Hello Internet! Welcome to Film Theory, The
show that clearly has issues when it comes to kids shows about dogs.Today we’re
covering my new favorite show. I mean, my son's new favorite show, Bluey. For those of
you who don't have a family member in the single digits in the House, Bluey is an animated
TV series following the everyday adventures of a family of dogs named the Heelers.
You've got Bluey, her little sister Bingo, their mum Chilli and their father Bandit.
Most episodes revolve around the imagination games they play with mom and dad being absolute
S-tier parents by fully committing to the bit, pretending to be a sheep, a whale,
a bus that's racing out of control. And because it's a show from Australia,
you also get fun lines like this. Basically what I'm trying to say is that I've now
adopted “ah biscuits” into my daily vocabulary. All right, so I got to come clean here. I watch
more of the show than Ollie does. He'll go to bed and I'll watch, like, another episode or two
because each one is 8 minutes. And they're also heartwarming that you just feel good watching it.
It’s a nice way to end the day. But you know what that means? Me liking a show, plus it having an
uplifting message? that only results in one thing, me having to tear it down with a dark,
twisted theory. Call it a sign of respect, the Theorist seal of approval. But this time
someone actually beat me to the punch. Currently, there's a popular fan theory circulating that
Bluey takes place in a post-human apocalypse, as the theory goes, humans were somehow
wiped out and after thousands of years, dogs evolved to become the dominant species.
This initially doesn't seem that far fetched. At first glance, the world of Bluey does
feel very human. With the big difference here being that it's controlled by dogs. And this
honestly aligns with other theories we've done in the past with franchises like Cars. But
here on this channel we deal with theories, not hypotheses. What do you think this
is? Film Baseless Speculation? which means that we're going to need some evidence.
That's right! Today we're doing ourselves a MORTY. Is there enough evidence to prove that
Bluey’s world is set in the post-apocalypse? Or is the dog domination actually telling us
something else about this very family friendly, fictional world? To begin with, let's
break down some of the key pieces of evidence given for the post-apocalypse
theory. Number one, in Season one Episode 13 Spy Games Bluey's little sister Bingo
sings the nursery rhyme One Man Went to Mow Notice here that the lyrics of the song are
“one man and his dog went to mow a meadow”. This implies that at some point in this universe,
humans were present and that there's some distinction between men and dogs. Point number
two, all the technology is the same. Cars, laptops, tablets, phones. This technology
was left behind by the humans. And once the dogs figured out how to make it work,
they then started using it for themselves. If this technology had truly originated
in the dog based society, it would look different because dogs aren't naturally bipedal.
But the fact that they're in this world seems to suggest that the dogs evolved in a way that
allowed them to use human technology rather than developing it for themselves. Point
number three, the dogs? they still seem to be transitioning. In the season one episode
BBQ, we meet Bluey’s cousin Socks. And unlike all the other characters who walk and talk
like humans, Socks is still very much a dog. Socks mostly communicates through barking. She
pants. She leaves her tongue hanging out. She sits on all fours. She sometimes even growls
at people and bites. Now, you might assume that this is just how baby dogs work in this
world, but that isn't necessarily the case. In a Season two episode, we see Bluey and
her friends as babies learning to toddle around on two feet and vocalize like humans.
This implies then, that dog society is still going through a transitional period where some
dogs are still starting as dogs, but others are closer in genetic makeup to the bipedal
humanlike dogs that the series is known for. We even see this sort of transitional behavior
coming from Bingo in season one, Episode 17. Speaking of evolving, point number
four, the dogs eat chocolate. This is important because chocolate is toxic
to dogs. Chocolate contains a chemical called theobromine, which dogs can't metabolize. Again,
as the theory goes, dogs left to their own devices wouldn't evolve to make and consume chocolate,
something that's naturally toxic to them. Instead this is clearly something that humans made first,
and then the dogs when they inherited the Earth, eventually gained the appropriate genes to
consume. Point number five, There's a dog army. In season two an entire episode is dedicated
to the dog Rusty playing an imaginary army game. Rusty's father is a military man and he's trained
a son. Throughout the episode, we hear all about drill sergeants and soldiers and privates. This
tells us that the dogs are familiar with man made military structures and the concept of war
itself. Making matters even more interesting, Rusty and his dad are a breed of dog known as a
kelpie. In Australia, one of the most famous war heroes ever was a kelpie dog named Gunner, who
became famous during World War IIfor his ability to alert allied forces to approaching Japanese
aircraft. Because of his keen sense of hearing, he was able to differentiate between
Australian aircraft and Japanese aircraft. Barking when the Axis powers were coming. As
such, he was able to save hundreds of lives across 60 attempted air raids. In short, not
only do militaries exist in the world of Bluey, but the dog breeds that were selected by humans to
be used during wartime efforts are continuing to do that after human societies collapsed. And
finally point number six, there are leashes. At various points throughout the show we see
characters either using leashes or advertisements for leashes in the world around them. If this is
a world without humans, why would they exist? Why would dogs create leashes for themselves? And
why would dogs be accustomed to using them? The only possible explanation, according to the
theories, is that humans made them and then left them behind when they became extinct.
But the technology still lingers on to this very day. Overall, there seems to be a lot
of evidence in support of this theory. A lot. But before we start breaking down the
evidence, I needed to do one thing for me. I needed to go down to the comments and let me
know what kid's IP you want me to cover next. Right now I'm working on a magic school bus
episode, but I'm between shows right now and I could use something new to watch. Thank
you for all your suggestions. My nightly entertainment binges appreciate the good work that
you're doing. So now that we know our evidence, let's break it down, weakest to strongest. First,
the leashes. Look carefully at how the leashes are being used in this universe.
They're being used to keep track of small children. Guess what other civilization
self-designed leashes to keep track of their small children? Us. Humans. Treating our small, young
ones like untrained animals that need to be tied up is just a touchstone of any civilized society.
Clearly. So, while on the surface it seems like compelling evidence. In reality, it just makes
humans closer to dogs than we care to admit. Speaking of silly things that us elevated humans
do, we also eat foods that are meant to be toxic to us. For instance, the cassava. It’s a
starchy root vegetable from South America that contains compounds that break down into
cyanide when consumed. But humans figured out ways to prepare the dish so it could be safe
to eat. You also might be familiar with Fugu, the poisonous pufferfish that has to be specially
prepared so its neurotoxins don't kill you. That's another one that some people are just dumb
enough to eat. Intelligent creatures are just programmed to find ways to use the resources
that exist around them. So it's no surprise that the dog society of Bluey would figure
out nontoxic chocolate solutions, just like humans did for our food. Now let's talk about
those lyrics, One man and his dog went to mow. This one is starting to get into some tricky
territory. The idea here is because Bingo says “man”, it means that humans existed at some
point in history. And secondly, she specifies “and his dog”. Therefore, the man must be a human
and the dog must be a dog. It’s a pretty open and shut case, right? Well, I don't think so.
If you look at how the characters of the show use language, I don't think this is necessarily
true. Throughout Bluey, various characters are constantly saying "man" to each other. It's
just a part of their natural language. So the lyric that says that one man went to
mow could still be talking about a dog. But then what would differentiate the “and his dog”
bit? Well, I think in the Bluey-verse calling someone a dog is just how you refer to your
kids. In Season one, Episode 32 Bluey makes a video where she wishes for a baby.But
notice the way that she talks about it. In the world of Bluey, traditional dog words seem
to be reserved for younger kids who still act like dogs. So in Bingo’s song, it's literally “the man”
is the adult dog and “his dog” is the man's kid. But then what about the fact that the dogs have
adopted the technology that we humans left behind? Honestly, that just isn't feasible. The theory
says that there was a human apocalypse and that thousands of years later, dogs then evolved
into the bipedal creatures that we see in the world. The fact of the matter is that our human
technology wouldn't last that long. For instance, a printed circuit board like the ones
that are used in your smart devices, it only has a lifespan of 15 to 20
years, which for us isn't that bad. But if these dogs evolved many, many years after
the human extinction, then those circuit boards would have degraded by the time they figured
out what they were. The battery in laptops? Same thing. Eventually it'll just go flat and
never be able to recharge. Could they have been inspired by some human tech? Sure. But are they
the same devices that the dogs evolved to use? No, definitely not. Speaking of evolution,
let's actually dig deeper into that. As the post-apocalypse theory goes, Bluey and the
gang are bipedal because they evolved to copy humans. Except humans are far from the
only bipedal creatures out there. In fact, in the episode Flatpack, we watch Bluey and Bingo
play their way through the entire evolutionary chain of this world. Yep, that's right. All the
evidence that we need to prove this one is just right there in a single episode. In it, they
go from fish to frog to lizard to dinosaur, and eventually monkeys into cave dogs. This
right here, this is where they learn to be bipedal from their previous form, the monkey.
Notice that there's not a human in sight here. But then why would a dog go bipedal in the
first place? Well, this is actually just a natural progression for many advanced animals.
Studies show that humans adopted walking on two feet as opposed to four because it
uses 75% less energy. That right there, it’s probably the reason why the Bluey-verse
walks upright. And that's not all. There's another major linchpin for debunking this piece
of evidence, and it's not coming from the show. Instead, it's coming from Facebook. Yeah,
apparently that website, it's still around. Honestly, I'm just as surprised as you are.
Maybe this is what the Zuck had planned all along. Anyway, it's on Facebook that the
Bluey team uploaded a short video that's only available in Australia. So I went undercover
Down Under to see what this video was all about. And boy, does it tell us a lot. In it,
Bluey’s dad Bandit is giving a report to his fellow archeologists. Yeah. In case you
didn't know, Bluey’s dad is an archeologist. Which is funny because dogs dig for bones.
Galaxy brained decisions by the people who wrote the show. It’s why I love it. Anyway, in
his report, he reveals his latest discovery. Not only is this a huge reveal, it also gives
us a timeline of events. He states that it's 4 million years old. But then, wouldn't that
just prove that humans were extinct years ago? No. And for one key reason, plate tectonics.
plate tectonics is the theory that the Earth's outermost layer or lithosphere is made up of
several giant plates that rest on top of a partially molten layer of rock that slowly moves.
Each year, these plates travel between two and 15 centimeters. What that means is that bit by bit,
the continents we know today are slowly changing shape and will continue to change across time.
Millions of years from now, they're going to look completely different. But herein lies our big
reveal. You see in bluey’s world the continents are exactly the same as ours right now.
In one of the best episodes of the series, Sleepy Time, Bingo has a dream where she travels
through the stars and we get to see Earth looking exactly the way that it looks right now.
If this was indeed roughly 4 million years after the human apocalypse, the Earth should
be looking completely different. In short, for as fun as the blue apocalypse theory is,
evidence just doesn't hold up to scrutiny. However, I see this internet theory and I raise
it a new one. Not only can I definitively prove that this is indeed a separate universe,
it's going to change the way that you view our universe forever. In the episode
Tradies, we see Bandit's Home Office, and because Bandit's an archeologist, there are
lots of historic photos all around the room, but there's one in particular that stands out, this
picture of a wild boar with two paw prints on it. This right here, that's a real image from
our world. It's actually the first known cave painting thought to be made 45,500
years ago in Indonesia. Except Bandit's copy has itself one key difference: there
are paw prints instead of handprints. This outright proves that the Bluey-verse parallels
our own. And the historic parallels don't stop there either. There's also an image of Egyptian
hieroglyphics, but with dogs instead of people. And it's not just in Bandit's office either.
These similarities go all the way down to their money. The Tooth Fairy leaves Bluey five bucks
in Market, and we get a close look at the note. A corgi in pearls on the front. Now put that
next to our image of the Australian dollar bill. And you see the similarities. The corgi
represents Queen Elizabeth II, the Queen of state for Australia at the time the episode was made.
So history is unfolding exactly the same as it is in our world. This is absolutely a parallel
timeline, but not only does this make the most sense, it's also going to change the way that you
view the Bluey-verse forever. Here's why. I kinda glossed over this fact earlier, but now it's
time to focus on it. In that Flat Pack episode, we saw that monkeys evolved into dogs.
That seems crazy, right? Like why? What evolutionary benefit made monkeys turn into dogs
rather than humans? Someone better call Charles Dogwin! Am I right? Dogwin.. instead of Dar…
Okay, yeah. What would cause monkeys to evolve into dogs? Well, for one, dogs have a better
sense of smell. 10,000 times better, in fact. But they're also far better at hearing than we are.
Not only are dogs able to hear up to 65 kilohertz, while humans can only hear up to 20. But dogs have
twice the amount of hearing muscles, meaning that they're able to pinpoint the source of a sound
far more accurately than monkeys. As if that wasn't enough, dogs also have reflexes that are
25% faster than humans, which means that they're practically watching us move in slow motion.
So already you can start to see why these little guys are the goodest of boys and why humans
would trust them so much. But then why would a monkey evolve to have these skills over human
abilities? Surely humans are smarter than dogs, even these highly developed dogs, right? Well, not
necessarily. Dogs are able to understand reasoning and logic similar to how a human toddler does.
They're able to think and create new ideas. This is something called inferential reasoning,
picking up on context clues to help create a decision. If you had two cups upside down
with a treat and one and you pointed to the one with the treat in it, dogs will use that
cue to turn over the cup that you pointed to. Chimps, meanwhile, will ignore that clue
completely. And this is where it appears that dogs are more intelligent than monkeys. On top
of that, dogs are also better able to read facial expressions than a monkey. So dogs aren't stupid.
In fact, far from it. They're using inferential reasoning and emotional intelligence far more than
our monkey predecessors. So really, in the end, the bluey post-apocalypse theory is debunked and
what we're really seeing here in the show is a more perfect world where monkeys didn't evolve
into hairless apes, but instead evolved into the truly superior being, highly evolved dogs.
Kind of makes you wonder whether our real world here is truly the darkest timeline. But hey!
That's just a theory. A FILM THEORY! aaaaaand cut. And hey, if you're in the mood for more dark
theories about children's shows starring Blue Dogs, it’s a very specific content category,
click the box on the left to watch our episode about how Blue from Blue's Clues is secretly
an alien. Or if you're interested in dogs but don't care about their relative color, check out
the video on the right where we talk about Paw Patrol and Ryder's secret conspiracy. One final
reminder to leave your favorite children's show down in the comments below so I can do an episode
about it. And as always, I'll see you next week.
