Posted in: Opinion, streaming, TV, TV, YouTube | Tagged: bluey, disney, opinion, pbs, peppa pig, Unhinged

Bluey Slow-Roasts Peppa Pig in So Many Wonderfully Unhinged Ways

Published Tue, 30 Aug 2022 08:07:13 -0500

Bluey is the most chaotic children's cartoon, and it's exactly what the world needs right now. In case you don't have children in your life or get inebriated and scroll Disney+, Bluey is an Australian cartoon about a family of humanized dogs with Mum, Dad, and two kids: Bingo and Bluey. Now, I know what you must be wondering: "What makes this different from Peppa Pig?" and oh friend, let me detail all the ways Bluey is far superior.

For starters, Peppa lives a rather ordinary life (that's right, she's basic) as far as television characters go, but it doesn't feel real. Yes, I know she's a fictional television character and not "really real," but that's beside the point. None of the situations in Peppa Pig actually go down like that in real life. We don't see the parent's perspective, we don't see any reasoning or perspective or real decisions or dialogue – it's all pre-fabricated generic pre-school moral standard scenarios about sharing sandwiches and not eating crayons. Enter Bluey.

peppa pig — BLUEY/PEPPA PIG (Image: Screencaps)

Bluey is frequently playing by the manner of bossing around her sister and/or the friends she's playing with…which is quite possibly the most realistic thing they could possibly include, speaking as someone who grew up with older sisters. And the show won't code actions as "right" and "wrong," morally speaking, but instead takes wholly relatable, realistic characters and puts them in realistic situations, and says, "have at it, kids, I'll be over here on my phone."

Adding to the realistic play pattern of children in Bluey are the games the kids play: most often, we see Bluey playing service industry jobs, which is one, relatable, and two so, so accurate – especially when they rope Dad and/or Mum into it. It's the children mimicking the situations they encounter in life but from a position of power, like in "Hotel", where Bluey and Bingo turn the house into a hotel with themselves serving as the staff and forcing their dad to be the guest, or in the episode where Bluey plays "Edna the receptionist" at a Doctor Bingo's office or a taxi driver.

It's delightful to see real dynamics of not only the social interactions between the children but in how the adults act as well. The adults in Bluey are just as unhinged as the children but in the most relatable way. Dad is frequently rolling his eyes and exhausted by the kids' shenanigans, which is quite possibly the most unhinged and brilliantly realistic thing I've seen in a television show since The Big Comfy Couch. Mum and Dad don't spare the snark and sarcasm when they talk to each other because that's how adults talk to one another.

It's clear by a lot of the situations that Bluey's parents are very clearly Millennials, which speaks volumes to the writers of the show. Bluey and friends flossing to a busker's performance at the farmer's market? That scenario practically spells 'Millennials wrote this.' Bluey is going to be the the show the next (and future) generations point to as to why their childhood was super weird. And yet, it's absolutely delightful in how it celebrates the weirdness that is the combination of children, real life, and family dynamics.

Bluey has everything: a mum who's passive-aggressive towards Dad, a bossy older sister who thinks she knows everything, children playing weird games, Fortnite dances, furries, and Australian culture. Bluey is everything I didn't know I needed in a television show designed for children ages 2-5. 10/10, would binge another 127 episodes to work through my childhood trauma.

Bluey is available to stream on Disney+.

Enjoyed this? Please share on social media!