“What’s Bluey? Is that like Blue’s Clues?” – me, who lives under a rock
(It’s not Blue’s Clues.)
This came up over Thanksgiving break when we were shopping for Christmas presents for BB. Mom said he loves rocking out to the Bluey theme song but mostly ignores the episodes. Based on that, I figured he wasn’t really a fan (too young for that) and opted not to get him Bluey merch. Instead I got him a three-pack of trucks (pull them back and they zoom forward).
As it turns out, he’s not hurting for Bluey merch. He already has a Bluey rowboat bath toy and a set of Bluey magnets. For Christmas, he got a Bluey truck (riding size) and a Bluey bathrobe (with ears on the head! super cute).
Also I’ve now watched a bunch of Bluey eps. ngl it’s really good. I guess it’s me who is the fan.
To back up a bit: The Christmas Day opening of presents went about like you’d expect with an 18-month-old. BB opened the first two presents (a stuffed bunny and my trucks) and then had no further interest in opening presents. He was playing with his bunny and one of the trucks. His parents saved the biggest present for last. “Let’s see what Uncle Sam got you!” his mom said. (A present from the government? I thought. No, actually, brother has a coworker named Sam.) With much coaxing, BB's parents would get him over there long enough to rip off one strip of wrapping paper, and then he’d be off to play with something else. Longest unboxing ever. Finally the Bluey truck was revealed. THAT was exciting.
It needs batteries and charging in order to run. Right now it’s just a stationary truck. BB still loves it, although he seems a bit mystified that none of the buttons do anything. Buttons are his favorite thing, and he knows that when you push buttons, stuff is supposed to happen.
He’s still too young for imaginative or creative play. He plays for the pure joy of manipulating objects and having interesting things happen. Top toy of the week was a wooden car console with lots of buttons and switches that turn lights on when pressed/toggled, plus (of course) a loud horn. Top game of the week was throwing his giant mango plush out of the top of his plushie den. “BOOM!” I yell as it hits the ground. Then I grab the mango and slam-dunk it back into the den. “BOOM!” This is basically the funniest thing of all time.
When BB does reach the age for imaginative play, I have mixed feelings about merch. I was thinking about this when browsing the Lego aisle on Thanksgiving break (way over BB’s pay grade at the moment, but someday…). It’s stuffed with licensed products: Lego Marvel, Lego Harry Potter, Lego Star Wars. Nothing against those products per se, but I’m a purist and think a kid’s primary universe should be populated with OCs rather than fanon.
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