Credit: bluey.tv/LudoBluey has completely taken over our modern popular culture, and the Heelers have us all by the heartstrings, but how does the Australian sensation continue to grab its viewers in an emotional whirlwind every single time?
As season 3C finally lands on Disney+ and Disney Junior, the new addition has ignited several dialogues amongst the fan community. Bluey creator Joe Brumm has also pulled back the curtain on some of the episodes and what makes them so special.
Related: Who’s Really Watching ‘Bluey’?
From “Relax” to “Cricket,” the new episodes seem to be the most emotionally intense Bluey adventures yet, but part of that comes from just how much is grounded in reality. In the Behind Bluey podcast, Brumm goes into incredibly intimate details as to how each episode came to be.
Joe Brumm Behind Bluey
Season 3C was loaded with several emotionally charged episodes, but (according to the fanbase) “Stickbird,” “Dragon,” and “Cricket” are the three that elicited the most responses at the time of writing. Naturally, Joe Brumm wasn’t shy about revealing the personal and creative inspirations behind these heavy hitters.
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“Stickbird” received a very vocal reception as it held up a mirror to men’s mental health, with Bandit wrestling with an unexplained internal battle. However, Brumm went into great detail about what led to the episode and the creation of Bandit’s line.
The creator shared,
“That line happened right at a time when, with Bluey, I was getting a lot of notes about particular episodes, and I was finding it a little difficult with some of the notes to really do what I wanted to do with certain episodes… Once I make it and try to make it as beautiful as I can, it doesn’t then belong to me… You kinda have to detach from all that, and that sorta made it into the episode.”
The episode, “Dragon,” is viewed as a sort of companion to “Stickbird” as it further explores Bandit’s mental and emotional well-being. However, it also dives how nutrturing a child’s creative talents can permanently affect them.
Like Bluey, Brumm grew up interested in drawing, which led to him becoming an animator. In the correlating podcast episode, Brumm opens up about his journey into the animation field (beginning with South Park, of all places) before sharing his thoughts on Bluey’s artistic journey.
“’Dragon’ is finally me saying everything I want to say about this subject, and it is one of my favorite episodes. It’s so emotional in one sense, this episode, and you’re dealing with this kid at this critical sort of point where she’s on the edge of giving something up, and you know there’s no return to it…”
Surprisingly, season 3’s final episode has warranted the biggest response, reaching over 80 responses on r/bluey. Whether it’s due to its finality or familial connection, “Cricket” seems to be one of the most well-received episodes. However, Brumm shared his own experience with the fanbase after the episode aired.
“Rusty’s always held a special place for me in the show, and I love writing episodes for him… It was a fairly common thing that I’d hear early on with ‘Bluey’ that a lot of firefighter workers and, in particular, a lot of army personnel… would be posted away a lot. You know what it’s like with kids; you’ve got to catch up with where they’re at, and you’ve got to figure out what’s going on in their life. We would hear a fair bit that ‘Bluey’ was a really good way of the parent just catching up with where the kid’s at.”
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As interesting as it is to hear the process and creation of Bluey and her adventures from the creator himself, this is only a small fraction of what Ludo’s creative team has available. The Behind Bluey podcast can be found for all audiences on Apple Podcasts, and is highly recommended for anyone looking for a different side of the beloved show.
Which Bluey episode hit you in the feels? Let Inside the Magic know in the comments down below!