Kids (and I’m sure a great many parents as well) were happy to learn that “The Sign” (which I of course watched) wasn’t the final Bluey episode of the series.
Believe it or not, but some of us were worried that Bluey was ending, because the Season 3 finale saw Bluey all grown up. However, on June 3rd, we got seven new episodes (which you can watch on Disney Junior, Disney Channel or with your Disney+ subscription), labeled as minisodes. Now, as I mentioned in my review of “The Sign,” I was actually hoping that the future of Bluey would lead to much longer episodes, not shorter ones, but beggars can’t be choosers.
So, I watched all seven minisodes, and now I’m going to rank them based on how relatable they are to me as a parent. Because that’s how I watch Bluey – not as an adult through a child’s eyes, but as an adult through a parent’s eyes (I mean, I did write about how the show teaches me to be a better father). So, here is every minisode ranked…from a parent’s perspective.
7. Animals
In this episode, Chilli is playing with Bingo on a park bench. Mom (or Mum) is using her fingers on Bingo’s back to pretend that they are animals, and Bingo is laughing and having a good time. It’s a simple episode, but a fun one, just as most Bluey episodes tend to be.
Bluey made number five on our list of the greatest animated TV shows of all time, and it’s easy to understand why with this episode. The concept of “Animals” is so simple, but at the same time, so human, that it perfectly fits in with the modus operandi of the entire series, which is to consistently be in the here and now, especially with your children.
That said, I’ve kind of lost this moment with my own kids. Bingo is 5, and even though I can occasionally tickle my children, I’ve unfortunately lost the years where I can just play imaginary animals on their backs and make them giggle.
I think that’s why Bluey occasionally makes parents cry. It brings them back to simpler times when their children were just wee ones. Because kids grow up so fast, as any parent will tell you.
6. Hungry
Bandit (my favorite character) is hungry, and he picks up Bluey and pretends to eat her, making her giggle. His wife, meanwhile, is playing along, telling her husband that eating children is disagreeable to his digestion.
This is another episode that actually makes me a little nostalgic for the days when I could actually pick up my children without throwing out my back. Bandit lifts Bluey with ease, flipping her upside down and pretending that he’s eating her.
Nowadays, Bandit seems like a dad straight out of an action movie when he can do something like that, because any time I attempt to lift my children, my guardian angel whispers, “You’re going to feel this tomorrow if you do it.” That said, I can definitely relate to being randomly hungry like Bandit. That’s an everyday thing for me.
5. Bingo 3000
Bandit pretends that his daughter, Bingo, is a robot, and he plays with her legs. However, she keeps scrunching them in, prompting Bandit to say that his robot is “busted.” He then pretends to call technical support, and jokes that everything he’s doing to fix his robot isn’t working, which he uses as an excuse to tickle his daughter.
At the end of the episode, Bandit is sitting with his wife, Chilli, and Bingo is pretending to be a worker robot, moving as slowly as possible.
I can definitely relate to Bandit being on the phone and not getting the answers that he desires. However, one thing I absolutely can’t relate to is Bandit getting somebody on the line immediately, even if it is just pretend.
How many times have I called technical support, only to get a robot on the line that asks me a series of questions before I can talk to an actual person?
Honestly, as somebody who thinks that A.I. is going to kill us one day, and that technical support robots are just the start, this might be the least realistic episode of the entire collection. I can relate to tickling my kids, though. I still do that, even though my kids are kind of north of Bingo’s age.
4. Three Pigs
Bandit tucks in his kids, and they ask him to tell them a story, so he recreates the tale of the three little pigs in his own unique way.
As somebody who also pens books outside of writing articles, my kids often ask me to tell them stories, especially on long car rides. A lot of times, they’ll give me a scenario, and I’ll just go from there, adding in elements that they throw at me. So, I can definitely relate to this minisode (though, Bandit does it happily, whereas I often just do it to make car trips less boring).
I can also relate to putting my kids to bed, since I still do that. Given that my daughter is turning 9 this summer, and my son is turning 8 in the winter, I don’t know how much longer they’ll want me to do that, but I’ll enjoy it for as long as they let me.
3. Letter
In this episode, Nana finds an old letter from her son, Bandit, when he was around Bluey’s age. The letter is riddled with errors, and Nana often reads them as is, only for Bingo and Bluey to chortle at their father’s mistakes. Of course it ends on a sweet note. We also learn that Nana cooks a mean lasagna (and not in a good way).
Batman has his Bat Cave, and I have my man cave. In there, I have all of these things written by my children throughout the years. It’s really fascinating to see just how much they’ve grown and matured in such a quick time, especially in their writing.
For example, I have a note from my daughter (we write notes to each other occasionally) where she thanks me for the “mony” for school, and for how she was sorry for getting upset since I told her she had to stop “wacheng” TV.
I know I’ll cherish these misspellings forever, just like Nana does. One day, once they’re all grown up, they can come back with their own children (If they choose to have children), and I can show them what they wrote to me. It’ll be a sweet moment.
2. Muffin Unboxing
Muffin makes a YouTube-like video, and her parents struggle with pretty much every aspect of it.
My son really wants to be a YouTuber when he gets older. I told him we’ll cross that bridge when we get there. But, the whole concept of unboxing toys on video is super foreign to me, but commonplace to my children, so it’s fascinating for me to see.
Throughout the episode, Muffin being Muffin gets frustrated, and her parents get frustrated along with her. There’s one part where it’s difficult to get the toy to work, and I can relate to this so much, since the “simple” instructions that come with toys usually befuddle me, and I have to look on YouTube myself to get them to work. So, this minisode hits home.
1. Burger Dog
The kids ask Bandit to play a song on his phone, and it’s super annoying. Eventually, he lies to his kids and tells them that his phone is dead, only to get caught.
Now look. I’m not the kind of person who thinks that all current music sucks. In fact, I actually like some of the music that my kids like. But, they never want to listen to it just once. They want to listen to it over and over again. This can get annoying. Out of all seven episodes, this is the one that's the closest to my life.
Again, it’s so simple, but so relatable, which is why I think adults love Bluey just as much as the kids.
What was the most relatable episode for you?
