Set in a world of anthropomorphic dogs, Bluey is full of great characters that all contribute to making the show work for kids and adults alike. Since its release in 2018, Bluey has skyrocketed in popularity, the Australian show endearing itself to an international audience enough for its third season to secure a spot on Disney+. The show has found itself with dedicated viewers far from its target demographic of children aged 5 to 7 years old, striking a delicate balance between child entertainment, adult treatability, and valuable lessons for every age.
The characters inhabiting the world of Bluey are a critical part of how it keeps audiences invested across age groups. Despite being talking canines, the Heeler family and their friends are surprisingly easy to relate to, displaying genuine care for each other without being unrealistically unselfish. The best characters in Bluey are interesting, integral to the story, and make it easy for both kids and adults to get into what is one of the best animated TV shows of recent years.
10 Socks
The youngest child of the extended Heeler family tree, Socks is Bluey and Bingo’s rambunctious cousin. Though her age is never directly stated, Socks is barely a toddler, learning to walk throughout the show. Normally, the series stays relatively grounded and true to life despite being set in a world of talking dogs, but Socks gives audiences some insight into a bizarre difference in the world of Bluey and our own; She acts much more “like a dog” than any other character.
It appears that in the world of Bluey, aging is directly tied to losing one’s animal-like behavior, suggesting a sort of primal baseline for the dog denizens of the show. While this is a fascinating topic to explore, having a character like Socks act explicitly more like a dog, complete with growling, biting, and running on all fours, is a bit distracting. Still, Socks serves a valuable purpose in teaching older kids the value of showing patience with younger family members, and watching Socks progress throughout the series, even talking by later episodes, makes her a worthwhile inclusion.
9 Grandad
Though he doesn’t get much screen time, Bluey and Bingo’s grandpa, simply called “Grandad”, is a great character that many viewers can see their parents and grandparents in. As Chilli’s father, Grandad is revealed to have had a life in the Army before settling down in retirement, enjoying his twilight years living among Australia’s beautiful natural splendor. Outdoorsy and great with the kids, Grandad is a perfect stand-in for the wise, mystical figure children often project upon their grandparents.
Still, Grandad is kept down to earth with his kindness and struggles with adapting to technology, the frustration of the latter being even more relatable to adults watching. Grandad getting used to his aging body is also played for laughs but touches at how Bluey does shy away from topics harder to talk about with kids, like the changes adults go through in their senior age. The topic of age may be explored even more seriously later on, with Bandit’s father being absent from the series for some time.
8 Uncle Rad and Frisky
Though two separate characters, Uncle Rad and Frisky’s stories are intertwined in one of the most heart-warming episodes of the series. In their debut appearance in Season 2, Episode 8’s Double Babysitter, Bluey’s Uncle Rad and Godmother, Frisky, are double-booked to babysit the kids for a night, meeting each other and fostering the start of a romance. The depiction of two adults meeting and falling in love is something that isn’t often seen in a series aimed at young children, making their brief appearances all the more special.
Other than their significance towards each other, Uncle Rad and Aunt Frisky also touch on some sensitive subjects in a very respectful way. Uncle Rad is given the unusual profession of working on an oil rig, meaning his family doesn’t get to see him that often, and Frisky touches on a previous relationship that didn’t work out, a topic that’s difficult to explain to kids. Bluey not shying away from romance or complicated topics despite its target demographic is part of what makes it so unique, Uncle Rad and Frisky being lovely characters that emphasize this quality.
7 Rusty
Bluey’s close friend, Rusty is a Red Kelpie with an adventurous streak. Though Bluey isn’t a series directly aimed at girls alone, the majority of its main cast of children are female, and Rusty provides a good balance to this as a young boy into hobbies that are typical of one. Like Chilli, Rusty’s father is an Army veteran, giving Rusty a strong admiration of the lifestyle, frequently playing soldier with his best friend, Jack Russell.
Based on creator Joe Blumm’s childhood dog, Rusty was originally intended to be Bluey’s main character. This explains his increased screen time compared to Bluey’s other friends and the same general silhouette as the main character. A kind but active kid, Rusty balances the show out with his adventurous personality, charm, and love of playing cricket.
6 Uncle Stripe
Bandit’s younger brother, Stripe plays the role of the easygoing Uncle to Bluey and Bingo. His go-with-the-flow personality is a blessing and a curse, making him a favorite of the Heeler kids when it comes to playing games, but sometimes struggles to lay down the law. Being the bad guy is a difficulty many parents can relate to, and watching Uncle Stripe try and fail to control his rambunctious daughters can provide a lot of catharsis.
Stripe is a great archetype for the show to fulfill as the fun uncle, but he has his fair share of struggles as well. As a kid, Stripe was mercilessly teased by Bandit, and sometimes plays second fiddle to his older brother even in their adult life, such as when Bandit dominates him in a game of squash. The struggle of the younger sibling makes Stripe relatable to kids, and his exasperated attempts to keep a handle on his kids make him resonate with parents as well.
5 Muffin
A White Heeler like her mom, Muffin is the Heeler sister’s younger cousin. A difficult kid to raise, Muffin is prone to temper tantrums and causing chaos, much to the chagrin of her overworked parents and slightly more mature older cousins. Though not as young as her sister, Socks, Muffin is decidedly more immature than Bluey and Bingo, but still a lovable kid with a big heart. Muffin provides Bluey and Bingo with a fun, but rambunctious playmate, the experience of which is a universal constant for many kids meeting extended family. Despite her habitual thumb-sucking, reliance on naps and frequent time-outs, Bluey and Bingo enjoy Muffin’s company.
4 Chilli
The glue that holds the family together, Chilli is the mother to Bluey and Bingo and Bandit’s wife. Like many mothers throughout television history, Chilli is perhaps the most grounded member of the Heeler family, sometimes being the only one to take care of business and remember the “boring” details that keep things from spiraling out of control. Chilli is also fierce when she needs to be, frequently throwing loving jabs at her goofy husband and able to keep her daughters in line with just a sharp look. These traits, not to mention her love of hockey, make Chilli the most grounded member of the family.
That being said, Chilli is still an incredibly caring mother and loving wife. Even though she works a lot as the linchpin of the family, she’s able to frequently show her softer side as well. Like other adults in the series, she’s just as willing to throw herself into Bluey and Bingo’s elaborate games. She’s also great at showing how exhausting adult life can be, not above slamming a whole bag of chips by herself to recuperate from the day’s activities. Chilli allows adult viewers to see themselves in her while being a familiar mom to many kids.
3 Bingo
Bluey’s little sister, Bingo is an energetic and creative little girl that the show wouldn’t be complete without. Despite Bluey technically being the main character, Bingo gets an equal amount of screen time, a lesson in and of itself to many sibling viewers across the world. Still, Bingo sometimes struggles to share the spotlight with Bluey, getting mistakenly referred to by her sister’s name by Uncle Rad, and isn’t always able to keep up with the older kids.
Beyond her struggles as the younger sibling, Bingo is incredibly important for the sense of childlike wonder she instills in the series. Bingo’s huge imagination is frequently the source of the trademark games the sisters are known to put on, and she’s prone to becoming fascinated with small moments of the world’s beauty, such as flowers or insects. It’s hard to imagine Bluey would be complete without Bingo, as the show would be sorely missing a huge portion of its cuteness factor without her.
2 Bluey
The titular character, Bluey is 7-year-old Blue Heeler and the star of the show. The closest thing the show has to a protagonist, Bluey loves her family, always ready to rile them together for a creative adventure. Bluey keeps her family on their toes with her elaborate games, curiosity, and willingness to include everyone. For a kid, Bluey is also very brave, willing to try new things even when she’s not sure about them.
It can be difficult to create a child protagonist that goes through struggles a kid would, with many kid’s TV characters coming across as incredibly annoying. But Bluey manages to strike a great balance of being an excellent role model for child viewers without being an impossible standard that won’t resonate with kid viewers. Bluey’s fascination with the adult world is also what helps the show bridge the gap between its two audiences, her antics in re-creating her parents’ activities or asking them endless questions about how the world works is a key component in the show’s success.
1 Bandit
While Bluey herself is the emotional core and protagonist of the series, it’s hard to imagine Bluey would’ve reached the same levels of popularity without the influence of her dad, Bandit Heeler. Bandit is a lovable father who’s always down to throw himself into playing various roles in his kids’ games, clearly still being something of a child at heart himself. Yet Bandit also has something of a dark streak, shown when he mercilessly teases his brother or when he matter-of-factly puts down his kids if they complain about something they find unfair.
Bluy discusses parenthood, including through the character of Bandit. In this way, the show can teach adults as well as kids, being an unfortunately rare TV depiction of someone who wants to improve at being a father and a husband. Bluey makes the show a successful kids’ series, but without Bandit’s lovable antics as an exhausted parent and snappy sense of humor, Bluey likely wouldn’t have reached the same heights of success with a wider audience.
