At this point it’s just a fact: fish swim, birds fly, and Bluey is made for preschoolers but no one loves it more than adults. It’s a show that captures parenting like no other, depicting the whimsy, exhaustion, struggle, joy, and constant accidental kicks to the crotch (ask any dad). But there’s a consequence of a children’s show having an adult fandom: decidedly not G-rated fan theories. Melanie Zanetti, who plays Bluey’s mom Chilli, recently dispelled one particularly prurient rumor about Chilli and Lucky’s dad, Pat.
In a recent interview with Yahoo! Lifestyle, the Australian actress talked about how, while kids don’t tend to care that she’s the voice of Mrs. Heeler (“they have cognitive dissonance”), parents “just lose their mind.” She was also delighted to learn that some teenagers love the preschool show so much that they have Bluey-themed birthday parties. When Yahoo! Lifestyle asked about the “insane fan theories on TikTok,” Zanetti adopted a cheekily offended posture.
“I’ve heard some slanderous things about Chilli and Lucky’s dad, which are not true, just for the record!” she said directly to the camera. She then placed her hands into a heart shape and proudly declared “Bandit and Chilli forever.”
Now fan theories about Bluey, especially on TikTok and Reddit, are practically as old as the show itself and, honestly, a lot of them feel pretty credible. The idea Bluey is a rainbow baby, for example, absolutely tracks for us. It also feels very possible that Bingo has a gluten allergy or Celiac disease, Jack has ADHD, Bandit’s dad Bob is either dead or in a care facility, and, yes, Chilli and Bandit were hungover that one New Year’s Day. All of these theories are based in on-screen context clues and, in some cases, simple reading between the lines that maybe kids won’t get immediately but parents probably will.
But then some of you all don’t know how to act. You devilishly rub your hands together and manically wonder “what else can I do...?” and just say the most outlandish, unserious things possible. Like that time some of you said Chilli and Bandit’s respective jobs and beautiful house mean they’re antiquities smugglers. (OK, that one was funny because I don’t think anyone was actually serious about it, but still.)
This brings us to this Lucky’s dad business. First of all, his name is Pat and he’s appeared in no fewer than 20 episodes of Bluey. He’s married to Janelle and has two sons, Lucky and Chucky. The family lives next door to the Heelers with whom he seems to have a friendly relationship.
“Maybe... scandalously friendly?” some of you have been saying.
No, but let’s get into it.
Fans on Reddit have questioned some of Chilli and Pat’s interactions over the years. Their playful banter in “Stumpfest!” The way Pat shouts “Shake it, Chilli!” as she dances in the crosswalk in “Dance Mode.” And... ... honestly that’s kind of it. Comedian Zach Mander takes it (jokingly) farther by suggesting that Bandit and Chilli are actually swingers, citing the preponderance of pineapples, a symbol swingers sometimes use to signal to one another in their home.
OK, so we have...
-two moments that can also be read as entirely platonic
-pineapples (it’s not that deep: Queensland Australia, where the show takes place, is just known for pineapples. Besides, only upsidedown pineapples are associated with swingers. Rightside-up pineapples just mean “hospitality.” G-rated hospitality!)
As someone who has watched every episode of this show and has analyzed it in a professional capacity, I can confidently say the data do not appear to support this theory in any meaningful way.
Adults, continue to enjoy Bluey... but theorize responsibly.
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