Summary

• Bluey challenges gender stereotypes about colors by just being her authentic self, breaking the notion that certain colors are associated with certain genders.
• Bluey is not the first children's show to address gendered associations of color, as Blue from Blue's Clues faced misgendering assumptions due to being fully blue.
• Children's shows like Bluey and Blue's Clues are important in breaking persisting gender conventions and pushing audiences past their own perceptions.

The Australian children's television show Bluey commendably challenges gender stereotypes head-on, but another blue dog was already on the case well before it premiered. Bluey has distinguished itself for tackling big, real-world issues in between completely engrossing its young audience with the day-to-day lives of the Heeler household. Among the Heeler family is the title character and main protagonist Bluey, the oldest sister of the pack, whose endlessly curious and energetic personality is accompanied by her innate provocation of gender stereotypes.

A young six-year-old pup taking on the fight against gender stereotypes may seem like a daunting task for a children's show, but the Heeler family household in Bluey is well acquainted with meeting and challenging some of life's biggest issues throughout the series. Bluey has addressed several serious matters across its three seasons, so much so that even adults have come to learn and enjoy the exploits of the Heeler household. Ever since its premiere, Bluey has been graced with an overwhelming reception, including international critical acclaim, high viewership, and multiple awards, proving that children's television, like Bluey's kindred predecessor Blue's Clues, offers the perfect blueprint for navigating real life.

Bluey Challenges Gender Stereotypes About Colors

Without so much as lifting a paw, Bluey challenges gender stereotypes about colors by just being her authentic self. According to the official Bluey website, the title character comes from a family of heeler dogs (also known as Australian Cattle dogs, Blue or Red Heelers, or Queensland Heelers), and gets her characteristic likeness from the dog breed she's inspired by. In the series, Bluey is specifically a Blue Heeler like her father and sports a mix of different shades of blue as well as spots of tan fur.

Because Bluey is mostly blue, oftentimes confusion arises among audience over whether she is a boy or a girl. Bluey is indeed a girl, and as such she challenges the stereotypical notion that certain colors are associated with certain genders because most often recognize blue as a masculine color. Although Bluey's makeup is not as obvious a matter as others, her simple representation of being a girl associated with the color blue is a revolutionizing statement and just one of Bluey's many positive perspectives on life that everyone can learn from.

Blue's Clues Challenged The Same Stereotype 22 Years Before Bluey

Bluey is not the first children's show to make solid statements on issues that burden real life, nor is it the first to address the gendered associations of color. Well before Bluey's premiere, Blue from Blue's Clues was taking the brunt of misgendering since she was introduced back in 1996. Because the iconic childhood character was fully blue and only communicated with her co-hosts through barks or conveniently placed paw prints, many audience assumed that Blue from Blue's Clues was a boy.

Like other characters that don't conform to the normal conventions of gender, including Tweety Bird, Nermal from Garfield, and Rabbit from Winnie the Pooh, Blue helped to push audiences ed their own perceptions. People are still often shocked to learn that Blue, Bluey, and other favorite childhood characters are not the genders they've perceived them to be, but these children's shows are especially important in breaking the mold of persisting gender conventions. Blue's Clues' legacy will forever hold the question of gender up to associations of color, which is a dichotomy that Bluey will continue to mend with its title character until the next children's series takes up the charge.

Source: Bluey