Stickbird is the 41st episode of the third season of Bluey.
Synopsis[]
Bluey and Bingo are at Currimundi lake having a stick throwing contest. The kids are not very good at throwing, so Mum steps in and teaches them how to do it the right way.
While Bluey keeps practising, Bingo snaps Dad out of his melancholic mood and they go to look for more sticks. Bingo finds a stick shaped like a bird’s head and she and Dad use it to create a beautiful sand sculpture.[2]
Episode Recap[]
Warning Spoilers!
The Heelers are on a trip to the beach, but while Chilli and the girls are happily playing, Bandit is sad and distracted. Chilli begins teaching the girls how to play a game involving throwing sticks at a rock on a stick, and despite missing the rock, the girls have a lot of fun.
Bingo sees a far-away stick and asks Bandit if she can come and get it, but he isn't paying attention. When she finally gets his attention, Chilli tells him to "let [his bad mood] go". Bingo convinces Bandit to race her to the stick, and she wins. Then, she notices the stick looks sort of like a bird's head, so the two build a bird out of sand and use the stick for the head. Chilli and Bluey, meanwhile, keep playing the throwing game.
Bingo gets a still-unhappy Bandit to forage for more sticks with her, but while they're searching, three kids run past, and one of them takes the stick, wrecking the "bird". This leaves Bingo just as downcast as her father, who then says that "when you put something beautiful into the world, it's no longer yours".
Bluey finally wins the throwing game, while Bandit tries unsuccessfully to cheer Bingo up with a new stick. Bluey wants to race Bingo, but she's too unhappy. However, Bluey encourages Bingo to let go of her bad mood by miming gathering it up, pretending to hold it in her hands, and then throwing the imaginary bundle of emotions into the sea the way the girls threw the sticks. This works, and the girls run off happily. Bandit then "throws away" his own bad mood.
Appearances[]
- The Heeler Family
- Mia (mentioned)
- Cookie (debut)
- Cookie's friends (debut)
- Cookie's friends' parent (cameo)
Trivia[]
- This is the first episode where an episode title card is seen immediately after the show intro like most TV shows, the next episode to do so is Show And Tell. This is also the first episode not to have an interval before the title card appears.
- The show’s creator, Joe Brumm, stated in Behind Bluey this episode sort of is a sequel to "Relax", but isn’t a “direct” sequel. He also noted that the "putting something beautiful into the world" line was added in to vent his frustrations about the show's negative criticism, though he has no answer for why it was said in-universe.
- In a stark departure from his usual behavior, Bandit appears to be sad, or downhearted about something throughout the entire episode. It is unknown what happened off-screen.
- This is the second episode to depict this after "Taxi".
- Bluey doesn’t do her dance in the credits and is replaced with Bluey and Bingo shaking their head with their hands out to collect their “upset and angry” out.
- Long Dog: In the puddle at the beginning of the episode when Bluey and Bingo are running in front of their parents. It's Turquoise and its bottom is in a shell. There is a second long dog after Bingo’s stick bird is destroyed. Bingo and Bandit are walking back to the stick pile. It’s a brown long dog disguised as a stick in the middle of the screen.