Bluey helped me out immensely at my research job. I was watching it with my daughter and in the episode, the father says, "Obstacles don't block the path. They are the path." It was a big ah-ha! moment that completely changed my attitude about the frustration I was having in my research. Then looking at my journal notes, it was all about obstacles and how to work through and around them, and that shift in perspective really accelerated my work.
‘Bluey’s World’: How a Cute Aussie Puppy Became a Juggernaut
121–130 of 321 posts
Re: ‘Bluey’s World’: How a Cute Aussie Puppy Became a Juggernaut
#122Different Bluey episodes resonate with different people for different reasons, but the Cricket episode from Season 3 is just about as perfect an episode of a kid's show as I've ever seen. In about 7 minutes it manages to tackle how being passionate about one of your interests or hobbies and sticking with it even when you experience setbacks pays off.
The way they leave it up to the viewer to infer the reason Rusty practiced cricket on so many different surfaces was because his dad was stationed in Iraq in the Australian Army and therefore wasn’t around to pick him up after school is heart-wrenching, perfect writing.
Re: ‘Bluey’s World’: How a Cute Aussie Puppy Became a Juggernaut
#123One thing I really appreciate about the show is the music - so many of the best episodes are extended musical variations on great themes from classical music, and done so skillfully that you don't realize you're listening to Mozart's "Rondo Alla Turca" or Saint-Saens' "Organ Symphony" until you're at the emotional climax of the episode when the entire piece is restated, which has been priming you for a big theme or b…
For some reason — I am musically incompetent — "The Beach" really felt like the soundtrack was very emotive in a way that fit the story. The stately feel in "Sleepytime" may have fit the solar system motif and provided contrast to the earthy elements of the story. I liked "Sleepytime" in part from the expression of letting go while being faithful. Bingo's letting her rabbit go did not mean a complete separation but a…
The music really is top-notch. I’m no aficionado, but I remember watching a video breakdown of Stayin Alive by The Bee Gees. If I had guessed, I would’ve said that there were maybe 3-4 instruments in that song. But actually there are like 15 things going on simultaneously. The video showed how critical each one was, and how the mixing produced that distinct sound.
Now I can hear things a bit better, and Bluey’s music makes me think of that video every time. There’s so much going on melodically and yet they blend it so well that you don’t really notice. It’s amazing.
Re: ‘Bluey’s World’: How a Cute Aussie Puppy Became a Juggernaut
#124Earlier quoted context omitted.
What are some that you enjoy?
It depends on age, but almost anything by PBS Kids is excellent. Prime and Netflix have a few good ones too. Some good shows I found for my son: * Daniel Tiger’s Neighborhood - spiritual spinoff from Mr. Rogers’ Neighborhood * Elinor Wonders Why * Word World * Peg + Cat * Numberblocks and Alphablocks for learning about numbers and words * Guess How Much I Love You * Trash Truck * Hero Elementary * Mecha Builders * St…
Numberblocks goes hard in the later seasons, but sadly Netflix no longer has those.
I really enjoyed the adaptation of El Deafo on AppleTV. Its brilliant use of audio effects to explain the evolving technology of the little girl’s hearing aids had me in tears.
Re: ‘Bluey’s World’: How a Cute Aussie Puppy Became a Juggernaut
#125As a kids show bluey is adequate. However, I suspect its secret is that it's really a show for parents with young children that just happens to hold the attention of kids. My daughters like bluey (ages 3-8). But they also enjoy many things on TV and bluey doesn't stick out that much. On the other hand, I happened to be in the room for an episode where blueys dad is having a hard time making some sort of cake and blue…
> However, I suspect its secret is that it's really a show for parents with young children that just happens to hold the attention of kids. That's how a lot of successful children's movies/shows work in a way. Have you ever rewatched older kids movies as an adult and realized how many adult-level jokes they slipped in that you never noticed as a child? If you're asking parents to spend 1.5 hours at a movie theater, y…
Bluey isn’t just aware parents are watching, though. It’s not just cameos and a little sneaky grown up humor. It’s more like two stories, both compelling, are being told at the same time, depending on which character you identify most with.
Re: ‘Bluey’s World’: How a Cute Aussie Puppy Became a Juggernaut
#126One thing I really appreciate about the show is the music - so many of the best episodes are extended musical variations on great themes from classical music, and done so skillfully that you don't realize you're listening to Mozart's "Rondo Alla Turca" or Saint-Saens' "Organ Symphony" until you're at the emotional climax of the episode when the entire piece is restated, which has been priming you for a big theme or b…
oh wow we watched this episode a few days ago; i missed the Holst connection, and yes I also felt tears in my eyes at the denouement. definitely hugged my kids harder after that one.
I’ve seen the episode a few times with my infant daughter, and honestly it might be my favorite tv episode of any show, ever.
Re: ‘Bluey’s World’: How a Cute Aussie Puppy Became a Juggernaut
#127What I really appreciate about Bluey is that it’s one of the few children’s shows with a really great and relatable Dad character. The Dad in most children’s shows is either barely present or a total idiot that nobody respects.
Yeah that stood out to me as well. There’s a kind of reverse-bechdel test where you can ask yourself to find any portrayal of a husband that doesn’t include mockery of some kind. And you can actually go back pretty far with it - it seems like that general trend began in the 70’s. Like you have I Love Lucy, which was a bit of a sexist show in its own right of course, but the husband wasn’t portrayed as incompetent. I can’t think of a more recent example, aside from Bluey.
Re: ‘Bluey’s World’: How a Cute Aussie Puppy Became a Juggernaut
#128Bluey helped me out immensely at my research job. I was watching it with my daughter and in the episode, the father says, "Obstacles don't block the path. They are the path." It was a big ah-ha! moment that completely changed my attitude about the frustration I was having in my research. Then looking at my journal notes, it was all about obstacles and how to work through and around them, and that shift in perspective…
You'd like this book
Re: ‘Bluey’s World’: How a Cute Aussie Puppy Became a Juggernaut
#129What I really appreciate about Bluey is that it’s one of the few children’s shows with a really great and relatable Dad character. The Dad in most children’s shows is either barely present or a total idiot that nobody respects.
Perhaps the reason it works is because the dad character isn’t an overplayed masculine ideal, and therefore fresh.
I personally suspect one reason for the “bumbling dad” trope is the “classically ideal dad” is everywhere in stories, and thus becomes boring.
Subverting the conventional power figure is also played for laughs a lot, while Bluey doesn’t ask us to laugh at anyone.
Re: ‘Bluey’s World’: How a Cute Aussie Puppy Became a Juggernaut
#130For those not aware… The voice actor for Bandit, Dave McCormack, was not previously known as an actor or voice artist, but he has been known in Australia since the early 90s as an indie rock band frontman. The band he fronted, Custard, started getting airplay on Australia’s national youth radio station, Triple J, in about 1993, and they became a staple of the live music scene - especially uni student bars, live rock…
I don't know how many Bandits they went through to find him, but they got lucky. Voice acting isn't easy and he does such a great job!
I suspect they had him in mind right from the start and even developed the character for him.
Custard/McCormack are Brisbane-based and Bluey has been produced from a Brisbane studio since the very beginning. The writers/producers would have known and liked his music and voice, and probably someone there already knew him personally. Bluey is shown on ABC in Australia and Custard has always had lots of airplay on ABC TV and radio stations.