The Sign is a twenty-eight minute episode which features as the forty-ninth episode of the third season of Bluey.
Synopsis
The Heeler home is up for sale and Bluey's unhappy. But Bluey’s comforted when Calypso tells her a proverb about a farmer who trusts everything will turn out the way it's meant to be.
The next day, the Heeler home is prepping for Frisky's wedding, but when it's revealed Rad is planning a move out west after the wedding, Frisky runs away.
Now Bluey has to experience her own farmer’s proverb. When Frisky and Rad reconcile, they get married and decide to stay.
A few days later, Bingo's upset about moving and Bluey comforts her by retelling the farmer's proverb, but the house sale falls through!
The Heeler home is up for sale and Bluey's not happy about it.[2]
[3]A special Bluey episode that is 28 minutes - that's four normal Bluey eps.
We're so excited to share that a 28-minute special episode is coming in 2024. There'll be lots of laughs, exciting guest voices, and definitely a few tears. We're so incredibly proud of the awesome team behind the series and we can't wait for Australia and the world to watch this very special Bluey episode with their family and friends. [4]
Episode Recap
Warning Spoilers!
Bandit is playing with his daughters, Bluey and Bingo, when Chilli interrupts them, saying that the buyers are here. Before they get to the car, they see Bucky Dunstan, who is trying to sell the house to two sheepdogs. On their way to school, Bluey laments that she doesn't want to move, but Chilli tells her it could be a new, big adventure.
At school, Calypso finishes reading a book to the class, causing Bluey to question why stories always have happy endings. The former states that it's cause real life already gives us enough sad ones. Pretzel gives an example about his guinea pig running away, while Winton gives another example about how his father got divorced from his mother. Bluey ends up telling the class that she's moving away, causing them all to howl together.
Calypso pulls out another book called The Farmer and reads it to the class. It tells the story of a farmer who has both good and bad things happen to him, but all he says is "We'll see." The children are confused, and Calypso tells Bluey that everything will work out the way it's supposed to.
On the drive back home, Bluey's good mood is ruined when Bucky tells Bandit that the Sheepdogs want to buy the house. Back home, at bedtime, Bluey once again pleads with her father not to move.
The next day, everyone is setting up for the wedding, Bingo, Muffin, and Socks are flower girls, while the adults are setting everything up for Radley and Frisky's wedding. Stripe inadvertently reveals to Frisky that Rad wants her to move out west with him. Enraged, she stomps off. Meanwhile, Muffin wonders where Bluey is, so she can help show her how to walk.
At the front, a dejected Bluey hears from Muffin that if she takes down the sign, that means that it's not for sale, and they won't have to move. She plans with her sister and cousins, as Frisky comes to take the sign out as well (it being an eyesore for her). Just before they are able to do so, Rad calls Frisky and they have an argument. She leaves in her car, telling the girls that the wedding is off. The girls are terrified and tell Chilli, who decides to bring the girls along to find Frisky after they almost tell their parents what happened.
Since there is no space at the back of the car, Bluey is allowed to sit in the front seat for the first time, and they are pulled over by a policeman for doing so. However, the policeman reads the law, and lets them go, but not before telling them that he gave Frisky a speeding ticket near her favorite juice shop.
At the shop, Bluey finds a coin and the children get their own drinks, but none of them can find Frisky. Back on the road, Chilli receives a call from Rad. Bingo tells him that Frisky ran away, while he admits that it was probably because he wanted her to move away from the city with him. At that moment, Muffin's watermelon juice splashes in the car, causing Chilli to have to stop it.
As she's cleaning it up, Socks spots Frisky's car, and they chase her. Their chase is cut short due to Socks needing to use the toilet. At a rest stop, Bluey once again asks Chilli if she really wants to leave their home, with the latter telling her once again that it'll be a big, new adventure. Meanwhile, Bingo reunites with Flappy.
On the road again, Muffin tells Chilli that Bluey needs Frisky for the sign. Before Chilli can ask, Muffin and Socks are scared by Flappy, so Chilli stops to let the butterfly go free. Before she gets back in, she sees a sign and knows where Frisky went.
They head to the Lookout, where they find Frisky sitting in the gazebo, lost in thought. While Bingo, Muffin, and Socks are distracted by binoculars, Bluey tells Frisky to come back so they can take the sign down. Frisky realizes why Bluey wanted the sign down: if they take it down, they won't have to move. Chilli tells Bluey that it isn't how signs work, which upsets her. She pleads with Frisky to tell Chilli not for them to move. Chilli reaches her breaking point, and on the verge of tears, tells Bluey she doesn’t want to move either, but also says it could be good for their family. Bluey points out it could be bad for their family too. Chilli says that they'll have to see, which causes both Bluey and Frisky to have a realization. Bingo, Muffin, and Socks come back to the three of them and ask if they have a coin. Bluey realizes she has one and the girls head to the binoculars once again. Just then, Rad appears and he and Frisky have a talk. Chilli tries to help the girls take the coin out of the wrong slot. When they look back, they see that Rad and Frisky have made up. The wedding is back on.
Back at the Heeler house, guests start arriving, including a pregnant Brandy and Grandpa Bob, who has turned out to be in India to find himself. Rad and Frisky officially get married. At the reception, Rad and Frisky announce that instead of moving west as intended, they have instead decided to stay in the city, much to everyone's happiness, as well as Bandit and Chilli's shock. When Bandit asks if Rad thinks he's making the right decision, the latter says he worries too much. At the front of the house, Bluey is happy that Frisky got her happy ending, while Chilli stops trying to make sense of things. Everyone in the Heeler family dances the night away.
The next morning, the sign is back up, and Bucky puts up a sticker saying the house is sold. Bingo, oblivious to what this means, says how nice it is before heading to the car. Later that day, when Bingo is drawing faces on her feet, she ends up losing her table. When Chilli tells her what selling the house means, Bingo is shocked, having thought the whole time that they would still live in it after they sold it. And after hearing that Lila won't be coming with her, she tearfully tries to take the sign out, but is unable to do so. Bluey comforts her by telling her the story Calypso told her.
Back at the lookout, the Sheepdogs end up using the binoculars that the girls tried to use. Through them, they end up spotting Cornelius and the Terriers' Mum at the former's old home. Turns out, he's selling it, and it has a pool, which is what the sheepdogs wanted. They become unsure of what to do.
At the Heelers' house, they sadly take one last look at the place before they head to their car. Bandit is about to enter, but receives a call. As Bandit finishes talking on the phone, he heads up to the sign and takes the sold sticker off of it, revealing that the Sheepdogs cancelled their plan of buying the house. He then musters all of his strength to take the sign out and throws it into the cul-de-sac, realizing that he wants to stay in it. Chilli hops out of the car and tackles Bandit, crying in his arms. Bluey and Bingo hug their parents and are overjoyed that they don't have to move.
The Heelers re-enter their house, with Bluey and Bingo happily looking around. They head back to their room and dance and hug with joy. Later that day, the family eat fish and chips on a shipping box in the playroom. Bandit and Chilli look at each other lovingly as their tails wag, with Bandit laughing as Bingo places a chip on her nose (to look like a moustache). The camera pans up to the sky as the Heeler house has become the Heeler home.
Appearances
- The Heeler family
- Bucky Dunstan (physical debut)
- The Sheepdogs (debut)
- Calypso
- Pretzel
- Rusty
- Winton
- The Terriers
- Indy
- Mackenzie
- Jack
- Honey
- Coco
- Chloe
- Policeman (debut)
- Cookie (debut, voice only)
- Frisky's Bridesmaid (debut)
- Frisky's Dad (debut)
- Frisky's Mum (debut)
- Posie (cameo)
- Busker
- Pat
- Wendy
- Terriers' Mum (mentioned, does not speak)
- Cornelius (mentioned, does not speak)
- Pretzel's Mother(s) (mentioned)
- Poffertje Dog/Customer (cameo)[5]
- English Pointer Terrier (cameo)
- Sheila (cameo)
- Black and Red Dog (cameo)
- Library Dog (cameo)
- Hospital Kid (cameo)
- Vet Corgi (cameo)
- Chippy (cameo)
- Cherry (cameo)
- Fido (cameo)
- Winnie (cameo)
- Juniper (cameo)
- Juniper's Mum (cameo)
- Boxer Dad (cameo)
- Boxer Kid (cameo)
- Bentley (cameo)
- Zara (cameo)
- Rocko (cameo)
- Snickers' Mum (cameo)
- Maynard (cameo)
- Judo (cameo)
- Grey Nomads (cameo)
Trivia
General Trivia
- At 28 minutes 30 seconds, The Sign is the longest episode in the show's history - more than triple the previous record.[4]
- Pass the Parcel and Tradies had previously jointly held the joint record at 8 minutes.
- The premiere viewership was roughly two million viewers[6] in Australia. This is more than double[7] the viewing figures of the second highest rated episode Easter (607,000). For wider context, the population of Australia was 26 million, meaning about 10% of Australians saw the premier of the sign on airing.
- This is the fourth episode to feature a substantially modified end credits sequence (following Sleepytime, The Decider, and Ghostbasket.
- On 8 April, the day after the release of "Ghostbasket", the Heeler House was listed for sale on domain.com.au, under Bucky Dunstan Real Estate Pty Ltd.
- The description is topped off by "Watch the 28-minute Bluey special episode The Sign at 8am on Sunday April 14, on ABC Kids and ABC iView. This is an exciting opportunity for all families around the world to see if this beloved, iconic house becomes home to a lucky new family."
- While no address is given, the interactive map links to 40 Mabel Street, the address of Oxley Dog Park.
- Following the release of this episode, the domain.com.au page was updated: the house is now "withdrawn from sale".
- The Heelers' car is revealed to be named "Bobo."
- Socks speaks in more complex sentences, showing continued development of her language skills.
- Bucky Dunstan tells the Sheepdogs that Queensland Summers are not too hot. The average summer temperature in January (Southern Summer) is 26°C (or about 79°F), though daylight tempratures can easily go over 35°C .[8]
- In the overhead driving shot after leaving the juice shop, a street sign reading " Ludo" can be seen.
- Chilli says that as teenagers, she and Frisky used to go to the lookout to "think." Joe Brumm, in an interview with the podcast Gotta Be Done[9], stated that the line was a reference to an episode of The Simpsons - when Homer goes out to "do some serious thinking," Bart says "I'm sure he meant to say serious drinking".[10]
- Most of the students in Calypso's class have a line in this episode.
- Snickers does not have a line, as he does not appear in the episode. His latest speaking appearance was in K9 News.
- The darkest and lightest Terriers do not have lines, though their "grey" brother does speak once. However, all of them do mouth "what?" and howl, alongside their classmates.
- Frisky's car, first seen in Double Babysitter, has its number plate revealed as "FR15K", roughly spelling out Frisky.
- Bucky Dunstan's license plate is ISELL4U, referencing his profession (real estate agent).
- Muffin buckles Socks into her car seat, while Chilli buckles in Bingo and Muffin - then double-checks Socks's buckles.
- Chilli states that "If all the seats are taken, a child older than four can sit in the front seat." This is an accurate Queensland law.[11] However, as a seven-year-old, Bluey would legally be able to ride in the front seat regardless.[12]
- Cookie does not appear onscreen. She may be Frisky's friend, roommate, or perhaps landlord, based on the conversation in the episode. However, she does not appear to have been invited to the wedding.
- At the petrol station in which Chilli and the girls stop to clean the spilled watermelon juice, a price chart can be seen to the left, with price per litre at (in AU$):
- $1.67 for E10 (about €1.02/£0.87 per litre, or US$4.06 per gallon).
- $1.77 for Super (€1.08/£0.92 per litre, or US$4.31 per gallon).
- As Frisky drives by the gas station, she's looking down, then looks back up to the road, suggesting she may be looking at her phone.
- The butterfly drawing Chilli's attention to the Mt Coot-Tha Lookout sign is an example of the butterfly effect, where a small action (Bingo and Lila saving a caterpillar) can have large consequences.
- When Muffin screams while trying to get the coin out, her screams are reused from The Sleepover and Faceytalk.
- Additionally, when the girls find out Muffin has placed the coin in the wrong hole, all three yell "Muffin!". Socks' line is in itself reused from Faceytalk.
- Rad and Frisky wear only a bowtie and tiara/veil as their wedding clothes. This seems to be unusual - both the cake toppers and Bandit and Chilli's wedding photo (seen in Puppets) show typical wedding clothes of a suit and wedding dress
- It might be possible that Rad and Frisky's wedding was cheaper and more casual one compared to Bandit and Chillis since it took place in the Heelers backyard, and thus did not get any outfits.
- At the wedding, Busker served as both the officiant and the DJ for the reception.
- In the photo where the crowd jumps, Muffin and Chris do not. Muffin looks confused at why they are jumping, and Chris may not want to jump or is unable to, given her age.
- The mystery of Bob's long absence is resolved - he was in India, "finding himself." Additionally, this also explains Bingo's line "Goodnight, Grandpa Bob, wherever you are" from Bedroom.
- Long Dog: There are a few long dogs in this episode.
- On their way to school, the Heelers pass the electricity box which has the long dog from Show And Tell sitting on it.
- When Chilli opens the car boot, a blue and purple long dog can be seen on the right.
- At the wedding reception, the Busker has a laptop with a grey long dog as a logo, similar to an Apple logo.
- During production, this episode was originally titled We'll See.[15]
- This episode was originally intended as the season finale. However, as the final line of Surprise! spoils the resolution, the order was changed.
- Notably, Surprise! aired with no warning to most viewers, meaning many had considered this episode, and to a certain extent still do, consider this episode the series finale.
- The music played at the start of the first scene of Bluey's school is the first two bars of Debussy's Arabesque No.1 played by a harp.
Callbacks
- While playing on the swings, Bandit pretends to fall asleep just before he is about to push Bingo, similar to him pretending to sleep mid-story in Fruitbat.
- On the car ride to school:
- Bingo can be seen doing the hand jumping game played in Road Trip.
- The English Pointer Terrier can be seen outside on their phone, in the exact same body position they were in in their other cameo episode, The Quiet Game.
- The Poffertje Dog or Customer from Kids (both look extremely similar) is seen on the pavement after the bus stop.
- In the classroom:
- While the class is sat down, one of the Terriers says to Winton "Our mum likes your dad", which references the events from TV Shop.
- The episode further shows the development of their romance when it's revealed that Cornelius is putting his house for sale, most likely so he can move in with the Terrier's Mum.
- After the story, Rusty calls to Jack "Let's play Army!", a callback to Army. Also, Jack's tail can be seen wagging at this suggestion.
- In the classroom, a purple ball of yarn can be seen in a bowl, possibly the same one used in Space and Typewriter.
- While the class is sat down, one of the Terriers says to Winton "Our mum likes your dad", which references the events from TV Shop.
- Returning from the school, Bandit and the girls pass a Hammerbarn Store.
- Bingo sleeps under a mountain of stuffed animals, with the gecko from Copycat and KimJim from Cubby being but two examples.
- When Chilli opens the boot to retrieve the spare car seat, the umbrella from Rain plus a Chattermax are seen in the back.
- At the playground, a Ulysses Butterfly, is shown while Chilli and Bluey talk. Bingo says "Oh, hello, Flappy. Good seeing you again," suggesting that in Bingo's eyes, this butterfly is the same one that she and Lila had saved in Slide.
- That episode also had "good luck" as a major theme.
- Chilli recalls the events of Baby Race, by saying "Of course I don't want to leave, Bluey. You took your first steps in that house."
- Later on in the empty house, Chilli can be seen in the kitchen, staring at the place where Bluey took her first steps.
- Brandy is seen to be pregnant, calling back to Onesies.
- At the wedding reception, Chris and Bob do the floss, which they learned in Grannies.
- Bingo being stuck in the railings is a callback to Bingo.
- A singular welcome swallow, much like the ones in Onesies, is seen as the Sheepdogs are on the Viewpoint.
- On moving day, Greenie (the balloon which Bluey lost in Mum School) floats across the sky.
- The Sheepdogs decide to buy Cornelius' house because it has a pool - as Winton stated in Helicopter
- As Pat and Bandit say their farewells, three jerseys are drying on the line - two maroon and one blue. These would be Pat, Lucky, and Janelle's jerseys as seen in The Decider.
- The shot of Bluey with her headphones on is very similar to the cover art for Bluey: The Album.
- When the Heelers got their house back, Bluey and Bingo run in the long hallway, which references Yoga Ball.
The Farmer
- The storybook Calypso reads, The Farmer, is an adaptation of the Chinese fable The Old Man Lost His Horse, which dates to the second century BC.
- The story depicts a succession of good events which lead to bad outcomes, and bad events which lead to good outcomes. The titular farmer reacts with wú wéi - often translated as "inaction," but for western audiences, the concept may be more familiar from The Serenity Prayer - "The grace to accept the things I cannot change."
- The story has been interpreted in different ways - as a reminder to look for silver linings, as a statement on the limits of one person's perspective in the moment (the futility of trying to divine "good" or "bad" luck), or even the nature of stories - that a good ending is just choosing to end the telling on a pleasant event; a real sequence of events continues without end.
- The story is echoed in Bluey's adventure throughout the episode.
- Bluey is sad about having to move. She believes that if she can remove the For Sale sign, the house will no longer be for sale.
- She is unable to move the sign, but then Frisky arrives and offers to help.
- Frisky gets into an argument with Radley and storms off without helping. Now the house is still for sale, and the wedding is off.
- Chilli agrees to take the girls on a drive to go look for Frisky.
- There's no room in the back seat, so Bluey can't come.
- Because there's no room in the back seat, Bluey, as the oldest, gets to sit in the front seat.
- Because Bluey is sitting in the front seat, they get pulled over.
- The policeman has seen Frisky and points them in the right direction.
- They arrive at the juice shop but miss spotting Frisky because Bluey spots a coin.
- The girls talk Chilli into getting them juice.
- Muffin spills her juice in the car, and they have to pull over and clean out the car.
- Because they're pulled over, Socks spots Frisky's car, and they are able to catch up to her.
- Because of the juice, Socks has to go to the bathroom, and they have to give up the chase to find a restroom. A butterfly enters the car.
- Chilli has to pull over again, because Muffin and Socks are startled by the butterfly.
- Because she pulled over, Chilli spots a sign for Mt Coot-Tha, and realizes where to find Frisky.
- They find Frisky at the lookout. There are binoculars, but they take money.
- Nobody has a coin, except Bluey, who has the coin she found at the juice shop.
- The coin gets stuck, and they aren't able to use the binoculars.
- The Sheepdogs are able to get the coin unstuck and use the binoculars - and they spot Cornelius' house, causing them to cancel the sale of the Heelers' house.
- Bandit, who was already deeply conflicted about moving, decides they won't move after all.
Real Places
- The juice shop is based on Medley Kangaroo Point.
- The park where they stop for Socks to go to the bathroom is Milton Train Park.
- Frisky is found at the Mt Coot-Tha Lookout, site with panoramic views of Brisbane. Notably, the road sign has letters that are somewhat visibly written as "Mt Coot-Tha" with walking, picnic, and mountain/hill emblems.
Firsts
- Pretzel's line about "his mums" constitutes the first mention of LGBTQ+ characters in the series.
- His guinea pig is the first mention of a pet owned by a named character.
- The word "Queensland" is actually said.
- "Lazarus Drug" is the first, and so far, only licensed music used in Bluey. The song was written and performed by Meg Washington, the voice of Calypso.
- The song was re-orchestrated for the episode by Joff Bush and Joe Twist, including having Megan Washington re-record the vocal track.
- The Unnamed 2016 Pilot Episode and The Weekend (Pilot Cut) made use of contemporary, copyrighted music without obtaining a license. Both used Custard's "Pinball Lez" as the title theme. Additionally, the pilot version of The Weekend used Regurgitator's "Super Happy Funtime" for the montage music, and a song by NOFX.
- This is the first episode where an arrangement of the theme song was used for the end credits.
- The Farmer is the first pop-up book to be shown in detail on the show. Even the correct number of closed pages are drawn in.
Dance Moves
- Frisky does the Running Man.
- Mort does a Prisiadki - the squat-kicking dance often called the " Cossack Dance" in English, though it is only one move incorporated in that dance style.
- Bingo's line "Bob and Stripe are dancing like eagles" suggests that they are performing the " Eagle Drop" - an Australian tradition where men drop their trousers around their ankles and dance while the song "Eagle Rock" is played, particularly at weddings.
- Chris and Bob are seen flossing, a callback to the episode Grannies.
Errors
- In the overhead driving shot after leaving the juice shop, the background is mirrored.
- When Frisky comes up to Rad, Chilli's nose is missing for a few frames.
- Busker and Wendy both have lines. However, their voice actors (Joff Bush and Emily Taheney respectively) are uncredited.
References
- ↑ Aired on 22nd April 2024 on TVNZ+
- ↑ https://iview.abc.net.au/show/bluey-the-sign
- ↑ https://www.abc.net.au/tv/epg/#/channel/ABC4KIDS
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 https://www.bluey.tv/blog/a-28-minute-bluey-episode-is-coming-in-2024/
- ↑ Note: the character designs are virtually indistinguishable, so either character is possible here.
- ↑ https://tvtonight.com.au/2024/04/sunday-14-april-2024.html
- ↑ https://tvtonight.com.au/2021/04/bluey-breaks-another-record-at-easter.html
- ↑ https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brisbane#Climate
- ↑ https://www.podbean.com/ew/pb-abctx-15e9c0d
- ↑ YouTube Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=chv8iRl7N3Y
- ↑ https://www.qld.gov.au/transport/safety/rules/children/where-to-sit
- ↑ https://www.qld.gov.au/transport/safety/rules/children/types
- ↑ https://www.police.qld.gov.au/privacy-statement
- ↑ https://www.legislation.qld.gov.au/view/html/inforce/current/act-2009-014
- ↑ https://twitter.com/CosmicGl0w/status/1779405418512707648