Bluey is an Australian animated television series for preschoolers that premiered on ABC Kids on 1 October 2018. The series was created by Joe Brumm with Queensland production group Ludo Studio. The show follows Bluey, an anthropomorphic six-year-old Blue Heeler puppy who is characterised by her abundance of energy, imagination and curiosity about the world.[1] The young dog lives with her father, Bandit; mother, Chilli; and younger sister, Bingo, who regularly joins Bluey on adventures as the pair embark on imaginative long play together.[1] Other characters featured are each depicted as a different dog breed, some inspired by dogs from Brumm's childhood.[2] Overarching themes include the influence of a supportive family, Australian culture, and the importance of play throughout childhood.[1][3][4] The program was created and produced in Queensland; its capital city, Brisbane, inspires the show's setting.[5] The series was co-commissioned by the Australian Broadcasting Corporation and the British Broadcasting Corporation.[1] BBC Studios hold global distribution and merchandising rights.[1] The international broadcasting rights to the series were acquired by Disney in 2019.[6]

Since its debut on 1 October 2018, Bluey has broadcast 154 episodes across three series. Two Christmas-themed episodes have aired, as part of both the first ("Verandah Santa") and second series ("Christmas Swim"),[7][8] and an Easter-themed episode ("Easter") aired as part of the second series.[9] The third series contained a Father's Day-themed episode ("Perfect"),[10] as well as a special 28-minute episode titled "The Sign".[11] A collection of one-to-three minute shorts under the category of "Minisodes" aired throughout 2024.[12][13] A feature-length film was announced on 17 December 2024,[14] and is scheduled to be released theatrically worldwide on 6 August 2027,[15] with Brumm announcing that the film will be his final writing credit for the show before stepping back.[16]

Richard Jeffery won an Australian Directors' Guild Award in 2021 for his direction of the episode "Sleepytime"; the episode itself won the 2022 Prix Jeunesse International Award in the category of TV – Up to 6 Years Fiction (Children's).[17][18] The musical scores for specific episodes of Bluey have been nominated for APRA Screen Music Awards, credited to Joff Bush as the composer. These include "Teasing" and "Flat Pack", which were both nominated for Best Music for Children's Television in 2019 and 2020 respectively.[19][20] The episode "Cricket" received praise from sportswriters.[21][22][23] Selected episodes have also been adapted into picture books, including "The Beach", which won the Australian Book Industry Awards for Book of the Year and Children's Picture Book of the Year (Ages 0–6) in 2020.[24][25] Episodes have also been released in volumes on DVD in Australia, distributed by BBC Studios.[26]

Series overview

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Shorts

Bonus Bits (2019–2024)

Bonus Bits are short-form Bluey content that was originally released on the series' YouTube or social media pages in Australia.[27][28] "Archeology" was released worldwide on YouTube in March 2025,[27] while "Humpty Dumpty", "Green Bottles", "Flying Saucer", "Tea Party", "Pea Pod Sausages", "Old MacDonald", "Honk", "Lollipop Song", "Cinderella", and "Make Mum Laugh" were released as Minisodes on Disney+ on 20 May 2026.[28]

Minisodes (2024–2025)

Twenty-one shorts under the title of "Minisodes" were produced, which range from one-to-three minutes in length.[13] The shorts were released in three parts; the first seven shorts were released in Australia in June 2024 and internationally in July, the next seven shorts were released in October 2024, and the final six shorts were released in December 2024. A Christmas-themed short was released on December 21, 2025.

Ratings

Audience numbers are shown in the tables above.

References

Notes

Citations

  1. ^ "ABC KIDS and BBC Worldwide partner with award-winning Ludo Studio on new preschool animated series". ABC TV Publicity. Australian Broadcasting Corporation. 20 July 2019. Archived 6 July 2019 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved 19 April 2019.
  2. ^ Dow, Steve (11 April 2020). "Bluey creator Joe Brumm's dog days". The Saturday Paper. Schwartz Publishing. Archived 10 April 2020 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved 11 April 2020.
  3. ^ Reiha, Amy (4 September 2018). "Bluey set to nuzzle her way into the hearts of Aussie preschoolers this October". ABC TV Publicity. Australian Broadcasting Corporation. Archived 28 February 2019 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved 16 November 2019.
  4. ^ Collins, Simon (26 March 2019). "Fun tales ABC Kids series Bluey lapped up". PerthNow. Seven West Media. Archived 26 March 2019 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved 19 April 2019.
  5. ^ Colasimone, Dan (2 December 2019). "How they make Bluey". ABC News. Australian Broadcasting Corporation. Archived 3 December 2019 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved 2 December 2019.
  6. ^ Knox, David (12 June 2019). "Bluey signs Disney deal". TV Tonight. Archived 6 July 2019 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved 12 June 2019.
  7. ^ Knox, David (6 December 2019). "Bluey: Verandah Santa". TV Tonight. Archived 7 December 2019 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved 7 December 2019.
  8. ^ Knox, David (18 November 2020). "Bluey: Christmas Swim". TV Tonight. Archived 28 November 2020 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved 28 November 2020.
  9. ^ Knox, David (9 March 2021). "Bluey: 2021 Easter special". TV Tonight. Archived 14 March 2021 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved 14 March 2021.
  10. ^ Knox, David (20 August 2021). "Bluey special for Father's Day". TV Tonight. Archived 21 August 2021 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved 21 August 2021.
  11. ^ Knox, David (26 February 2024). "A 28 min Bluey episode is coming!". TV Tonight. Archived 25 February 2024 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved 2 March 2024.
  12. ^ Knox, David (9 May 2024). "ABC unveils new titles for 2024, multichannel overhaul.". TV Tonight. Archived 9 May 2024 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved 9 May 2024.
  13. ^ Dickson, Jeremy (9 May 2024). "ABC Australia restructures channels, adds Bluey spinoff". Kidscreen. Archived 12 May 2024 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved 12 May 2024.
  14. ^ Bluey, Team (17 December 2024). "Huge News: A Bluey Movie is Coming! - Bluey Official Website". Bluey Official Website
  15. ^ Shafer, Ellise (4 September 2025). "'Bluey' Movie Gets August 2027 Release Date". Variety. Archived 5 September 2025 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved 6 September 2025.
  16. ^ Bluey, Team (17 December 2024). "A Letter from Joe Brumm – Bluey Official Website". Bluey Official Website. Archived 30 April 2025 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved 13 June 2025.
  17. ^ Knox, David (4 December 2021). "Australian Directors Guild Awards 2021: winners". TV Tonight. Archived 3 December 2021 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved 4 December 2021.
  18. ^ "Bluey awarded a prestigious Prix Jeunesse International Award". Australian Broadcasting Corporation. 17 June 2022. Archived 25 June 2022 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved 25 June 2022.
  19. ^ Knox, David (21 November 2019). "Screen Music Awards 2019: winners". TV Tonight. Archived 15 February 2020 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved 23 November 2019.
  20. ^ Knox, David (29 October 2020). "Screen Music Awards: 2020: nominees". TV Tonight. Archived 30 October 2020 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved 29 October 2020.
  21. ^ "America discovers Bluey, falls in love with iconic cricket episode". Fox Sports. 2024-01-15. Archived 30 January 2024 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved 2024-02-25.
  22. ^ Miller, Nick & Cassidy, Caitlin (2023-06-15). "Bluey's cricket episode: why did it leave Australians in tears and Americans puzzled?". The Guardian. Nick Miller explains it to Caitlin Cassidy. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 2024-02-25.
  23. ^ Smale, Simon (2023-06-11). "Bluey's ode to backyard cricket a perfect lesson on what the game is about". ABC News. Archived 25 February 2024 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved 2024-02-25.
  24. ^ Convery, Stephanie (13 May 2020). "Bluey: "The Beach" named book of the year at Australian Book Industry awards". The Guardian. Archived 13 May 2020 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved 18 June 2020.
  25. ^ Knox, David (14 May 2020). "Bluey wins Book of the Year". TV Tonight. Archived 20 May 2020 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved 20 June 2020.
  26. ^ "F.Y.I. Children's TV series Bluey to be released on DVD". Mumbrella. 15 October 2019. Archived 16 October 2019 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved 16 October 2019.
  27. ^ Mensah, Katelyn (10 March 2025). "Bluey fans worldwide can now watch newly available episode Archaeology". RadioTimes. Retrieved 13 March 2026.
  28. ^ Tangcay, Jazz (12 March 2026). "‘Bluey’ Gets 10 More Mini Episodes at Disney+ and a Televised Stage Show". Variety. Retrieved 13 March 2026.