The Internet spawns hordes of adult “blue” fans

Rose likes to visit Blue subreddit and see people’s fan art, especially the cakes they’ve baked. She supports other fans through Reddit because, “I want to make sure people know that it’s okay to enjoy a show that’s made for kids.”

Because this is the Internet, some people no need I think it’s normal. In TikTok, users make jokes about adults Blue fans fight with children to get their hands on the buns, while others fear that the fandom will spoiled by adult fans who create content about the show that would be inappropriate for children (eg “Bronies”, adult male fans my little pony did in the past). Julia Soto, a 26-year-old translator, presenter and Blue fan from Argentina, says: “Fandoms tend to push things to the limit.”

“I know this first hand; I was in very toxic fandoms,” says Soto. Nevertheless, she claims it Blue fans can and should ignore bad actors. “When a super excited Wattpad writer wants to write the weirdest, creepiest fanfic based on Blue– Poor Bluey – so be it. This is their digital footprint.” Soto believes that if fans ignore this content, it is less likely to reach children than it is to cause harm. Again, the Internet is everywhere.

So why exactly does Soto, a childless adult, like the show? Like Rose, she first came across it on TikTok and was surprised when it made her feel emotional. “It has great real-life examples of good and bad,” she says. In one of his favorite episodes, Bluey befriends French-Canadian puppy Jean-Luc while camping and can’t say goodbye. Bluey was faced with the realization that his friend had disappeared. It’s cruel, especially for a child. But it is real. Everyone is going to meet people, have a good time, enjoy themselves and then just let them go.”

One of Rose’s favorite episodes is about a Jack Russell terrier with ADHD. “Blue sends the message that it’s okay to be different and that some people’s minds don’t work the same way as others,” Rose says. “As a neurodivergent, the idea makes me ecstatic.

In the full Internet shadow content for children and darker content for adults, Blue you can use a balm. “We need to break down the barriers to creating quality content for kids that doesn’t jump to repetitive music,” says Soto. One of the most praised episodes Blue is a silent film in which Blue trying to make a dam out of his toys while it’s raining—there’s no dialogue at all after the first four seconds of the episode. Another episode is about infertility. Among the important messages, many of the episodes are just plain hilarious: When Bandit is put into “dance mode” in a store, he mutters “I’m fine! Just ignore it!” to the confused cashier.

“I believe my generation wants to see kids grow up to be better people, to push the boundaries of what we grew up with and to be happy,” Soto says, “because most people today are not happy.”