Everyone Loves Bandit from Bluey – But is He a Lovable Larrikin or Just a Bad Dad?
Blog
Burton, David and Cantrell, Kate. 2022. "Everyone Loves Bandit from Bluey – But is He a Lovable Larrikin or Just a Bad Dad?" The Conversation.
| Article Title | Everyone Loves Bandit from Bluey – But is He a Lovable Larrikin or Just a Bad Dad? |
|---|---|
| Article Category | Blog |
| Authors | Burton, David (Author) and Cantrell, Kate (Author) |
| Publication Title | The Conversation |
| Number of Pages | 4 |
| Year | 2022 |
| Place of Publication | Australia |
| Web Address (URL) | https://theconversation.com/everyone-loves-bandit-from-bluey-but-is-he-a-lovable-larrikin-or-just-a-bad-dad-184239 |
| Abstract | Bandit Heeler is a hero. The cartoon father of Bluey and her younger sister Bingo, Bandit is the much-loved dad dog at the heart of Australia’s favourite four-legged family. He balances the drudgery of housework with the creative escapades of his daughters, repurposing everyday objects and actions for imaginative play and engagement. Awarded a Father of the Year award in 2019 and widely cited as the model of modern fatherhood, Bandit’s engaged presence in his daughters’ lives has been hailed as a watershed moment in children’s television. In a break from TV’s 'bad dad' trope, Bandit has been worshipped as a 'dad-idol', even inspiring a Facebook group of 14,000 dedicated dads who identify as Bluey superfans. Child psychologists have explained how Bandit inspired their approach to pretend play and improvisation. A new article published in The Journal of Paediatrics and Child Health lays out 'what Bluey can teach us about parenting and grandparenting'. But there is a darker side to this lovable character. Bandit never strays far from the reductive stereotype of the Australian larrikin: the likeable roguish male stuck between childhood and adulthood whose disrespect of authority and rough-and-ready masculinity reflects Australia’s emotional attachment to the working-class underdog. |
| Keywords | Australian television; children's television; Bluey; larrikinism; fatherhood |
| ANZSRC Field of Research 2020 | 470214. Screen and media culture |
| 470502. Australian literature (excl. Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander literature) | |
| 360201. Creative writing (incl. scriptwriting) | |
| Byline Affiliations | School of Creative Arts |
| Institution of Origin | University of Southern Queensland |
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