A special 28-minute episode of cartoon Bluey has created global headlines and received acclaim from parents and children alike after it dropped this week.
Psychologist Dougal Sutherland spoke to Breakfast about why the Australian cartoon has struck a chord with viewers globally.
"It's one of those families people actually want to be like," he said.
"You see so many things about your own life reflected there, it’s like ‘yeah, that is really hard’, and I think this episode particularly is just so hard because it reflects some of the changes people are going through in their own lives.”
Sutherland said the episode's extended length allowed it to "build up some plot" and create emotional moments.
"I think the main thing is this theme through it of change, and I don't want to give away a spoiler in case people haven't seen it, but this theme of parents making a decision that they think is going to be good for their kids and their family... but they're not sure how its going to work out."
This resonates with adults and parents as children sometimes do not understand these decisions, he said.
"It really pulls at the heartstrings."
He added that the series was "great" at sparking conversations for families.
"If you look back on the history of Bluey, they've often dealt with really tough, difficult subjects.
"I think they do provide a base for parents to be able to talk about with their kids about real issues."
Bluey is available on TVNZ+.
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