Bluey is far and away Disney’s most popular streaming show, and is a cultural phenomenon among families with small children. This leads many parents to wonder where at Walt Disney World their kids can ride a Bluey attraction, experience a show or dance party or, at the very least, hug the adorable heeler pups from the famous Disney+ show.
Well…about that. While it’s true that Bluey is the most popular show on Disney+, it is not Disney’s. Bluey is a morass of rights, but the bottom line is that Bluey is controlled and produced by Ludo Studio, and funded by the Australian Broadcasting Corp., BBC Studios, and local government agencies.
Disney licensed Bluey before it became a huge hit as a way to round out the limited lineup on its nascent Disney+ streaming service in 2019. Unfortunately, Disney does not have the theme park rights to Bluey, and as such, the characters do not appear at Walt Disney World, Disneyland, or any of the international parks. If all you want is the short answer of the titular question, it’s nothing. But as you might’ve guessed, there’s more to the story…
As mentioned above, Bluey is a cultural phenomenon. It’s an international generational hit, popular not just in Australia and the United States, but pretty much everywhere. In China, Bluey’s third season has been viewed 100 million times since it appeared on iQiyi, the country’s Netflix.
Americans watched 731 million hours of Bluey last year. It wasn’t just the most watched kids’ show in the United States last year, Bluey was the second most streamed show after Suits, which benefits from a longer format, way more episodes, and being on multiple streaming services. In fact, Bluey accounts for roughly 30% of total TV show views on Disney+ (meaning it’s not competing with Moana, Encanto, Frozen or other movies).
Those who are already familiar with Bluey need no explanation of the show’s popularity. If your kids are hooked on it, you are likely hooked on it. Bluey is all-consuming and omnipresent. But if you’ve only heard about Bluey in passing, the basic gist of the show is that it revolves around the daily lives of the Heeler family, consisting of 7-year-old Bluey and her (yes, Bluey is a girl–just like Kevin from Up!) younger sister, Bingo, as well as their parents Bandit and Chilli.
It’s hard to articulate what, exactly, Bluey is. It’s kind of like Modern Family but for small children, with the sensibilities of Sesame Street and Studio Ghibli. That is an undoubtedly terrible explanation, so I’d simply advise you–as someone else did for me–to take ~8 minutes of your time and watch “Sleepytime.” That’ll do a better job than I could fumbling for an explanation with another thousand words or whatever.
“Sleepytime” was my first exposure to Bluey, and with that, it instantly clicked for me. Bluey isn’t the usual obnoxious children’s programming. It’s more like the television version of Calvin & Hobbes. It’s as much for parents as it is kids–perhaps more so–and guides everyone through the journey of childhood and parenthood all at once.
The bottom line, and point of all this, is that Bluey is not simply the flavor of the week in kid’s television. It’s the rare show that has managed to capture lightning in a bottle, and the collective attention and imaginations of its audience. Bluey is more like Game of Thrones, The Office, Friends, or Seinfeld in this regard. Obviously, very different styles of shows–but similarly popular.
This is all relevant because it means that, unlike a flash-in-the-pan hit on Disney Jr., Bluey is different. It will almost certainly be enduring. And given Disney’s affinity for acquisitions, it’s only a matter of time before Bluey gets bought or, at the very least, the company obtains the theme park rights to the franchise.
Speaking of which, a source familiar with Disney’s original Bluey deal in 2019 told Bloomberg that the company’s consumer products division had the chance at the time to license the show’s merchandising and theme park rights from BBC Studios, but Disney opted to pass on them. (Perhaps Disney negotiated with GOB, who managed to maintain theme park rights to Mr. Bananagrabber, Baby Bananagrabber, and any other Bananagrabber family character that might emanate there from.)
That same report indicates that Disney now regrets passing on theme park rights to Bluey. Because, obviously they do. Disney bought the rights to Bluey before it became a massive hit–it’s fair to say passing over theme park rights was shortsighted. At least, with the benefit of hindsight. If this blog is getting questions about Bluey at Walt Disney World, you can only imagine how inundated Disney is with these inquiries. Kids don’t understand IP rights–they just know they watch Bluey on Disney+, therefore, it is Disney. It’s sound logic!
In that same Bloomberg report, Disney declined to comment on whether the company has explored attempting to buy Bluey. No comment is necessary, though. Disney CEO Bob Iger loves acquisitions, and has continued down that path even as the company has had financial woes. There’s no way they haven’t tried to buy Bluey.
Regardless of whether or not Bluey is acquired outright by the Walt Disney Company, it’s only a matter of time before those passed-over theme park rights are acquired. As the $2 billion empire continues to grow, Bluey merchandise is becoming more ubiquitous, and its collective rightholders are dipping their feet into interactive experiences in the form of pop-up locations around the world.
The biggest of these is Bluey’s World, a guided immersive experience at the Northshore Pavilion in Brisbane, Queensland. Bluey’s World will offer a more permanent place to explore the Heeler family’s iconic Queenslander home, backyard and beyond – in real life!
Explore multiple rooms and play games from Bluey, as you embark on an interactive adventure with your guide through the vibrant and playful world of Bluey. This expansive, multi-sensory experience features real-life sets, recognisable scenes, and beloved characters and games from hit-show Bluey.
It seems inevitable that Bluey will continue to expand on these experiences, and Walt Disney World is a logical next step for a number of reasons. First and foremost is that Disney really needs this type of a win. We’ve been discussing ways that Walt Disney World can “compete” with Epic Universe, which is Universal Orlando’s new theme park that opens in 2025. Spoiler alert: there isn’t a whole lot that matches a brand-new theme park in scale, scope, or potential popularity.
The list contains a lot of little things and entertainment offerings that are achievable on a shorter timeline, along with hail marys like a Taylor Swift ride overlay of Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster. Much like that, a substantive Bluey offering would resonate deeply with a particular, passionate audience.
Suffice to say, Bluey is one of the very few things that wouldn’t necessarily compete with Epic Universe, but would generate a massive amount of buzz and have huge drawing popular for Walt Disney World in what will otherwise be a rough couple of years in 2025-2026.
As for what we could expect to see in such a theoretical scenario where Walt Disney World is able to use Bluey, something like the Bluey’s World walk-through actually makes a ton of sense. Imagineering used to be temporary exhibits like this with quick turnaround times–it’s precisely how Magic Kingdom ended up with the various permutations of Toontown (RIP) in the first place.
Other realistic options include something temporary back in Animation Courtyard at Disney’s Hollywood Studios (there’s a lot of unused space, and even if Monstropolis goes back here, this area could stay open for another year or longer), a cavalcade at Disney’s Hollywood Studios, or integration into World Celebration at EPCOT (remember, Bluey is Australian, so it’s sorta worldly!).
Disney’s Hollywood Studios is the most logical landing location for Bluey, but logic may not dictate where the characters end up. Need could. Unless Walt Disney World has something up its sleeve for 2025, the park most in need of an attendance boost will be Animal Kingdom. About the only place I wouldn’t expect the characters is Magic Kingdom, as they simply aren’t needed there.
Ultimately, it’ll be interesting to see where Bluey ends up landing at Walt Disney World. Or if the show’s characters come to the parks at all. As you’ve probably gathered, my perspective is that this is a matter of “when” and not “if.” Disney already regrets passing on the theme park rights to Bluey, Bob Iger loves synergy and acquisitions, Bluey’s current rightsholders are obviously open to immersive experiences, and Walt Disney World needs a near-term shot in the arm. The stars are aligned, and it’s too perfect of a fit for it to not happen.
Then again, perhaps this is wishful thinking on my part as the father to a toddler who will be Bluey age soon. I’ve seen other children’s televisions shows (for research), and they are not good. To the contrary, most are very bad. Loud, obnoxious, chaotic, and uninteresting. It’s no wonder kids have behavioral and attention issues when they’re watching crap like CoComelon. But that’s well beyond the scope of this post. The bottom line is that Bluey is actually worthwhile, and I’m selfishly hopeful that the show’s characters appear at Walt Disney World in the next few years.
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YOUR THOUGHTS
What do you think about Bluey coming to Walt Disney World? Does the Heeler family deserve a presence in the parks? Think Bluey entertainment or characters would be good additions in Hollywood Studios, EPCOT, or Animal Kingdom? Hopeful that Bluey, Bingo, Bandit and other characters are added to entertainment or as meet & greets ASAP? Do you agree or disagree with our commentary? Any questions we can help you answer? Hearing your feedback–even when you disagree with us–is both interesting to us and helpful to other readers, so please share your thoughts below in the comments!
