The iconic Brisbane cartoon sees its Heeler family grapple with moving home.

Property prices are pretty crazy in Brisbane, but one new listing has been causing a stir for different reasons. The Queenslander from the ABC Kids cartoon Bluey has been listed on the real estate website Domain. Following on from the last episode in which a ‘For Sale’ sign was seen in the Heelers’ front yard, an IRLNetspeak for In real life. Learn more  → (in real lifeNetspeak for In real life. Learn more  →) real estate listing has appeared.

The listing for a “Quaint, animated family home” was released to help promote an upcoming special episode of the much-loved animated series. The episode ‘The Sign’ focuses on the cattle dog family house-hunting – an experience that many of the show’s audience (young and old) can relate to. The episode airs on ABC TV and is available on ABC iview this Sunday 14 April.

Here’s the property description from the listing:

Everybody’s favourite family home
“A quaint, animated family home nestled in an undisclosed Brisbane location, that could be in Red Hill or The Gap (we’ll never tell), with mid-century design aesthetics offset by whimsical touches. The quintessential Queenslander, radiating heritage charm, complete with upwards of 100 hidden small long dogs to be found.

Illustrated lovingly at the end of a cul-de-sac, this house sits atop a hill with views of Mount Coot-Tha. This 3 bedroom, 4 (ish) bathroom home boasts of work from home spaces, lovely period floorboards and mysterious hallways that don’t logically seem to join spaces together but always feel cohesive and purposeful. Perfect for endless play and games with the family.

The kitchen is flush with a cozy colour palette whilst featuring silky oak worktops that are perfect for most culinary feats (duck cakes excluded) and revered by fancy french chefs. Bi-fold doors provide an open flow to the large back deck, creating an airy and idyllic setting for Birthday parties, BBQ’s and Origin nights (QLD’s gunna FLOG YA).

Watch the 28-minute Bluey special episode The Sign at 8am on Sunday April 14, on ABC Kids and ABC iview. This is an exciting opportunity for all families around the world to see if this beloved, iconic house becomes home to a lucky new family.”

The listing copy is as lighthearted and jovial as the show scripting. The listing is ‘managed’ by none other than in-show property agent Bucky Dunstan. {Do yourself a favour and give the number on the listing a call! They have even created a recorded message by Dunstan as part of the campaign!} Even the decision not to list a floorplan is clever given all those hallways!

The move by the show creators Ludo Studio is inspired marketing. The news media and social media are agog with excitement and speculation about what the listing might mean. Even with the spectacle, it is rooted in the show’s sensitive and caring approach to depicting and discussing real-life events that children experience.

Of course, it’s not the only time the animated series has done clever marketing. Earlier this year a partnership with hardware giant Bunnings saw a number of their stores re-branded as Hammerbarn, the fictional hardware store in the show.

And in early 2022, Airbnb helped create a Bluey-themed listing that was a huge hit!

Concluding comments

If I had watched the video two years ago I suspect I would have seen it much the way Apple wanted. But with where the AIAI is tech and marketing speak for a range of technology that imitates human intellect. Learn more  → conversation is at in the arts and the community in general, I find it surprising that no one in Apple’s marketing team didn’t flag the potential for backlash.

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Useful links

Here’s some links I recommend that report on and discuss the listing on the Bluey house on real estate website Domain:

Quaint, animated family home

A cute real estate listing for the Queenslander from the iconic animated series Bluey.

Monday 8 April 2024

Domain

Your eyes aren’t playing tricks – the Bluey house from the hit Aussie cartoon is really for sale

Domain’s article about the Bluey listing.

Emily Power – Monday 8 April 2024

Domain

Bluey is back with a lesson about preparing kids for change

Coverage on ABC News about the listing of the Bluey house on Domain.

Anastasia Safioleas – Sunday 7 April 2024

ABC News, Australian Broadcasting Corporation

Listed for sale: Bluey’s iconic animated house

Coverage on Mediaweek about the listing of the Bluey house on Domain.

Tess Connery – Tuesday 9 April 2024

Mediaweek

‘Bluey’ is moving, and has listed its iconic house for sale

Coverage on Mashable about the listing of the Bluey house on Domain.

Amanda Yeo – Tuesday 9 April 2024

Mashable

Disclosure

AI use

This blog post was drafted using Google Docs. No part of the text of this blog post was generated using AIAI is tech and marketing speak for a range of technology that imitates human intellect. Learn more  →. The original text was not modified or improved using AIAI is tech and marketing speak for a range of technology that imitates human intellect. Learn more  →. No text suggested by AIAI is tech and marketing speak for a range of technology that imitates human intellect. Learn more  → was incorporated. If spelling or grammar corrections were suggested by AIAI is tech and marketing speak for a range of technology that imitates human intellect. Learn more  → they were accepted or rejected based on my discretion (however, sometimes spelling, grammar and corrections of typos may have occurred automatically in Google Docs).

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Credits

Screenshot: A screenshot of the listing on the Domain website for the Queenslander house from the Bluey show. © Ludo Studio. This material is excluded from the Creative Commons licence that applies to this blog post.

Use of Ludo Studio content is a fair dealing for the purpose of reporting news under section 42 and a fair dealing for the purpose of criticism or review under section 41 of the Copyright Act 1968 (Cth).

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Provenance

This blog post/article was produced by Elliott Bledsoe from Agentry, an arts marketing micro-consultancy. It was first published on 10 Apr 2024. It has not been updated. This is version 1.0. Questions, comments and corrections are welcome – you can get Elliott on elliott@agentry.au.

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Reuse of the images in this blog post may be permitted under a copyright exception (but that’s your call!). See ‘Credits’ above for more information.