Every Banned Or Censored Bluey Episode Explained

There’s no escaping “Bluey.” The beloved Australian cartoon series about a young Blue Heeler learning valuable life lessons has taken the world by storm, consistently ranking as one of the most-watched streaming shows on Disney+. Despite cute characters and silly antics, though, “Bluey” has stirred up a fair amount of controversy throughout its run. 

It’s pretty astonishing just how many “Bluey” episodes have been censored or outright banned in the United States (sometimes temporarily). This usually isn’t due to any malice on the show’s part. Typically, it’s a result of jokes being deemed a little too offensive for toddlers to watch in the States, even though they’re all right in Australia. Sometimes, words have slightly different meanings across continents that necessitate some changes to make them less potentially offensive. If anything, in the spirit of “Bluey,” these bans can be viewed as learning opportunities to show how even something that seems harmless to one person could be problematic to another. 

Bandit (voiced by David McCormack), the Heeler family patriarch, often comes up with silly words and phrases, but there was a streak where he accidentally said a derogatory term. Four episodes — “Daddy Robot,” “Shaun,” “Teasing,” and “Flat Pack” — all had to be censored due to Bandit saying “ooga booga.” This phrase can be used as a slur against individuals of African or Aboriginal Australian descent.

ABC issued an apology for the term, saying they weren’t aware of the phrase being used in that manner prior to the episodes’ air dates. But it’s a good change to make, particularly when the “Teasing” episode is all about teaching kids why bullying isn’t cool. It took Disney+ some time to get the re-edited versions back on the streamer, where the phrase in question has been replaced with various other nonsense sayings. For instance, Bandit now says “Shoobi-doo-wop” in “Teasing” and “Ooo-ooo” in “Flat Pack.”

It’s safe to say some kids imitate what they see on TV; therefore, there’s a responsibility not to show main characters doing anything potentially dangerous. That was the concern over the “Fruit Bat” episode of “Bluey.” To get ready for bedtime, Bluey plays a game called Penguins in the bathroom, where she gets the floor wet and then slides around on her belly like a penguin.

CBeebies, a TV station in the United Kingdom, edited that part out (despite references to the game throughout the rest of the episode) out of fear that kids might play Penguins in their own bathrooms and hurt themselves; Bluey could’ve very easily hit her noggin against the tub. It’s even worse that the suggestion of Penguins comes from Bandit, her father, who really should’ve known better. Despite this, the episode is currently available to watch unedited on Disney+.

There’s no easier way to get a little kid to laugh than to make a joke about farting or pooping, and “Bluey” seems to know this. The episode “Markets” sees Bluey encountering a very bored-looking pony. In the original version of the episode, she says goodbye to her new friend Buttermilk, who promptly defecates on the grass.

Everybody poops. There’s a whole book about it, but this moment was deemed too much for American kids. When watching the episode on Disney+, Bluey says goodbye, and then the scene very awkwardly cuts away just as Buttermilk’s tail starts twitching. If “Bluey” had been marketed to a slightly older demographic, it could’ve probably gotten away with a poop joke. But kids will just have to wait until the next time they’re at a parade to see a horse doing its business.

With Bandit as a dad, even a pretend taxi ride to the airport can be buckets of fun. That’s the basic premise of the episode “Taxi,” which sees Bluey driving Bandit to the airport until the car breaks down, and he has to get the rest of the way on foot, only to discover the pilot is also the taxi driver. Throughout this game, Bluey’s sister, Bingo, has a pretend-daughter in the form of a doll, who ends the episode by fake-vomiting on Bandit’s lap. 

Originally, that final barf was cut. The episode merely ended with Bandit saying “Oh, biscuits” before cutting to the credits. It’s a strange bit of censorship because, unlike the pony pooping in “Markets,” we don’t even see any vomit. It’s all make-believe, so what’s the problem? It appears the powers that be may have recognized this, because Disney+ now has Bingo’s doll throwing up to close things out.

When Chilli (voiced by Melanie Zanetti) is out at a baby shower in “Daddy Putdown,” it’s up to Bandit to keep the kids preoccupied. It leads to a discussion of what kind of presents a baby would like, and at one point in the original cut, Bingo asks her dad how the baby gets inside the woman’s belly. In the U.S. version (including on Disney+ today), that question (and Bandit avoiding having to give an answer) has been cut.

The episode is centered around a baby shower, so it’s not the weirdest question for a kid to ask. “Bluey” has had some very nuanced discussions centered around pregnancy, like the character Brandy (voiced by Rose Byrne) having issues conceiving. In the episode “The Sign,” Brandy is finally pregnant, which is a huge deal for the show to give her desire to have children a full arc rather than side-stepping it. TVLine even praised “The Sign” for being an emotional rollercoaster from which kids and adults can both learn.

Still, it seems Disney really doesn’t want kids asking how babies are made. The Season 2 episode “Dad Baby” is even more pregnancy-centric, and this time around, Bandit simulates what it’s like to carry a child and eventually give birth.

Unlike other episodes that get censored but ultimately land on Disney+ anyway, “Dad Baby” isn’t available on the platform at all. There are ways to watch “Dad Baby” online, and “Bluey” creator Joe Brumm has been vocal about refusing to back down from a story beat because it might offend Disney’s sensibilities. In “Dad Baby,” Bandit does what he always does: He plays with his kids, and maybe they learn something at the end of it.

As you can piece together from the episode title, “Trains” sees Bandit playing trains with the kids. Bandit is the conductor and asks Bingo for her ticket to board the train. She then instructs him to rub the “ticket” all over his face, and after doing that, he finally asks what she really gave him. In the original version, she announces that it’s poop. In the censored version, she says it’s a slug.

While poop jokes seem like fair game in Australia, Disney’s a bit more hesitant on the topic. Unlike “Markets” actually depicting defecation, this is just referencing poop. Granted, Bandit rubbed it on his face, but again, it’s not real. Either way, the word had to change to something more suitable for little children, and a slug is still gross enough to warrant Bandit’s disgusted reaction. 

The great thing about a show like “Bluey” is its ability to discuss somewhat mature concepts in ways a little kid can understand. In “Army,” Jack appears to display symptoms of attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and pretends to be an army recruit with Rusty to have better luck paying attention. It’s a great way for kids to recognize that anything different about them isn’t a bad thing, but even a show like “Bluey” sometimes missteps in the way it talks about these issues. 

The original version sees Jack say, “There’s something wrong with me.” But there’s nothing wrong with being neurodivergent. It’s for the best that the line was changed to, “There’s something going on with me,” which better encapsulates the feeling that although someone’s brain may not work like other people’s, that isn’t inherently negative. “Mr Monkeyjocks” and “Mini Bluey” have similar instances of a character using the word “crazy,” which were later removed.

A lot of kids’ shows will have jokes aimed at the parents watching. It’s usually nothing overt, which certainly applies to an exchange between Bandit and another father dog in the episode “Perfect.” It’s vague, but Bandit says, “I’m keen to get it done, but Chilli, she wants to keep her options open … Do we want any more of these things running around?” 

It probably flies over children’s heads, but it does appear as though Bandit is talking about getting a vasectomy (or neutered, if you will). It seems Bandit is done having kids, but Chilli could change her mind. Even though it’s unclear if toddlers would’ve picked up on it, Disney+ changed the line; Bandit’s now talking about getting his dog’s teeth removed, which he’s still on the fence about because he might want to bite someone.

No one wants to be on the receiving end of a hit to the groin, but that doesn’t mean it’s not funny to see it happening to others. The “Bluey” episode “Born Yesterday” had a fun moment where Bluey teaches her dad how to push Bingo on the swing. She positions him just right so that when Bingo swings backward, she hits him right in the crotch.

The moment was initially removed from Disney+, which made the episode weirdly structured. Without Bandit getting hit there, there’s no punchline to the scene, so the whole sequence probably should’ve been removed. Someone at the streamer must have realized that, because the joke is now there in all its glory on the platform. Jay Sherman (Jon Lovitz) once said on “The Simpsons,” “I will suggest that there may be better things in life than seeing a man get hit in the groin with a football.” This “Bluey” moment proves that statement false.

“Driving” is another case of potty humor in “Bluey.”This episode has Bluey playing with her plush cat named Agatha, who’s very particular about getting her almond milk even though the household doesn’t have any. In fact, if Chilli doesn’t pretend to drive them to the store, she threatens to pee all over the curtains. 

Much like Bingo’s stuffed animal pretend-vomiting in “Taxi,” there’s no actual bodily fluids getting expelled in the episode, but even the implication seems to have been ban-worthy. On Disney+, Agatha (read: Bluey) instead says how she’ll scratch up the curtains if she doesn’t get almond milk. It’s a simple enough swap, especially since the scene cuts away from Bluey talking to focus solely on Agatha, an inanimate object whose mouth doesn’t move — meaning there’s no awkward dubbing.

Quite a few “Bluey” episodes have a single joke that could be described as toilet humor. But “Family Meeting” is all about farting, or fluffing, as the Heeler family refers to it. The episode begins with Bluey accusing Bandit of “fluffing” right in her face, so Chilli serves as a judge to get to the bottom of what really happened. Even though no one says the word “fart,” they make the appropriate noises, so we all know what they’re talking about.

Somewhat amusingly, Disney+ refused to air “Family Meeting” initially, but over time, cooler heads prevailed. It’s now available on the platform, which is great, because everyone should be able to laugh at flatulence. Despite the subject matter, it’s actually a very sweet episode about communicating maturely and not lying just to get your way. If farts help kids not to lie, then getting “Family Meeting” on Disney+ is a win.

“Faceytalk” on “Bluey” has a great format where most of the episode involves Bluey and Bingo chatting with their cousin Muffin over the phone, resulting in a neat cross-section to give the whole story a unique look. However, Muffin shouldn’t be on the phone, according to her dad, so she runs throughout the house to escape him. At one point, she barges into the bathroom where her mother, Trixie (Myf Warhurst), is currently using the facilities. 

Disney+ originally worked around this toilet humor by zooming in on Muffin’s face. The audience couldn’t see anything, at least until Trixie gets off the toilet and has a nuanced conversation about parenting with Stripe (Dan Brumm). It’s a great example of what makes “Bluey” a great kids’ show, as it can move effortlessly between nonsense for kids and important lessons for the parents. Disney+ eventually put Trixie on the toilet back in the episode.

Unicorse, controlled by Bandit, is the most annoying puppet in the universe on “Puppets,” so it’s up to Bluey and Bingo to teach him good manners — especially since he plans on asking their mom, Chilli, on a date. The problem is he has a lot of growing up to do, as he can be a little naughty. When Chilli notes he has chili sauce spilled on him, he asks, “Care for a lick?”

At least, that’s what he says in the original cut. However, asking a woman to lick him was likely a step too far for both American and British censors. Both Disney and the U.K. platform CBeebies changed the line to where Unicorse now asks, “Do ya wanna bit?” The good thing about censoring a line by a puppet is that you don’t have to worry about the new line syncing up perfectly with a character’s actual mouth.

It’s fascinating to see how slang in one country can be misinterpreted in another. “The Decider” involves censorship of the word “flog.” It came up a couple of times in the initial airing, as the Heelers watch a rugby match with Lucky’s family. In this context, “flog” refers to one team beating the other, but in the United States, it tends to have a more violent connotation, referring to someone whipping someone or beating them with a blunt object. 

Instead, “flog” gets changed to the far more straightforward “beat” on Disney+. What’s interesting about this particular case of censorship is that “flog” was removed from “The Decider,” but if you watch “Obstacle Course” on Disney+, Bandit tells his girls he’s going to “flog” them in an obstacle course. Perhaps it slipped past the censors, or maybe it didn’t feel as violent with Bandit gleefully announcing he’s going to flog his daughters in the middle of a race. 

There’s a fine line between a TV show trying to discuss sensitive topics and actively promoting negative ideas. The “Exercise” episode of “Bluey” found itself in the midst of this conversation when it first aired. Originally, the story began with Bandit weighing himself and looking disgusted at his body, even grabbing a piece of his stomach to show it off. Chilli also weighs herself and seems unhappy with her body. 

“Exercise” required censorship before airing in the States. While Bandit wanting to exercise is still a key component of the episode, the part showing how he doesn’t like his body was taken out after the show was accused of fat-shaming. “Exercise” ends with Bandit being told by a doctor he’s in great health, which is ultimately what matters at the end of the day.

“Relax” sees the Heeler family taking a vacation, but one moment surely got the Disney censors sweating. It came at the very beginning when the Heelers pulled up to the hotel, and Bandit tells his kids, whom he calls “dingleberries,” to get out of the car. To be fair, the informal definition of “dingleberry” is a foolish person, so it seems like yet another one of Bandit’s nonsense sayings. However, you probably know the phrase better for how it relates to fecal matter.

Now, “Relax” opens with Bandit calling the kids “super troopers,” which implies he’s a big fan of the 2001 comedy of the same name. Many of the issues with “Bluey” on this list contain simple enough fixes, with the Australian censors seemingly more lax than what you get in other countries. “Bluey” may have some less-than-ideal language at times, but the messages it imparts to kids more than make up for it.