BBCS and ABC order four Bluey shortform format spin-offs

Four new shows will be added to the Bluey franchise

BBC Studios and Australian national broadcaster the ABC have co-commissioned four new Bluey spin-off shortform series.

Bluey Tunes, Bluey Puppets, Bluey Cookalongs and Bluey Fancy Restaurant are inspired by core themes from the original series, encompassing music, crafts, food, cooking and imaginative play.

The new series will launch soon in Australia on ABC iview and in the US on Disney Jr, Disney Channel and Disney Jr On Demand, with Disney+ taking the series globally. Two of the series are already available on the Bluey YouTube channel and all four will launch on the Disney Jr YouTube channel.

In Australia, the shows’ carriage on YouTube will raise audience access issues when the government’s social media ban comes into full force from December 10.

Under the new restrictions to be placed on the platform, under-16s will not be allowed to have active accounts or subscribe to YouTube channels. The ban excludes the YouTube Kids app, which will continue to operate, and minors will also be able to watch videos on the website in logged-out mode.

Bluey Tunes launched on the Bluey YouTube channel yesterday. Produced in partnership with A+C Studios and Insignificant TV, the 10×1-2’ series of music videos blends stop-motion animation and graphics.

Bluey Puppets, produced with Simple Mischief, is also already available on the Bluey YouTube channel and features three- to five-minute episodes teaching viewers how to craft Bluey characters.

The two new food-focused series, Bluey Cookalongs and Bluey Fancy Restaurant, were developed with Taste Creative Studio and will be available on the Bluey YouTube channel from September 1 and October 14 respectively.

Bluey Cookalongs (10×5’) helps families recreate Bluey-inspired recipes, while Bluey Fancy Restaurant (10×5-8’) invites kids to recreate Bluey and Bingo’s Fancy Restaurant at home for their parents.

All four series are coproduced with BBC Studios Digital Brands, BBC Studios Kids & Family and the ABC.

Mary-Ellen Mullane, ABC’s acting head of children and family, said: “We’re thrilled to continue collaborating with the team at BBC Studios and Ludo Studio to deliver fans even more from the world of Bluey. We’re incredibly proud to be the home of Bluey in Australia and look forward to delivering this creative collection of content to ABC audiences.”

Cecilia Persson, BBC Studios Kids & Family’s MD, said: “Together [with the ABC, Disney and BBC Studios Digital Brands], we’re creating and delivering stories to reflect how kids discover and interact with content they love. These shortform series have been shaped to not only extend the Bluey universe but to invite exploration and engagement across different platforms.”