So Which Cartoon Dog Is Bloofy From Inside Out 2 Actually Based On?

When it comes to Easter eggs and fun cross-property references, Pixar brings its A-game. Did you know, for example, that there’s a Pizza Planet truck from its first feature film, Toy Story, in every subsequent movie from the studio? Now fans are wondering if a new character from Inside Out 2, Bloofy, is based on Bluey. Here’s what we know.

Note: Spoilers for Inside Out 2 are ahead!

The emotions meet Bloofy in the recesses of Riley’s mind.

When Joy, Sadness, Anger, Disgust, and Fear refuse to give up control of Riley’s mind, Anxiety and the new emotions — Envy, Embarrassment, and Ennui — banish them to Riley’s Vault of Secrets, a dark corner of the teen’s mind where her repressed feelings live. Sealed in a jar (with holes punched in the lid so they can breathe: the new emotions aren’t monsters), they encounter some characters Riley keeps hidden away. One is Lance Slashblade (Yong Yea), a video game character Riley has a secret crush on, despite his less than impressive special moves. The other is Bloofy, a 2-D cartoon dog of less-than-Pixar level quality, and his sidekick Pouchy, a talking fanny pack. Despite the fact that Riley watched Bloofy as a preschooler, she still secretly enjoys the show as a teen.

Bloofy’s House is based on beloved Nickelodeon children’s shows of the early ‘00s.

Bloofy (voiced by Ron Funches) is an exuberantly enthusiastic and very much intended for preschoolers. He frequently breaks the forth wall, looking directly at the audience to see what they think the characters on screen should do in a given situation. When the camera cuts to look over his shoulder, we see he’s talking to a literal wall.

If this looks familiar to you, it should. IndieWire spoke to Inside Out 2 director Kelsey Mann and Rob Thompson, the lead draw-over artist about how the character came to life on screen, confirming that the character is a joking tribute to Blue’s Clues and Dora the Explorer, which also break the fourth wall to engage with young audiences.

Like Dora, Bloofy’s bag — in his case a yellow fanny pack — talks and contains items that will help characters in various scenarios. Unlike Dora’s backpack, Pouchy (James Austin Johnson) contains things like dynamite.

Despite rumors, it seems that Bluey is not the butt of the (friendly) joke.

It’s sort of hard not to see a cartoon dog these days, especially one with a name like Bloofy and not think of Bluey, so it makes sense that some fans thought Pixar was sending up the beloved Australian series.

Inside The Magic, a Disney properties fan site, accuses Pixar of “mocking” Bluey in the character of Bloofy. Across social media, some questioned if, or even asserted that, Bloofy was meant to be a stand-in for Bluey.

Others, however, suggest (and I think rightly) that the name is an amalgam referencing Blue’s Clues and OG Disney character Goofy, especially since Goofy was featured in The Mickey Mouse Clubhouse, another preschool show that talked to its audience and had a magical device to provide characters with items them needed. (How soon y’all forgot about Toodles...)

Bloofy is pretend, but fans of all ages really love him.

The combination of silliness and nostalgia — plus the reality of loving children’s shows long after you’re no longer in the show’s core demographic — resonated with audiences from Gen Alpha who grew up watching Mickey Mouse Clubhouse, Gen Z who have a fondness for Dora, and Millennials who still haven’t gotten over Steve from Blue’s Clues saying he’s proud of us.

“I absolutely need more Bloofy,” tweeted @TheGabiType.

“Bloofy’s House should be either the Disney+ short for Inside Out 2 (if they want to make one, considering Turning Red, Elemental, and Lightyear didn’t get any), or a Disney Junior show,” suggests @ashleypureheart, who also suggests the company should offer Bloofy plush toys.

X user @jonathanmb32 briefly reviewed the movie by declaring Bloofy and Pouchy the film’s MVPs.

Reddit is similar abuzz with praise for Bloofy, including fan art posted to r/Bluey of Bloofy in the style of Bluey. I mean, if we’re talking about a preschool show that older audiences secretly enjoy, then Bluey and Bloofy definitely go together...

TL;DR

It seems to me that, other than the name and the fact that the character is a cartoon dog, there’s not a whole lot else that would connect Bloofy to Bluey and a lot of confirmed references that make a lot more sense. Of course, there’s always time for Pixar to incorporate our favorite heelers in another movie. No objections here.