There is no end to the Bluey merchandise train, whether it’s toys, games, plushies, fruit snacks, and everything in between. The studio has done a good job of not exploiting the license into non-wholesome products so far, but there are a few questionable things out there. Thankfully, this latest announcement from the creators of the popular Australian animated series will have parents just as excited as their kids will be.
Over on the official Bluey YouTube channel, the BBC and Ludo Studios just dropped the premiere of their new exclusive web series, Bluey Book Reads. This fun show is a spectacular way to help teach kids how to read, taking a popular Bluey episode and putting it into a storybook format, complete with words shown on screen while being voiced by a celebrity narrator. Think of it like Bluey’s version of Reading Rainbow, which is a winning combination from my perspective. I wouldn’t mind hearing LeVar Burton read a story for this either! Best of all, this series is FREE! No subscriptions to Disney+ or anywhere else are required.
The first episode features Australian natives and pop sensations Kylie and Dannii Minogue, a pair of real-life sisters who respectively voice Bluey and Bingo as they retell the story from season three’s “Mini Bluey.”
You can check out the first episode, which just arrived on YouTube earlier today, down below:
“Bluey is an Aussie icon so when I was asked if I’d like to read Mini Bluey with my sister, it was an easy YES!” explained Kylie in a press release from Ludo. “This episode, ‘Mini Bluey’ was perfect for us for obvious reasons: big sister and little sister! It reminded me so much of being kids growing up in Australia. It’s a funny, sweet and heart-warming tale of being yourself and encouraging others to do the same. I hope people have as much fun watching as Dannii and I had making this beautiful episode of Bluey Book Reads.”
Dannii shared a similar sentiment when it came to everyone’s favorite family of cartoon Blue Heelers. “There is life before Bluey, and life after! Once you know Bluey….you are hooked! The stories jump from the page and tickle me in the belly – it’s laugh out loud. It is fun for so many ages, as we can all relate to different members of Bluey’s family. The Mini Bluey story was a joy to read with my sister, Kylie. A perfect tale of sisters finding out that although they are different, they are perfect just as they are. We hope it brings you a smile right to the last page.”
Ten episodes are currently scheduled to roll out on the channel on a bi-monthly basis, meaning a new short will be added every two weeks. Each one will be around five minutes long, making it the perfect bite-sized treat to help grow a young reader into a voracious one!
Following this debut with the Minogue sisters, the schedule for the next slate of episodes will be:
12th February 2024 – Famous sisters and Australian pop royalty Kylie and Dannii Minogue read ‘Mini Bluey’
26th February 2024 – Australian TV personality and conservationist Bindi Irwin reads ‘The Creek’
11th March 2024 – Olympic gold medallist, diver Tom Daley reads ‘Barky Boats’
22nd March 2024 – Stand-up comedian, actor and BBC Radio 2 host Romesh Ranganathan reads ‘Easter’
5th April 2024 – BAFTA award-winning English actress and producer Suranne Jones reads ‘Grannies’
19th April 2024 – American actress Jenna Fischer (The Office US, Office Ladies Podcast)Jenna Fischer reads ‘Charades’
3rd May 2024 – Hollywood star Eva Mendes reads ‘Mum School’
17th May 2024 – American actor, singer and dancer (Hamilton) Jordan Fisher reads ‘Swim School’
1th June 2024 – French actress and comedian Camille Cottin reads ‘The Beach’
14th June 2024 – American actor, comedian and writer Rob Delaney reads ‘Daddy Putdown’
One piece of advice – don’t get too excited about some of the names participating in this series. While it’s wonderful having these personalities join the world of Bluey in this capacity, it isn’t necessarily a preview that these celebs will provide their voices on future episodes of the show. Eva Mendes is currently the only performer from this list who has appeared in an episode of Bluey as the Yoga Dog from “Born Yesterday,” although Bindi’s brother, Robert, provided the voice of Alfie in “The Quiet Game.”
This series looks like a wonderful way to help children dive into reading, and is also an ideal way to keep the show relevant with them as these younger fans start to grow up. With the lack of new Bluey episodes on the horizon, and a possible extended dry spell while we wait for season four, we might begin to see a big dropoff from pre-existing young fans. Bluey Book Reads can ensure this audience stays invested in the character while we impatiently patiently wait for whatever comes next.
Bluey Book Reads is available on the official Bluey YouTube channel as well as their website.
