‘A bit sad and a bit happy: What happens when you ask kids to review Bluey’s 28-minute special?

Asking eight excited kids to review Bluey’s biggest-ever episode (at 28 minutes long) and expecting a thoughtfully coherent response was always going to be an ambitious undertaking.

But The West Australian’s handpicked team of Bluey enthusiasts weren’t short on excitement, laughs and advice for both the onscreen characters and the writers.

“They should have added some magic,” was the tip from Olive, 7, to the creative team behind Australia’s most popular kids’ TV show.

There were even a few tears, although they all came from the adults watching along with the kids.

“A bit sad and a bit happy” is how Christobel, 5, described the episode, The Sign.

The episode told the story of the Heeler family’s efforts to sell their Brisbane home, while also planning for and hosting a family wedding.

Christobel said the “sad” part was when she thought they would sell the house, while the “happy” part came at the end when the sale fell through, thanks to some fickle buyers and a bit of good luck.

While all reviewers gave the episode the thumbs up they were also united — or at least claimed to be — in their response to the “gross” onscreen romance between Frisky and Uncle Rad. The couple were introduced in a previous Bluey episode, Double Babysitter, and it was no secret that they would walk down the aisle in the season three finale.

“That was the worst part,” Tom, 8, said of the kiss at the wedding.

Aggie, 7, who covered her eyes at the crucial moment, agreed. “I didn’t even watch.”

Despite, or perhaps because of the high excitement among the crowd, there were some restless legs during the episode. After 28 minutes, some kids were clearly feeling the difference from a standard seven-minute episode.

“Short Blueys are the best Blueys,” Chantelle, 6, said.

The culmination of the episode, when an emotional Bandit pulls out the titular For Sale sign, got a big response from the kids in the moment.

“He’s going to pull it out — he’s pulling it out!” Asher, 5, shouted.

Several of our expert reviewers said it was their favourite bit of the episode.

“I like when Bandit was crying,” Hannah, 6, said.

Other highlights, according to the critics, included a scene in which mum Chilli has to keep covering the kids’ mouths to stop them from blurting out a secret to the rest of the family. Bandit’s response — “Are we allowed to do that?” — got the biggest laugh from the grown-ups in the audience.

Tom nominated a scene from the morning after the wedding as his favourite.

“I think the funniest bit was when Stripe woke up in the bush,” he said.

Talking after the episode, most of the critical team was relieved the Heelers were staying put.

“I’m happy,” Camille, 9, said.

But Tom disagreed. “I want them to move,” he said. “It would be like, if they moved, it would be like a whole new series.”