Bluey has become a worldwide phenomenon, but Disney may have missed the boat with their original deal that passed on merchandising and theme park rights, according to a new report from Bloomberg.
What’s Happening:
- A new report from Bloomberg is chronicling the success and future of the hit show, Bluey, and has revealed that The Walt Disney Company had the opportunity to showcase the characters and environments in the show in their parks.
- Bluey debuted in 2018, and follows the titular six-year-old (later seven-year-old) Blue Heeler puppy who is characterized by her abundance of energy, imagination and curiosity about the world. The young dog lives with her father, Bandit; mother, Chilli; and younger sister, Bingo, who regularly joins Bluey on adventures as the pair embark on imaginative play together. Other characters each represent a different dog breed, while the show’s themes include the focus on family, growing up and Australian culture.
- The show, from creator Joe Brumm and Ludo Studio in Australia, has become a massive worldwide phenomenon, thanks in part to early streaming deals with Disney, launching it early on as Disney+ launched, and broadcasting the series on Disney Junior and Disney Channel.
- Fans of Disney+ may recall the early advertisements for the then-new streaming service that put an emphasis on their own original content, like The Mandalorian or The World According to Jeff Goldblum, and not licensing deals like Bluey.
- Bluey, however, has not only become the most watched kids show last year, but was also the second most streamed show in 2023, following Suits, the USA Network’s legal procedural.
- A source familiar with Disney’s original Bluey deal in 2019 says 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 it passed on them.
- This means that Disney cannot build anything Bluey at their parks, from a simple meet and greet to a fully fleshed out attraction or themed land.
- According to the reports, Disney regrets this now. At the Disney Parks, kids are reportedly showing up, getting to meet other “Disney” favorites like Spider-Man and Darth Vader, whom they see on Disney Channel or Disney+, but not Bingo.
- Disney has made no comment regarding any attempts or exploration of acquiring the hit show, but Ludo Studio has emphasized that Bluey is not for sale.
- In the meantime, Australians can anticipate their own Bluey tourist attraction: Bluey’s World, an immersive experience in Brisbane that’s scheduled to open later this year and will feature a more permanent facsimile of the Heeler home, including its familiar backyard and poinciana tree.
- The immersive life-size Bluey's World will be built on a 4,000-square-meter site in Australia, at Northshore Pavilion at Hamilton and will be open to the public in August 2024.
- The experience is backed by BBC Studios and HVK productions with funding from the Queensland government and Brisbane City Council.
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