Online fans admire equal parenting and innovative play practised by canine protagonist’s father, Bandit
![Old dads learn new tricks from Australian children’s cartoon Bluey](https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/75291c8029489be06304f53d6a88feb82f7e8bf2/0_0_7500_4500/master/7500.jpg?width=1200&height=630&quality=85&auto=format&fit=crop&overlay-align=bottom%2Cleft&overlay-width=100p&overlay-base64=L2ltZy9zdGF0aWMvb3ZlcmxheXMvdGctZGVmYXVsdC5wbmc&enable=upscale&s=06cface812216cac50678f0d140deeae)
A bright blue anthropomorphic dog may not have been the hero that dads had asked for – but he was the one they clearly needed.
After years of being depicted as affable morons in children’s media – from Peppa Pig’s daddy to the accident-prone father in the interminable Biff, Chip and Kipper books – a new community of dads has formed around the children’s animated show Bluey, and more particularly Bluey’s father, Bandit.