“Bluey has all the ingredients to be here forever”: Suzy Raia – SVP of Global Consumer Products at BBC Studios – on ambitions for the beloved brand

It’s shaping up to be another big year for Bluey, Suzy. What is key to the brand’s explosive growth?
It’s been an incredible journey and something that’s been fascinating to watch from launch to now. The viewership numbers speak to how widely the show resonates… Bluey was the number-one most-streamed show in the US in 2024, with over 55.6 billion minutes viewed.

In terms of content, quality storytelling and that authentic connection to viewers is what always seems to break through. What makes Bluey unique, though, is its broad multi-generational appeal. Joe Brumm and Ludo Studio have masterfully pulled together the most brilliant writing with the most beautiful artwork that connects with families. It’s relatable, it’s funny… It’s an aspirational reflection of family life that touches the hearts and minds of people all over the globe.

Does that also point to why it’s been able to thrive across so many categories?
Absolutely. I’ve worked on dozens of shows that were great shows with great ratings and solid fan bases, but could never really resonate in consumer products. Characters in Bluey are adorable from a design perspective and have this beautiful simplicity – and the gender-neutral colourations don’t alienate parts of the audience. Those are all foundational components that make the characters translatable into a broader array of different products.

Ultimately, though, the reason Bluey resonates so well in products is because kids, parents and even adults that don’t have kids identify with the aspirational qualities of these characters. They’re proud of the fandom they have for the series – and they want to display this fandom! It’s this community-building attribute that brings people together around the brand and that’s powerful.

Great answer. And how would you define the current licensing strategy for Bluey?
Bluey has all the ingredients to be here forever. My ambition for the brand is to ensure that we’re giving the characters, the show and the IP itself every opportunity to be a generation defining hit that carries on for years and years to come. That said, we’re not in a rush to develop every category today or tomorrow. We have – I hope – 25, 50, 75 years of Bluey where we can continue to grow and find surprising touchpoints that keep Bluey part of everyday pop culture on an ongoing basis.

What categories are doing well for Bluey?
We led with core pre-school categories – books, toys, games – and they’ve all worked well. Beyond that, it’s about displaying fandom and drawing from moments of the series that really connect with fans. You can see that through the style guides we give to our softlines partners, and through our apparel programme. Our softlines programme has been phenomenal.

We’ve also launched products in the consumer-packaged goods space across Australia, the US, the UK and Europe. Those have been successful, whether that’s with Colgate or General Mills or Kellogg’s. The retail sales illustrate how Bluey can be part of all of the moments in your daily life routine. We’re committed to creating unforgettable moments for fans and their families…

Live experiences are key to that. Our first stage show – Bluey’s Big Play – continues to tour. Our new stage show for fans in Mexico, Bluey En Vivo – Diversión en Familia, debuted successfully and is on tour. We have our acclaimed Bluey’s World immersive adventure, back home in Brisbane and top-selling Bluey x CAMP now open in New York, Houston, Philly and Boston after successful runs in LA and Chicago. In Latin America, experiences are a core part of our strategy with openings in Brazil, Peru, Chile and more to be announced.

And what’s the latest with Disney?
With Disney, we’ve expanded our partnership to include Disney Parks, so you’ll see Bluey at Disney World in Florida, Disneyland in California and Disney cruise ships. I mean, who does it better than Disney Resorts and Parks?! We’re looking forward to showing you and the fans more about what our plans look like as we develop our parks proposition.

Another exciting recent partnership is your collaboration with LEGO for Bluey sets. What makes this a winning team-up?
Regardless of category, we look to partner with the best-in-class brands in anything we do – and LEGO is an aspirational partner for any brand. What a testament to the strength of Bluey that it has appeal strong enough for LEGO to choose Bluey as a brand partner. We’re really grateful for the opportunity to partner with them.

Both brands have such multi-generational appeal… I can’t think of another brand that could launch sets across both LEGO DUPLO and LEGO 4+ ranges simultaneously. That’s really special in itself. Creativity, storytelling, playfulness and imaginative play are all core attributes that align nicely between both brands, so it was a no-brainer in that respect.

Sticking with toys, Little Tikes has also debuted a Bluey collection… Which includes a Grannies’ Car Coupe, as seen in the show…
Yes, Little Tikes is a phenomenal pre-school brand. They’ve built a beautiful array of outdoor toys that we know will resonate with our audiences globally. And Cozy Coupe is iconic, so when we saw a similar car appeared in the show as part of the Grannies pretend role-play – and it became a fan favourite moment – we had an ambition to create an authentic Grannies car… And of course, we didn’t forget to include a can of beans!

Finally, what fuels your creativity?
We in Brands and Licensing try to view everything through a brand, and fan, lens first and foremost. On a personal level, I think about what’s important to me as a mom, as a fan and as a consumer – that’s my filter. Is this good for the brand? And how does it enrich the Bluey story? If it’s the right thing to do for Bluey, then it’s usually the right thing to do for families and fans.