"Australian childrenâs show Bluey has been widely enjoyed and praised by parents over its three-season (so far) runâsome even admit to watching it without their kids. The show follows Blue Heeler puppy Bluey and her family: mom Chilli, dad Bandit, and younger sister Bingo, as well as a number of other relatives and friends. Most episodes have something for adults to enjoy, like a joke about a loud and obnoxious toy being âlostâ or a line that just teeters on being suggestive.
Most can also stand on their own merits, with clever writing and plots with something to teach kids about seemingly any subject without feeling like a preachy, heavy-handed âvery special episodeâ or after-school special. At its best, the show does more with its seven-minute runtime than many much longer shows do. It serves both child and adult audiences equally with takeaways for everyone, and yes, even the occasional tearjerker. Here are the 12 best Bluey episodes for adults to enjoy, from emotional and moving stories to parenting reminders we all need.
1. âBike” â A Lesson in Perseverance and Problem-Solving
âThe world is silly,â Bluey declares after struggling to ride her bike and wishing she could do it âstraightaway,â without having to learn and practice. As she sits with her dad, Bandit, the two observe other kids throughout the park who are also struggling. Younger sister Bingo is having a hard time drinking from the water fountain. Friend Bentley canât reach the monkey bars. Cousin Muffin is battling her backpack straps. The children make various attempts at their tasks, trying new tactics to varying degrees of success while Bluey and Bandit cheer them on without intervening.
The tasks themselves arenât the only obstacles the kids haveâthey give in to frustration and give up before making final attempts. But they find success as they try new approaches while Bluey and Bandit cheer, âOde to Joyâ playing triumphantly in the background. Itâs a sweet, simple lesson about perseverance and looking at problems from different angles, using creativity to arrive at a solution. Itâs great for young kids, but itâs a reminder for adults, too.
2. âThe Poolâ â An Ode of Appreciation for All the Things Moms Do
Mom Chilli is âboringâ and a âfusspot,â according to her daughters, for a variety of reasonsâfirst, she tells Bluey to brush her teeth, then when Bandit and the kids head to the pool, she reminds them to take not just the fun stuff like pool toys but the necessities, too. âBoring things are still important,â Chilli says, and we see this throughout the episode. By leaving behind the necessities, theyâre without everything from goggles and floaties to sunscreen and towels, significantly limiting how much they can enjoy the pool. But Chilli arrives, salvages the trip, and gets the kids to admit those boring things were important after all.
Weâre all too aware of this as adults and parents, but âThe Poolâ reminds us that âfusspotâ parents are just trying to make sure everyone is cared forâand that keeping track of the important things is a never-ending, often thankless, âboringâ job. Did Chilli simply want to enjoy some quiet alone time before she joined the family? Did she know they left behind the necessities and choose to let them sweat it outâliterally? Iâll leave that up to you. Chilli is whichever version of mom you need her to be.
3. âCampingâ â A Story of Friendship and Serendipity
Dare I say this is one of the most well-written episodes of television ever? On a family camping trip, Bluey meets Jean-Luc, a dog who only speaks French. Despite their language barrier, they find a way to communicate and play together for the few days their familiesâ trips overlap. The less said about âCampingâ the better, particularly the endingâfor those who havenât seen it, saying too much would spoil its best, most impactful moments. Itâs a beautiful story of connection. “The worldâs a magical place,â Chilli tells Bluey in its final minutes. This episode also features some beautiful animation, like a bright starry night sky and a sequence conveying the passage of time at the end.
4. âMum Schoolâ â A Reminder That Each Day Is a Fresh Start
One of the things Bluey is known for is its seemingly unending parade of games and pretend scenarios. This time, the game is Mum School. The setup is simple: As Bluey cares for her children (balloons, of course), she wants Chilli to observe and score her accordingly. âYou donât need someone keeping score of your mothering!â Chilli says of her assignment, a line that may as well be delivered directly to parents watching. She acquiesces, though, and follows Bluey with a clipboard and pen, noting her interactions with the balloon âchildren,â with an interlude to observe Banditâs attempts to get Bingo to brush her teeth.
Bluey follows Banditâs lead and takes a gentler approach with her own âchildren,â opting to try to understand the root of unruly behavior as opposed to battling it. But what seems to be a commentary on parenting tactics takes a turn when one of Blueyâs balloons floats out of an open window. She worries about its future and safety, but Chilli reassures her the balloon will be fine because it had a good mom. It does mean Bluey has failed Mum School, though. âBut thatâs okay,â Chilli tells her dejected daughter. âWe all fail Mum School sometimes. We can just start again tomorrow.â Itâs a crucial reminder that we all make mistakes as parents, but they donât make us bad parents. Whatever our shortcomings may be, each new day brings an opportunity to do better.
5. âGranddadâ â A Tribute to the Passing of Time
On a drive to visit Chilliâs father, in the midst of Bluey’s complaints about being fed healthy snacks, Chilli tells the girls Grandad is on the mend from a case of heartworm and is on doctorâs orders to take it easy and rest. When they arrive, though, Granddadâs at work in the yard, much to Chilliâs dismay. He immediately runs off with the girls, insisting heâs in good health. Itâs the three of them against Chilli, literally and figuratively. Theyâre running through the bush and hiding, and Granddadâs opinion that whether or not he rests should be up to him resonates with Bluey. “He has to accept that he’s getting older and needs to look after himself… I still need him,â Chilli says, getting to the heart of the episode’s themes about aging, health, and mortality.
We all know our loved ones wonât be with us forever, and attempts to keep them around might be frustrating if not futile or even selfishâitâs difficult to stay in bed when work needs done and kids need chasing. When Chilli catches up, she and her father share a moment sitting on the dock reminiscing about her childhood. Her father says it was âyesterday,â just as the image of them side-by-side fades to a nearly identical image from Chilli’s childhood. The episode also has funny nods to survivalists, like Granddadâs buried backpack of canned food and a friend who inquires about aliens.
6. âDuck Cakeâ â A Lesson in Selflessness
It’s Bingo’s birthday, and she’s chosen a complicated-looking duck design for her cake. While she and Chilli head off to hockey, Bandit is tasked with making the cake and Bluey is instructed to clean up her toysâbut only hers, she insists, and not Bingoâs. Sheâd rather help with the cake, and Bandit tries every form of bribery he can to get her to cooperate.
Meanwhile, the cake construction isnât going well, and when the duckâs head falls to the floor and Bandit follows in frustration, Bluey steps in to clean up the mess. Banditâs gratitude makes Blueyâs tail wag, and while Bandit attempts to salvage the cake, Bluey is newly-motivated to clean up all of the toys, including Bingoâs. When Chilli and Bingo return, Chilli is pleasantly surprised by Bluey’s efforts, and Bingo, eager to see her cake, topples a basket of freshly-tidied toys. Despite the cake being a bit of a mess itself, Bingo loves it. Chilli turns to ask Bluey if she helped make it, only to find she isnât in the room. The episode ends with a shot of Bluey cleaning up the spilled toys as her tail wags. Itâs a sweet lesson in how helping others and going above and beyond can be satisfying.
7. âBaby Race” â A Reminder That All Babies Are Different
One piece of advice new parents often get is to never compare children, but if youâre around other kids often, itâs easy to fall into that trap and get hung up on milestones. âRun your own race,â Chilli tells Bluey when she insists on comparing her skills on the monkey bars to those of other kids. Then itâs story time: Despite rolling over early, baby Bluey was behind on walking, and a determined Chilli turned milestones into a competition, ultimately resulting in her feeling like she was “doing everything wrongâ and skipping out on her mothersâ group. The encouragement she needed came from another mom who simply told her she was doing great.
From then on, Chilli changed her attitude. In true fashion, the episode ends with a beautiful moment of Bluey taking her first steps toward Chilli, as Bingo guesses Blueyâs motivation was seeing something she wanted. The episode also shows us fun flashbacks to a younger (and smaller) Heeler family, with funny nods to life as a new parent, from a sleep-deprived Bandit to his motherâs questionable and possibly illegal outdated parenting suggestions.
8. âSheepdogâ â An Ode to Alone Time
Every parent can relate when Chilli says, âI need 20 minutes where no one comes near me.â Determined to make that a reality, Bandit agrees to play “Sheepdog”âwhich, of course, means he has to pretend to be an unruly sheep Bingo and Bluey are failing to herd. But the girls have a hard time understanding why Chilli needs a little time alone. Bluey in particular worries sheâs done something to upset Chilli, apologizes, and even asks why Chili doesnât want to see them and if she wishes she hadn’t had them. âIt can be hard work looking after kids,â Chilli explains. âSometimes, mums just need 20 minutes.â
No one in the episode understands this better than next-door neighbor Wendy. Although she’s quite unamused with Banditâs antics, her attitude changes as soon as she learns why heâs doing it, and she does her part to preserve Chilliâs precious 20 minutes. In the end, Chilli emerges calm and refreshed. Itâs a sweet episode about loving people while also needing (and giving) spaceâand, at its heart, it’s about moms supporting each other. We love to see it.
9. “Sleepytime” â The Silver Lining of Bedtime Struggles
Season 2âs episode âSleepytimeâ follows the Heeler familyâs very relatable bedtime routine. This Bluey episode is so beloved by adults that, at one point, “Sleeptime” ranked as high as #2 on IMDB’s list of best television episodes of all time near serious dramas like Breaking Bad, Sopranos, and Game of Thrones. In âSleepytimeâ, we watch the struggle of Chilli and Bandit attempting to put their little ones to bed between requests for âone moreâ bedtime story, middle of the night potty breaks, and kicks to the back (and the groin!) after Bingo ends up in mom and dadâs bed.
Partly told through Bingo’s dream, it takes viewers on a whimsical journey touching on lessons about growing up and letting go. Without spoiling it, moms might want a tissue handy as Chilli says goodnight (again) to Bingo near the end of the episode. “Sleepytime” makes our list of the best Bluey episodes for adults because, as one viral Tweet put it, âGood god, itâs perfect. Rarely do you see such a simple idea considered in such a complex and relatable way. In just 8 minutes it tackles parenthood, growing up, independence, and family dynamics- all with very little dialogue.â
10. “Whale Watching” â An Ode to The Morning After
What other show could handle hungover parenting in such a wholesome and hilarious way? Everyone who’s had to parent through exhaustion, sickness, or the morning after a late night will relate to the Bluey New Year’s episode, “Whale Watching.”
11. “Onesies” â Some Things Canât Be Fixed
In this episode, Chilliâs sister Aunty Brandy comes for a visit for the first time in four years. We learn through limited dialogue and moving imagery that Aunty Brandy stayed away because itâs been too hard to see her sister having the growing family Aunty Brandy hopes to have some day. Much like Season 2âs âThe Show,â where creators hinted that Chilli had a miscarriage, the show subtly and brilliantly addresses a tough topic like infertility in a way thatâs relatable for both little ones and adults. Keep the tissues handy for this touching episode.
12. “The Sign” â Some Decisions Don’t Have Clear Answers
As fans eagerly awaited the longest Bluey episode “The Sign,” many wondered if it would be the show’s seasonâor seriesâfinale. The 28-minute episode centers on the wedding of Frisky and Radâplanned in Blueyâs backyardâplus a potential big transition for the Heeler family. Not only does the episode tie up a few character plot points (Aunt Brandy!), but it’s also full of winks only the adults will understand (Stripe!)
But one of the most relatable moments in this episode happens between parents Bandit and Chilli as they struggle to determine whether their plan is the right decision for their family. While not every fan was happy with how it turned outâŠweâll see what happens with the Heelers next season!
We also need an honorable mention for âSurprise,â a literal surprise Season 3 finale episode that dropped on Sunday, Apr 21, 2024. Amidst some chaotic pretend play, Bluey asks Chilli what itâs like being a parent. The episode also gives us a peek into the Heeler familyâs future, where we see the more things change, the more they stay the same.
