‘What an Honor’: How One Dad Inspired a Recent BLUEY Episode
By Movieguide® Contributor
One dad is sharing how he helped inspire a recent episode of BLUEY.
“Like a lot of parents, I discovered BLUEY on Disney+ during lockdown,” Stuart Heritage, a writer for The Guardian, explained in a recent article. “Although its premise was unassuming to the point of blandness—a cartoon about a family of dogs—I put it on for my kids and quickly became smitten.”
In 2021, he got to interview BLUEY creator Joe Brumm. During the interview, Brumm admitted that he was struggling to come up with ideas for episodes, pointing to the fact that his kids, who had served as the initial inspiration for Bluey and her sister, Bingo, were now older than their fictional counterparts.
Heritage, whose children were the same age as Bluey and Bingo, soon came to the rescue after a family camping trip.
“In the playground, each of my kids wanted to play a different game,” he shared. “They got into an argument over which to play first: Floor Is Lava, or some sort of complicated robot defense game that required the use of a climbing frame as a fort. Exhausted, I stupidly told them that they could both play whatever they wanted, with me, at the same time.”
Heritage continued, “Parents will understand that following the logic of any child’s game can be difficult. But following the games of two kids, simultaneously, while overwhelmingly sleep-deprived, is impossible. I spent what felt like eternity trying to protect a climbing frame from an invisible robot attack, only for the other kid to scream: ‘NO, Daddy, you’re standing in LAVA!’ So I would hop up on a seesaw and the other would yell: ‘NO, Daddy, now you’re LETTING THE ROBOTS IN!’”
“This went on and on, back and forth, disappointing everyone, until I lost it, shut myself in a toilet cubicle and sent Brumm a 60-word email explaining my situation,” Heritage wrote. “He replied quickly, saying that he liked the idea and wanted to pursue it as an episode.”
Heritage’s experience is now part of BLUEY in an episode titled “Surprise.”
“My participation in the world of BLUEY started and ended with that one brief email,” he shared. “My children have now grown older than Bluey and Bingo. Their interests have shifted; their energy has changed. The best thing about any of this is that Brumm has created a time machine for me, taking a snapshot of a very specific moment in the life of my family that would otherwise have been lost and crystallizing it forever. What an honor.”
A portion of the Movieguide® review for “Surprise” reads:
Episode 3.50 of BLUEY is a fun and funny episode with lots of action. As usual, the voices are really cute and adorable. Even better, the episode ends with a heartwarming, uplifting message about family, parents, children, and siblings. Eventually, Bandit gives one of Bingo’s pretend children a nice pro-family speech. Bandit’s little speech influences Bluey to help her father take care of her sister’s pretend children. This episode is a lovely conclusion to Season Three of BLUEY.
“Surprise” marks the end of BLUEY’s third season, and many are anxiously awaiting news of more episodes.
Producer Sam Moor told the BBC that “it is not the end for Bluey,” adding, “I’m sure we have many more surprises in store for you. We have more in store and we are thinking what would be next.”
BLUEY recently became a major topic of conversation after special episode “The Sign” aired.
“The series’ first-ever extended-length special, now ranks as both the most-viewed BLUEY episode premiere and the most-viewed Disney Junior episode premiere ever, with 10.4 million views globally on Disney+ after seven days of streaming,” Disney reported.
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