The density of emotion that is packed per minute of each episode is absurd.

Bingo: "Are they happy tears, Mum?"

She stays around as an advocate for the other side, without sabotaging his attempt.

So many episodes that all have great messaging for both child and parent.

The one I am talking about is "chest"

Similar to Peppa Pig, the scenarios are often recognizable in a family with young children, but they're generally funnier and the characters are more loveable.

The animation style is a refreshing break from the bright colourful garbage most CGI studios seem to churn out on an assembly line.

And like you said, they won't pick up bad ideas from the show.

Daddy Pig is fat, useless, convinced he's an expert in everything but failing every time. His parenting skills hover around 0, and always needs to be rescued, usually by Mummy Pig. So much for healthy co-parenting.

Furthermore, Peppa is mean to her friends, who like her regardless, she always gets special treatment.

I'm not saying there isn't a lot of good stuff in PP, there is for sure, but the issues above feature in every episode and they really get to me now.

On the other had, I wonder if that is why I gravitated towards King of the Hill in my early years. Generally a positive male role model, competent, trying to do the right thing by his family and community.

For example, in the "Copycat" episode Bluey finds an injured bird and she and her dad take it to the vet. It dies anyway. But it's a valuable lesson for Bluey: she learns that some things are out of her and her parents' control and by the end of the episode she comes to accept it. They would never do an episode like that on Peppa Pig.

(I currently have a Bluey-obsessed toddler).

So long, Spanky.

I mean the guy is one of the world's top experts on concrete, that's hardly "useless"

and the "dad is the wacky one and mum handles organising" is a pretty common trope in other shows, such as... Bluey :)

It's honestly refreshing seeing the two parents in Bluey, because neither are being degraded and they have a good relationship and exhibit good teamwork.

Also the animation for bluey and peppa pig use the same software, CelAction2D. There is an ending of bluey episode which shows the animators using the software to build the scene. My little one was amazed and asked me to get the software. She has an artistic side but this pushed her into learning about animation

I used to be frustrated that the parents in Bluey seem to have endless energy and attention to devote to their kids – at least with S&D, I didn't feel like there was such a lofty version of parenting with which to compare myself. But I've come to realize that the playful and fun dad in Bluey is a much better role model, for me personally, than the dads who are just sort of vanilla and kind (Daniel Tiger, Doc McStuffins), not to mention the dads who are just awful (Peppa Pig). Physical comedy, imaginary play, and committing to the bit, are all great for having fun while also connecting with young kids. Sarah and Duck obviously didn't teach my any of that, so it's been a useful change of pace as my daughter has gotten older.

Edit: Pretty much all the top Bluey episodes have a good emotional pull to them. See https://www.theguardian.com/culture/2022/mar/21/the-10-best-...

So, I think it will _make sense_ on its own, but I think it _really_ hits hard if 1) you weren’t expecting it and 2) if you have kids.

Are you referring to how it references the fact that parents will eventually leave their kids when they die?

That’s only mentioned indirectly by the mom, no?

Is there a deeper story that I am missing?

Some things that I think make it hit differently:

* The house and most scenes are dimly lit

* You see the family in various stages of sleep

* The musical score has some intense crescendo

* The vulnerability it shows

It's a small glimpse of night time in a house with a child that is still transitioning to sleeping on their own. Having had kids, that weight being lifted as they finally "get it" is a unique feeling of bittersweet relief. It also shows the lengths the parents go through to make it a graceful and comforting transition.

Every milestone your kid reaches marks the end of their previous self and we grieve never getting to see that little person again.

Children open your heart to so much joy and so much grief.

This is how I felt about the episode before I had kids. I thought it was a fine episode but nothing special. Onesies was my favorite. Of course, we wanted kids, so that hit me where I was at the time. Now I have a two-year-old, and I "get" Sleepytime. There is nothing extra to explain except that it will just mean more to you.

Not saying you don't have kids, just my own experience with it.

My endorsement of the show is that it feels like one of the great sitcoms like Cheers or Frasier, Golden Girls or Roseanne. The stories are never pandering or simple. You never quite know where they’re going to go with a plot line so when it lands, you’re often delightfully surprised or floored. Most kids shows seem like a low effort afterthought full of contrived vapid nonsense. As far as I’m concerned my kids can watch as much Bluey as they like and I’ll buy the shit out of their merch if it signals to other networks to get off their asses.

Forgot to mention the animation in the show is absolutely some of the best I’ve ever seen in a cartoon. I really appreciate the way the show models real physics as things would be in the real world. One of my biggest pet peeves of kids shows is when they show something that is physically impossible (not for comedic purpose, just lazy storytelling). It’s basically just thumbing its nose at kids’ intelligence.

Kids brain is not adult brain. You need a different kind of training material.

Taking Bluey as a specific example, it's really nice to model positive family relationships. Sesame Street's original goal was to "master the addictive qualities of television and do something good with them."

Tom coming back 1 second after being blown up with dynamite makes sense?

Maybe these kinds of cartoons are bad according to you.

There it research that kids are more interested in stuff which is surprising (fixation period, ...) because that builds a model of how the world works, not the easily predicted stuff.

dclowd9901 already said the issue is when it's "just lazy storytelling". Pixar shows you can tell great stories with cartoon physics.

You don't eat only sugar. You don't eat only carbs. You don't eat only protein. Your body needs a mix.

Many people want their kids to have a healthy diet. Saying Nutella is a "sometimes food" is not the same as saying Nutella is "bad", or that it's a "never food."

Tom & Jerry is a sometimes food. Other shows exercise a different range of critical skills.

I was gobsmaked when I saw a clip from Mr. Rogers where Daniel Striped Tiger asks Lady Aber­lin "What does assas­si­na­tion mean?", in a special episode created after the assassination of RFK. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pQv0ZtpRdNk And Mr. Rogers could tackle racism head-on, like https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v4recJ6qXyk in an era when blacks were prohibited or physically attacked for trying to go to "white" pools.

Bluey could take on these sorts of topics for kids, in an age appropriate way. Tom&Jerry could not.

Nor could Blippi, so it's not just cartoon physics that's the issue.

But Mr. Rogers couldn't pull off the classic "coyote paints a picture in a wall, Road Runner enters the picture and speeds off into the distance, coyote tries and crashes into the wall" gag, nor should it. I don't think it's a good idea for kids to only watch Mr. Rogers-type shows either.

> kids are more interested in stuff which is surprising

Strange then that kids' cartoons are often so formulaic.

"The Animal Mechanicals are sent to a new floating island to resolve a problem. The team comes up with a plan, and each team member gets to use their special abilities to help out. There are problems along the way, but they are resolved and everyone is happy at the end."

"Something goes wrong. The Paw Patrol are called to help. Ryder comes up with a plan, the pups use their special abilities to help out. There are problems along the way, but they are resolved and everyone is happy at the end. Except for Mayor Humdinger."

But it’s all in service of telling a fun, unique story, so it gets a pass.

Video edutainment is a futile proposition. Get your face out of the screen while you still can, and be present to your fellow man.

One thing I think that illustrates this is that my daughter will often have questions for me after watching Bluey. Like actual meaningful questions about life or how the world works. If she’s watching TOTS, she’s just sitting there mouth agape and maybe getting bored enough to just walk out of the room.

Parenting is a marathon, not a race. If it takes a village, parents need to be able to rely on the village from the time to time.

Some kids don't live in a place where they can interact with the natural world, for starters, because our society is awful.

Additionally, not everything even in kids entertainment is dreck either. You have your Bluey's, and you have pregnant Elsa spiderman keyword slurry. A spectrum you'll find in basically every media, kids and otherwise, between actual art that's made by people wanting to share something, and content-mill designed-by-committee (or AI) bullshit that's designed to keep your attention.

The unfortunately true part is now more than ever so much more of the latter of this spectrum is present than the former, because everything in our society is done for profit and not to make the world better, and it's far more profitable to make by-the-numbers repetitive minimum-viable-product garbage that people will tolerate rather than truly great things that take time and care to create that people adore. But that's a curation problem, not a problem with the media itself.

The Grandad episode also hits hard as my parents age and I see them only a few times a year.

I just wish they'd say what the music is in the credits - my wife and I often hear something that's familiar but can't put our finger on what it is.

Just Google “holst Jupiter”.

Is there a new show coming?

And does anyone know where I can buy an uncensored DVD or downloads collection?

One thing I admire about the show is that all the children actors' identities are a secret. No one outside of the show's team knows who voices Bluey and Bingo (other than the fact that they're the daughters of someone who works on the show), which probably affords those girls as much of a 'normal' life as possible, something that celebrity children wouldn't ever get to experience.

That also makes me wonder if the reason we're not getting more than 3 seasons is that their voices will change. But man, I really hope he puts out more stuff, whether in the Bluey universe or elsewhere.

Conversely other shows have had many different voices actors without noticeable detriment by their targets audiences, such as Peppa Pig, discussed elsewhere here.

Indeed, I can't emphasise enough just how much this is underplayed in:

> One storyline contrasts the adult dogs struggling to construct flat-pack furniture while the children create their own adventure

This is a short episode that's fun for kids to watch with some adventure and a bit of parents struggling to build some furniture. It also covers the evolution of life on the planet and futures beyond, growth, aging, letting your children go. It's like 5 minutes and entirely self contained, it's truly incredible.

They crammed so much into so little time, it's truly impressive. That episode also depicts a religious creation myth with the parents as deities who provide materials that create the world and are depicted as gods in the kids' "cave paintings". It joins with the aging theme by having the raised deck where the parents are be where the kid playing the aging mother goes after her child moves on, complete with a blink and you miss it homage to Michelangelo's "The Creation of Adam" followed by the Dad saying "This is heaven" to close the episode.

It is. I'm aware I'm gushing about it a lot but it's very impressive. It doesn't even feel rushed. To reiterate a point from earlier, this is all while being a fun thing for young children to watch.

https://www.bluey.tv/products/bluey-sleepytime/

It shows about a kid bird and her younger sibling exploring their island. It has supportive parents. Themes in the show are exploration, family ties, friendships, problem solving, independence etc.

I guess my kids are a bit young and missed it. Same as how many people without kids in the appropriate age range may not have heard of bluey.

Going to try it with my kids, thanks for the recommendation.

But it could just be that the Poppler song is also based on some classical tune. ;)