Do parents need another reason to love Bluey? Probably not (there are already so many!). But an artist from the show gave us another reason anyway (and another excuse to rewatch all 151 episodes).
Lead background artist Nick Rees recently spoke to ABC News Australia about the legendary “long dog.” If that means nothing to you, it will soon. Hardcore Bluey fans have been noticing Dachshund-looking pups hidden in various episodes of the show and have become so invested that there are Facebook groups dedicated to the hunt. Now, Rees is confirming that those doggos are carefully drawn into many episodes.
Rees revealed the first long dog appears in season one’s fifth episode “Daddy Robot,” and the Easter egg was initially meant for crew members to find. “All of the background artists took a shine to him, so we started adding him into other backgrounds for the crew to find and enjoy,” he explained.
”Originally, it was a bit of fun for the crew,” Rees admitted. “It was always so funny to have animators come up to you and be like ‘I found long dog!’ while they were working on a scene.”
Despite it originally being a fun hunt for animators, Rees is so happy fans can play along now, too. “We love that Bluey fans love long dog as much as we do. It feels like a shared little nod once you find him,” he gushed.
Long dog’s no longer a myth, and Bluey’s official social media and website have not only helped fans find the pup in certain episodes, but even given families the opportunity to make their own long dog to hide around the house.
If you didn’t already know about the legendary long dog, it’s a great excuse to rewatch all the episodes with your kid and see who can spot the animal in each episode first! (Warning: long dog is harder to find in some episodes than it is in others, and he doesn’t appear in every episode. If you want to avoid possible frustration for yourself or your kiddo, here’s a cheat sheet of every known appearance.) Rees also admitted “there’s a few that I’ve yet to see people spot.”
And just to drive fans even more crazy (or give them an excuse for more rewatches), Rees hinted that long dog isn’t the show’s only Easter egg. “Oh, there’s more than just long dogs hidden throughout the series,” he teased. Happy hunting!