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Bluey edits episode following audience blowback

"The recent episode of Bluey, Exercise, has been republished by the ABC following a decision by the makers of the program."

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An episode of Bluey which drew headlines for has been re-edited by producers Ludo Studio.

In the Exercise Bluey’s dad Bandit weighs himself in the bathroom, grabs his tummy and claims he needs to exercise while mum Chilli also expresses dissatisfaction with her weight.

On social media opinions were divided, with some saying the message was not positive, while others thought it reflected real life.

According to news.com.au, Paediatric dietitian Dr Kyla Ringrose said, “Watching Bandit and Chilli weigh themselves and openly hate on their bodies in front of the kids was really uncomfortable.”

In a statement ABC said, “The recent episode of Bluey, Exercise, has been republished by the ABC following a decision by the makers of the program. The new version provides families with the opportunity to manage important conversations in their own way.

“As the home of Bluey, the ABC supports the decision to re-edit the program and we have updated the episode on our platforms.

“BBC Studios will use this revised version for global distribution and also support this decision.”

14 Responses

  1. I don’t think they needed to remove that whole first scene. I thought it was funny and realistic. Quite disappointing really. There’s a previous episode called Grannymobile where Bandit where a grouchy granny at a garage sale tells him he needs to to lay off the biscuits. He says to his wife that she told him he was just retaining water, then looks in the mirror and says that his belly jiggles. He later does situps and his neighbour suggests he buy a piece of exercise equipment. Nobody complained about that as fat shaming.

  2. I watched it with my 2 boys… we giggled and laughed. They looked at me when Bandit moaned about his tummy….

    I said that’s me… then we started to talk about exercise and should take our dog for more walks… not for him! But us…

    Then we moved on.

  3. For a show that’s essentially aimed at toddlers, it seems that the real babies in the audience are the indignant gluttons who took an innocent children’s cartoon as a personal affront.

    The fact that encouraging healthy and responsible lifestyle choices was in any way deemed “controversial” is bloody embarrassing, and I think it’s shameful that those involved caved in to pressure rather than standing by their convictions.

  4. Obesity is one of, if not the biggest health issue facing much of the developed world. It is important to show children that being overweight presents problems for your health and lifestyle and wellbeing. Normalising it and things like junk food ads etc. is part of the problem. Anyone who thinks the previous episode encouraged body hating has too much time on their hands. Wanting to exercise and get in better shape after noticing you’ve put on a few kilos should not be controversial or require re-editing and the program makers really should wake up to themselves, along with the ABC and BBC.

    1. I disagree…one-of the biggest problem facing the world is the “mindset” of others who are racist including colour, discriminated against, have their sexuality questioned and mocked and those who are belittled and mocked also because of their religious beliefs, people who are fighting wars for supremacy, then throw ageism in and that just about covers the whole gauntlet…..so to me size, fat shaming and body image are not as important as our attitude and acceptance is towards others.

  5. Up next: Bluey and Bingo turn detective to solve a mystery – Who stole dad’s foot? And why does he always have a band-aid on his paw now?

    1. Now this is good…. we need a laugh…brilliant…I nearly peed myself…..how ingenius…thought of applying to be a writer on the show? 😂

  6. What ever happens to being happy accepting yourself for who you are and being comfortable in your own skin while being body positive… some helpful tips I’ve found over the years are…1. to focus on what your body can do, not everyone can exercise for various reasons 2. question what you see in the media that’s always been a given for me. 3. Unfollow people who make you feel crap, let them put someone else down. 4. Next time you get a compliment say thank you, that makes you feel good about yourself. 5. Focus on other’s good qualities it stops you being the centre of your own world. 6. Hang out with positive people and enjoy the company of others for the unique individual they are because everyone one is a unique interesting individual in their own right and I think people loose sit of that because a lot of people like to follower others and their advice.

  8. Agreed! The comment about Bandit and Chilli opening hating on their bodies is way off the mark. An adult acknowledging mild disappointment in their current `body shape before choosing to exercise more, is not hating on their body. If anything it is showing a healthy respect for your body and the importance of treating it well – surely a positive message we should be sending to children. It’s disappointing that the ABC have edited it out.

  9. At last, this marks the end of all the diets offered up in women’s magazines, and the exercise equipment sales in morning TV. Hurray!

    Oh, wait, what’s that you say? That’s not going to happen, because we are a culture obsessed with weight, health, fitness, and looking the best we can? Then surely that means Bluey was reflecting a reality within our culture, and not shaming anyone for anything more than every other show does. It’s an episode about exercise. It needed a motivating factor. We shouldn’t be editing our TV shows on the whim of a few boring, reactionary, non-creative-industry voices.

    1. I also wish that this marked the end of diets and exercise equipment sales. Sadly, it doesn’t. At least not today. With millions of children worldwide certain to watch the edited version of this episode, it is entirley possible that it will stick in the minds of some of them, who may grow up to be the figures we need to convince mainstream soceity that diet culture isn’t all its cracked up to be. I know this is almost certainly wishful thinking, but one can dream.

      As for the episode itself, I don’t get the feeling that the writers intended to make anyone feel bad about themselves. I believe that they were simply aiming to reflect a reality of modern life that many people grapple with. That being said, the episode could have been written in a way that emphasized exercise as being good for lifelong health, while continuing to incorporate the weight loss aspect as more of a secondary benefit that exercise can offer for those who have a genuine need to lose weight.

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