EXCLUSIVE: Smart Parenting Talks To Bluey’s Mom And Dad About Parenting

Bluey, multi-awarded Australian animated television show just released two new special episodes, 'Ghostbasket' and the 28-minute episode 'The Sign'. The beloved Heeler family is faced with a major change for their family: moving. 

For any parent who's had to talk their child through big, often inevitable changes in the family, these two new episodes may act like guides and even some form of catharsis. Read on for Smart Parenting's exclusive interview with Bluey's mom and dad, Chilli, voiced by Melanie Zanetti, and Bandit, voiced by Dave McCormack, on how the Heeler parents are inspiring today's generation of young parents.

Smart Parenting (SP): There’s a big theme of uncertainty in the new episodes. How do you think do the new episodes help families learn about change?

Melanie Zanetti: I think ‘The Sign’ particularly is an amazing episode that looks at the uncertainties in life. And that we don’t always know what’s going to happen, but it’s just about staying present with each other and making the best decision you can with the information you have at the time. The messaging sort of is, if we’re together, we’re going to be in this adventure doing it with the people we love.

Dave McCormack: And also how some people can be worried about uncertainty and other characters are just cruising through and they don’t even notice the uncertainty until all of it’s done and they’re like, “What the?! What do you mean?!” The gravity of the situation hits them.

SP: Chilli and Bandit are faced with a big decision in the special new episode, ‘The Sign’. How can parents learn from how your characters handled a major decision?

Melanie: I think one amazing thing that we see with Chilli—there’s one point in ‘The Sign’ where she’s talking with Bluey and she gets really vulnerable in a way that I don’t really if we’ve seen it to this extent before with Chilli, kind of honest that we don’t exactly know what we’re doing. And having to be really honest with her kid.

You know that time in your life when you realize that your parents are just people? And not magic superheroes who know everything? So it’s a little of that happening and I think having this sort of honest dialogue with her daughter is just an example of some really beautiful parenting.

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Dave: I think what you take away from it is you can only do the best with the cards you’re dealt with, at that second. So no one knows, you don’t know what’s going to go on, you don’t know where everything will fall into place but when it gets to that end, looking back, it makes perfect sense. What were we worried about? You get to the end and it’s like, that’s not even a concern for me anymore. Just live life.

Melanie: And trust your gut, your heart, and your head!

SP: How similar or different is Chilli and Bandit’s parenting to the kind of parenting our generation grew up with?

Melanie: I think it depends on what your family’s like. And everyone has had vastly different experience. Personally, I draw a lot from my mum for Chilli. Because she was kind of ahead of her time in terms of being tuned in to little people. I’m one of six kids, we were quite close together. She was really focused on us as individual people who are all unique with our special gifts. I think I had a bit of Chili and my dad was great too.

But I know there’s been a lot of people, we’ve done Comic Cons recently, and they said 'I had a really tricky childhood, my parents weren’t like Bluey’s parents but this show is sort of healing me and helping re-parent me'. And just how tuned in Chilli and Bandit are to their kids, they play, and how much they let their kids’ imaginations run wild, is just really beautiful.

Dave: What I really like in the show as well is when they’re playing along with the kids and there’s magic involved. I love the fact that you don’t know if they’re pretending to believe in magic or the magic’s real in the show. And there’s so many episodes where we find that that happens and they’re just either really invested in it or there’s real magic. There’s so many things in the Bluey shows, it’s not exactly made obvious, you’ve got to interpret it a little bit and get your own meaning out of it.

SP: Do you have moments and memories as a kid with your own parents that left a mark on you?

Melanie: My dad—I have a sister who’s a couple of years older and we’re one and two in the family—when we were little, he had this episodic story that he would make up. And it was about these two sisters who would go on an adventure. And whenever they got in trouble, we would have these little rings with stones and them and we would press their rings together and something magical would happen. So that’s always something I hold so dear to my heart. Me and my sister still reference pressing our rings together.

SP: What can parents learn from Chilli and Bandit?

Dave: You just got to do the best you can. It’s great in the episode ('Ghostbasket' and 'The Sign'), Chili and Bandit, they’re just who they are. They’re not superheroes. You just have to have a go at it.

Melanie: You don’t have to have all the answers. I don’t think that’s the most important thing. I think the most important thing is that you’re tuning into these little pups slash children, and you’re there, and really seeing them and really listening to what their concerns are. I think that’s much more important than having all the answers.

SP: Are you ever recognized in public for your voice acting in Bluey?

Melanie: Never! Not once.

Dave: I’ve only had it two times, and I’m angry. I want people to recognize me more. I want to be walking down the street and have people say “Oh! Aren’t you Bandit?” “Yes! I am Bandit!”

Bluey’s new episodes, ‘Ghostbasket’ and the 28-minute special ‘The Sign’ are now available for streaming on Disney Plus.