For Real Life?: 'Bluey' Characters Face Hateful Backlash

Given its stellar reputation, record-breaking viewership, and a tidal wave of emotional reactions, it’s safe to say that Bluey is almost universally loved. With charming characters, delightfully playful animation, and an all-around pleasant and comforting vibe, it’s incredibly difficult not to get sucked into the sweetness.

Bluey Watching a Rugby Match — Credit: Ludo

That being said, just because the show does a lot of things right, that doesn’t mean it doesn’t have one or two shortcomings. Although Bluey, Bingo, and the rest of the Heeler clan are more or less the crowd favorites, more than a few characters rub fans the wrong way.

Inside the Magic recently covered the hostile reception associated with the loud, bratty, and very realistic Muffin, but it seems she’s not the only Bluey cast member getting blasted on socials. A recent post on r/Bluey had several dozen fans voicing their displeasure with many core supporting characters.

Yes, People CAN Hate Bluey

Bluey with a shocked expression — Credit: Ludo Studio

u/Good-Ad-2245 asked the Bluey subreddit if there were any “bad characters,” in which they wrote the following,

“Usually in shows, there’s always a character people kind of dislike, but I’ve been watching for a while, and I think I love every single character, they’re all unique in their ways.”

As endearing as their sentimental statement was, no fandom is truly safe on the internet. As a result, multiple Bluey buffs came crawling out of the woodwork to address which characters they absolutely could not stand.

Granted, there are certain one-off characters that repeatedly earn the disdain of the fanbase. The grouchy granny pug from the “Granny Mobile” episode is one prominent example readers will find. However, multiple recurring figures seem to get absolutely torched in the comments.

There Goes the Neighborhood

Judo and Wendy sitting on the porch — Credit: Ludo Studios

Amongst the reoccurring supporting cast, many fans strongly dislike the Chow-Chows next door, Wendy and Judo. There’s no denying that Wendy has some major Karen energy going on, and Judo has a little bit of a mean girl streak, but the fans are all too quick to call them out.

u/GoodKarmaDarling writes in their comment,

I literally can’t stand Judo. She’s a snob and a bully. Yes, she always “learns a lesson” about being mean by the end of the episode- but then there she is three episodes later teasing Pom Pom for being small.

Further down, u/KonaKumo cosigns on the statement above with,

“Muffin, Judo, and Coco all come to mind as these….Muffin the most frequent character to be in the role. Judo just in the butterfly episode. Coco in a few, usually involving a game.”

While these characters aren’t particularly malicious entities (although the jury is still out on Muffin), a surprising few who aim their collective distaste towards Calypso.

Calypso teaches in Bluey — Credit: Ludo Studio

For those unfamiliar, Calypso is a teacher often used as the voice of reason or a narrator for a handful of different episodes. However, some viewers believe that she’s either too perfect or outright manipulative.

u/unifoon writes,

“I’m not a lover of Calypso…shes a bit too perfect. And she gaslights Bluey over the real typewriter because she clearly feels threatened at having her storytelling challenged.”

To which u/countvanderhoff replies,

“Thank you! Calypso is an absolute pain in the rear.”

As surprising as it might be for most in the fandom, there might actually be a method to the madness here. u/DisneySentaiGamer points out that Calypso has a similar flaw represented by the series’ power couple.

The user shares,

“Calypso is getting the same complaints as Bandit and Chilli at the start of the show and I’m incredibly confused as to why.”

Bandit and Chilli after a party — Credit: Ludo Studio

The user is referring to the sense that many parents put Bandit and Chilli too high up on a pedestal, something that has also been the subject of discussion in the fandom before. Still, even the smallest iota of negativity towards this character feels unwanted.

Like any product with a large fan following, there is bound to be some discord amongst even the most wholesome of fandoms. That said, it hardly feels like Bluey’s flaws are anything show-breaking. In short, some of Bluey’s canine companions are simply of a different breed.

Do you have a Bluey character you dislike? Tell Inside the Magic what you think in the comments below!