Bluey creator Joe Brumm: A crucial part of our cultural fabric
Sharing his ‘life on screen’, Bluey creator Joe Brumm has raised the standard worldwide for children’s entertainment, enjoying a sensational year as he ponders his future.
Ten years ago, it would have been hard to imagine how a cartoon dog could capture the hearts of millions.
Bluey, who has featured in New York’s iconic Thanksgiving Day parade and was last year commemorated with a special collectable coin, has danced into the hearts of people around the world, and become a fixture in any household with children under the age of 12.
It is for this reason the show’s creator, Joe Brumm, has been nominated for The Australian’s Australian of the Year.
While the show started in 2018, it has ramped up over the past year because of greater ambitions under Brumm’s curatorship as writer and executive producer.
Bluey was the most watched series globally through Disney+ last year, a figure matched by ABC iView and international counterparts. The show’s season three finale – ‘The Sign’ – ran for an extended 28 minutes and has acted as a warm-up to a feature film announced in mid-December and slated for a 2027 release.
The show’s eponymous protagonist is named for Brumm’s childhood dog.
Producer Sam Moor has described the series as Brumm’s “life on screen”.
“Bluey has completely changed my life. It’s been an immensely satisfying thing to be a part of, more than I can really put into words,” Brumm said.
Not only has Bluey left an impact on the children it inspires, it has successfully put Brisbane on the map for millions around the world. The show’s impact has been so stratospheric it buoyed petitions for its cast to be the official mascots of the 2032 Brisbane Olympics.
As Brumm leads this hit animation series to global prominence, he has also danced with an idea that children’s stories tend to avoid: an ending.
First, he threatened to move Bluey, Bingo, Bandit and Chilli from their iconic Brisbane home in The Sign. Then, upon announcing the show’s feature film ambitions, he suggested he too might leave the series behind.
“After some time spent away from the series, working on another project, an old idea resurfaced and before I knew it, I’d written a Bluey feature script that I really love. Fast forward through a tonne of contracting and we’re about to embark on making an animated Bluey movie,” Brumm told fans in a statement.
“Now, for the (bad news), I always said I wouldn’t keep making the show if I thought I couldn’t make any new season as good as the last. This would have been the case for me with a potential season four, so I’ve decided to take a break from my involvement in the TV series.
“In the event I can’t wrap my head around doing more seasons myself, The Sign will mark my TV finale for Bluey and I wrote it as such.”
Regardless of what sits on Brumm’s horizons, his contributions to millions of childhoods have made him a crucial part of Australia’s cultural fabric.
The winner of The Australian’s Australian of the Year will be announced on Saturday
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