‘Bluey’: Disney+ Finally Released the Banned ‘Family Meeting’ Episode
Kids’ TV shows are usually very closely monitored to ensure everything is above board and that children aren’t exposed to indecent material. This has helped keep several elements in check, and sometimes, networks ban episodes and shows if they violate the set guidelines on what’s appropriate for viewing. Disney+ banned one Bluey episode a while back but reevaluated its decision and finally released the banned “Family Meeting” episode.
‘Bluey’ follows the titular pup on adventures
Bluey is a show that follows an anthropomorphic Blue Heeler pup depicted as imaginative and curious with a larger-than-life personality. The 6-year-old doggie lives with her parents, Bandit and Chilli, and her younger sister, Bingo.
Bingo often follows Bluey on adventures as they embark on imaginative adventures. Major themes of the show focus on growing up, the importance of family, and Australian culture in Queensland.
Bluey debuted on October 2018 on ABC Kids and has since maintained a constantly high viewership. The show creator Joe Brumm modeled the characters of Bluey and her sister after his daughters’ interactions.
Why Disney banned the ‘Family Meeting’ episode but later released it
Disney is very strict on its content, especially those involving children. The company has been known to tweak programming to suit its family-friendly guidelines, so it may not have come as a surprise to learn that Disney had banned one episode of the fan-favorite show, Bluey.
The episode titled “Family Meeting” sees Bluey’s dad, Bandit, on ‘trial’ after his wife Chilli accuses him of fluffing (dog lingo for farting) on their sweet daughter Bluey as he rolls out of bed. Bandit vehemently denies the claims but has to prove his innocence with Chilli as the judge and their daughters serving as witnesses.
“Family Meeting” aired without any issue in the show’s native Australia in December 2021 but never made it to the U.S. Pirates & Princesses reached out to Disney for a comment, and the company replied, assuring fans that the episode would be available for streaming on Disney+ soon.
The House of Mouse clarified that the episode “did not meet Disney Junior broadcast S&P in place at the time the series was acquired” but noted it would be reevaluating the content.
Parents like ‘Bluey’ more than other kids’ shows
Parents love Bluey because, unlike many kids’ shows, it doesn’t force children to learn things or sneak in lessons. Instead, Bluey is all about playing and pretending, which parents feel allows their kids to use their imagination more.
Another beloved aspect of the show is how often Bluey’s parents engage with their children and even join in on the games. They can be seen putting aside some of their adult responsibilities and partake in their kids’ silly antics, which is a great lesson for many parents. Even greater is that each episode of Bluey only lasts for 7 minutes, making for easy viewing.
Conversely, one of the most hated kids’ shows was Caillou which followed the titular bald 4-year-old who often got into trouble and, by the end of the episode, had learned a valuable life lesson. You’d expect parents to welcome such a show without any problem, but that wasn’t the case.
Parents were annoyed with the child’s terrible behavior and the series’ repetitive theme song. The song, in particular, seemed to drive many adults nuts, with Jill Robbins of She Knows jokingly saying it contributed to her wine consumption and made her want to stab herself with a fork.
Mackenzie Cummings-Grady of PopDust said the show encouraged children to throw tantrums anytime they never got their way and taught parents that the best way to deal with a whining child is to bribe them with toys instead of addressing the issue.
