A new cartoon developed by a right-wing media company has been accused of being a “blatant Bluey knock-off” for conservatives.
The Chip Chilla animated series is now airing on Bentkey, a kids’ streaming app launched by right-wing media outlet The Daily Wire, founded by political commentator Ben Shapiro and filmmaker Jeremy Boreing.
However, many have pointed out that the characters and settings in Chip Chilla bear a remarkable similarity to those in ‘Bluey’, which extends to the animation style, music, color palette and characters.
The American animated series Chip Chilla aired on Bentkey, a streaming app with programming designed for children, launched by the conservative media outlet The Daily Wire
Comparisons have been made to the popular Australian animated series Bluey, which airs on Disney+ in the US and UK and on ABC iView in Australia
In Chip Chilla, the storyline focuses on a homeschooling family of chinchillas, while Bluey focuses on the adventures of a family of livestock dogs.
Despite the differences in type, the similarities in artistic elements and themes between the two shows have not gone unnoticed.
“This cheap @OfficialBlueyTV imitation is a bit of a ruff!” Brisbane Mayor Adrian Schrinner said this. ‘They say imitation is the greatest form of flattery. But Chip Chilla certainly proves that’s not the case.’
‘Brisbane is so proud to be the home of Bluey, and this fake-looking American version is barking up the wrong tree! You can’t beat Bluey!’
One social media user said: “All I’ve ever seen is a clip of Chip Chilla, it’s like you took Bluey, took out everything that made it good and charming, and replaced it with conservative values,” said another .
Chip Chilla was developed by Ben Shapiro’s conservative media company, The Daily Wire, and airs on the outlet’s streaming app, Bentkey
“It’s clearly a rip off, and the writing is terrible, feels soulless and heartless, just a cash grab,” a third added.
One user pointed out that the backgrounds in Chip Chilla “look like they were copied from the show!”.
After watching six episodes, Guardian writer Janine Israel said: “I can say that the worst sin Chip Chilla commits is that he is a bit boring, at least to this adult. If, as suspected, Bluey’s mission is to give Bluey’s winning formula a conservative wash, it’s subtle.
Both shows have a similar animation style, similar music, similar color palette, are designed for young children and are about a family of animals
In a video statement on Monday to mark the launch, Boreing said: ‘Bentkey isn’t about teaching politics to children, it’s about childhood and wonder and adventure. It’s about values and everything that politics is later built on.’
Boreing explained that the company’s goal was to provide alternative children’s programming to the perceived left-wing children’s programs currently airing.
‘Why does it matter? It’s important because kids go to school 40 hours a week and then spend another 40 hours a week engaging with pop culture.
‘That means that you rotate 80 hours of the children’s week to the left. And good parents might spend 15 minutes a day having meaningful conversations with their children.”
The Daily Wire, which has invested $100 million in Bentkey, claims the children’s programming will be free of “divisive stories” or “treasonous ideologies.”
The Daily Wire originally premiered a teaser for Chip Chilla to coincide with the launch of their video-on-demand service, DailyWire+, in June 2022.
That teaser showed a more traditional animation style reminiscent of old Disney cartoons.
This was completely changed to the final Bluey-style design when the range launched this week.
A teaser for Chip Chilla that aired in 2022 showed a much more traditional animation style before being changed to the Bluey style design when the series launched this week