Children left crying at disastrous ‘Bluey’ event likened to Willy Wonka Experience

Bluey fans were left thoroughly disappointed following a disastrous event that has been likened to the Willy Wonka ‘Chocolate Experience’ in Glasgow.

Last weekend, in an attempt to capitalise on the popularity of the Australian animated kids series, Dirt Dog hot dog restaurant in Las Vegas hosted a Bluey Day, promising attendees a marathon of episodes, a meet and greet with the characters, face painting and special themed treats.

However, when people arrived at the restaurant, they were soon left disappointed by what was actually on offer. After 3,000 people responded to the event, concerns were quickly raised about the capacity and crowd control. Once families got inside, they were met with amateur costumes, homemade treats and face painting from a restaurant staff member.

Sophia, one of the children at the event, said: “I was mad. He [the employee dressed as Bluey] looked unexpected. We could see his beard.”

Her mother, Stephanie Hernandez, told Fox 5 News Las Vegas: “The kids were distraught. Some kids were crying. Some kids were upset, crying in their parents’ shoulders.

“How could you do that to little kids: advertise something so fun and eventful for kids ranging from toddlers to six, seven years old, and not actually follow through with it? It was a very upsetting moment to see so many kids, especially my daughter, just really upset.”

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Other angry parents shared their thoughts of the event on social media, with one writing: “When you order your Bluey event from Wish.” Another wrote on the event’s page: “Thanks for ruining my 3-year-olds day!”

After the backlash, Dirt Dog management told the news channel the event began with good intentions.

“We expected like maybe 50 to 60 people – not in the sense of like the whole city coming out. Just now knowing who Bluey is, we would have planned ahead and would have had security,” said employee Taj Wilder.

She then apologised to those left disappointed. “We’re very much family. We love on each other, we support each other. We’re going to continue to make events, create events, especially free ones, for families to come out and have a good time with us,’ she said.

The event is reminiscent of  the infamous Willy Wonka-themed ‘Chocolate Experience’ that was held in Glasgow earlier this year. Families arrived, they were greeted at a sparsely decorated warehouse with some plastic props, backdrop posters pinned to walls, and a made-up character called ‘The Unknown’, which left some children terrified.

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