When Madeline Carpou needs the family dog Lilliput to sit still and chill, she reaches for the remote control and turns on Bluey.
Ms Carpou stumbled upon her pup’s love for the ABC’s beloved blue heeler when a dog-sitting date at her parents’ place clashed with an outing with friends.
To keep Lilliput company while she was gone, Ms Carpou popped on a 24/7 Bluey marathon and gave her a chewy treat.
She returned around five hours later to a very contented dog.
“She greeted me as usual then went straight back to the couch to get back to Bluey and her treat,” Ms Carpou said.
“We watched it together for 30 minutes — she was totally zoned in.”
Mary Bolling’s labradoodle River is another big fan of the show, but growing up in the home of a Bluey fanatic, he had no real choice in the matter.
According to his owner, the excitable two-year-old pup is calmest when seated with family in front of the screen.
“I definitely count it as one of his favourite programs,” Ms Bolling said.
Bluey in high definition
A viral social media theory, originating on TikTok, suggests Bluey uses colours that dogs can see well, which is why they are drawn to the show.
But can science really explain River and Lilliput’s behaviour?
Kate Mornement, an applied animal behaviourist in regional Victoria, said contrary to popular belief, “dogs are not necessarily colour blind”.
“But they are restricted to only seeing shades of grey, brown, yellow and blue,” she told ABC Victorian Mornings.
“It’s because they have less [colour-sensing] cones in their eyes compared to humans, so they see a few less colours.”
While Bluey’s colour palette is heavy on the blues, yellows and browns dogs can see, Dr Mornement offers another theory about why some dogs may appear to enjoy the cartoon.
“It’s a phenomenon — dogs watching TV — that’s increased in recent years, and the reason is … high-definition TV.
“[Its] invention … has made it much easier for dogs to see the images on the screens, and so that’s why they tend to be more interested these days than years gone past.”
So, can dogs following what’s happening on screen or are they just watching shapes?
“I’ve seen some really interesting videos on social media of dogs watching TV in different contexts, and they tend to be a lot more interested when it’s animals that they’re watching,” Dr Mornement said.
“Some dogs are intrigued and you might see them cock their heads and stare at the TV, and other dogs … might be really scared or anxious and they’ll start barking.
“I’ve even helped clients with dogs that might jump up at the TV really aggressively because they were scared … of what they were seeing.”
What do Bluey’s creators say?
In a very tongue-in-cheek statement, Ludo Studio, the creatives behind the series, said the discovery that dogs were not colourblind had “created an exciting creative and business opportunity” for the show.
“It is for these reasons that Bluey’s lead art designers collaborated with Queensland scientists during development and pre-production in the hope we might create a series with a colour palette and certain storylines as appealing to dogs as they were to parents and children,” the studio said in jest.
So, with studios now creating programs in colours that are “appealing to dogs”, do we need to start moderating puppy screen time?
“Look, everything in moderation, just like with children, is fine,” Dr Mornement laughed.
“A little TV every now and then for the dog — as long as it’s not causing anxiety — is totally fine.”
It’s good news for canine Bluey fans, as the ABC is set to air a 28-minute special of the cartoon — called The Sign — this Sunday.
The extra-long release comes fresh off the heels of an episode titled Ghostbasket, released last weekend, which (spoiler alert) ends with a cliffhanger: the Heelers’ house has hit the real estate market.
Stream the new Bluey episode Ghostbasket on ABC iview now, and catch Bluey’s 28-minute special The Sign at 8am on April 14 on ABC iview.
Sophie Anderson, a UK-based writer, is your guide to the latest trends, viral sensations, and internet phenomena. With a finger on the pulse of digital culture, she explores what’s trending across social media and pop culture, keeping readers in the know about the latest online sensations.
