Surprise! (Bluey)

Bluey

Company type	Television program
Industry	Animation, Children's entertainment
Founded	October 1, 2018 (2018-10-01)
Founder	Joe Brumm
Headquarters	Brisbane , Australia
Area served	Australia, International
Key people	Joe Brumm (creator), Richard Jeffery (director), Joff Bush (composer)
Products	Animated television series, picture books, DVDs
Owner	Ludo Studio, Australian Broadcasting Corporation, BBC Studios, Disney (international rights)
Parent	Ludo Studio

Bluey is an Australian animated program designed for preschool audiences that first aired on ABC Kids on 1 October 2018. Developed by Joe Brumm in collaboration with Queensland-based Ludo Studio, the series centers on Bluey, a lively six-year-old Blue Heeler puppy, as she embarks on adventures with her family: father Bandit, mother Chilli, and younger sibling Bingo. The characters depict a variety of dog breeds, some modeled after Brumm's own childhood pets. The show highlights themes of nurturing family relationships, Australian cultural elements, and the vital role of play during early childhood. Produced in Queensland, the city of Brisbane serves as the inspiration for its backdrop. The series was jointly commissioned by the Australian Broadcasting Corporation and the British Broadcasting Corporation, with BBC Studios handling international distribution and merchandising rights. In 2019, Disney secured the rights for global broadcasting.

Since its launch, Bluey has broadcast a total of 154 episodes spanning three seasons, including special episodes themed around Christmas, Easter, and Father's Day. The third season introduced a unique 28-minute installment titled "The Sign". Furthermore, short-form "Minisodes" lasting between one and three minutes have been released throughout 2024. In December 2024, a feature film adaptation was announced with plans for worldwide release in 2027; creator Brumm has stated this will be his final writing contribution before retiring from the series.

The show has garnered widespread critical praise and numerous industry accolades. Richard Jeffery received an Australian Directors' Guild Award in 2021 for his direction of the episode "Sleepytime," which also earned the 2022 Prix Jeunesse International Award in the TV – Up to 6 Years Fiction (Children's) category. 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 from sports media outlets. Several episodes have been transformed into picture books, including "The Beach," which won both Book of the Year and Children's Picture Book of the Year (Ages 0–6) at the 2020 Australian Book Industry Awards. Selected episodes are also distributed on DVD within Australia through BBC Studios.

Series overview

Series 1 (2018–2019)

{{Episode list   ... [Episodes truncated for brevity] ... }}

Series 3 (2021–2024)

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Minisodes (2024)

A collection of twenty brief episodes, referred to as "Minisodes," were created, each lasting between one and three minutes. These were distributed in three installments: the first seven aired in Australia during June 2024 (with international release following in July), the next seven appeared in October 2024, and the final six were released in December 2024.

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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