Woman Throws Nephew ‘Bluey’ Birthday Party, Then Realizes Her Mistake

A woman made a crucial error when it came to putting on a special Bluey-themed birthday party for her 5-year-old nephew.

Cory, from the San Francisco Bay Area, told Newsweek she wanted to “surprise” her nephew with something special for his party.

“My sister told me that my nephew wanted a Bluey-themed birthday,” she said. “I usually order my cutout but since this was a last-minute party, the cutout wouldn’t arrive on time if I had ordered it. So, I decided to make one the night before the party.”

Bluey, an Australian animated TV series aimed at preschool children but also adored by adults and even some dogs, centers on an anthropomorphic six-year-old Blue Heeler dog.

Last year, Daley Pearson, the director and co-founder of Ludo Studio, which produces the show, revealed Bluey was the most-watched show in the U.S. in 2024 with some 35 billion minutes watched in the year.

However, up until that point Cory was not among those tuning in. “I had never seen an episode of Bluey,” she said.

She was nevertheless determined to deliver something special, so she set out to work on the cutout, which took “a little over an hour to make.”

“I was so proud and excited to show my nephew,” Cory said.

Her nephew, however, had a slightly different response, as the video of his reaction that Cory posted to TikTok under the handle @theheartroy shows.

It turned out that Cory’s failure to actually watch Bluey was her undoing.

“My nephew told me the cutout I made was actually Bandit, as he pointed out his gray hair,” she said. “I have never seen an episode of Bluey before so when I printed the poster, I didn’t realize it was actually Bluey’s dad.”

Cory tried to salvage the situation but ended up compounding her error further.

“I tried to make an excuse and said ‘Well, that could be Bluey when HE gets older,’ but my nephew quickly corrected me and said, ‘But Bluey is a girl.'”

Thankfully, everyone involved, including her nephew, was able to see the funny side and Cory feels like she has come away from the experience having learned something.

“I learned that making mistakes does not mean I failed, it simply means there is room for growth,” she said. “If I had done my research, watched at least one episode, I totally would have known the difference. Life can get busy sometimes, but this is a good reminder for us to slow down [and] be curious just like our kids.”

While some kids might have gone into meltdown, Cory is pleased to report her nephew “took it so well.”

“I may have made a mistake, but in his eyes I’m still the ‘best in the whole world,'” she said. “This is one of those moments we can all laugh about when he gets older. We all had a good laugh. The party was fun and the kids had a great time.”

The good news is that Cory has already rectified her biggest error.

“I finally watched an episode of Bluey,” she said. “I can see why it is enjoyed not only by kids but also by teenagers and adults.”