If you share a house with a child under the age of six, you’re very likely to have heard the name Bluey before. The adventures of the loveable little dog and her family are undeniably wonderful for both parent and child alike, but you’ll be shocked to learn there may actually be a secret criminal underworld beneath the surface of this Australian animated show.
I have to hand it to Bluey, it’s by far one of the best TV series aimed at kids I’ve ever seen. Every episode is filled with charming humor that works for viewers young and old, the animation style is vibrant, and there is always a valuable lesson to be learned from the modern fables.
It’s no surprise Bluey finds herself among our list of the best cartoon characters, then. However, one lesson we didn’t expect to learn from the animated series is that crime pays, but that’s indeed the basis of this brilliant fan theory from Zach Mander.
Bluey and her sister, Bingo, are lucky enough to grow up in a pretty fancy house, with two loving parents — dad, Bandit, and mom, Chilli. Dig a little deeper, though, and this home may well be the telltale clue that unearths a huge criminal conspiracy.
Mander has looked up the average house price for a property similar to the Bluey household, particularly one which overlooks the Brisbane skyline, and finds that it would cost at least $1 million. Now, how are Bandit and Chilli paying for that?
Well, Bandit is canonically an archaeologist, while Chilli works in airport security. Solid careers, for sure, but nowhere near the kind of earnings bracket you would expect for a family to be able to buy a million-dollar house. The proof is even out there, as an archaeologist typically earns around $67,000 a year, while airport security workers earn around $22 per hour.
With the kids at home for much of the day in almost every episode of the kids’ comedy series, there’s no way the family is bringing in enough cash to pay for the house. That’s without factoring in their active lifestyle, with dad playing golf on the regular, and the children seemingly getting anything they want.
Perhaps the family inherited some money from a relative who passed, or maybe they won the lottery at some point. Bandit’s parents are pretty flush, it seems, so it’s entirely logical that the family is simply well-off. But, it’s far more exciting to imagine a reality where Bandit and Chilli are selling rare artifacts on the black market, isn’t it?
It may sound like the plot of some of the best thriller movies, but these cartoon canines could well be in cahoots with a criminal underworld. You see, with Bandit’s line of work, he has incredible access to what could potentially be priceless fossils, bones, and relics. He seems like a nice guy, but who’s to say Bandit isn’t pocketing the odd historical heirloom?
And how would he get away with it? Well, it just so happens he has excellent connections in the world of airport security, doesn’t he? With Chilli facilitating the smuggling of these rare items, Bandit is able to sell his valuables across the globe to the highest bidder. It is truly the perfect crime. Somebody get me their tax records!
For more hidden secrets about your favorite cartoons and animated movies, here’s the horrifying Peppa Pig backstory you never knew, and this tragic Finding Nemo twist that makes the Disney movie far more bleak. Or you could just look at our list of all the new movies coming in 2023, and our list of the best movies of all time.