Bluey's Mom Chilli Graced The Cover Of InStyle & It's The Recognition She Deserves

If you consider Bluey Heeler the star of the wildly popular Australian animated series Bluey, there’s an entire corner of the internet who might disagree. Sure, Bluey is a sweet kid and a fairly good sister to Bingo. But really the unsung hero of the show is her mom Chilli. Funny, loving, down-to-earth Chilli. The Heeler we all wish was our best friend. The one member of the family moms really connect with, so much so that Chilli Heeler, mom of two and wife of Bandit, just graced the cover of InStyle magazine. A sign that the world is finally ready to accept and acknowledge Chilli as the absolute icon she is and, honestly, it’s about damn time.

Chilli Heeler is the cover star for InStyle Australia’s February “icons” issue, and her pose is as iconic as the mom of two herself. The photo sees Chilli taking a break on the beach, laying on her stomach in the sand and resting her head on her paws. It’s a still from Bluey Season 1’s episode “On The Beach,” but it was also a nod to a famous Australian photograph from 1937 called The Sunbaker. Because Chilli is nothing if not the consummate multitasker.

The InStyle issue is all about Australian icons, and Chilli Heeler is certainly that. More than that, really. She has become something of a juggernaut in the Bluey Reddit fan forum, lauded for her wit and patience and general realness. A rarity in cartoon dogs these days.

“Chilli is someone I would want to be friends with,” actor Melanie Zanetti, who voices the part, told InStyle. “She’s smart and fun and has this dry wit, which I love. She's so kind and really good at tuning into people, or dogs, particularly her little puppies. But she’s also really funny and has this great banter with Bandit.”

Chilli has not given up her own voice as a mom, which is something fans have responded to with relief. Seeing a mom who not only needs a break but is vocal about it, sets boundaries for herself and is fallible and loving and vulnerable. Plus. who could ever forget the beautiful, sad episode from Season 2 that seemed to imply Chilli had suffered a miscarriage. It was handled with such subtlety and really just anchored us all in our adoration of Chilli.

Chilli is an icon. There’s no doubt about it. May we see many more magazine covers in her future.