It was the Bluey episode that divided a nation. When the ABC dropped new series three ep ‘Exercise’, many fans and health experts were up in arms over the subject matter.
The episode opens with Bluey’s dad Bandit weighing himself in the bathroom, and sighing in disappointment in front of his daughters. He grabs his tummy and claims he needs to exercise while mum Chilli also expresses dissatisfaction with her weight. All while the kids watch on.
The scene attracted criticism for portraying a “harmful” message to children about body image.
Now, in a bold and admiring move, Bluey creators have responded, Kidspot reported.
Bluey creators delete controversial scene
With full support from the TV network, Bluey creators have completely removed the bathroom scene and all references to weight.
The removal of the controversial scene was confirmed in a statement issued by the ABC.
“The recent episode of Bluey, Exercise, has been republished by the ABC following a decision by the makers of the program,” the statement read.
“The new version provides families with the opportunity to manage important conversations in their own way.
“As the home of Bluey, the ABC supports the decision to re-edit the program and we have updated the episode on our platforms. BBC Studios will use this revised version for global distribution and also support this decision.”
Aussies divided over Bluey scene
Many experts slammed the cartoon for body shaming. Paediatric dietitian Dr Kyla Ringrose was among those to express disappointment and eating disorder support Butterfly Foundation has since weighed in on the controversy.
“Watching Bandit and Chilli weigh themselves and openly hate on their bodies in front of the kids was really uncomfortable,” Dr Ringrose said.
Prominent TikTok user Aussie Girl Margie took to the platform to air her frustration over the “problematic” scene.
“Apparently, Bluey is totally OK with fat shaming now,” she said. “I mean, overall the message of the episode was fantastic. But the fact they added in the scales and showed both parents being sad and disappointed after seeing the number on the scales, is pretty problematic.”
Others took to Bluey’s official Twitter and Facebook pages with similar grievances, with one writing: “Really disappointed in the way this episode started as someone who battled with my weight my whole childhood and into adulthood.”
But there were plenty of people who defended the episode, arguing it was important for a children’s program to promote an active lifestyle.
“Absolutely loved it. Beautiful message about being active. Moving. Exercising. Playing in the backyard,” one wrote on Facebook.
“Loved it. The bit with the doctor at the end meant it was about Bandit taking care of himself, not about him not liking the way he looked,” another added.
However many more parents leapt to the defence of the beloved show, arguing it is portraying real life.
One mum commented, saying Bluey “strongly resonates with the average Australian parent and it’s good to learn that we all experience disappointments, which in turn motivate us to improve our lives.”
But something Bluey creators don’t like is negative talk – it’s not what the show is about – hence their decision to remove it completely to ensure everyone was happy.
Well played, all.
This article originally appeared on Kidspot and was reproduced with permission