Ludo Studio

Australian production company Ludo’s Bluey cartoon series for preschoolers has proven hugely popular—it was not just the most-streamed children’s show in the U.S. in 2023, but the second most streamed show overall, per Nielsen. Airing in 60 countries, the hit helped push global distributor BBC Studios to top £2 billion ($2.5 billion) in revenue in its 2022-2023 fiscal year, a record. Across its more than 150 seven-minute episodes—starring 6-year-old dog Bluey and her tight-knit family—the cartoon rejects a kids-vs.-adults ethos. Instead, parents Chili and Bandit embrace imaginative games with the kids, like “Daddy Robot” helping clean their room. It’s funny, often emotional, and reflects a new era of friendlier parenting. “It’s been parents talking to other parents, saying this is a show that you can watch with your kids,” says Daley Pearson, director and co-founder of the Brisbane-based studio. “Billy Joel, Lin-Manuel Miranda, Natalie Portman. We've had Prime Ministers speak of their love for the show.” An Adult Bluey Fans group on Facebook has more than half a million members, and a Bluey podcast made by two obsessed moms has 1.6 million downloads. A 28-minute episode in April was a "testing ground" for longer-form shows—or more. "We'd love to do a movie," Pearson says. Later this year Bluey's World, an interactive attraction, will open in Brisbane.