Fans Have A Devastating Theory About Bluey's Mom Chilli — And It's Making Her Even More Relatable To Mothers Everywhere
The cartoon character represents a wide range of emotions.
BBC Studios & TikTok Bluey, the Australian cartoon about a family of dogs, is beloved by kids and parents both, for its funny and often vulnerable representation of what it means to be part of a family.
The Heeler family is made up of kids Bluey and Bingo, their mom Chilli, and dad Bandit. Chilli, especially, has been praised for her character’s authentic representation of motherhood. She was even the cover model for InStyle Australia’s February 2023 issue, which touted the cartoon mom as “the matriarch of the biggest and most famous Australian television export of all time.”
But, as fans get to know Chilli more, they're realizing that there is so much more to her than they realized and her character speaks to women and parents everywhere.
Fans believe that Bluey’s mom, Chilli, exhibits a certain sadness that feels incredibly true to life.
One such fan, Asheley Baca, created a TikTok post about her realization that Chilli is “secretly very sad.”
Baca filmed herself in tears while watching Bluey. The video is overlaid with the words, “It took me 9 years to realize Bluey’s mom is secretly very sad.” She captioned the post with the reassuring statement, “And it’s okay to be sad.”
The TikTok features a clip from the episode “Relax” in which Bluey asks Chilli what the book she’s reading is about. Chilli responds, “It’s about how to be happy.” Chilli is then shown sitting on the beach, alone, telling herself, “Okay, time to relax.”
But she can’t relax. Instead, she goes home and tells Bandit, “I don’t know how to relax.” Her husband embraces her while Chilli explains, “It’s harder than it looks.”
Chilli’s inability to give herself a moment to unwind is emblematic of an issue faced by most human moms, who are more often than not the default parent, the ones carrying the mental load.
In the episode “The Beach,” Chilli tells her family, “I’m just going to go for a walk along the beach,” to which Bluey asks, “Why do you like walking by yourself?” Chilli considers the question thoughtfully, then answers, “Not sure, actually. I just do.” The moment shows that all moms, whether they’re pups or people, need time on their own to recharge.
Chilli’s sadness on ‘Bluey’ gives moms permission to feel their full range of feelings, without the expectation of perfection.
Chilli is a great mom to Bluey and Bingo and a great wife to Bandit. She treats her kids with dignity and is happy to get involved in their games. But she also takes much-needed time for herself and sometimes even expresses annoyance with her children— what mom in the world can’t empathize with that?
Joe Brumm, the creator of Bluey, even acknowledged that Chilli had experienced a miscarriage. Brumm’s subtle inclusion of that vulnerable detail on the show offers a moment of representation and recognition for a common yet often undiscussed experience that can affect pregnant people. The Mayo Clinic reports that “about 10 to 20 percent of known pregnancies end in miscarriage.”
Brumm explained Chilli’s miscarriage in the book “Hard To Bear” by Isabelle Oderberg. He stated that “‘The Show’ does indeed point at Chilli having a miscarriage. In fact, this is what the episode is about essentially, Chilli is passing down her method of coping to Bingo.”
Photo: Reddit
Chilli may be a cartoon dog, but she represents so much more than that. She offers moms a mirror in which to see themselves. Her sadness is identifiable for many parents; after all, parenting at its best moments is an emotionally-charged challenge. For a show to speak to a parent’s sadness, while also recognizing the joy involved in parenting, is a gift to everyone watching.
Alexandra Blogier is a writer on YourTango's news and entertainment team. She covers parenting issues, pop culture analysis and all things to do with the entertainment industry.