Jealous of a cartoon dog? Ruh-roh!
Is it weird to be jealous of a cartoon dog? I ask myself this at least once a week, and the object of my envy isn’t a dog icon, like Snoopy or Scooby-Doo. It’s Chilli, the matriarch of television’s most lovable dog family, the Heelers, from the Australian animated series “Bluey.”
If you have kids, are in close proximity to kids or follow any pop culture writers with kids on Twitter, you’re aware of “Bluey,” which airs on Disney Junior and streams on Disney+. The series follows a canine family of four — mom Chilli, dad Bandit and their two young daughters, Bluey and Bingo.
Aside from being dogs, the Heelers are a pretty typical family. Well, not quite. Frankly, Chilli and Bandit are the parents all caregivers aspire to be.
Bandit is an involved, competent dad who puts most TV papas to shame. He’s constantly thinking up new games and makes even the most mundane tasks fun.
In one episode, Bandit takes his daughters to the market and they all decide to play a game in which Bluey is a mom and Bingo and Bandit are her children. This turns into a bizarre psychodrama in which a power-mad Bluey pampers Bingo and embarrasses the always-patient Bandit, until Bluey learns the error of her ways.
Meanwhile, Chilli is a mom living her best life. She’s a kind, patient and creative caregiver as well. But, since Bandit is so involved, she gets to go play squash while Bandit plays horsey with her daughters. In fact, it’s never a given that Chilli will handle the kids or even the housework on her own.
The world of “Bluey” is an egalitarian society and I love to see it! Of course, as a mom who finds herself balancing work, child care and household tasks during quarantine, I am a bit envious.
Don’t get me wrong — my husband is a great dad who plays with our kids regularly and loves them dearly. But few real dads can live up to the standard of Bandit, just as most real moms aren’t as cool as Chilli.
I mean, the lady almost never yells, though she does occasionally shake her head in dismay. And the closest she comes to cursing is exclaiming “Wackadoo!” when something exciting happens.
Bandit and Chilli do make mistakes, most notably in the season two episode “Dance Mode,” in which basically everyone takes advantage of poor little Bingo’s reluctance to say “No.” Yet they always manage to rectify those errors in a spare seven minutes. This is not a skill most parents possess.
But, even though it sets an almost impossible standard, I love
“Bluey.” It’s funny, smart and incredibly charming. Any given installment can make me laugh hysterically and tear up in the span of a few minutes.
Take, for example, the recent episode “Sleepytime,” in which little Bingo dreams of having an intergalactic adventure with her stuffed bunny. Their fanciful, beautifully animated interlude is juxtaposed with scenes of the kids and parents waking up, going to the bathroom, getting glasses of water, swapping beds, etc.
At its core, the episode is about Bingo learning to sleep in her own bed, without a parent. But it’s also about growing up, and about how hard it is for parents to get a peaceful night’s sleep. Oh, and there’s a part where the sleeping girls kick Bandit so hard that he yells “My biscuits!” My daughters think that’s hilarious.
And that’s the brilliance of “Bluey.” It’s something my kids and I can enjoy together. We can all laugh at it and relate to it. We can be inspired to play more and spend more time together.
“Bluey” is one of the few things that’s giving us all some peace and enjoyment right now. Oh, and if you can listen to that theme song without breaking into a dance, you have way more self control than I do.