As some of us might know, this past year a show called “Bluey” has become very popular. Some may have seen it pop up on their Tik Tok for-you-page or seen their little sibling or cousin watching it at a family event.

For those who do not know, the show features a dog family in a dog ruled world where instead of humans, its cute cartoon dogs. The show itself shows many different breeds of dogs like the main character being a “Blue Heeler” referencing the blue Australian heeler which the show originated from. In the show, it focuses on the Heeler family, mainly Bluey and her little sister Bingo. 

As the show started to broadcast on U.S. channels like Disney Junior or streaming services like Disney+, it began to reach a wider audience; that audience being teens and adults. Now, why did teenagers and adults start getting so interested in this Australian cartoon show? Some people say it’s due to the animation style or the beautiful highlights when a character gets close to the screen. These may be true, but one of the biggest possible reasons may be due to the deeper topics in the show and how the show portrays struggles in people’s lives.

The students at Enochs have commented on the topic and why they like the show. Jessie Torres, a senior at Enochs, stated, “In some ways it represents what so many people might have wanted their families to look like when they were younger or to have a show like this to guide them in their childhood. It’s definitely some things and lessons people can learn from still even though it’s a kids show.” Growing up, kids may have gone through traumatic experiences that involve family. This can include abuse from parents or anything that may have affected their mental health and mind set for the rest of their life. By watching Bluey, the show can be a sort of comfort from seeing a healthy parenting style. 

This goes for older adults who have kids as well, as they can learn how to parent if they didn’t grow up with a healthy family. As Jessie says, “It’s a sweet show and it still has a lot to teach people, even grown adults.”  Jessie got into the show due to people online posting clips of it on Tik Tok. Some of her favorite characters are Bluey and Bingo’s parents, Bandit and Chili. Jessie mainly likes them because they represent good values and overall being there for their kids in every aspect of their childhood.

As people watch the show more, some may relate to the characters in the show or the ‘kin’ them. ‘Kinning’ a character can be defined as either relating to the character or having a strong connection to the character. 

“I relate to all of the characters in a way because they all end up in tough situations but then are able to fix them and that portrays to my life and others because we go through life struggles but end up getting through it.” said Lily, another senior at Enochs. She got into the show because of her younger sister. “I started watching it with her and was hooked.” she later exclaimed. She took an interest in it because it is a light-hearted show with cute characters. 

“I like it because it’s funny, it’s cute, and even though it is ‘for kids’ it shows life skills on how to communicate with others and how to solve life problems with good communication.” stated Lily. 

The show depicts many struggles in life and disabilities, which are shown through the characters in the show. By showing real and normal struggles in life, kids and adults can learn how to cope and get through those obstacles, which may be one of the reasons why adults and teens are watching the show. 

If you are ever feeling down and stressed out, give watching the show Bluey a chance. Students like the ones above encourage others to watch the show as they believe it’s for everyone, not just for kids, so don’t feel embarrassed about watching it. Its a dog cartoon! It can teach people a thing or two about life and how to get through it.