Ready to watch 'The Sign?' Here's the Bluey Lore You Need
The terrific 28-minute special has plenty of callbacks.
I wasn’t planning on writing specifically about Bluey’s big 28-minute special, The Sign. The understanding in my household was that I was easily the most excited about the extra-long Bluey episode, but I was waiting to watch it with my child because they might enjoy it. Listen, I was very close to watching it on my own first (and maybe that would’ve prepared me better for the emotions the episode would elicit), but I held strong. I’m pretty sure I’ve seen every episode of Bluey several times and I’ve even written about some of my favorite episodes before. Could the team at Ludo Studios expand the show from its normal 7-minute runtime to a version four times the amount and still maintain its excellence? The answer is an emphatic ‘Yes.’
There has already been some great writing about the episode that can be considered the “Avengers: Endgame for 4-year-olds.” I’m not here to rehash my experience watching the episode or what makes Bluey great. I imagine that if you’re taking the time to read a newsletter about a Bluey special, you probably already know it’s great. No, what I’m here to do is prepare you with the episodes you might want to watch before the special, some thoughts about the future of Bluey, and Easter Eggs you might’ve missed the first time around.
‘The Sign’ Pre-game
So you think you’re ready to watch The Sign. Not only should you be prepared to cry, but it’d help if you watched a few of these memorable episodes from Bluey:
Double Babysitter
In this season 2 episode of Bluey, we’re introduced to the characters of Uncle Rad and Frisky for the first time. They both conveniently show up to babysit Bluey and Bingo (Mum definitely set it all up), and hit it off while watching the kids.
Onesies
This season 3 episode of Bluey introduces Mum’s sister, Brandy, to the show. The audience learns that she hasn’t been around much because she finds it difficult to be around her nieces given her struggles with infertility.
TV Shop
While I’d argue this season 3 episode is more for a background story in The Sign, it’s a fun episode to watch anyway. While Bluey and Bingo are looking for their friend in the Pharmacy, there is a romance between two other characters in the background.
Slide
Another season 3 episode, this one has Bingo playing with her BFF Lila on a slip-n-slide in the backyard. During the episode, they decide to save all the bugs that might get crushed during their time on the slide.
Fairytale
This is my list and I think you need an episode that shows the extended family. This is a fun throwback to Dad’s childhood and living with his Mum, Dad, and brothers.
Ghostbasket
Ghostbasket is so essential to watching The Sign that I can’t imagine watching The Sign without it. It all seems like an innocent game that the Heeler family is playing— what if the Heeler family was going to sell their house? But the Heelers often play games to solve problems in their lives whether it is Bluey coping with the death of a parakeet in Copycat or reenacting a Baby Shower while missing Mum in Daddy Putdown. So when it’s revealed that the Heeler family is going to sell their home at the end of Ghostbasket, we should be mentally prepared, right? Wrong.
Go watch The Sign and come back after the break for some post-episode thoughts and Easter Eggs you might’ve missed.
Post Game ‘The Sign’
Spoilers for The Sign follow. Last chance to click away.
I’m not going to lie. I totally imagined what it would be like if the Heelers sold their home. And if they did, that would be an entirely logical way to end Bluey. There has been discussion about how Bluey can’t possibly go on forever. Even if it did, how could it ever keep up the quality that families have come to expect from the show? If they moved there would be no more interactions with Lucky’s Dad. How would Bingo ever spend her entire childhood with Lila as seen in the episode Daddy Dropoff? And let’s be honest, I’m way too emotional about a children’s television show! But the idea of moving away from a family home is a difficult one that families face. Never mind that there’s a wedding in this episode as well!
But as fate would have it, the Heelers don’t sell their house. A lot of things had to happen for that result (that lucky coin!) In all, I enjoyed the episode and if it was the last Bluey ever (which it is not), I would’ve thought it was a perfect way to end the show. But I’m glad there are more adventures to come because I enjoy the time spent with these cartoon dogs. (Also there were no dry eyes in this house while watching the episode. It was more emotional for my wife and I than for our child. I believe they likely have the same level of awareness of what selling a house means as Bingo did in the episode.)
‘The Sign’ Easter Eggs
The Real Estate agent, Bucky Dunstan, was first mentioned in the Bluey episode Dragon. He was the kid who discouraged Dad from drawing cars.
The German Shepherd policeman seen in The Sign is voiced by actor Joel Edgerton.
In the episode TV Shop, it’s heavily implied that Winton’s dad likes the Terriers’ Mum. Their relationship is teased more early in The Sign, before ultimately affecting whether Bluey moves.
Aunt Brandy is seen in The Sign with a surprise of her own, she’s pregnant! After her heartbreaking struggles with infertility during Onesies, this is delightful to see.
In the series, sometimes you can see secret long dogs. There are a few in The Sign, but one of the most notable is on DJ Busker’s (He’s an avatar for Bluey composer Joff Bush) laptop.
During the dance sequence, the song from Dance Mode is playing while Nana and Grandpa floss. Nana and Grandpa first learned how to floss in the episode Grannies.
Late in the episode, we can see a Green Balloon flying in the air. That’s the balloon ‘Greeny’ as seen in the episode Mum School.
The voice actress for the teacher Calypso, Megan Washington, also sings the song that closes out The Sign.
In the episode The Slide, Bingo and Lila save a caterpillar who turns into a Butterfly. That butterfly causes Mum to stop her car during The Sign.
In the season 1 episode, The Dump, Bingo is seen wearing an over-the-shoulder harness for her seatbelt. That caused controversy as a child of Bingo’s age should be wearing a different kind of seatbelt. Placement and proper seating in the car are given a lot of attention in The Sign and when Mum is pulled over for having Bluey in the front seat, they even explain the laws for that particular city.
Right after Greeny the Balloon is seen, there’s a wide shot of the lookout spot. Chocolate Milk and Cherry from the episode Tradies can be seen together looking out a telescope.
Grandpa is seen for the first time a while. Bluey theorists thought maybe he had died, but apparently in was in India “finding himself.”
Mum can be seen in the Kitchen at the end of The Sign standing in the exact spot where Bluey walked to her for the first time in Baby Race.
The Heeler house has never made much sense. It kind of conforms to what the animators need. In the season 1 episode, Yoga Ball, it seems that the hallway stretches forever while they play a game that seems inspired by Raiders of the Lost Ark. That endless hallway is revisited in The Sign.
Love the episode? Find more Easter Eggs? Let us know in the comments below.