For parents and preschoolers, their fun, relatable stories and chirpy voices are instantly recognisable – but the actors who play the parents of cartoon dog Bluey in the hit children’s animated TV series can stroll the streets unnoticed – and say toddlers often burst into tears when they realise they’re the real-life faces behind the characters they love.

Since it first arrived on screens five years ago, co-commissioned by the BBC and Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC), the show has become the most streamed children’s TV show ever – watched in 60 countries, arguably making Bluey the most famous Australian on the planet in 2025.

The BAFTA-winning series’ 7-minute slice-of-life episodes centre on the Heeler family – six-year-old blue heeler dog Bluey, her little sister Bingo, dad Bandit and mum Chilli – and their lives in suburban Brisbane, Queensland.

Why is it such a huge hit? Real-life mums and dads have suggested the show – the most streamed series in the first half of 2025 – offers a ‘blueyprint’ for what good parenting should look like.

the و – و and – تفاصيل مهمة

Dad Bandit Heeler has been particularly praised for his modern, hands-on approach to fatherhood – with some fans even suggesting his great parenting makes the animated canine the ideal man.

The identities of the actors who voice Bluey, and also her younger sibling, remain a closely guarded secret, but the voice stars who bring Bandit and his wife Chilli to life are in the public domain, with the pair appearing on BBC One’s The One Show on Tuesday to promote Bluey’s Big Play, a new live stage show currently playing in the UK.

Dave McCormack, who voices fun-loving archeologist Bandit, is a 57-year-old musician and songwriter who fronts a Brisbane rock band called Custard, while Chilli is played by fellow Australian Melanie Zanetti, a 40-year-old actress also from Queensland.

McCormack told The One Show presenters Clara Amfo and Alex Jones that landing the gig had proved a ‘massive flex’ for his own two daughters when they were younger…but not any .

He told the show: ‘Now they’re a bit older, it’s a bit what the young people call “cringey”. They say “Dad, don’t say you’re the Bluey thing, say you’re something else’”.

The actor said he had also faced awkward moments when parents try and introduce their children to him, saying they often ‘burst into tears because it’s too weird’. I’m not blue and a dog!’

the و a و and – تفاصيل مهمة

He added: ‘Sometimes they think I might have eaten Bandit and he’s inside me. They normally get pretty upset.’

Bluey’s و I و centre – تفاصيل مهمة

Zanetti praised the show’s creator Joe Brumm for ‘capturing the essence of that family life’.

The actress said while she always expected the show to be a hit with children and their parents, she’s shocked by how Bluey also appeals to ‘kidults’.

She told the sofa: ‘People in their twenties have been: “I have no children, I’m obsessed with this show, this is my comfort show, it’s been reparenting me” It’s wild.’

If Bluey has legions of toddler fans, it seems there are plenty of parents who trip off the every word of modern, hands-on dad, Bandit.

the و of و to – تفاصيل مهمة

Viewed as an animated poster boy for positive masculinity, Bandit is a creative, caring and fun father, with many viewers saying they wished real-life dads would follower Mr Heeler’s parenting approach.

Indeed, the cartoon canine has left some dads wondering if they can live up to the furry father they watch on screen.

One man posted on X: ‘I’m watching Bluey with my daughter, realising I’ll never be as good of a dad as Bandit…And I think we both know it.’

Others suggest Bandit’s Bluey-print for parenting makes the character attractive: One woman gushed online: ‘Flippin love bluey. Is it ok to fancy a blue heeler called Bandit?!!’

the و they و to – تفاصيل مهمة

Another added earlier this year: ‘Bandit Heeler’s most attractive feature is that he is a good father.’

One Bandit fan penned: ‘(He’s) a model father that everyone should strive to be, and there are a lot of people who find him incredibly attractive as a result, despite him being a rectangular cartoon dog man.’

Bluey, of which there are three seasons, not only outperforms other stars of the preschooler world including Peppa Pig, Masha and the Bear and Sesame Street…but mainstream shows too.

In data for the first half of this year, the series, originally created by animator Joe Brumm and picked up by Brisbane’s Ludo Studios, was the most streamed show worldwide with 25 billion minutes watched, and leaving TV favourites such as Grey’s Anatomy and Squid Game in its wake.

and و the و a – تفاصيل مهمة

Critically acclaimed, Bluey has scooped 25 awards over three seasons, including an International Emmy for children’s television in 2020.

BBC Studios, the BBC’s commercial arm, confirmed earlier this year that it’s joining forces with Disney to create a feature-length film, slated for release in 2027.

After the film hits the big screen, fans will also be able to stream the movie on Disney+, as well as ABC iview and ABC Kids in Australia.