We have another entry into the Marketing Disaster Hall of Fame. This time, it involves a Las Vegas hot dog restaurant and the beloved TV show Bluey. Last weekend, Dirt Dog decided to hold a “Bluey Day.” Bluey Day was supposed to have face painting, games, giveaways, treats, and a chance to meet Bluey herself. It sounds like a great idea, right? We’ve been to a couple of “Meet the Paw Patrol” events at local McDonald’s or fire stations or whatever, and they were always cute, with fun activities and the chance to potentially scare the sh-t out of your kids by giving them the opportunity to meet giant versions of Chase and Marshall in real life.
Except, that’s not exactly what went down at Dirt Dog. Someone there didn’t do their homework and planned an event for a small crowd, only to have hundreds of families show up. The giveaways and food ran out quickly, which is bad enough for a children’s event, but that wasn’t the worst part. The worst/most hilariously unfortunate part of this entire debacle was Bluey herself. The blue half of the Heeler sisters was played by a male employee dressed up in a Bluey hooded onesie. I’m having a hard time even typing this without laughing. They could even see his beard, hahahaha. Okay, I’ll stop laughing, because some kids did cry.
A Las Vegas hot dog restaurant apparently brought the wrath of hundreds, if not thousands, of fans of the animated Australian pooch down on their own heads this week, after announcing a free “Bluey Day” at their restaurant without understanding the series of events that their careless actions had so thoughtlessly set in motion.
Per a report from local news station Fox 5 (and as reported by SFGate), proprietors of the Las Vegas location of Dirty Dog [sic] thought they’d get 50 or 60 attendees at their Bluey day, presumably because they are fools who did not grasp the sheer terrifying power that the adorable Australian Blue Heeler holds over the minds of both children, and desperate parents grateful to be able to put something on their TVs that is actually funny and good for once. Despite getting thousands of RSVPs for the event on Facebook, the restaurant still didn’t prepare itself for the onslaught, leading to massive lines, shortages of giveaway materials, and lots of angry comments on their social media.
At least the kids got to see Bluey, though, right? A real costume and everything, and not some Spirit Halloween “Australian Blue Canine” bullshit that some poor employee got shoved into, pulling a Bluey-themed hood down over his face to try to hide his shame from God and everyone? Not so much, as reported by extremely funny child attendee Sophia, who declared (and really, you should just watch the clip, Sophia kicks ass) that she just couldn’t, with Bluey. “He looked like unexpected,” Sophia declared, funnier than we will ever be. “We could like see his beard.”
Dirty Dog [sic] has issued a formal apology to attendees to the event, writing that, “We are truly sorry this event wasn’t the expected experience… We hope to repair our relationship with you.”
After the Willy Wonka Experience debacle went viral, it is absolutely wild that anyone would try to half-ass an appearance involving a beloved family franchise, because just like Wonka, the Heeler family appeals to the whole fam. That said, the event was free, so it’s likely that Dirt Dog had good intentions of doing something for the community while also promoting themselves. So while Wonka may have been Fyre Fest for Families, I feel kinda bad calling this Fyre Fest for Toddlers. At least they didn’t attempt to add a poorly written AI script with an “evil chocolate maker who lives in the walls” character called the Unknown (that still cracks me up). So, there’s that.
If I had been in charge of Bluey Day and saw that it was getting thousands of RSVPs, I would have set some expectations and added language to the promo material saying something like, “First 50 fans get a Bluey cupcake!” and given out coupons for a free hot dog or something to make up for not having enough materials. I also would have found a female employee to play Bluey or invested in an actual costume instead of something a teenager wears to trick-or-treat, LMAO.
A Bluey event done by a Las Vegas restaurant has upset thousands of parents after the meet-&-greet was just a man in a Bluey onesie.
“Some kids were crying. Some kids were upset, crying in their parents’ shoulders”
(Source: https://t.co/AK9OpkH9SM) pic.twitter.com/xsWOL6aO1G
— DiscussingFilm (@DiscussingFilm) May 18, 2024
how are they not being sued by the makers of Bluey for infringing and damaging the reputation of their IP?
I feel bad because like…this was free and it was clearly a hot dog restaurant who wanted to do something fun…The fact that 1000s showed up…Anyone would be overwhelmed.
The restaurant could have just said they were having a Bluey themed party and leave it at that because these parents don’t know how to entertain their kids and will rely on just about anyone else to do so.
This is an awful take blaming the parents for the store’s complete screw up. They store is 100% at fault for not providing what was expected in their flyer. They should have skipped the “meet bluey and friends” in the advertisement.
It would be ok if the “Bluey” was properly attired for the event, but throwing a onesie on and calling it a day is half-assing it at best. They should be raked on the coals for that alone, like WTF. FYI I have done events dressed in costume for kids and I always wore the full costume because kids really appreciate it.
I don’t understand how someone (the parents, not the children) expects more from a free event, not associated officially with the brand itself.
How ignorant and/or misogynistic do you have to be in order to put a man *with a beard* into a costume of a female character for kids?
At least try to find a college-age girl!
As to the rest of the event failure – extremely poor research that will hopefully kick their marketing “expert” where it hurts.
Seriously.
They probably didn’t want to pay someone for the free event. So, they asked the employees. Maybe this guy is the only one who volunteered?
I agree, Nanea. There is a misogynistic element to it. Perhaps no one else would do it. Kids have a clear idea of what things look like, absorbed from programmes into their minds. My kids have all been to Peppa Pig events (ugh, can’t stand that annoying porker). All of them have been shocked at how big she is in “real life”; they expected a kid size character because that’s how she is in the show. This one is obviously more difficult to work out right: they need an adult in the Peppa costume, and it’s not the easiest costume to move around in, either.
I mean I am a very short person (5 feet) and there are lots of short people who can fit into those costumes and play a more “kid size” person. I’ve been the Blues Clues Dog 😀 for kid charity events (volunteer, not paid).
Hi goodpuff. I wish you had done it! The peppa pigs we’ve seen have been huge. So, yes, they stand out and are funny for it, and it’s different etc. But I remember one of my kids getting invited on stage, along with her brother because he wanted to go up, and the terror on her face as Peppa hugged her. She came off saying, that’s not Peppa. No way. But, hey, let’s get real. These things aren’t something to get riled about long term; life isn’t always what we expect, get used to it kind of mentality. Just I can see how kids would’ve been upset at this event. Also, the parents were probably fed up. Let’s face it, a lot of mums know these programmes inside out. Yes, this has been changing for years with more stay at home dads and shared child rearing, but it’s largely been a phenomenon amongst my mum friends that these characters are like family members. The octonauts theme tune is carved deep into my mind; I don’t think I’ll ever forget it.
This is at a fast food restaurant that sells hot dogs. And it was free. So, parents shouldn’t have expected much BUT management did not do their research. Take those kids to the park or in Vegas, an indoor pool?
My local library did a free Bluey event…you had to pick up tickets ahead of time, they did not advertise it beyond a few Facebook posts and tickets were still gone a week and a half before the event (and my city only has 70,000~ people, not the 640,000~ that Las Vegas has before tourists/the metro area)
I’d guess these folks believe “any publicity is good publicity.”
(And honestly it kinda worked? I’ve been researching Vegas for the last six months – going for the very first time next month! – and had never come across their name. I’m not going to go there, obv, but if someone were to ask about a hot dog place in Vegas, this would come to mind 🤷🏻♀️)
I had a coworker years ago who took his daughter to see Dora The Explorer at the mall and ended up carrying her out scream-sobbing “Not Dora! Not Dora!” because an adult performer with a giant football shaped head was terrifying.