Top 10 Times Bluey Broke the Fourth Wall

It’s just another day in the Heeler home. Bluey and Bingo are playing when suddenly, Bandit enters the room and says, unprovoked: [“Dad enters the room”.] His family probably just sees it as him being his usual goofy self, but viewers can recognize he’s reading his stage directions from the script. We can’t help but ponder what made Bandit decide to say his intro cue out loud. Was it to help him remember, or did he just want to make a big entrance to make sure that everyone was paying attention? Either way, it got a giggle out of us, and it was nice of him to help us keep track of what was going on.

When something good or exciting happens in the show, the characters often throw their hands in the air and exclaim “Hooray!” in delight. It’s become a fun running gag and staple for the series, but if you look closely, it doubles as a fourth wall break. This word being excitedly shouted is typically accompanied by at least one of the characters looking toward the camera, possibly encouraging the viewers to cheer with them. It’s a small detail, but once you notice it, it’s hard to forget, and will hopefully inspire the audience to join in and match the cast’s enthusiasm.

Bluey, Bingo, and Bandit are finishing their shopping at the supermarket. But look closely at one of the shelves as they pass through the toy section. You might notice something eerily familiar about two of the playsets for sale. The box art for these looks almost exactly like the Heeler house, and there’s even a little figurine of what looks like Bluey on display. Did the show sneak in one of their real-life playsets into the episode? This wouldn’t be the last time they did this, as they put one of their books into the background in “The Quiet Game”. If this is “Bluey”’s version of product placement, we can respect their subtlety.

Bandit wants to teach Bluey how to play chess, but Chilli thinks their daughter isn’t old enough for that quite yet. When Bluey says how old she is, Bandit asks the following in amazement [“Are you still six?”]. On the surface, this is just the dad being cheeky, but when you think about it... we’re on season three at this point and Bluey is STILL six? It’s an age-old cartoon trope – kid characters often don’t age until the plot demands it, but to see “Bluey” acknowledge the trope and call it out is remarkable. Thankfully, this doesn’t last as we see Bluey celebrating her birthday later on.

It looks like it’s going to be another day of chaos in the Heeler household, with Bandit acting as Unicorse for the kids. Anticipating the hilarity, the dad kind of turns to us and admits that he does this to himself. Consider the madness that unfolds whenever Bandit takes part in the girls’ games, usually at his own expense. No one is telling him to jump through hoops the whole time, but he adorably does it anyway for the entertainment of his kids. Still, it’s nice of him to reach out to viewers (and himself) and admit that he’s his own worst enemy. Bandit is a trooper for that alone.

It seems like now and then, something occurs that’s too confusing for even the Heeler gang. The parents could be confused by their kids’ games or strange questions. Conversely, the kids could be puzzled by their peers’ weird actions or random mumblings. When this happens, the perplexed individual’s reaction is often to glance at the audience. It’s hard to tell if they’re sharing our own looks of confusion, or if they’re hoping that WE’LL have the answers to what’s going on. Sorry to say, Heelers and co., but if you don’t know, we definitely don’t either – still, we can’t deny the reactions are amusing.

When Bingo gets an episode all to herself, she has trouble finding something to play on her own. She tries “I Spy” at one point, but realizes it’s not exactly a one person game. She then looks directly into the camera and tells us that the object she spied was the rug. We love that Bingo took the time to tell us what was on her mind. It's too bad that as viewers, we couldn’t help her with her loneliness, but at least she ultimately learned to make her own fun. Still, we’d do anything to properly play a full game of “I Spy” with her one day.

While putting a swing together, Chilli is reading instructions featuring a cartoon dog. Bandit just shrugs them off saying he won’t be taking advice from an animated pup... who’s going to tell him? The irony of him saying this while he HIMSELF is a cartoon dog is hilarious alone, but it doubles as a nod to the show’s audience. While “Bluey” is primarily marketed to kids, parents and other viewers find themselves taking cues from the Heelers, and gaining helpful tips and insights. To bring the point home, Bandit and Chilli end up following the illustration’s directions, and it works. So take that, Bandit; you SHOULD take advice from animated pooches.

In a way, having the title cards read aloud counts as a fourth wall break since it involves the characters saying the episode’s name. However, now and then, the title drops don’t always go as planned – one character could give up reading it altogether, or someone could change the episode’s name at the drop of a hat. Along with being a hilarious break in the routine, these little twists imply that the Heelers are conscious that they’re in a cartoon. Regardless, it’s nice to hear they’re always eager to read the episode titles for their younger audiences –even if they don’t always get it right.

Before we unveil our top pick, here are a few honorable mentions.

Interrupted Title Card, “Tickle Crabs”
Bandit Steps in to Get out of Playing a Game

Lila & the Audience, “Daddy Dropoff”
Lila Tells Us About How She Met Bingo

Batman, “Jingle Bells”
Apparently, the Dark Knight Exists in “Bluey”

The Wiggles, “Phones”
The Real-Life Group Make a Cameo in Dog Form

It’s bedtime for Bluey after a whole day of playing with Unicorse. The outrageous puppet asks Bluey if SHE’s a puppet, which the young girl just laughs off. However, that night, Bluey has a strange dream – a time-lapse where the episode’s final scene is fully rigged, animated, and rendered right before the final product plays. To her, it’s just a strange dream. But to us, it’s a fun look into the process of bringing the Heelers’ adventures to life. It makes us appreciate how much effort is put into the show’s production, but let’s not tell Bluey that it wasn’t a dream. We’re not sure she’s ready to learn that she really is a puppet of sorts.


What do you think was the most wackadoo fourth wall break? Let us know in the comments.