
           | 
           | And yeah, absolutely amazing episode.
        
       | markus_zhang wrote:
       | Bluey is the best kids show we found.
       | 
       | Or, maybe it's the best show for the parents. I'm literally
       | watching it by myself after my kid goes to bed.
       | 
       | I really appreciate that the show doesn't hesitate to include
       | some ordinary parenting interactions like Muffin took Stripe's
       | phone and he chased her through the whole house, and Bandit
       | making shenanigans.
        
         | bombcar wrote:
         | I think "FaceyTime" might be one of the best examples of where
         | they COULD have gone standard and instead, went gold.
         | 
         | It COULD have ended with a timeout and then Muffin being sulky
         | and then cheering up, but it didn't.
         | 
         | It COULD have ended with "Mom's right, Dad's wrong," but it
         | didn't.
         | 
         | It ended with gold.
         | 
         | (The use of the cousins to display other child activities is
         | also brilliant, they can have "bratty Muffin" without forcing
         | Bingo or Bluey to be "overly bratty".)
        
           | markus_zhang wrote:
           | Yeah there was really a lot of thoughts going into that
           | episode.
           | 
           | They don't have to show the ukulele but showing it confirms
           | Muffin's characteristics.
           | 
           | They don't have to show Bandit stretching himself at the
           | beginning of the episode, either.
           | 
           | Also the multi window camera is a bit unique but fun. I'm
           | surprised how they managed to pull that out without making a
           | whole mess when Muffin starts running.
        
             | bombcar wrote:
             | As the family tech guy, I felt it when the screen started
             | going bonkers as Muffin ran through the various wifi areas.
             | 
             | And that final sad flip and dive ... pocketbooks not yet
             | BORN felt that one.
        
         | RALaBarge wrote:
         | I and my kids like Daniel Tiger, but admittedly I watched a lot
         | of Mr. Rogers
        
         | legitster wrote:
         | I'd also like to nominate the Mickey Mouse shorts by Paul
         | Rudish.
         | 
         | They flew under a lot of people's radar, but was quietly one of
         | the most brilliant set of modern animations. They are well
         | made, packed with jokes, weird, are a love letter to Chuck
         | Jones era cartoons, and managed to bring back personalities to
         | all of these corporate characters.
        
       | paxys wrote:
       | My family loves Bluey, but considering we're at the stage where
       | an entertainment publication is describing it as a "$2B
       | juggernaut", I'm afraid American capitalism is well on its way to
       | ruining another good thing.
        
       | johng wrote:
       | I loved the Hank the cowdog books when I was a kid. Anyone else?
        
         | gallamine wrote:
         | All my kids listen to those audiobooks on repeat. Narrated (and
         | sung!) buy the author.
        
         | paradox460 wrote:
         | Yup. They've become somewhat difficult to acquire through
         | legitimate means, unfortunately
        
       | jboggan wrote:
       | One thing I really appreciate about the show is the music - so
       | many of the best episodes are extended musical variations on
       | great themes from classical music, and done so skillfully that
       | you don't realize you're listening to Mozart's "Rondo Alla Turca"
       | or Saint-Saens' "Organ Symphony" until you're at the emotional
       | climax of the episode when the entire piece is restated, which
       | has been priming you for a big theme or breakthrough in the
       | story.
       | 
       | This is strongest in the "Sleepytime" episode which is based on
       | the "Jupiter" movement of Holst's "The Planets" . . . honestly I
       | have to skip this episode when it comes up because it makes me
       | tear up so much, and most parents I know who also watch the show
       | have similar reactions. "Sleepytime" is really art.
        
         | phillmv wrote:
         | oh wow we watched this episode a few days ago; i missed the
         | Holst connection, and yes I also felt tears in my eyes at the
         | denouement. definitely hugged my kids harder after that one.
        
         | simonsquiff wrote:
         | Oh yes the music is amazing. 'Rain' is a particularly lovely
         | original composition. The soundtracks are on Spotify etc and
         | well worth a listen
        
         | amarcheschi wrote:
         | There was a similar cartoon about ~2 decades ago, that had
         | classical pieces. Little Einsteins. I loved that
        
         | jvanderbot wrote:
         | Sleepy time is amazing television. Kudos for the callout and I
         | hope people don't pass Bluey on their way to the brainrot. It's
         | amazing stuff.
        
         | sklargh wrote:
         | "Sleepytime" is right up there with BSG's "33", Veep's
         | "Testimony" or The American's "S.T.A.R.T" - it's truly
         | excellent television.
        
           | myko wrote:
           | Can I add Bojack Horseman's "Fish Out of Water" to this list?
        
         | stronglikedan wrote:
         | Damn I wish I slept as good as any of them did! I can totally
         | relate to the milling around the house in the middle of the
         | night part.
        
         | bombcar wrote:
         | I appreciate that the subtitles, at least on the DVDs we have,
         | often tell you the name of the music.
        
           | NotYourLawyer wrote:
           | They don't on streaming. I'm always having to google it.
        
       | bitwize wrote:
       | I and especially my sister grew up on Sesame Street, Mister
       | Rogers, and a near endless supply of low-key foreign animation
       | shown through that primordial Nickelodeon show, Pinwheel. (The
       | Magic Roundabout, Paddington Bear, that sort of thing.) The
       | difference in quality between children's programming then and
       | more recently was such that when my nephew was little, my sister
       | outright banned him from watching certain "age-appropriate" shows
       | and even entire networks like Nickelodeon.
       | 
       | It's refreshing to see shows like Bluey that are thoroughly
       | modern, but produced with old-school values: respect kids'
       | intelligence, show positive role models, be realistic about
       | feelings and conflict, and keep everything low-key and don't amp
       | the kids up.
        
       | alberth wrote:
       | Bluey is like Seinfeld.
       | 
       | It's timeless, everyone gets a laugh (including parents) and is a
       | "show about nothing" (just the daily lives of family dynamics).
       | 
       | As a parent, I really appreciate the show and no other show can
       | compare.
       | 
       | (For those who haven't seen it, it's more akin to a family sitcom
       | than a traditional kids show/cartoon)
        
         | hnlmorg wrote:
         | > For those who haven't seen it, it's more akin to a family
         | sitcom than a traditional kids show/cartoon
         | 
         | That's a really good way of describing it.
         | 
         | It really does have that kind of vibe to it.
        
         | WorldMaker wrote:
         | Some of this comes from watching Bluey in a literal fever binge
         | and believing I wrote a PhD dissertation on the show because it
         | touched so many half-forgotten things from my Masters Degree's
         | "individual studies": I think an interesting thing to Bluey is
         | that it is not just a "show about nothing". It's not just the
         | daily lives and family dynamics, it actually has a central
         | point embedded in even the studio name (Ludo Studios), which is
         | the importance of _play_ and _games_ (Ludo relates to the latin
         | for _play_ from which we also get modern fancy terms like
         | ludology, the study of games, and ludonarrative dissonance, the
         | difference between what a game 's story is trying to tell and
         | what its mechanics and play style is telling), not just for
         | _fun_ (but also for fun), but in learning good conflict
         | resolution and safely exploring your identity and your
         | relationships with others and things you might want to be or
         | grow up to do and understanding complex systems by analyzing
         | their rulesets and playstyles and more.
         | 
         | There's always at least one game in every episode. It hit me
         | early in my fever dream of a binge watch: _even_ the intro is
         | itself a game. One of the many simple  "freeze"/"simon
         | says"/"red light/green light"/"musical chairs" variants (the
         | show calls it "statues" in one episode), dance while the music
         | plays and freeze when the music stops and if you move while you
         | are supposed to be frozen you lose. (I cheered loudly at the
         | first episode where Bluey doesn't win the intro game. It was a
         | lovely reward for never skipping the intro.)
         | 
         | There's so many good lessons about games as a lifelong tool
         | scattered across nearly every episode, as a part of what makes
         | the family dynamics so bright and exciting.
        
       | quercusa wrote:
       | So, better than Caillou?
        
         | manmal wrote:
         | For parents, most definitely. I have a hard time sitting
         | through a Caillou episode. Bluey is also way more authentic, in
         | that interactions could really happen exactly like that in real
         | life. Compared directly, Caillou seems synthetic.
        
       | mandalorianer wrote:
       | I don't why Bluey is so popular whereas almost nobody knows "Pete
       | the cat" which has a way better message to kids, families,
       | siblings.
        
         | Cyph0n wrote:
         | +1. I think Bluey is great for parents, but I can think of many
         | shows that are better for children. Better in the sense that
         | they teach children how to deal with challenges at their age
         | and how to navigate the world around them.
        
           | mcphage wrote:
           | What are some that you enjoy?
        
             | Cyph0n wrote:
             | It depends on age, but almost anything by PBS Kids is
             | excellent. Prime and Netflix have a few good ones too.
             | 
             | Some good shows I found for my son:
             | 
             | * Daniel Tiger's Neighborhood - spiritual spinoff from Mr.
             | Rogers' Neighborhood
             | 
             | * Elinor Wonders Why
             | 
             | * Word World
             | 
             | * Peg + Cat
             | 
             | * Numberblocks and Alphablocks for learning about numbers
             | and words
             | 
             | * Guess How Much I Love You
             | 
             | * Trash Truck
             | 
             | * Hero Elementary
             | 
             | * Mecha Builders
             | 
             | * Stillwater
             | 
             | * Sid the Science Kid
        
         | DavidPeiffer wrote:
         | Pete the Cat is also great, however the 7 minute Bluey episodes
         | (and ~3 minute "minisodes") is very nice. Pete the Cat runs 23
         | minutes.
         | 
         | All that said, I have been known to adjust the playback speed
         | on YouTube to get the total play length of Bluey to a
         | convenient length for a given situation.
        
       | dustbunny wrote:
       | My favorite episodes are Army, Sleepy Time
        
       | mmmlinux wrote:
       | Am I the only one that thinks it's crazy that an extremely
       | popular children's show, with all kinds of merch and what not. is
       | _only_ worth 2B. When websites are getting sold in the 10s of B
       | range.
        
         | markus_zhang wrote:
         | Wait until some VC or other funds jump on the wagon.
        
         | bombcar wrote:
         | Media like TV shows, etc, is easy to exactly work out how much
         | "it'll make" - in merchandising, movie deals, etc. Especially
         | when established.
         | 
         | Websites and businesses are much harder to predict. You might
         | have the next Google, or you might have the next Pets dot com.
        
         | geodel wrote:
         | You may be only one. Because businesses that deal in pure
         | software/vaporware have been priced much higher for long time
         | compare to businesses that deal with lot of people / physical
         | products.
        
       | john2x wrote:
       | A couple of other great kid/parent shows:
       | 
       | - Hilda on Netflix - more appropriate for 9+ year olds but my 5
       | year old loves it. Has some genuinely scary moments though
       | especially the later seasons - The Gruffalo, Stick Man, Snail and
       | the Whale, etc - based on the books - Avatar the Last Airbender -
       | for older kids but has one of the best character arcs
        
         | elsonrodriguez wrote:
         | Same here, it's been so difficult to find good shows after
         | Bluey and Avatar. The gap between those two shows and
         | everything else is almost breathtaking.
        
       | bag_boy wrote:
       | I became a better parent from watching the show.
       | 
       | I take role playing with my daughter more seriously now.
       | 
       | I used to feel a little uncomfortable being really silly (hard
       | after a stressful day).
       | 
       | Now I try to embrace how silly she is and try to play along. It
       | takes A LOT more concentration.
       | 
       | What a wonderful show. Contrast this with Cocomelon, which is
       | basically screen crack for kids.
       | 
       | I hate that my daughter watched one second of Cocomelon!
        
       | fma wrote:
       | Can we get a discussion going on where other parents are finding
       | high quality media for kids to consume? YouTube Kids is a
       | definite no. YT Kids feels like it's intentionally made to
       | brainwash your child and having unsuspecting parents let their
       | guard down with the "Kids" in the app name. From my
       | experimentation it is far worse than regular YouTube.
       | 
       | YouTube, need to watch them carefully and catch the YT algorithm
       | trying to insert bad videos.
       | 
       | I have been mainly relying on Epic & PBS Kids - but feel an
       | expansion is needed.
        
         | clickitongue wrote:
         | I'd like to put a good word in for Trash Truck. We all love it.
         | I guess it can't quite compete with Bluey in the life lessons
         | department - they're more simple, maybe better for younger
         | kids. But it's definitely lovely and friendly and fun.
        
         | legitster wrote:
         | YouTube Kids is legitimately awful. And the content filters are
         | a joke.
         | 
         | We've been using the Dude Perfect app lately. It's got ads, but
         | it only features a select few YouTubers that focus on kid
         | friendly content. And everything is screened by a real person.
         | So it lets our kids watch YouTube without the "endless trash"
         | content feed.
        
         | paradox460 wrote:
         | I set up a Plex user for my kids, and loaded it full of things
         | that are kid appropriate. Old PBS kids shows from my childhood,
         | bluey, a smattering of the newer kids shows my wife was
         | familiar with from raising her siblings, etc.
         | 
         | We don't give the kids much TV time at all, maybe an hour a
         | week, but it's nice knowing they can just pick something
         | themselves, and we don't have to worry that it's decent
        
       | doctorpangloss wrote:
       | From the article:
       | 
       | > "How you going, Bingo? I can feel my sausages burning," Bandit
       | implores. Bingo replies, "I started just doing a wee, and now it
       | turned into poo."
       | 
       | > "I'd never seen a children's show talk about real life like
       | that," says Kay. "I thought, 'This is charming, funny and real.'"
       | 
       | From https://theonion.com/next-episode-of-girls-to-feature-
       | lena-d... Next Episode Of 'Girls' To Feature Lena Dunham Shitting
       | Herself During Gyno Exam While Eating A Burrito
       | 
       | > "When a naked Hannah dribbled hot sauce all over herself in
       | front of the doctor, shit in every corner of the office, cried,
       | became angry with the doctor, had sex with the doctor, finished
       | her burrito, had sex with the doctor again, shit herself again,
       | and then realized who she was really angry at and sexually
       | attracted to was Adam, I just closed my eyes and said, 'Thank
       | you.' These are real girls with real bodies doing things that
       | real girls do."
        
       | croisillon wrote:
       | Related: A look at the creative process behind Bluey and
       | Cocomelon (9 days ago - 216 comments)
       | https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=43339206
        
       | Sohcahtoa82 wrote:
       | I first heard a bunch about Bluey from TheOdd1sOut, a fun
       | YouTuber featuring humorous and relatable slice-of-life content.
       | 
       | https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nEQHiJVH79o
       | 
       | One of the things he talks about is something other commenters
       | have mentioned - It's just as much a show for the parents, and in
       | some cases, _directly addresses the parents_ , but not in a
       | fourth-wall-breaking way. They're not really talking to the
       | parent, but it's one character talking to another, but it's drawn
       | so that the character is looking at the viewer.
        
       | legitster wrote:
       | For a road trip we put on the Ramona Quimby audiobooks and I was
       | shocked at how much better they were than I remembered, and how
       | similar of a feeling they gave me to Bluey.
       | 
       | It comes from the minutiae and details of childhood psychology.
       | To a small child, a pair of new red boots is so much more than a
       | pair of red boots.
       | 
       | It's not only relatable to kids, but the magic is that it reminds
       | me what it's like to be a kid, and helps me relate to them.
        
         | paradox460 wrote:
         | Beverly Cleary was a staple of my early reading, heavily pushed
         | on me as a grade schooler because she lived in Los Alamos,
         | where I grew up. I still remember Ralph the motorcycle riding
         | mouse, as well as more mature books like tiger blood.
         | 
         | I've got a few copies stashed away for when my kids are a bit
         | older, and I'm glad I do, as the kids sections of the local b&n
         | is dire
        
       | tomhoward wrote:
       | For those not aware...
       | 
       | The voice actor for Bandit, Dave McCormack, was not previously
       | known as an actor or voice artist, but he has been known in
       | Australia since the early 90s as an indie rock band frontman.
       | 
       | The band he fronted, Custard, started getting airplay on
       | Australia's national youth radio station, Triple J, in about
       | 1993, and they became a staple of the live music scene -
       | especially uni student bars and summer festivals for all the 90s.
       | They quit in 2000 but reformed in 2009 and are still recording
       | albums and playing gigs.
       | 
       | They're worth checking out if you were into quirky 90s bands like
       | Ween, Dino Jr, Flaming Lips, Ben Folds Five, etc. Full of grungy
       | chords and riffs but mostly major key, happy/fun/funny
       | compositions and lyrics. Very high energy and entertaining.
       | 
       | I think they're the only band I ever stage-dived to, so I guess
       | technically I've been "on stage with Bluey's dad".
       | 
       | Most music lovers in Australia now in their 40s knew of them, and
       | I'm sure it was a very a very deliberate move by the producers to
       | tap into the nostalgia of the people who are now parents of the
       | kids Bluey is trying to reach.
        
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