How Australia’s ‘Bluey’ conquered children’s entertainment • Hacker News Board

Re: How Australia’s ‘Bluey’ conquered children’s entertainment

#271

Post by xyzzy_plugh » Fri, Jan 05, 2024, 5:44 PM UTC

test1235 wrote: post #237

laingc wrote: post #22

As the father of two young daughters, I adore Bluey. Quite apart from how good the episodes are for adults, I really enjoy the following aspects: 1. It portrays wholesome and positive family relationships, particularly between father and daughters. The girls are also good to one another, with occasional conflict kindly and realistically resolved. 2. It tells simple stories without pushing political messages. Unfortun…

>2. It tells simple stories without pushing political messages. I did wonder if there'd be any outcry over the DIY episode which is about evolution. Certain cultures seem to have serious issues with that. It did also hint at afterlife, however.

There is plenty of hinting at there being an afterlife throughout the show, but it's aspirational, not prescriptive. It would be nice, wouldn't it?

Re: How Australia’s ‘Bluey’ conquered children’s entertainment

#272

Post by feoren » Fri, Jan 05, 2024, 5:47 PM UTC

ceedan wrote: post #189

Bluey is great and we love it, but I do have to say that it is not as directly beneficial for very young children as something like Daniel Tiger. Daniel Tiger has episodes that directly and clearly address things that young children are going through (little siblings, using the bathroom, managing emotions, etc). Bluey has episodes that address those things but does so in ways that are less direct and comprehensible f…

Daniel Tiger is so much more difficult to watch as an adult, but I have to give it credit for its potty training episode: that was a huge help when trying to potty train our 2.5-year-old. So I definitely agree that a targeted application of Daniel Tiger can really help, and also easier to digest for a pre-schooler.

However, I do think that having complex messages that aren't easy to understand is probably important for young children. "The world is a complicated place" is a lesson I wish even more adults understood. And I've learned that children may show no comprehension of something the first few times they hear it, but it's in there, making connections, shaping the brain as it grows. I can't tell you how many times I've told my daughter something I thought went way over her head (and did, at first), but randomly came out again months later. So by all means go for the simple Daniel Tiger message when it helps them through a problem they're having. But don't underestimate their capacity for deeply integrating ideas from everything they see and hear -- and I love Bluey for being by far the best young kids' show for them to integrate into their brains.

Re: How Australia’s ‘Bluey’ conquered children’s entertainment

#273

Post by xuther » Fri, Jan 05, 2024, 5:48 PM UTC

eggy wrote: post #249

Love this show! Although the Dad never seems to work, plays all day, and sets the bar pretty high for me especially on the last 2 of my 5 children. I'm out of steam. I too succumb to the emotional episodes, and I am grateful for every tear I share with my kids! I grew up watching Bugs Bunny, Davy and Goliath, Gumby, and All in the Family as a young kid for a contrast!

I love that they even address that in one of the episodes. In Tickle Crabs:

Bluey: "You're always at work!" Bandit: "I'm never at work!"

What a gem of a show, though yes, it does set the bar pretty high. Though on the plus side I can now burst into a room shout "It's Dad" and my 4 year old will reliably slow clap and then burst into laughter :P

Re: How Australia’s ‘Bluey’ conquered children’s entertainment

#274

Post by afavour » Fri, Jan 05, 2024, 5:49 PM UTC

no-dr-onboard wrote: post #257

ursuscamp wrote: post #213

Bluey blew me away when I saw it with my daughter. It's sweet, positive, emotional, well written. It's not the slightest bit cynical, handles every issue with tact, doesn't contain heavy handed messaging and has traditional values. It also has a very positive two parent dynamic. This is an absolute unicorn of a show. Note: my usage of "traditional values" is not meant to evoke anything political or intended to be int…

Yeah I'll go further. - It doesn't display the dad as a bumbling idiot for a start, an unmistakably uncommon move in home set shows. - It doesn't synthetically force women to the center stage for the sake of scoring points with left leaning audiences. - It doesn't shoehorn in political messages that don't belong and largely harkens back to a time where childrens television didn't require scrutiny of the publisher jus…

> The show unashamedly depicts an intact household with two loving, heterosexual parents. It's "stunning and brave" in the current culture.

Eh? I'm trying to think of peer shows of Bluey... Peppa Pig and Daniel Tiger come to mind (Trash Truck anyone? Charming little show), heterosexual parents are by far and away the norm. The idea that it's "brave" to show them feels like a conservative talking point that's out of step with reality.

> unconcerned with their sexual identity, despite the current narrative being that they are the age at which they should be

Speaking of conservative talking points... again, I'm really struggling to think of peer shows that have six year olds discussing their sexual identity.

Re: How Australia’s ‘Bluey’ conquered children’s entertainment

#275

Post by xyzzy_plugh » Fri, Jan 05, 2024, 5:50 PM UTC

eggy wrote: post #249

Love this show! Although the Dad never seems to work, plays all day, and sets the bar pretty high for me especially on the last 2 of my 5 children. I'm out of steam. I too succumb to the emotional episodes, and I am grateful for every tear I share with my kids! I grew up watching Bugs Bunny, Davy and Goliath, Gumby, and All in the Family as a young kid for a contrast!

You have to read between the lines and pickup the hints but they both work, ostensibly. There are plenty of episodes where the kids are at daycare/with family that imply the parents are working. Many episodes take place on weekends, and I get the impression the mom sometimes works on weekends.

I will say that Bandit definitely gives off a vibe of being flexible, but I never got the impression it's deliberate. He cares more about his kids than work. At least, that's my interpretation.

Re: How Australia’s ‘Bluey’ conquered children’s entertainment

#276

Post by karmajunkie » Fri, Jan 05, 2024, 5:53 PM UTC

berrel wrote: post #227

karmajunkie wrote: post #219

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Because you cloaked it in false concern about misogyny by redefining misogyny. Really, well done, I feel certain that it fooled about 4 people on HN.

I did not redefine misogyny. If I'd written a comment about the racism inherent in 'blackface' performance regarding its mockery of black people, would you claim I was redefining racism?

Yes, you did. Both blackface and drag performance have particular histories you're intentionally and erroneously conflating. The former is racist in its origin. The latter is not misogynistic in either its origin or contemporaneous performance.

Re: How Australia’s ‘Bluey’ conquered children’s entertainment

#277

Post by natpalmer1776 » Fri, Jan 05, 2024, 5:54 PM UTC

Arubis wrote: post #246

I'm also a girl dad (ages 3 and 4) and Bluey is a total favorite in our (mountain west US) household. In utter contrast to the singsongy dreck of CocoMelon and its imitators, our kids actually take away memorable lessons they enjoy (going to bed like a big girl, like Bingo!), and my wife and I regularly comment that we'd watch the show on our own without the kids for its sheer relatability. It's an absolute gem, folk…

I love the cake topper idea! Saving this for my next birthday :)

Re: How Australia’s ‘Bluey’ conquered children’s entertainment

#278

Post by quink » Fri, Jan 05, 2024, 5:55 PM UTC

jph00 wrote: post #68

I live in the area where the show is set (the Morton Bay region north of Brisbane) and it’s delightful how many details we recognise in the show. Having lived in the US for 10 years and returning couple of years ago (with my first 30 years in Australia), I feel like Bluey does a great job of showing some key cultural differences between these countries. I’ve seen some American viewers get quite cross by what they see…

Moreton Bay? Nah, their home is almost definitely around Ashgrove, Red Hill, Kelvin Grove, Paddington, somewhere around those parts. Suburbs just to the north-west of the CBD, based on having been around those a pile and having seen most of Bluey.

And extrapolating from things that are inevitably close, as listed in https://blueypedia.fandom.com/wiki/Real-Life_Locations

And the buses aren't Translink livery, they're all blue, white, and yellow, so definitely somewhere within BCC, not Moreton Bay Region (although I shouldn't assume you meant the Moreton Bay council).

That said, you could be using Moreton Bay when you really mean SEQLD anywhere north of the Brisbane River, it's been known to happen.

Re: How Australia’s ‘Bluey’ conquered children’s entertainment

#279

Post by larrymyers » Fri, Jan 05, 2024, 5:55 PM UTC

nightowl_games wrote: post #188

It's truly a show about parenting. It covers realistic themes about parenting. It's very well written. With childrens shows, it's easy to make a show appeal to kids. Cocomelon is basically loved by every child ever, but its so annoying to parents. Bluey is great because the parents like it.

It's a great show that demonstrates how to play with your kids. Though I do appreciate the episodes where the parents are exhausted, or must do chores, instead of playing with their kids.

Re: How Australia’s ‘Bluey’ conquered children’s entertainment

#280

Post by berrel » Fri, Jan 05, 2024, 5:56 PM UTC

karmajunkie wrote: post #276

berrel wrote: post #227

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I did not redefine misogyny. If I'd written a comment about the racism inherent in 'blackface' performance regarding its mockery of black people, would you claim I was redefining racism?

Yes, you did. Both blackface and drag performance have particular histories you're intentionally and erroneously conflating. The former is racist in its origin. The latter is not misogynistic in either its origin or contemporaneous performance.

Drag is men dressing up as caricatures of women. They wear costumes intended to represent women and mimic female bodies, adopt a 'woman' persona under a feminised and often heavily sexualised name, and act out every demeaning, offensive stereotype of women for laughs, often leaning heavily on mocking women's bodies and the physical experiences exclusive to women: pregnancy, birth, breastfeeding, menstruation, and sometimes even abortion. Then they take off those costumes and get to go about their lives as men when they aren't doing this, without having to live under those same stereotypes they helped perpetuate for fun or money. Meanwhile, women are expected to laugh, clap along and celebrate this insult. This mockery of women isn't exactly subtle.

So, please explain the reasoning behind your belief that drag is not misogynistic.