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'Bluey' creators put full 'Dad Baby' episode on YouTube so Americans can finally see it

People are trying to figure out what triggered Disney's decision to censor the hilarious 7-minute episode.

Bluey - Official Channel/YouTube

The "Dad Baby" episode of "Bluey" hasn't been available to American audiences until now.

American "Bluey" fans have enjoyed nearly full access to the entire lineup of the popular Australian kids' show since it started streaming on Disney +, with one notable exception: Season 2, Episode 13, also known as "Dad Baby."

The "Dad Baby" episode has attained legendary status in the "Bluey" world, with U.S. audiences wondering what could possibly have caused Disney to choose not to include it on its streaming service. Now, thanks to the official "Bluey" YouTube account sharing the full episode for free, we can all find out.

The 7-minute episode, which you can view below, was uploaded to YouTube on May 1, 2024 and has received more than 6 million views in five days. Comments on the video are turned off, but people have been discussing the censorship of "Dad Baby" on social media with a resounding reaction of "Huh? Why?"

While childbirth might be seen by some as a touchy subject, most viewers agree that there's nothing in the "Dad Baby" episode that feels questionable or inappropriate for young children.

In short, the kids are playing pretend with their dad, Bandit, who puts on a baby carrier and carries Bluey's younger sister around as if he were pregnant. There's an ongoing bit with Bandit acting as if being pregnant is a walk in the park, while actually feeling the strains and pains of carrying an extra person around. Ultimately, he ends up "giving birth" with the help of a neighbor, in the family's backyard blow-up pool. It's all very silly and quite hilarious.

It's also an accurate portrayal of how kids actually play in the real world. One of the things fans love about "Bluey" is the way the parents go along with their kids' imaginary play, sometimes going to ridiculous lengths to act out their make-believe storylines. This episode might stretch those lengths a tad bit, but not more than some other "Bluey" episodes.

Watch and judge for yourself:

The comments are turned off on the YouTube upload, but people have been discussing it on social media with comments such as these:

"That was an absolutely adorable episode thank you for sharing it with us. Idk why it’s banned, but I’m glad I got to watch it."

"I cackled so hard at this episode. I couldn't believe they kept it off disney plus."

"i work in a nursery every day for my 10 year + career i have seen all children play pretend pregnant boys and girls ... its just something kids do(it aint a new thing i promise you xD) n this episode is just a dad joining in his kids play!"

""One of my family’s favorite episodes! My 10y/o to 4y/o were in tears laughing the first time we saw it thinking of when I was pregnant with their little sister/brother (who are now 3y/o and 1y/o)."

"America is so backwards, it sensors/removes/bans things on a children’s program that are nothing to worry about but then they allow guns in real life!!! How does that make sense?? This episode has aired on cebeebies (a toddlers tv channel in the uk) many times and is on the uk disney+. I honestly don't see the problem with this episode."

Disney has apparently never explicitly stated why "Dad Baby" was censored from the lineup, so people naturally gravitate toward their own theories. Perhaps it's a tad too close to sex education? Maybe it's showing a man being pregnant? Maybe it's the visual of a dog lying with its legs spread in a pool while "giving birth," even though no body parts are even shown? Maybe it's our societal squeamishness about childbirth in general?

Whatever the reason, people seem to disagree that there's anything worth censoring in this episode and are thankful that they're now able to see it. As one of the top streaming shows, "Bluey" has built an enormous loyal fan base of all ages, and for them (ahem, us), even one missing episode is one too many.

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Ask yourself these 5 questions when you see a Muslim character in a movie.

It's no secret that Hollywood has a diversity and representation problem.

For years, Hollywood has produced television shows and movies that often portray Muslims, South Asians, and Middle Eastern people with harmful stereotypes.

According to Jack Shaheen, a writer focusing on Arab representation in cinema, Muslim and Arab characters are often confined to three archetypes. He called them "the three B's": bombers, billionaires, and belly dancers. And sometimes, in addition to swinging their hips as belly dancers, some of the women are depicted as living under oppression in black abayas and burqas.

It's quite easy to find shows that fit the bill. The grand majority of Muslim characters in "Homeland" are either suicide bombers or Arab billionaires. Even in beloved children's movies, like "Aladdin," the characters are based in a "faraway place / Where the caravan camels roam / Where they cut off your ear / If they don't like your face / It's barbaric, but hey, it's home!"

But it's time to change the outdated and redundant negative typecasting of Muslim and Middle Eastern characters.

A new test has been introduced to measure how Muslims and Arabs are portrayed in television and film.

The Riz Test is a concept formed by a small group of film buffs that were inspired by a speech that Riz Ahmed, known for "The Night Of," made to the U.K. Parliament about the Bechdel test and media representation.

"We're passionate film buffs but we're tired of the same old stereotypes and tropes being perpetuated in Films and TV shows," the group wrote in a tweet.

Like the Bechdel test, which measures how women are portrayed in fiction, The Riz Test has a quite simple criteria.

The Riz Test asks the viewer to consider five questions if their film or show includes one identifiable Muslim character:

  1. Talking about, the victim of, or the perpetrator of Islamist terrorism?
  2. Presented as irrationally angry?
  3. Presented as superstitious, culturally backwards, or anti-modern?
  4. Presented as a threat to a Western way of life?
  5. If the character is male, is he presented as misogynistic? If female, is she presented as oppressed by her male counterparts?

There have been some great improvements in recent years. A few television shows have featured Muslim characters that don't fall into the traps of The Riz Test, such as "The Bold Type's" Adena El Amin character and "Queer Eye's" Tan France.

It's important now, more than ever, to include accurate representation and portrayal of Muslims and Arabs on the big screen.

Hollywood is often a reflection of the society that we live in, and sometimes, it serves as an introduction to the unknown.

In the United States in 2017, Muslims only made up 1.1% of the general population, and not a lot of Americans have ever befriended a Muslim in real life. This means that most of the understanding Americans have about Islam, Muslims, Arabs and their society often come from what they see on television, films, and the news cycle. And with 80% of the media coverage on Islam and Muslims being negative, it's no wonder there's still a lot of anti-Muslim sentiment and misunderstanding across the country.

Photo by Mandel Ngan/AFP/Getty Images.

But accurate portrayals isn't just about improving the way Americans view Muslims; it's also about benefiting our society as a whole.

As Ahmed said in his Parliament speech, "If we fail to represent, I think we're in danger of losing out in three ways, the three E's: (1) We're going to lose people to extremism, (2) we're going to lose out on an expansive idea of who we are as individuals and as a community, and (3) we're going to really lose out on the economic benefits that proper representation can bring to our economy."

In other words, the time is now for Hollywood to generate diverse and accurate portrayals of Muslims and Arabs on the big screen.

You can watch Riz Ahmed's speech below:

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Actors will respect women on Lena Waithe's set during sex scenes — or else.

Producer, writer, and all-around wonderful human Lena Waithe recently participated in a roundtable with The Hollywood Reporter.

Chatting with other producers, Waithe — the mastermind behind Showtime's "The Chi" — explored a variety of Hollywood hot topics, like how to write sensitive storylines, "pitching while black," and which creators should be able to tell which stories.

Photo by Tibrina Hobson/Getty Images.

At one point, discussions swirled around the sensitivities and standards of filming sex scenes.

As Waithe explained, the #MeToo movement has pushed her to think more critically about how those scenes are filmed and what she can do to ensure everyone feels respected on set.

"I've been very involved in Time's Up and that movement, and for season two [of "The Chi"], we're making sure that women feel safe on the set, and we're hyper-aware of what that means because there are sex scenes there," she said.  

And if any actor crosses a line, Waithe explained, their time on the show will come to a grisly end:

"We want to make sure we're talking to these actresses and also talking to our male actors and making sure they're aware. Because I don't play. I'm like, 'Look, [the show takes place in] the city of Chicago; people die every day. So if you wanna play that game and be disrespectful or misbehave on-set with an actress or anyone, I will happily call Showtime and say, 'This person has to go,' and you will get shot up and it'll be a wonderful finale.'"

Waithe has been blazing trails in Hollywood for women, the LGBTQ community, and people of color.

In 2017, Waithe became the first black woman to win an Emmy for comedy writing for her work on "Master of None." Her latest endeavor, "The Chi" — a show about black people made by black people — explores the racial and social dynamics at play on the south side of her hometown, Chicago.

On May 7 of this year, Waithe — who is openly gay — made waves for rocking the updated LGBTQ pride rainbow on a cape at the Met Gala. "Can't no one tell a black story, particularly a queer story, the way I can," Waithe recently explained to Vanity Fair. "Because I see the God in us."

Photo by Jason Kempin/Getty Images.

Now, Waithe is doing what every power player should be doing: ensuring everyone working on her projects feels safe, respected, and empowered.

"I think the biggest thing is just to create a barrier around not just women, but anyone who's othered in any way, shape, or form — to make sure they have a place to go or someone to call if they're in an uncomfortable place or abusive situation," Waith told Vox in January 2018. "They need a line of defense, and I think Time's Up really has the potential to be that."

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This episode of Aziz Ansari's TV show holds 5 beautiful truths about Thanksgiving.

'Master of None' taught us all how to be a bit more grateful.

If there is one show worth watching ahead of the holidays, it's the "Thanksgiving" episode of the critically acclaimed "Master of None" Netflix series.

[rebelmouse-image 19469851 dam="1" original_size="480x199" caption=""Thanksgiving" warmed the hearts and minds of people around the country." expand=1]"Thanksgiving" warmed the hearts and minds of people around the country.

Released this summer, the episode was so touching and thought-provoking that its writer, Lena Waithe, made history in becoming the first black woman to win an Emmy for comedy writing.  

Photo by Kevin Winter/Getty Images.

The episode follows queer character Denise Watkins (Lena Waithe) and her coming-out story through decades of Thanksgivings with her family.

There are a lot of things that made this episode great. From watching Catherine, Denise's mom (Angela Bassett), capture many familiar aspects of black motherhood to Dev (Aziz Ansari) and Denise’s unbreakable friendship to a rare happy ending for a black queer couple in love, "Master of None" gave us a heartwarming story centered around queer black culture not often seen on screen.

Here are five important lessons from "Thanksgiving" that viewers should take into the holiday season.

1. Friendship is truly the key to life.

Denise and Dev’s decades-long friendship showed the importance of friends who love us through all the highs and lows.

Dev’s annual appearance at the family’s Thanksgiving dinner was an important tradition to the family. It gave Dev an opportunity to see and understand Denise for who she truly was and to be a source of refuge for her as she began dating in front of her family. Without Dev’s support, Denise’s coming-out experience may have been very different, and it’s clear that having Dev as a presence at the house was vital to her feeling comfortable with her family.    

2. Queer people fall in love, fall out of love, and love again, just like everyone else.  

"Master of None" is one of the few public representations of queer love between two women that isn't overly dramatic, doesn't involve cheating, and didn’t end with one of the characters dying.

These queer female characters have values, jobs, preferences, desires, and, well, you know, human complexities. In "Thanksgiving," Michelle and Denise's breakup (despite still being in love) was representative of an experience many queer women go through on the quest to find their match.

Michelle and Denise were a rare — and necessary — representation of female queer couples of color. Image from "Master of None."

Not all women are the best romantic partners, and queer women do in fact sometimes date women who are ultimately not a good fit. Queer women also sometimes date women who are terrible and hurtful or simply not compatible, just as straight women date men like this. The quest for love is difficult for most people, queer or not, and "Thanksgiving" gave us one of the most authentic representations of that journey.    

3. Changing hearts and minds takes time, and that’s OK.  

In a perfect world, everyone would be understanding, empathetic to others' experiences, and everyone could be unapologetically themselves.

"Thanksgiving" shows viewers that while this isn’t typically the case initially, change is possible. It appeared Denise may never feel comfortable bringing a committed partner home to the family after her mom and aunt’s didn't react great to her girlfriend, Michelle...

[rebelmouse-image 19469854 dam="1" original_size="480x196" caption="GIF from "Master of None."" expand=1]GIF from "Master of None."

But by the third Thanksgiving after coming out, Michelle was plating cornbread and joking with Denise’s mother. We are all human, and some people take longer than others to adjust to change. In this episode, viewers find that giving people a chance — and a little bit of time — can often change hearts and minds.    

4. Our families aren’t perfect, but they are ours.

Families are complicated. Between different views, complex pasts, and relative resentments, family gatherings can be a difficult place, having to engage with all these various components. Still, our family is our family. While we certainly shouldn't exempt hatred and bigotry, nor surround ourselves with problematic people just because we're related by blood, if there's room for growth, embrace it.

A family that works through things together is a gift.

5. Find gratitude — even in the little things.  

[rebelmouse-image 19469855 dam="1" original_size="735x306" caption="Image from "Master of None."" expand=1]Image from "Master of None."

Food. Shelter. Friends. Family. A job. A car. That really good coffee you grabbed on the way to Thanksgiving dinner.  

It’s no secret that 2017 has been a challenging year. Attacks on LGBTQ people have spiked, public policy decisions have been put in place that undermine policies meant to support the most vulnerable, and immigrants, Muslims, and people of color have been under increased scrutiny in society.  

We can't ignore these realities, but we must take stock of all the good things that have happened and will continue to happen. Activists are continuing to fight for equality, minorities are continuing to shine in the face of oppression, and people are continuing to live their best lives on their own terms.

A grateful heart can do a lot more than an ungrateful one.

This Thanksgiving, follow the Watkins family and enjoy good food, good laughs, and a good holiday.  

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