Bluey Creator Admits His Weird Family Game Goes Too Far

For most families (and several adult fans) it’s Bluey’s world and we’re just living in it. Although the popularity of Bluey was a slow burn a few years ago, it’s clear now that this show has taken over everything. There was a Bluey balloon in Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade, and currently, there’s a live show Bluey's Big Play, touring the US. On November 29, 2022, NRP interviewed the creator of Bluey, Joe Brumm and he dropped a very funny detail. Turns out, one beloved episode has a much-more annoying real-life inspiration.

Bluey heads may be aware of an episode called “Tickle Crabs,” in which Bluey and Bingo pretend to be crabs who mercilessly tickle their parents. But, Brumm revealed to NPR that the original version of this was much worse.

Here’s what Brumm said about how “Tickle Crabs” was originally called “Pinchy.”

“Now, that game was originally called Pinchy, Because the game I used to play with the kids was - there was this crab that, you know, would sneak home from the beach with me. And they would pinch you. And I said to them, you're allowed to play this game for one minute once a month. And I would have to steel myself up... So that when it came time to actually make it, I just thought, look, I'm sorry, I have my limits. I cannot inflict this on the wider population. So we changed it to Ticklecrabs. The episode suffered a little, but I think parents are probably kind of thankful for it in the end.”

So there you have it, parents. If you find yourself annoyed by any hyper aspects of Bluey (as some parents very much are) just know, it could be way worse.

Elsewhere in the interview, Brumm addressed the fact that one Bluey episode called “Dad Baby” has still not been released in the US.

“...the audience, and particularly the U.S. audience, are very vocal. And they're realizing now that they're getting a different version to what I made here in Australia, and they're not particularly happy about that. There is one episode which I don't think at this point will be screened called ‘Dad Baby,’ but fingers crossed. You never know.”

American Bluey completists now have renewed hope: Repressed Bluey episodes could come to Disney+, someday.

Check out the full interview over on NPR.

Bluey (including “Tickle Crabs”) streams on Disney+.