Dad Baby
| "Dad Baby" | |
|---|---|
| Bluey episode | |
 Title card | |
| Episode no. | Series 2 Episode 13 |
| Directed by | Richard Jeffery |
| Written by | Joe Brumm[1] |
| Original air date | 29 March 2020[2] |
| Running time | 7 minutes |
"Dad Baby" is the 13th episode of the second series of the Australian animated television program Bluey, and the 65th episode overall. It first aired on ABC Kids in Australia on 29 March 2020. The episode involves Bandit as he tries to simulate being pregnant with Bingo with a baby sling and ends up pretending to give birth to her in the backyard pool.
The episode was animated by Brisbane's Ludo Studio and was directed by Richard Jeffery and co-directed and written by series creator Joe Brumm. The episode has gained infamy over its subject matter involving pregnancy and childbirth in a children's show, resulting in the episode being absent from Disney+ and Disney Junior in certain territories, although the episode was later uploaded to the show's official YouTube account on 2 May 2024.
Plot
[edit]Chilli and Bandit are relaxing, while Bluey tidies up spilled orange juice. When Bluey asks if she really needs to clean everything, Bandit tells her, "If you're going to do something, do it properly." Bingo enters the room wearing a baby sling, which Bandit explains they used when the girls were little. Bluey seizes the moment and convinces Bingo to climb in, announcing their next imaginative game: Dad Baby. Bandit, embracing the role, agrees to act like he is pregnant with Bingo.
Chilli, sensing what is coming, puts down her magazine just as Bandit begins exaggerated complaints about pregnancy symptoms like sore feet, back pain, and hunger. Bluey and Bingo run wild with the game, eventually ending up in the kitchen where Bandit craves dim sims, but Bingo snatches them away. Bluey insists pregnant people need exercise and leads Bandit outside. Chilli, amused, warns Bandit that the baby will soon start kicking, prompting Bingo to do just that. As Bandit tries to quit, Bluey throws his own words back at him about doing things properly, just as Bingo pops out from the baby sling, simulating the baby being born.
The action shifts to the backyard pool, where Bandit lies in mock labor, but there is no midwife. When neighbor Pat is heard singing nearby, Bluey recruits him for help. Though initially clueless, Pat reluctantly joins the "delivery." Amid cricket updates from his son Lucky, distractions mount as Pat tries to pull Bingo from the baby sling. Despite their efforts, Bingo refuses to budge until Bluey suggests a new strategy, that she will pull while Pat pushes. With more teamwork and interruptions, Bingo is finally "born," grabbing Bandit's hairs on the way out, much to his pain and everyone else's delight.
Bandit, exhausted, lies in the pool cradling Bingo, his "newborn." When Bluey says the baby needs a name, Bandit lovingly chooses "Chilli." Pat comments on how seriously they take their games, and Bandit and Bluey respond together, "If you're going to do something, do it properly." Chilli congratulates them from above, and Bandit claims it was easy, until Bluey declares it is now her turn, leaving Bandit shook in panic.
Production
[edit]"Dad Baby" entered production in 2019 after Ludo Studio greenlit a second series in May 2019 due to the success of the first series.[3] Series creator Joe Brumm explained in an interview with The Hollywood Reporter that he knew that the episode pushed the boundaries of what could be shown in a preschool show but he allowed it because he felt that it was hilarious.[4] Brumm has stated that the episode was an "homage" to his wife, being fascinated at the process of pregnancy.[5]
Release
[edit]"Dad Baby" originally aired on ABC Kids in Australia on 29 March 2020 as the 13th episode for the first part of the second series, debuting to an audience of around 370,000 viewers.[2][6]
This episode has never been released on Disney+ and Disney Junior (see #Reception and controversy), but is available on digital platforms, like the iTunes Store, and it was uploaded to YouTube on 2 May 2024. The episode is available on home media releases of the first two seasons as an extra and is present on home media releases of the complete series. Although the BBC block CBeebies aired the episode in the United Kingdom on 17 August 2022.[7]
Reception and controversy
[edit]
"Dad Baby" has gained positive reception with critics due to its humor. Wren graves of the online publication Consequence listed "Dad Baby" as the sixth-best Bluey episode, describing it as "delicious and deserved schadenfreude."[8]
Despite this, "Dad Baby" has gained infamy for its depiction of pregnancy and childbirth in a children's show. The episode was skipped on Disney Plus and Disney Junior when the second series was released on the platform for its depiction of childbirth. Some people have speculated that the episode may have been pulled due to the fact that the mock pregnancy involves a male character that may evoke transgender imagery which Disney may had wanted to avoid stirring up controversy. Series creator Joe Brumm has objected to the censorship as he stated in an interview with The Hollywood Reporter which he said that "what are you going to do, not make 'Dad Baby'? I love it" although he knew that it would not be allowed to air in the United States.[9][4] The episode was later uploaded to the show's official YouTube account on 2 May 2024 although it was not added to Disney+.[10][11]
References
[edit]- ^ "Dad Baby". Bluey. Season 2. Episode 13. 29 March 2020. ABC.
- ^ a b "Bluey, Sticky Gecko and Other Stories". iTunes. Apple Inc. 2020. Archived from the original on 2 July 2021. Retrieved 15 May 2025.
- ^ "Bluey fetches a second series". screenaustralia.gov.au. Screen Australia. 16 May 2019. Retrieved 5 May 2025.
- ^ a b Rose, Lacey (9 June 2023). "How 'Bluey' Became Mom and Dad's Favorite TV Show, Too". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 15 May 2025.
- ^ Brumm, Joe (29 November 2022). "The creator of 'Bluey' writes for both kids and grown-ups". NPR (Interview). Interviewed by Summers, Juana. Retrieved 15 May 2025.
BRUMM: Well, it was kind of my - I was just quite amazed at my wife's journey through being pregnant and then the birth. And so it was my episode of trying to pay a bit of homage to her, really.
- ^ Knox, David (30 March 2020). "Sunday 29 March 2020". TV Tonight. Archived from the original on 31 March 2020. Retrieved 15 May 2025.
- ^ "CBeebies — Schedules, Wednesday 17 August 2022". BBC. Retrieved 15 May 2025.[non-primary source needed]
- ^ Graves, Wren (2 May 2024). "An Exhausted Parent Ranks All 154 Bluey Episodes from Worst to Best". Consequence. Retrieved 15 May 2025.
- ^ Welsh, Oli (5 November 2023). "I watched the forbidden episode of Bluey that Disney refuses to stream". Polygon. Retrieved 15 May 2025.
- ^ Welsh, Oli (2 May 2024). "The forbidden episode of Bluey is forbidden no more". Polygon. Retrieved 15 May 2025.
- ^ Heritage, Stuart (2 May 2024). "The one where Bandit gives birth: is America ready for the banned Bluey episode?". The Guardian. Retrieved 15 May 2025.
External links
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