A look at the creative process behind Bluey and Cocomelon (2024) • Hacker News Board

Re: A look at the creative process behind Bluey and Cocomelon (2024)

#171

Post by floren » Wed, Mar 12, 2025, 5:52 PM UTC

MisterTea wrote: post #168

floren wrote: post #165

Earlier quoted context omitted.

For whatever reason, "Bluey made me ugly cry" is a very minor meme among parents on the Internet. I've seen it elsewhere too.

I find it disappointing that a pretty common emotional state for a person is labelled ugly. Its negative so I'd rather people not use it.

It just means that you cry so hard your face is all twisted up and you go red and and your mouth is hanging open and there's snot dripping out of your nose, as opposed to simply shedding a couple tears. It's not really disparaging.

Re: A look at the creative process behind Bluey and Cocomelon (2024)

#172

Post by autoexec » Wed, Mar 12, 2025, 5:56 PM UTC

IshKebab wrote: post #107

Fire-Dragon-DoL wrote: post #9

Well, I was horrified the first time I saw the Cocomelon and was unsettled as a dad. This article explains why. I need to check Bluey, we watched Miraculous, tales of Ladybug with our kids and enjoyed it (the plot is for adults). There is a whole bunch of "junk food" in both tv and videogames (those were you win no matter what). I'm hoping things get better.

Bluey is easily the best children's TV. I mean I'd barely class it as children's TV; it's good by adult standards. It's a bit annoying really because there isn't anything else like it at all. I would say the closest things are Pixar films which manage to appeal to adults and children. I'm not aware of any TV like that though. Apart from Bluey we're stuck with trash like Paw Patrol, Bing, Blippi, etc. There are a smal…

I'm not sure there's ever been more options for good shows that a parent can watch and genuinely enjoy with their kids. Try Avatar the Last Airbender/Legend of Korra, Hilda, Sarah & Duck, Adventure Time, Miraculous, The Dragon Prince, MLP Friendship is Magic, She-Ra and the Princess of Power, Samurai Jack, Gravity Falls, Ducktales (the new one, but the old one isn't bad either), Cleopatra in Space, Amphibia, Star vs. the Forces of Evil, Owl House, Craig of the Creek, Steven Universe, LEGO Elves, Kipo and the Age of Wonderbeasts, Over the Garden Wall, Infinity Train, and the Disney Fairies movies.

I'd also recommend getting your hands on the cartoons you enjoyed as a kid. Odds are good your kids will like them for the same reasons you did, although you may find that they don't all hold up for you.

Re: A look at the creative process behind Bluey and Cocomelon (2024)

#173

Post by causal » Wed, Mar 12, 2025, 6:08 PM UTC

bombcar wrote: post #83

unwind wrote: post #80

This quote: The 153rd episode is scheduled for April 14 and many believe that it will be the end of the show in its current form (more on this later). Measurably increased my stress level ... :(

The article is from the past, all three series are available on DVD. The last episode is great on an almost Pixar level - there’s three separate stories happening and kids will only really pick up on one and a half.

I've noticed nearly every Bluey episode has parallel stories. I think this is part of what makes it so entertaining for adults- kids are excited by the obvious message, while parents who need more to keep them stimulated enjoy watching the threads interweave. The writing is simply the best.

Re: A look at the creative process behind Bluey and Cocomelon (2024)

#174

Post by causal » Wed, Mar 12, 2025, 6:10 PM UTC

markus_zhang wrote: post #16

I watched a few episode of Bluey and I feel they are really great for parents. So great that I think they are meant for parents, not children...

I think it's made for both, which creates a fantastic opportunity to join your kids on the couch and genuinely enjoy what they are enjoying. Kids love Bluey, but they love watching their parents love Bluey.

Re: A look at the creative process behind Bluey and Cocomelon (2024)

#175

Post by autoexec » Wed, Mar 12, 2025, 6:18 PM UTC

protocolture wrote: post #27

Blueys great, my kid loses his shit when the shows on. Its also interesting seeing a female character marketed to kids as a segment rather than just young girls which isnt that common. My son is still under 2, so he prefers other low intensity shows like Mini Kids and Night Garden. The way he gets into Mini Kids is insane, I havent seen cocomelon but I am betting he would get drawn too far into that. Mini Kids sounds…

> Its also interesting seeing a female character marketed to kids as a segment rather than just young girls which isnt that common.

That's most children's shows these days. Male protagonists are getting harder to find.

Re: A look at the creative process behind Bluey and Cocomelon (2024)

#176

Post by h2zizzle » Wed, Mar 12, 2025, 6:24 PM UTC

robertlagrant wrote: post #93

> (OJ obviously did it and the other memory I had of that period was this wild Tim Meadows SNL opening bit about the trial). This is from further down the page, but it reminded me: when the not guilty news broke, Norm MacDonald, who hosted SNL's fake news bit at the time, and had been constantly making OJ jokes about how obviously guilty he was, opened with the line, "Murder is legal in the state of California."[0] P…

The refusal of white Americans - especially then, but even now - to understand how the OJ trial was a reflection of the un-reckoned-with circumstances that had most recently rocked the land with the Rodney King incident, trial, riots, etc has always bothered me. Of course murder was "legal" in the state of California - what were the people beating King to within an inch of his life expecting to happen to that dude after they were done with him? He survived, of course, but in spite of their intent. The line's only a successful bit if you didn't consider it murder when cops gun someone down.

I think the greatest social failure of that day isn't that he walked, it's that half the country didn't have the self-awareness to take stock - to understand both the legal and social system that we'd set up that lead to that outcome, to see how we'd been manipulated by the media - and to maybe have the grace to let it go. (The last time someone brought it up to me, in person, was a scant 3 years ago, in a context so ridiculous that I don't know that I should relate it.)

Re: A look at the creative process behind Bluey and Cocomelon (2024)

#177

Post by inversetelecine » Wed, Mar 12, 2025, 6:34 PM UTC

drivebyhooting wrote: post #38

I’ve never let my kids watch cocomelon (or much screen time at all). But we do listen to cocomelon. It has some legitimately well done music IMO. For example “over the river and through the woods”.

Super Simple Songs if you like music only (although they do have video to go with each song).

Re: A look at the creative process behind Bluey and Cocomelon (2024)

#178

Post by erulabs » Wed, Mar 12, 2025, 6:45 PM UTC

kewho wrote: post #36

Bluey is excellence, but I’ve always said Bluey is a kids show for parents. It’s representation of how the parents behave around, and communicate with, their kids, and the numerous examples of ideas for how to play with your children make the show invaluable to parents. The fact that kids love it too only reinforces its clever brilliance.

It took me awhile to realize but the intro song is also a game you can play with your kids. They're basically doing musical chairs. Then like you mentioned virtually every episode is a non-screen-time game you can play with your kids. Very clever.

Re: A look at the creative process behind Bluey and Cocomelon (2024)

#179

Post by IshKebab » Wed, Mar 12, 2025, 6:45 PM UTC

autoexec wrote: post #172

IshKebab wrote: post #107

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Bluey is easily the best children's TV. I mean I'd barely class it as children's TV; it's good by adult standards. It's a bit annoying really because there isn't anything else like it at all. I would say the closest things are Pixar films which manage to appeal to adults and children. I'm not aware of any TV like that though. Apart from Bluey we're stuck with trash like Paw Patrol, Bing, Blippi, etc. There are a smal…

I'm not sure there's ever been more options for good shows that a parent can watch and genuinely enjoy with their kids. Try Avatar the Last Airbender/Legend of Korra, Hilda, Sarah & Duck, Adventure Time, Miraculous, The Dragon Prince, MLP Friendship is Magic, She-Ra and the Princess of Power, Samurai Jack, Gravity Falls, Ducktales (the new one, but the old one isn't bad either), Cleopatra in Space, Amphibia, Star vs.…

I think those are for older kids than the ones I'm talking about.

Re: A look at the creative process behind Bluey and Cocomelon (2024)

#180

Post by jedberg » Wed, Mar 12, 2025, 6:54 PM UTC

> Bluey is created by an auteur with a unique and hilarious point of view on the world. Conversely, Cocomelon — which started on YouTube — is algorithmic slop that has been called “crack for kids” and is probably as educational as taping strobe lights to your child’s eyeballs.

This line knocks it out of the park. I'm so glad that my kids never like Cocomelon, and still to this day, at age 7 and 10, like to watch Bluey. The worst part of them watching Bluey is that Dad sets unrealistic expectations for the rest of us! (a common topic on /r/daddit)