Piggyback (Bluey)

Bluey

Company type	Television series
Industry	Animation, Children's entertainment
Founded	October 1, 2018 (2018-10-01)
Founder	Joe Brumm
Headquarters	Brisbane , Australia
Area served	Australia, United Kingdom, International (via Disney)
Key people	Joe Brumm (developer), Richard Jeffery (director), Joff Bush (composer)
Products	Animated television series, picture books, DVDs, upcoming feature film
Parent	Ludo Studio (Queensland-based)
Website	www.bluey.tv

Bluey is an Australian animated television series targeting preschool audiences, which first aired on ABC Kids on 1 October 2018. Developed by Joe Brumm in collaboration with Queensland-based Ludo Studio, the narrative centers on Bluey, a lively and imaginative six-year-old Blue Heeler puppy. She shares her home with her father Bandit, mother Chilli, and younger sibling Bingo, who frequently participates in her creative games. The characters depict a range of dog breeds, some of which are drawn from Brumm’s own childhood pets. The series emphasizes themes such as nurturing family relationships, Australian cultural elements, and the significance of play during early childhood. Produced in Queensland, the story is set in Brisbane. The show was co-commissioned by the Australian Broadcasting Corporation and the British Broadcasting Corporation, with global distribution and merchandising rights managed by BBC Studios. In 2019, international broadcasting rights were secured by The Walt Disney Company.

Since its launch in 2018, Bluey has broadcast a total of 154 episodes over three seasons, including special themed episodes for occasions such as Christmas ("Verandah Santa," "Christmas Swim"), Easter ("Easter"), and Father's Day ("Perfect"). The third season introduced a unique 28-minute special titled "The Sign." In 2024, a collection of brief "Minisodes" ranging from one to three minutes was released. A feature-length film was announced in December 2024, scheduled for global release in 2027, marking Brumm’s final writing contribution before his departure.

Director Richard Jeffery earned an Australian Directors' Guild Award in 2021 for the episode "Sleepytime," which also received the 2022 Prix Jeunesse International Award for TV – Up to 6 Years Fiction. Composer Joff Bush was nominated for APRA Screen Music Awards for his work on the episodes "Teasing" (2019) and "Flat Pack" (2020). The episode "Cricket" attracted significant acclaim within sports media circles. Several episodes have been adapted into picture books, including "The Beach," which won both the Australian Book Industry Awards for Book of the Year and Children's Picture Book of the Year (Ages 0–6) in 2020. Additionally, episodes have been made available on DVD in Australia through distribution by BBC Studios.

Series overview

Series 1 (2018–2019)

{{Episode list

 EpisodeNumber   = 6
 EpisodeNumber2  = 6
 Title          = The Weekend
 Aux1           = Jasmine Moody
 WrittenBy      = Joe Brumm
 OriginalAirDate=
 ShortSummary   = Bandit spends the weekend playing games with Bluey and Bingo; while Bingo finds a walking leaf insect, she feels overlooked as Bandit’s attention drifts.
 Viewers        = 153,000
 LineColor      = 98D6FB

}}

{{Episode list

 EpisodeNumber   = 7
 EpisodeNumber2  = 7
 Title          = BBQ
 Aux1           = Mike Chavez
 WrittenBy      = Joe Brumm
 OriginalAirDate=
 ShortSummary   = Bandit and Chilli organize a barbecue, while Bluey and Bingo imitate the event with cousins Muffin and Socks; Bingo takes charge of making a salad from garden plants.
 Viewers        = 109,000
 LineColor      = 98D6FB

}}

Series 2 (2020–2021)

{{Episode list ... [Additional episodes continue with focused summaries] ... }}

Series 3 (2021–2024)

{{Episode table |background=#03256C |overall=5 |series=5 |title=22 |aux1=19 |writer=16 |airdate=23 |viewers=10 |country=Australian |aux1T=Storyboarded by |aux1R = |writerR = |airdateR = |episodes=

{{Episode list ... (Selected episodes condensed for brevity; full episode details available upon request) ... {{Episode list | EpisodeNumber = 153 | EpisodeNumber2 = 49 | Title = The Sign | Aux1 = Tim Delaney
Jasmine Moody
Sarah Rackemann | WrittenBy = Joe Brumm | OriginalAirDate= | ShortSummary = Facing the possibility of their home being sold due to Bandit's job relocation, Bluey navigates the uncertainty. The family prepares for the wedding of Uncle Rad and Frisky amid these changes. Ultimately, the house sale is called off.

• This episode features an extended duration of approximately twenty-eight minutes.
• It reached a peak audience exceeding two million viewers.

|}

Minisodes (2024)

A collection of twenty shorts named "Minisodes," each ranging from one to three minutes in length, was created. These were distributed in three installments: the initial seven premiered in Australia in June 2024 and internationally in July, followed by seven more in October 2024, and the last six arriving in December 2024.

{{Episode table |background=#FC761D |overall=5 |title=46 |writer=16 |airdate=33 |country=Australian |titleR= |writerR= |airdateR= |episodes=

{{Episode list | EpisodeNumber = 8 | Title = Tattoo Shop | WrittenBy = Joe Brumm | OriginalAirDate = | ShortSummary = Bluey and Bingo pretend to operate a tattoo shop, creating a unicorn tattoo on Bandit's back. |}

Ratings

{{Television ratings graph |no_graph=y | title = Bluey | season_title= Series | country = Australian | refs = see citations above | color1 = #98D6FB | color2 = #FFB734 | color3 = #03256C | width = 800 | x_intervals = 10 | y_intervals = 2 | no_table = y | viewers_type= Australian |- |N/A |0.141 |0.122 |0.177 |0.156 |0.153 |0.109 |0.169 |0.162 |0.140 |0.135 |0.177 |0.154 |0.159 |0.153 |0.151 |0.124 |0.153 |0.183 |0.120 |0.155 |0.139 |0.155 |0.120 |0.153 |0.157 |0.166 |0.214 |0.189 |0.194 |0.198 |0.196 |0.261 |0.233 |0.217 |0.257 |0.243 |0.313 |0.191 |0.255 |0.231 |0.229 |0.270 |0.261 |0.269 |0.242 |0.195 |0.187 |0.157 |0.172 |0.149 |}

References

Notes

Citations