After weeks of speculation, a Bluey executive has confirmed that a new extended episode is a test case for a potential feature-length movie.
The 28-minute episode — The Sign — will be the studio’s longest-running Bluey episode to date.
In an ABC Radio Brisbane interview, Bluey executive producer Daley Pearson said the success of the episode would help to decide the future of the franchise.
“We would love to do a Bluey movie,” he said.
“It’s no secret that this episode is kind of testing how an audience will go.”
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Mr Pearson said the trick was keeping kids entertained for half an hour, which is four times the length of a typical Bluey episode.
He said there was “no guarantee” of success.
“There was an element of, ‘Can an audience watch Bluey for longer?'” Mr Pearson said.
“I think we’ll wait until Sunday to find out and that’ll help us figure out our own future.”
Will Bluey’s parents sell the house?
Bluey went viral again this week after an episode revealed the Heeler family’s classic Queenslander house was for sale on the in-universe market.
“It’s a huge thing,” Mr Pearson said.
He said he hoped children would resonate with the “truthful” experience of growing up in a time of change.
“The best of Bluey is about those big changes, or those big events, or those huge emotional moments in a family’s life,” Mr Pearson said.
“When your parents are deciding things that you’re just not quite in control [of] and you have to go along with, and your world’s changing whether you have an agreement in it or not.
“I think kids will definitely, hopefully, get that in this episode.”
He did not confirm whether the house would be sold in the upcoming episode, but did say Bluey was the kind of show that was willing to take “big risks”.
“I think that’s why people aren’t quite sure,” Mr Pearson said.
“In any other show, I think they’d be expected to go, ‘Well, they’re not really selling’ — but maybe so.”
What else can we expect?
Mr Pearson also revealed Australian actor Joel Edgerton has been cast as a police officer.
A 10-second teaser trailer depicts Bluey’s family being followed by a police car with sirens on, which inspired “true crime” theories and “wild” speculation on TikTok as fans attempted to make sense of the scenario.
“Maybe, maybe,” Mr Pearson said when asked about the theory.
“It’d be a brave new world for family shows, to have the family arrested and put away,” he said with a laugh.
Two characters will “absolutely” be getting married in the extended episode, and their identities will be revealed when it airs on Sunday.
“For the audience listening who like it, thank you so much for watching it,” Mr Pearson said.
“It’s just a privilege to be let into the homes of your family and your kids, and we hope you like this one as much as we do.”
Stream Bluey’s 28-minute special The Sign at 8am on Sunday, April 14 on ABC iview.