Beloved 'Bluey' episode about pregnancy has been uploaded to YouTube after Disney+ refused to air it
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- "Bluey" was the second-most streamed show in America last year. It is carried by Disney+.
- But Disney has refused to air one of its episodes, called "Dad Baby," which is about pregnancy.
- So its Australian distributor has released it on YouTube for free.
Americans can now watch a beloved episode of "Bluey" that Disney+ mysteriously omitted from its online catalog in the United States.
Ludo Studio, a small Australian animation studio that owns the distribution rights for "Bluey" outside the United States, posted the episode — called "Dad Baby" — to YouTube this week. The episode collected almost 4 million views in just three days.
"Bluey" is a children's show about an Australian cartoon dog family. It has skyrocketed in popularity in the United States in recent years. In 2023, it was the most popular children's show in America and the second most streamed show after "Suits," according to Nielsen data.
In the episode, Bluey's father pretends to be pregnant, mimicking for his kids what it's like to be pregnant. He ultimately pretends to give birth in an inflatable pool.
It's unclear why Disney omitted the episode from its catalogs on Disney+ and Disney Junior. The company has not said publicly why. Some reports suggest that Disney may have left out the episode because it "borders on sex education," which, in Disney's view, might make it inappropriate for children, according to Collider.
In an interview with The Hollywood Reporter, "Bluey" creator Joe Brumm said showrunners have had to grapple with what information people will find appropriate for the show's preschool-age fan demographic. Brumm said there's material in "almost every script" that writers have to rework. But he drew the line at "Dad Baby," he said.
"(We'll say), 'well, we just won't show that entire episode or that scene or that sequence,'" Brumm told the outlet. "Some of them, like 'Dad Baby,' for instance, doesn't get shown in America. But what are you going to do? Not make 'Dad Baby?' I love it."
"Bluey" completed its third season last month and the Australian Broadcasting Company said it has "no plans to end the show," according to TODAY.
The Walt Disney Company did not immediately return a request for comment from Business Insider.