Extract from ABC News
Analysis
Numbers don't lie. Bluey ranked in the top 10 streaming programs in the United States by minutes viewed last year, according to audience insights and analytics firm Nielsen.
It beat both Gilmore Girls and Seinfeld, and was streamed for more than 20 billion minutes on Disney+.
It's clearly captured the hearts of millions of American children.
The scale of Bluey's success, according to media analyst Steve Allen, is on track to exceed that of Crocodile Dundee.
"Of course, it's slightly different age groups, but it's definitely in the sphere," the director of strategy and research at Pearman Media says.
"And I think over time will become more influential."
The combination of Tourism Australia's 1984 Come and Say G'Day campaign, fronted by Paul Hogan, and the extraordinary box office success of Crocodile Dundee helped define Australia's reputation on the international stage in the 1980s.
Given Bluey's success, the question now is whether it's reshaping Australia's international reputation — and if so, what does that mean for us?
Bluey's backstory
The series follows a family of Blue Heelers living in suburban Brisbane, including dad Bandit (voiced by Dave McCormack), mum Chilli (Melanie Zanetti) and children Bluey and Bingo (whose voices are not credited).
The ABC and BBC Studios co-commissioned the children's show, with pre-production starting mid-2017.
It launched in Australia in 2018.
The ABC has broadcast rights in Australia and the BBC has broadcast and commercial rights internationally.
Bluey is now viewed in more than 60 countries, including the United States, the UK and China.
There are 110 merchandising licensees internationally and more than 1,000 Bluey-themed toys and trinkets out there — including toothpaste.
Four years in and Bluey's audience continues to grow; the show is now the highest-rating program in the history of ABC Kids.
It has also carved out the position of most popular program ever across all broadcaster on-demand platforms in Australia.
The latest Bluey episodes (released in June 2022) achieved a total audience — including broadcast and on-demand — of over 10.5 million.
And it's not just a show for kids. In 2022, Bluey was the top ABC program for the co-viewing demographic — that is, people over 18 viewing it with 0-17 year olds.
And two events highlight the program's popularity in the United States.
McCormack and Zanetti appeared on Jimmy Fallon's Tonight Show and a gigantic balloon replica of Bluey was featured in the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade.
As Fallon said: "It's a massive deal."
A positive conversation with the world
The statistics show that Bluey is a hit, but its success goes deeper than that.
As Steve Allen points out, the Australian accent, our values, our culture and our stories are being beamed into millions of homes across the world.
"Any program that appeals to children, it educates them about ourselves, the way we behave, our nation, our values," he says.
"There are all kinds of subsidiary benefits of just being in a conversation with children and they grow up with that impression.
"And Bluey is an incredibly favourable environment. It's one that any commercial advertiser would love to be involved with."
Do you see the bigger picture emerging here?
The international marketing and commercial rights to the series are owned by BBC Studios, and some global broadcast rights belong to Disney, but that's only one part of the honey pot.
Crucially, Bluey has become a mechanism for Australia to engage in meaningful and influential conversations with hundreds of millions of children and their parents across the globe.
And the conversation is a positive one.
"The great thing about this show is that it has a storyline and so there are things they can build into future episodes that are complementary and true of Australia and educates children around the world," Allen says.
Bluey is selling Australia, but it's also become a powerful tool for Australia to spread its influence across the world.
This has the potential to produce dividends commercially, politically and culturally — more than Crocodile Dundee was ever able to achieve.
Showing a different side of Australia
My daily work revolves around dissecting the "serious" stuff in life.
But the real world is often awkward family moments, being bored or frustrated at times and everyday fears and joy.
There are two Bluey episodes that explore this reality that stand out to me.
The first is when Bandit takes his kids to his brother's pool without anything they may need to enjoy themselves — including sunscreen — because he caves into his children's requests to get there as soon as possible.
Chilli eventually turns up with all the gizmos to make it a fun afternoon.
The second is very moving indeed.
It's called Sleepy Time and journals a night of "sleep" with two young children — the point being that it's very disruptive.
The episode is an intimate and honest view into what happens in a suburban Australian family home between the hours of 8:00pm and 6:30am.
It's the final bit of voiceover that shows a bold willingness by the producers to demonstrate the tender side of Australian family values.
Bingo dreams of her mother saying: "Remember, I'll always be here for you, even if you can't see me, because I love you."
It cuts to Chilli and Bingo having a cuddle in Bingo's bed.
This show is selling Australia to the world in ways we haven't seen before.
"If you look 20, 30, 40 years down the track, this is one of the greatest campaigns that Australian Tourism could ever run," Allen says.
But Tourism Australia is only too happy about the show's success.
"Australian-based TV shows and movies can highlight the Australian lifestyle to the world and increase awareness of our country," a spokesperson told The Drum.
"Anything that helps to tell the Australian story and shows the wonderful experiences we have to offer is a positive."
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