Amid a pandemic and on the brink of lockdown, there’s one group of people celebrating this week: the producers of the Australian television sensation Bluey, who nabbed their first International Emmy – the kids: preschool category – in New York on Tuesday night.
In a statement to the media, Daley Pearson – the executive producer of the show and director of Ludo Studio – praised the team behind it: “They’ve created a beautiful show celebrating one of the most important things: imagination and game play.”
Imagination and game play couldn’t be more important right now – and series two of Bluey, which premiered on 17 March, arrived just in time. This seven-minute gem is a small show with a big heart and it’s going to save you and your family from the monotony of self-isolation.
Daley Pearson
(@Daley_Pearson)We won! ?? https://t.co/nWRkaATxpL
Bluey is about a curious six-year-old blue heeler, her younger sister and her tired but patient and creative parents. They get their laughs without being mean, they are poignant without overplaying it and they teach without being didactic.
The magic is in the minutiae. Most of us with young kids recognise the details of our own domestic days: for all the standoffs about brushing teeth, the pleas for a later bedtime and the tussles over toys there is also endless play, shared meals, and the small but precious moments of everyday life. For all the frustration and fatigue there is also wonder and joy.
In these heightened times, normal is nice. Watching two siblings bicker over the size of their portions is about as normal as it gets. It’s reassuring to see daily domestics as they usually are, rather than as a result of our new normal. It feels like a long time ago that we were seeing family and friends, playing in parks, having swimming lessons or going to daycare and school. The coronavirus pandemic has erased the contact and freedom of our old routines so it’s great to see kids in a trolley in the dog-world version of Bunnings, or a parent trying to get everyone out the door on time. Watch the episode Daddy Drop-off and you’ll realise it’s even possible to be nostalgic about the school run.
Having new episodes on slow release – appointment viewing at 8am – is adding some novelty and anticipation to the long hours of isolation too, particularly after watching the same Bluey reruns for 12 months on a tablet, on repeat. There’s no ambience when you try to crowd four people around a 10-inch screen. Now we’re back to big-screen TV; we can spread out or snuggle up on the couch and everyone can see.
Bluey is a full family affair. I think my kids mostly like that there are dogs playing games, and doing things that kids do. For me, it brings back the wonder of childhood and distils the poignancy of life’s little moments. Watching a small dog learn a new trick, make a new friend or get tucked into bed is no less emotive for the fact of their species. I’m not ashamed to admit that by the end of most episodes my eyes are a little watery.
Self-isolation is going to be an exercise in finite dimensions and resources. We need to learn how to do a lot with a little. Crayons will break, puzzle pieces will disappear and bandwidth will shrink. It’ll be a time to get back to basics with a little creativity and a lot of unstructured play.
Bluey is a refresher in both of these – it reminds you what to do on a rainy day. Watch Rug Island for a way to use felt pens without drawing, or Mum School for confirmation that a balloon really can be anything.
What we need now is humour, kindness and a sense of normality. Spending seven minutes with the Heelers is a quick dose of exactly that: they’re just the right family to have with you in a lockdown.
• New episodes of Bluey air at 8am and 6.20pm each day on ABC Kids; or you can catch up on ABC iView
