Muffin Cupcake Heeler knows what she wants. When we first meet the younger cousin of Bluey and Bingo in the Bluey episode “BBQ,” she demands that the “salad” Bingo is making adhere to her tastes. “I like pepper salwad!” she shouts, her fervor giving us a glimpse of the firebrand intensity we’ll see from her later on in the series.
Muffin’s fierceness for many is comedic gold; for others, it’s extremely annoying. Muffin is what some would call a challenging child, especially when contrasted with the relatively well-behaved Bluey and Bingo. She is the epitome of toddlerdom, a furball of unbridled energy whose brain hasn’t developed enough to channel her chaos in constructive ways. And on the show, she represents the tougher, darker side of parenting; the times when your kid ignores your reasonable pleas and either does whatever the hell they want or, worse, has a complete meltdown that involves screeching at decibels that make your ears ring.
Muffin’s behavior can be grating, but every child has a little bit of Muffin in them. All kids become unhinged if they don’t get enough sleep, and no kid does everything their parents say at all times. Muffin’s situation is even more relatable because her parents just don’t know what to do with her half the time, something that — if the popularity of certain parenting Instagram accounts is any indication — is a universal plight for caregivers.
Ever since we met her in the first season Muffin has brought joy, comedic relief, and relatable nods to Bluey-watching adults. Here are the best Muffin episodes from the show’s three seasons, where you can witness her unleashed upon her family in all her glory.
“The Sleepover” (Season 1, Episode 39)
At the beginning of Bluey, Muffin is 3 years old and acts accordingly. In “The Sleepover,” we see her going through the struggle of transitioning to a big-kid no-nap lifestyle. As anyone who has cared for a toddler going through this knows, when that nap first goes away, things can get rough. Muffin is no exception, she “plays” with Bingo and Bluey in a state of delirium, stumbling around and yelling phrases like, “Coconuts have water in them!” and “I’m queen of the flamingos!” over and over until Bluey wisens up and helps her get to bed. She is the paragon of an overtired toddler and funnier than most while in this state.
“Charades” (Season 2, Episode 5)
“Charades” not only introduces American audiences to the word “ice blocks” for popsicles but also portrays the Sisyphean task of teaching the rules of a big-kid game to a headstrong 3-year-old. Until a child reaches a certain age, playing most games requires channeling Frozen’s Elsa and just letting it go and allowing the kid to do it their way. In this case, Muffin is at Nana’s with her cousins, and she isn’t grasping the nuances of charades. Nothing daunts Muffin, however, and she crafts a version of the game that she wants and isn’t shy about it. Does charades, Muffin-style stick to the original rules or even make sense? No. But it makes her happy and shows that if you’re like Nana and just go with the flow, everyone can have a good time.
“Library” (Season 2, Episode 30)
Letting toddlers do whatever they want all the time is not a great idea, of course, and “Library” is the version of “Charades” gone bad. In it, Uncle Stripe tells his daughter Muffin that she’s the most special kid in the world, and she takes that to mean she should order everyone around and upend how her cousins are playing. The edict makes her unbearable — she destroys Bingo and Bluey’s game of library by being loud (“Zebras! Are! Stripey!”) and checking out all the books and refusing to return them. The best part of “Library,” however, is how completely fine Muffin is when her dad tells her she’s not special. Now she can follow the rules and play properly! She’s happy for those guardrails.
“Muffin Cone” (Season 2, Episode 43)
Bluey is a lot of things, but at its heart it’s a cartoon series centered on anthropomorphized dogs. As such, an episode that uses the canine cone of shame as a centerpiece is art in and of itself; the fact that it also highlights some peak Muffin behavior is mere icing on the cake. Here, Muffin has a habit of sucking her thumb. To stop her from doing so, her parents put her in a cone, which makes playing with Bluey and Bingo difficult. The siblings, after prompting from Chilli, however, incorporate the cone into their play, so much so that Muffin purposefully sucks her thumb to get the cone on her next playdate. So much for that punishment.
“Pizza Girls” (Season 3, Episode 19)
Muffin is now the ripe old age of 4, and we see her improved hand-eye coordination in “Pizza Girls,” where she brings her new electric car to her cousins’ house. Unsurprisingly, Muffin was born to ride, and goes careening, pedal to the metal, all over the backyard … until her vehicle needs to be charged (“Uh-oh! It’s out of ‘battewee!’”). While the kids wait for the electric car to work again, she transitions nicely into being the mechanic for Bluey’s broken-down wheelie car as the others work on making mud pizzas for the grown-ups. She takes on the role with gusto, becoming the most intense repair person in history.
“Faceytalk” (Season 3, Episode 24)
“Faceytalk” is considered to be one of the funniest Bluey episodes, and for good reason. The entire story is told via a video call between Muffin, Socks, and their cousins. Uncle Stripe tries to put Muffin in a time-out for hogging the screen, but Muffin takes his phone in retaliation, joining the call as she runs around the house trying to escape the clutches of her dad. After an interlude where Stripe and Trixie argue over how to parent (“We don’t do time-outs anymore!”), the two try to capture her, only for Stripe’s phone to take a dive out the window and into their pool.
“Granny Mobile” (Season 3, Episode 33)
Bluey does a good job never portraying Muffin as a “bad” kid; she is a lot, yes, but she’s also a toddler, and any toddler is a lot. Muffin is, however, more strong-willed than even most little kids, and in “Granny Mobile” we see her put her personality to good use. In it, Bingo, Bluey, and Muffin play “Grannies,” an ongoing game where the kids pretend to be old ladies. Muffin takes on a grouchy-granny persona and gets into a price war over an electric scooter at the garage sale Bluey and Bingo’s neighbor is holding. Muffin goes toe to toe with a real grouchy granny and comes out on top. We could all learn something from Muffin here — sometimes, holding your ground and sticking to your guns can be a good thing. And Muffin shows us how to do so with flair.
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