The Australian sensation Bluey is, arguably, one of the best shows for kids and families currently in production (and I will argue that until I’m blue in the face, Peppa Pig). The best Bluey episodes are inherently entertaining and funny for all generations, with a dash of realistic morality and often, the good kind of emotional gut-punch for adults.
The show focuses on a family of cartoon dogs—older sister Bluey, younger sister Bingo, mom Chili, and dad Bandit—as well as their neighbours and schoolmates, as they make every day a little more interesting with an imaginative outlook on life. Each episode is full of natural positivity and whimsical yet grounded humour that can easily entertain their core young demographic, like “Unicorse,” the world’s most annoying unicorn, or Bluey and Bingo’s personas as “Grannies.” It’s the perfect example of the kind of family show that adults want to watch for fun after the kids go to bed.
Last week, the show had its first global debut for a new episode, titled “Ghostbasket,” and devoted fans are apparently still reeling from a subtle bombshell dropped in its final moments. This leads directly into another first for the series: a super-sized 28-minute episode called “The Sign,” available this morning on Disney+. It’s hard to say who’s been more excited for this blockbuster episode: young fans or their parents. (It’s probably their parents.)
In honour of the milestone, we wanted to make a definitive list of the best Bluey episodes—but not just for the kids. Instead, these are the best Bluey episodes for the parents: the most emotionally resonant or even philosophically insightful stories that hit the parenting experience on the head, or help remind us of the bigger pictures we might lose sight of in our daily routines. (A list of the biggest gut-punch episodes, however, could be another list entirely.)
So, without any further (whack)ado…
10) Driving (3.20)
Many of the best Bluey episodes from kids’ perspectives go big on spectacle and unique environments, but “Driving” is one of the simpler concepts: Chili is trying to handle a work problem from home while Bluey wants to play a game. Especially for those who work from home, it’s relatable to see how mom struggles to engage at first, before finding the balance and helping Bluey in her imaginary quest.
9) Piggyback (2.18)
Next on our list of best Bluey episodes is for more than just parents. While on an evening walk, Bingo (allegedly) can’t walk from the moment the family leaves their vacation house, but Bandit won’t give her a piggyback until they reach their halfway point. Anyone who works with kids from teachers to daycare providers will surely empathize with all the ways the family tricks her into using her own two feet.
8) Mini Bluey (3.7)
”Mini Bluey” is a good surface laugh for the kids, but what cements it as one of the best Bluey episodes for parents is the way it reflects on the different personalities of our kids (and warns us to be mindful of what we say when they’re in earshot). When Bandit laments that life would be easier if both kids were as tidy and helpful as Bingo, the kids engage in a little experiment and find appreciation for each other’s unique characteristics.
The best Bluey episodes are inherently entertaining and funny for all generations, with a dash of realistic morality and often, the good kind of emotional gut-punch for adults.
7) Omelette (3.4)
It’s Bandit’s birthday and the girls want to treat him to breakfast in bed, but Bingo insists she wants to help Chili cook the omelet. Of course, as practically any parent can tell you, sometimes having a kid help in the kitchen is the farthest thing from helpful, and Bluey perfectly encapsulates how important patience is in those circumstances.
6) Housework (3.13)
While uninspired to handle the dirty work around the house, the parents notice that the kids are handling their own tasks in a kooky way. Soon the whole family is trying to imitate one of Bingo’s goofy walks, and the work is falling by the wayside. This is one of the show’s most authentic representations of the fun families can find in the everyday, and the joy parents can stand to see by appreciating the little things kids do.
5) Sheepdog (3.12)
A stressful morning alone with the kids has Chili needing a break. Bluey thinks she must’ve done something wrong, but Bandit tries to distract the kids by playing one of the games he hates. There’s plenty of humor for all ages as Bandit plays a sheepdog, has his new mullet teased by Lucky’s Dad, and ruffles the feathers of their uptight neighbour Wendy—but it’s Chili’s insistence on having “20 minutes where no one comes near me” that earned this story a place on our list of the best Bluey episodes for parents. Who hasn’t been in Chili’s frazzled shoes at some point?
4) Octopus (2.43)
Not only is “Octopus” one of the best Bluey episodes for parents, it’s also the most (unintentionally) meta or self-aware episodes to date. Bluey’s friend Chloe finds a fun new game while playing at the Heelers’ house and tries to get her dad to recreate it at home, only to be frustrated when he doesn’t play it right. Father and daughter find a way to make the game their own, instead.
It’s a lot like the experience of watching the show—much like Chloe’s dad, it can be hard for parents in the audience to live up to the high imaginative standards set by Bandit. We may not have the all-in commitment of a cartoon dog, but with a little communication, we might be able to put our own spin on the rules when our kids want to take inspiration from the show.
3) Sticky Gecko (2.12)
Not only one of the best Bluey episodes from an adult perspective, “Sticky Gecko” might be one of the best “bottle episodes” on television. From the struggle of getting the kids out the door on time, to dealing with frustration, or even just putting up with gimmicky kids’ toys, this is simply one of the most relatable recreations of the everyday parenting experience done to date.
2) Dragon (3.43)
From the latest batch of stories added to Disney+, “Dragon” should go down in history as one of the best Bluey episodes, period—and the kind of episode you could show anyone, whether they’re familiar with the show or not. Bluey is frustrated with her drawing, leading the rest of the family to join in and collaborate. The whole story is told through each family member’s distinct art style, from Bandit’s stunted stick figures, the girls’ youthfully exuberant scribbles, to Chili’s patient, disciplined form.
Chili relates a bit of advice that her mom gave her once, when she too was frustrated with her attempt to recreate a professional drawing (it doesn’t look like the picture, “but it’s pretty good for a 7-year-old! Keep practicing. You’ll get better. Just don’t ever give up.”). It’s a frank and beautiful moment, pairing with the bittersweet moment where the spirit of her deceased mother, represented by the horse she drew, sprouts wings and flies away at the end of the episode.
Having lost my own parents, living with the shadow of trying to pass on their wisdom to my kids in their absence, it was a powerful moment. But kids can enjoy the whimsical, “hand-drawn” animation and the epic quest it brings to life while the adults hide their tears.
1) Sleepytime (2.26)
Topping our list of the best Bluey episodes is another artistic experiment, “Sleepytime.” Bingo has been having trouble spending the whole night in her own bed, and after reading some extra bedtime books about chickens and the planets, she falls into a wonderfully abstract dream of playing among the stars. Meanwhile the rest of the house is distracted by her sleepwalking, leading to some of the most painfully accurate recreations of the things that interrupt parents’ sleep.
It all culminates in one of the most beautiful finales in modern animation. Chili puts Bingo back to bed, which the sleeping pup registers in the dream as being warmed by the sun itself. Bingo redoubles her intention to be a “big girl” and wake up in her own bed, and Chili/the Sun reminds her “Remember, I’ll always be there for you, even if you can’t see me, because I love you.” We see close-ups of the aftermath of the family’s groggy hijinx, complete with Chili enjoying the reward of having the bed all to herself, before the sun rises on a successful Bingo, highlighted by the beautiful crescendo of Gustav Holst’s “The Planets.”
It was this moment that cemented, for me, that Bluey is absolutely as much for the parents as it is for the kids.
