Bluey

It is rare that any program, let alone a kids tv show, makes you want to be a better parent, and then shows you how. But this family of dogs does just that. Mum works and Dad does everything he can to be a loving carer who fosters imagination and play. The lessons are subtle, cased in layers of imagination and humour and end up hitting you right in the heart. I consider myself a pretty good parent, but Bluey shows me how to be a better one. And dare I say it, it has fostered a closer relationship to my daughter as a result. Yep. It is that good.

I'm one of the few Americans in this review section, since this particular cartoon, which originates from Australia, didn't premiere in the USA until 9 September 2019 on the Disney Junior. I've been hearing rave reviews for the series, so I was excited for it to premiere. It went way beyond my expectations.

The series is the perfect show about families. There are no stereotypes or cliches; for example, Bandit (Blue's father) isn't a bumbling buffoon, Chili (Blue's mother) isn't a subservient weakling, Bingo (Bluey's sister) isn't a bratty half-pint, and Bluey isn't a girly-girl, for once. THANK GOD. We need more tomboy characters in mainstream preschool shows.

The family is realistic. They aren't an abusive, dysfunctional family, or an overly perfect family, but they reflect real families. Sometimes they don't get along, but they always love each other.

My most favorite thing about the series is that it depicts play in a positive light. Young kids should go outside, play and just let their imaginations run wild instead of staying inside and watching crappy Elsagate channels on YouTube. Almost every episode emphasizes playtime in a grand manner. For example, a game of keeping the balloon in the air later becomes a matter of life and death. It's really fun and exciting. It reminds me of shows like Recess, Codename: Kids Next Door, Hey Arnold, Craig of the Creek and Clarence.

Since Elena of Avalor and The Lion Guard are sadly both ending after season 3 (check the MooseZeeOnNickJr Facebook page), this show and TOTS are the current best Disney Junior shows, even though this show is an acquired property and not a Disney original. The show already has a wide Australian fanbase, and hopefully this will become a huge hit in the United States of America, hopefully it will beat out Peppa Pig and dethrone that wicked tyrant once and for all.

Simply impossible to explain this show. Nothing I write will do it justice. I've been around since The Magic Roundabout, The Flumps, Captain Pugwash, Tom and Jerry, Scooby Doo... Nothing from that era, or today's attempts like Peppa Pig, or anything in-between, come anywhere near to the standards of Bluey.

I sit with my young daughter (not that you need a young one to watch this,) and I'm laughing hard one minute, and fighting off the tears the next.

The creators, in fact the whole team from the story writer, to the animators, to the sound and music team, and especially to the actors... And every single other person involved... Are purely fantastic human beings.

If you listen from a distance it doesn't sound scripted half the time, it just sounds like an amazing family having fun. Most of the stories hit home, hard. Every character has amazing depth and are so loveable. Every single episode has something unique and amazing in it.

What did I learn from this? These kids are awesome.

Back in 2004, a british animated show called Peppa Pig premiered. Forward to 2018, and we have this Australian series, which is called Bluey.

Peppa Pig however, suffers from poorly-written episodes, bland animation and unlikable and whiny characters. Worst of all, it actually effects the behaviour on children because they love it so much, like they would cry like George Pig over the simpliest things.

Bluey however, is nothing like that. The animation is really great for a flash series and is nicely detailed without being too bland. The characters are very loveable and fun, and best of all? It's not annoying and what the characters do is actually fun to watch. In fact, it doesn't appeal to kids, it appeals to adults, too. I'm 19 years old and I enjoy seeing what Bluey and her family do. Yep, I said that right, Bluey is female, so it's neat having a role-model who is likeable, unlike Peppa.

The plots are your usual slice-of-life type material with morals, from having Bandit (the Dad) pretending to be a robot, to Bluey and Bingo running a pretend hospital, to even Bluey pretending to be a grown-up at the Supermarket.

Both Peppa and Bluey do share one thing, good voice acting, except this show does it a whole lot better. The Australian accents are nice to hear, and it's great that BBC Studios kept them in when the series started to air internationally.

The only bad thing (at least in the UK) is that it airs on Disney Junior, which is typically on the highest packs on TV providers like Sky and Virgin Media, so many kids won't be able to see how amazing this show really is. If BBC Studios put it on CBeebies, then it would be able to reach a wider audience and it could rival shows like Bing Bunny or Hey Duggee in terms of popularity, but since this show will be on Disney+ as well, I see no sign of that happening.

Overall, this show is great. If you like family shows and have young kids, this is well worth watching.

It seems an animated serie first for adults. For the many provocative stories, for the fresh and refreshing perspective about family and, especially, for the relations between parents and kids, for humor - the fine irony is a great virtue. Short, just charming in its mixture of chaos and not ordinary forms of wisdom