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Children’s cartoon series Bluey is one of Australia’s most successful TV exports, with viewers in more than 60 countries around the world.
But Aussie fans are up in arms over calls to ‘Americanise’ the show for international audiences by including themed episodes about Thanksgiving and Halloween.
‘They don’t need to meet an American dog. They don’t need Thanksgiving introduced,’ one frustrated parent wrote in a Bluey online community.
Hands off! Aussie fans are up in arms over calls to ‘Americanise’ children’s cartoon series Bluey for international audiences by including themed episodes about Thanksgiving and Halloween
However, they conceded that ‘a Halloween episode would be cute and relevant because Halloween is becoming a thing in Australia, especially for kids.’
Another viewer pushed back against any American influence over the ABC show.
‘I hope they keep this show as Australian as possible simply because that’s why we all like it. Because it’s not like the other shows. And if they change it to fit other places then it won’t be an Australian show anymore and it’ll lose its magic,’ they wrote.
Debate: ‘They don’t need to meet an American dog. They don’t need Thanksgiving introduced,’ one parent wrote in a Bluey online community. However, they conceded that ‘a Halloween episode would be cute and relevant because Halloween is becoming a thing in Australia’
One American fan weighed in, saying the show should remain completely Australian.
‘I don’t want it to be Americanized either. Its great the way it is. I’d love to see more of [Australia’s] holidays and tradition,’ they said.
Another U.S. parent wrote: ‘I really love that the show is based on their Australian culture because I’ve learned so much from them.
‘I think I’ve learned just as many new words as my kids have.’
Local: One American fan weighed in, saying the show should remain completely Australian
It comes after reports that Bluey, which is known for its distinctive Australian accents and turns of phrase, is changing the way American schoolchildren speak.
Kids in the United States are beginning to speak with an unmistakable Australian twang after tuning in to Bluey, a series that follows a lovable family of blue heelers.
The cartoon has become wildly popular in the U.S. after premiering on the Disney Channel, Disney Junior and Disney+ in September 2019.
Influence: It comes after reports that Bluey, which is known for its distinctive Australian accents and turns of phrase, is changing the way American schoolchildren speak
Last year The New York Times described the show as ‘the biggest Australian export since The Wiggles’ – the country’s most famous children’s band.
The cartoon stays true to its true-blue roots and is packed with ‘g’day’ greetings and unmistakably Aussie phrases like ‘show us your thongs, muffin!’
Jason Manganella, a Massachusetts-based real estate agent and father, said his young daughter had started to incorporate Australian words into her vocabulary after becoming huge fans of Bluey.
Mr Manganella said even his four-year-old daughter quickly understood the cartoon’s unique Aussie phrases, and had started calling breakfast ‘brekky’.
‘A few terms that would be Australian slang have been picked up by my daughter,’ he told ABC Breakfast.
‘She also tells me every once in a while that she needs to go to the dunny.’
Phenomenon: The cartoon has enjoyed exponential success across America after it premiered on the Disney Channel, Disney Junior and Disney+ in September 2019
The internet has exposed American kids to new voices and accents, meaning the broad vowels and absence of a strong ‘r’ pronunciation of the distinctive Aussie twang is now easier for them to follow.
Jane Gould, Disney’s senior vice president of content strategy and insights, said the internet continued to play a large role in helping kids understand their world.
‘Our kids live in a much more global community than the adults do,’ Ms Gould told The New York Times.
Peppa Pig, a cartoon that follows the adventures of Peppa and her little brother George, has enjoyed similar success in the United States.
Children soon started mimicking the characters’ prim English accents, swapping ‘mommy’ for ‘mummy’ and pronouncing foods like their British peers.
Cultural export: Peppa Pig, a cartoon that follows the adventures of Peppa and her little brother George, has enjoyed similar success in the United States
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