INSIDE BLUEY MANIA
HOW A LITTLE DOG FROM BRISBANE TOOK OVER THE WORLD FILMING SECRETS
Had you told us in 2018 that an animated Aussie show about an anamorphic family of blue heelers would become a global phenomenon, we’d have said you were barking mad! But such is the special case of Bluey.
Thanks to its sweet, relatable storylines and moving life lessons, the ABC series continues to grow in popularity.
Here, we unpack all you need to know...
PEPPA WHO?
The creative force behind Bluey, Australian animator Joe Brumm was inspired by his two young daughters’ fascination with the hit
UK series Peppa Pig. He decided he wanted to make something similar, but with a distinctly Aussie flavour, and so Bluey was born!
For the uninitiated, the show centres around the Heeler family. Six-year-old Bluey is the main character, then there is her younger sister Bingo, dad Bandit and mum Chilli.
Joe has explained that every episode and storyline generally starts from something he is noticing in his kids’ lives or his wife’s or his own “that just keeps coming up”.
ACCENT TAKEOVER
A recent article in The Independent claimed the show’s soaring popularity in the US is resulting in American children now adopting “Aussie accents and phrases”!
Producer Daley Pearson agreed, saying: “I’ve seen a lot of Tiktok videos from parents saying their kids are talking Australian now thanks to G’day, kids!
MYSTERY VOICES
The names of the young actors who adorably voice Bluey and Bingo never appear in the credits, which is a deliberate move to protect the childrens’ privacy.
Fellow cast member Melanie Zanetti (right), who voices Bluey’s mum Chilli, has previously mentioned that all the children featured are “members of the family of people in production”.
“I am so glad that the creatives on the show decided that no-one would be in the credits to protect the young cast,” Melanie added.
David Mccormack (below) lends his dulcet tones to Bluey’s dad Bandit. Despite playing a couple on screen, it took four years before David met his ‘wife’ Melanie in person! The pair are based in separate Australian locations and record dialogue remotely.
They finally came face to face in November 2022 when they travelled to New York to appear on The Tonight Show Starring
Jimmy
Fallon.