BBC Studios Names Penguin Random House Master Publishing Partner for Series Bluey

BBC Studios, the global content company that has introduced children and families worldwide to Bluey, the Emmy®-winning Australian animated series created by Ludo Studio, has named Penguin Random House master publishing partner for the preschool brand. Penguin Random House now holds global rights in all languages (excluding China and Chinese languages) to the Bluey titles.

The first three books (two storybooks and one activity book) will arrive at U.S. retailers on 20th October. In the U.K., Bluey books are expected to hit retail in the second half of 2021, following the show’s roll out on Disney + in the region. Other regions will follow afterwards.

Jan Paterson, the Head of Book and Audio Publishing at BBC Studios said: “We are delighted to partner with Penguin Random House to bring Bluey from the screen to the page for a wonderfully varied collection of fantastic story and activity books for little ones around the world.”

Suzy Raia, VP Consumer Products and Business Development, BBC Studios – Americas, said, “Love for Bluey continues to grow among families with young children around the U.S., and we are looking forward to bringing the stories beyond screens into beloved books we know pre-schoolers will enjoy with their parents. The partnership with Penguin Random House is a wonderful addition to a growing licensing program that started with Moose Toys last month. There are many more exciting things ahead for our favourite Blue Heeler.”

Francesca Dow, Managing Director at Penguin Random House UK Children’s, said: “We are thrilled to be publishing Bluey and bringing a bit of the Australian sunshine to the UK. Bluey has a unique charm that appeals to children and adults alike. Her stories are full of boundless energy, brilliant adventures and fun and, most important, are rooted in family experience, which is why they’ve been such a hit with viewers so far. We are excited by the unparalleled success in Australia and look forward to creating the same sensation here in the UK. Our wish is for all young children and families to fall in love with Bluey, as we have done.”

“I immediately fell in love with this new canine clan!” said Daniel Moreton, Vice President & Associate Publisher, Penguin Workshop. “Perfect family viewing, Bluey’s unbounded imagination, adventurous spirit, and emotional resilience is matched only by the strength of the storytelling. We are thrilled to be Bluey’s official U.S. children’s book publisher and we can’t wait to extend Bluey’s wonderful adventures into books!”

Penguin Random House Australia already holds the publishing rights to Bluey in Australia, where the books have enjoyed phenomenal success, selling one million copies in only seven months. The first three Bluey titles, which launched in November 2019, were the second, third and fourth-highest selling Australian children’s books of the year. Since their launch, titles from the Bluey franchise have held the number one position in Nielsen BookScan’s official Australian bestseller charts a total of 24 weeks (out of 42 weeks).*

The books also received industry recognition with one of the storybooks, Bluey: The Beach, awarded the 2020 ‘Book of the Year’ – the first time ever in the history of the Australian Book Industry Awards that a children’s picture book has won this prestigious award.

Bluey follows the adventures of a lovable and inexhaustible 6-year-old Blue Heeler, who lives with her dad, Bandit; mum, Chilli; and 4-year-old little sister, Bingo. In every episode, Bluey uses her limitless Blue Heeler energy to play elaborate games that unfold in unpredictable and hilarious ways, bringing her family and the whole neighbourhood into her world of fun.

A smash hit with families, Bluey is the most watched series ever on Australia’s ABC iview, with over 261 million plays for series 1 and 43 million plays for series 2**.

In June 2019, BBC Studios struck a global broadcast deal with Disney to premiere the first two series of Bluey on Disney Junior and Disney+ in all territories outside Australia, New Zealand and Greater China including Hong Kong, Macau and Taiwan.

The series, which centres on relatable and often funny stories about family life, quickly became a top 10 series in the U.S. after its debut in September 2019, reaching 16 million total views across Disney Channel and Disney Junior in Q4 2019. Across Disney Junior and Disney Channel in Q1 2020, Bluey reached 15.6 million individuals over the age of 2, reaching 21% of all kids 2-5 years.***

Bluey is produced by the multi-Emmy® Award-winning Ludo Studio for ABC KIDS (Australia) and is co- commissioned by ABC Children’s and BBC Studios. Financed in association with Screen Australia, Bluey is proudly 100% created, written, animated, and post produced in Brisbane Queensland, Australia, with funding from the Queensland Government through Screen Queensland and the Australian Government.