If you’ve never watched the Sleepytime Bluey episode, you owe it to yourself (and your kids) to give it a view. It’s one of the most beautifully put-together, well-thought-out Bluey episodes.
Many people who have seen this episode, one that’s based around Bingo’s trippy dream, have questions about its meaning.
Upon watching Sleepytime for the first time, many parents and caregivers might see Bingo hatching out of a planet in her sleep and think, “Hm. Weird episode”.
Like many Bluey episodes, though, there are deeper meanings behind each 7-minute show.
Sleepytime, after you read this article and watch (or re-watch) it, might just become your favorite Bluey episode.
From the gentleness of the episode to its sadness and relatability, Sleepytime is heartfelt and touching.
Let’s find out what happens in Sleepytime and what the meaning behind it is.
What happens in the Bluey Sleepytime episode?
Sleepytime (season 2, episode 26) starts with Chili Heeler (the mother) reading a story to Bingo (the younger daughter) while Bandit (the father) tucks in Bluey (the older daughter).
Bandit leaves the room and Bingo asks for one more story, which Chili agrees to.
One of the books Chili reads to Bingo is about a baby chick that hatches and meets her mother, which makes Bingo very happy.
The second book is about the solar system, which Bingo is very interested in.
(I mention the contents of the books because the themes appear later in the episode)
After they two are finished with the book, Bingo asks for her lovey (Floppy) and tells her mom that she’s going to stay in her own bed all night.
Judging by this interaction, it appears that Bingo is struggling with nighttime separation anxiety, which is common for Bingo’s age.
We can guess from this interaction that Chili and Bingo have been working on this and that sleeping in her own bed is a personal goal of Bingo’s.
Before Chili leaves the room, she reassures Bingo that she’s nearby if she needs her.
The dream part 1 – Hatching in Space
Bingo’s dream in Sleepytime begins with the planet Earth cracking and Bingo hatching from it. (A combination of the books Chili read to her before bed.)
Across the way, Floppy hatches from the moon.
They’re happy to see each other and they float towards each other and embrace. (Bingo is shown hugging Floppyy in her bed.)
Bingo and Floppy turn around to notice the bright, warm sun. (A representation of Chili.) They begin to float in that direction.
Bluey’s nighttime struggles
As Bingo is fast asleep and dreaming, Bluey is awake and having nighttime drama of her own.
Bluey wakes Chili up to ask for a glass of water.
When Chili returns with the water, she finds Bluey asleep in the bed next to Bandit.
This forces Chili to find somewhere else to sleep – in Bluey’s bed, near Bingo.
The dream part 2 – Sleepwalking
After Chili lays down in Bluey’s bed and falls asleep, we see Bingo get out of her bed and leave the room with her eyes closed, still dreaming.
Bingo dreams that she and Floppy are happily snuggled up into another planet.
In reality, Bingo is laying between Bandit and Bluey. (This signifies that Bingo finds comfort in her relationships with both Bluey and her dad.)
Sleepytime humor
At this point in the episode, there’s a bit of relatable humor that’s presented for parents to enjoy.
Bingo is thrashing around in her dream, Bluey joins the dream for a bit, and Bandit gets slapped and kicked.
This is something most parents can relate to.
Bandit wakes up and carries Bingo back to her bed.
On his way back to his bed, Bluey, who is sitting on the toilet, asks him to sit in the bathroom and sing her a song.
When he returns to his bed, he finds that Bingo has returned and is asleep.
The dream part 3 – finding comfort
Bandit and Bluey end up asleep on the floor with a blanket, which leaves Bingo cold and without comfort in her dream.
When her rabbit lovey, Floppy, leaves to join the ring of other loveys, Bingo begins to cry in her sleep, which wakes up Chili.
Bingo then dreams that the sun draws her near and cheers her up. (Chili has brought Bingo into the bed with her.)
In Bingo’s dream, she looks back at the planet she hatched from (the dream representation of her bed) and tells the sun that she has to go because she’s a big girl now.
The sun responds in Chili’s voice and says, “Remember I’ll always be here, even if you can’t see me. because I love you”.
At this point, Chili is tucking Bingo back into her own bed.
As Chili walks back to her own room, she finds Bingo’s lovey on the floor in the hallway and returns it to Bingo’s bed, where she’s dreaming that she’s struggling to bring together the pieces of the planet from which she hatched.
As Chili returns the lovey, Bingo’s dream features multiple loveys helping Bingo connect the broken pieces of the planet.
The rest of the Sleepytime episode features dramatic music and shows Chili asleep alone in a bed, Bandit sleeping in bed with Bluey, and Bingo sleeping alone in her bed, as the sun comes up.
Is Sleepytime the best episode of Bluey?
The Sleepytime episode of Bluey is one of the most beautiful cartoon episodes – it’s a favorite of parents everywhere.
It highlights the importance of a strong parent-child bond and how this bond helps children feel secure in a parent’s absence.
Ultimately, it’s the feeling of comfort and security that helped Bingo and Bluey sleep well, whether they were next to a parent or not.
This episode also gives thoughtful insight into what both parents and children experience at nighttime as far as frequent night wakings and the perils of bed-sharing.
What are your thoughts on the Sleeptime episode of Bluey?
This is one of our favorite episodes, so we’d love to hear your thoughts on it!