In Bluey's world there must be universal basic income

The quality of life in Australia is higher then in the UK. My sister is a waitress and her husband is a mechanic. They have a huge 3 bed bungalow in a lovely tourist town. She only works 3 days and for those 3 days they have very very heavily subsidised childcare. They have a camper van and a go off on trips all the time.

I am an academic at a Russel group university and my DH is a bank manager at a high Street bank. We earn just above the national average wage, don't live in London and an in no way afford the lifestyle they have.

Bandit goes away to work on a 6 week rotation. I thought he was a bush pilot?

I’m pretty sure there are a few episodes where the mum goes to work

I haven’t watched loads but I thought it different for a show in that the dad does majority of play

He has so much energy

Sorry "with support from the govt" thay should say

😂

Isn't the show produced in support of the govt and I think the "wholesome family with engaged dad and working mum" is the specific message they want to push?

@Justdontforgethelegofrog sorry I get where you’re coming from now. It’s hard to compare lifestyles between countries though. I have lived in the UK, NZ, Sydney and Brisbane (where Bluey lives). In Queensland if you’re a homeowner having a pool is pretty standard and if you don’t, you’re bound to have 2 or 3 friends that do. They pay well here (but then labour costs are expensive). Minimum annual leave is 4 weeks but it’s not unusual to have 6 weeks. A normal work week is 38 hours and it’s usually a much faster commute compared to anywhere else I’ve lived. The show is very much relatable to a working family living in Brisbane. It’s not all rosy though - the summers are brutal and it takes ages to fly anywhere. Some things are more expensive relatively eg internet, food, power etc

When I lived in Sydney or London the “Bluey lifestyle” didn’t exist and after commuting / working for almost 12 hours a day I wouldn’t be mucking around with the kids to make tea.

My husband has a theory that with AI and robots we will all have much less to do in the future and the economy will function differently when most tasks are not done by humans.

I thought Chili is a project manager and Bandit works away in a mine. They are very comfortable, and it shows more in the latest series. Maybe it's because I'm broke now. Am I jealous of animated dogs?! Geez 2023 and your expensive butter.

Bluey was created to encourage good parents, specifically to encourage Dad’s to be more involved with their children. So the programme is trying to encourage that break through.

They boost their income with nefarious activities.

Bandit is an archaeologist, he has access to items of antiquity worth a lot of money to the right collectors.

Chilli works in airport security, she has knowledge of how to circumvent security procedures and which staff will look the other way while the smuggling is going on.

I always assume it's because it's filmed on the weekend cos when they're at school we don't usually see the home bit.

The bit I find most unrealistic is how they have endless patience and desire to play stupid games with the kids.

YADNBU. I absolutely never binge watch a few after the kids have gone to bed.

They're all on Disney+ or there's a smaller selection on iPlayer.

There is a UBI for all the animal people, paid for by their human slaves.

Only ever seen one or two episodes due to the dc being too old for it when it came out - AIBU to binge watch them all as a grown adult?

Remember seeing the episode where the kids play grannies on the bus and Chilli has a crush on the bus driver.

Yes it is lively but unrealistic (also the talking dogs!)

On a side note, my DM pointed out how lovely Topsy and Tim was modelling family interactions. I had to point out they have an unfair advantage as Topsy and Tim, who are allegedly in preschool, are being played by 7 or 8 year old kids...!

Bandit was away for work for 6 weeks in one episode I the kids were watching yesterday.

It’s a kids show. What content do you want in there so 3-8yo’s are more socially aware ? DV, poverty, racism , hell, why not give Chilli a good dose of gender dysmorphia. Maybe Bandit can have a drinking problem and fart too much 🙄

Both those parents work and their Queenslander is pretty bog standard for a house in the older parts of Brisbane. 10 years ago you could buy one easily for AUD$500k -800k. Maybe even less if it needed a bit of renovating

Apparently their house is worth $4m+ 😂

https://raywhitepaddington.com.au/news/bluey-sitting-on-a-fortune-in-the-house-on-the-hill

It's basically a sitcom, no one ever really works in sitcoms. I like to imagine they are usually showing us weekends. The kids go to a preschool.

I love Bluey and the family message it sends.

However.

It is obviously based on a certain type of circumstance and social circle. If you’re middle class with disposable income you’re are more likely to live in an area with people of similar income and social status. Bluey’s parents obviously set up careers before having children (Blues dad was a young teen in the 80s (yes I’m way over invested) which would make him 40+) so obviously have built up to more flexibility, meaning more family time, meaning a far better work/life relationship.

It’s still fantastic to see that it’s usually Dad who’s managing this time. Bluey isn’t without flaws. Sometimes it does fall into the old tropes of ‘Mum’s the bossy one that has to remember all the practical stuff, dad is fun and silly’. Sometimes is a tad judgemental of anything outside their middle class, high income bliss. But, it’s still an amazing show that makes me feel both less and and more guilty about how I’m raising my own children 🤣.

I would sell my soul for their house….