Bluey Bash

Has the world’s newest love, Bluey, and its owner, the ABC, lost their F***ing mind? Or is this kids’ show worth all the hammering?

The ABC has removed Bluey’s 14^th highest-ranked episode from a whopping 194 episodes titled “Hammarbarn”. This fiery response was sparked after Bunnings Warehouse had its second Bluely themed merchandise run, where garden and home accessories were for sale, and some stores have even been renamed ‘Hammerbarn’ for a limited time. 

But why is this so bad for the ABC? This Partnership hangs in a strange grey area, where, because the BBC owns most of the global distribution rights, commercial partnerships are allowed without the ABC’s Approval. The ABC is government-funded, meaning it cannot have commercial partnerships. What’s strange is that Bluey is no stranger to commercial partnerships in the past, whether this be LEGO, Disneyland, Jazwares (Squishmellows), or even Colgate. What’s next, the ABC bans every episode with a toothbrush?

But enough boring corporate backstory, are they forgetting this show is for kids? For Pete’s sake, it’s a blue, animated, six-year-old dog, and the episode only lasts 7 minutes. Children shouldn’t be subject to grown-up issues. What could have been a perfect outing for families has been turned unnecessarily bitter. Imagine what could have been, watching the episode, and then going to Bunnings to experience Bluey’s same core values of family and fun, with possibly a cheeky bit of Bluey’s signature imagination, but no. 

Hammarbarn was already a strong Bunning representation, even a child could have figured that out. The Australian program highlighted Bluey getting a Hammarbarn snag when walking in. Do you think that sounds familiar to you? As well as the strikingly similar-looking buildings. Why didn’t the ABC have a problem with this link before? Children shouldn’t be linked to corporate clash.

ABC representative said to 9 News: “As the ABC cannot align with a commercial brand or partnership, the Bluey episode Hammerbarn will temporarily be unavailable on ABC iview.”

I understand ABC has policies, but they are extreme and make too much noise for a simple kids’ program. Could the ABC not have shown a 5-second disclosure saying that separate entities own any Hammarbarn X Bunnings products? It’s just too extreme for a simple and lovable children’s program.

But seriously, why is the ABC happy to partner with a baked beans company? That’s it, ABC, remove all the episodes with food.