The Heelers Are Moving — Why Bluey’s Family Is Selling Their Iconic House
"As adults, we can be really excited about moving house. But that is not the case for kids, as they usually don't have control over it."
Published April 8 2024, 1:19 p.m. ET
The absolutely perfect children’s television show Bluey (it has a 100 percent score on Rotten Tomatoes) appears to be embarking on a pretty massive adventure. After three seasons, the Heeler family may be leaving their home.
At the end of the brand new Bluey episode, "Ghostbasket," we see that the Heelers are putting the family home up for sale. For a child, and even some adults, moving can be quite emotional. In the tradition of other fine children’s TV shows that tackle heavy emotional moments (Sesame Street’s the death of Mr. Hooper episode is especially powerful and pretty much all of Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood teaches kids about how to deal with emotions), Bluey is becoming an important teaching tool.
Bluey's family puts their house up for sale, which teaches kids about moving and change.
According to the press release about the special episode, “Bluey is starting 2024 as the No. 1 most-streamed series across all audiences and the No. 1 series for preschoolers and kids overall in the U.S., according to Nielsen." In other words, people are watching. And a lot of these people, a lot of these kids, will also be moving. Seeing the Heelers start their potential move and talking about change will be helpful for young viewers.
In an ABC Australian piece published on April 6, 2024, it says, “Bluey is back with a lesson about preparing kids for change.” They speak with mental health social worker Heidi Langley on why this episode will be good for the show’s target audience. "As adults, we can be really excited about moving house. But that is not the case for kids, as they usually don't have control over it, or a choice in the matter, and that can make them feel confused, anxious, angry and sad."
Some parents may be just as shook about the Heelers' move as the fictional Bluey and Bingo. The show is so beloved and popular a real-life version of the home was created for Airbnb.
If you want to be cynical about the move, just look at your child’s toys.
Anything remotely successful on television has the potential to make gobs and gobs of money by selling more plastic toys to kids. Maybe your very own little one would like a Bluey Mini Home Play Set for $19.99. How about the slightly larger Bluey Family Home Playset for $39.99? Why not just go all out and get the Bluey, Ultimate Lights and Sounds Playhouse, including figures and accessories for $89?
Yes, Bluey is a fantastic, beautiful children’s television show that’s able to teach kids and make parents cry because youth is fleeting and heartbreaking. But first and foremost, it’s a successful television show that sells toys. Which reminds us, there’s also the Bluey Ultimate Mega Set on sale for only $109.15!
So maybe moving to a new house is also a very good way to sell more toys?
Bluey is available on Disney+. The first ever Bluey special episode, 'The Sign,' premieres on April 14.
