Last weekend, Alton Towers Resort in Staffordshire, UK, opened the world’s first Bluey junior coaster at an event featuring famous faces, thousands of eager fans, and the largest drone show ever performed in front of a live audience in the UK.
Image credit Graham Speak
Over the last couple of seasons, guests have been able to meet and dance with Bluey and her family at the resort and even stay in Bluey-themed suites at the CBeebies Hotel.
But for the first time ever, fans can now step into The Heeler’s garden and go on a wild junior coaster adventure with Rita and Janet (Bluey and Bingo’s granny alter egos!).
Bluey: a multi-generational IP in demand
Bluey is one of the hottest IP’s around. Originally launching in Australia in 2018, it’s grown (and grown) into one of the most-streamed shows anywhere in the world. Winning awards, spawning a huge boom in merchandise sales, and exploding across social media.
The opportunity to meet Bluey has driven footfall to venues across the globe, with even Disney placing a big bet on The Heelers to drive attendance to Disneyland. Bluey has become a cultural phenomenon.
Image credit Alton Towers
Whilst a kids' cartoon at heart, Bluey is one of the few kids’ shows that genuinely connects with children and adults through emotional storylines, relatable parent characters, and humour that works on two levels.
All this made Bluey the natural choice for the next CBeebies Land investment. However, when you choose to work with a big IP with a huge fanbase, it’s critical that the experience you create meets heightened expectations.
The world’s first Bluey junior coaster
At its heart, the Bluey ride is a basic (but smooth and fun) junior coaster. But the IP has been layered skilfully to create a full Bluey experience that will appeal to Alton Towers’ broad audiences.
It’s a great example of hardware plus IP equalling more than the sum of the individual parts.
Guests are greeted by a huge recreation of the Heeler’s home, complete with dancing Bluey and Bingo in the window, and the queue line is part of the attraction, with thoughtfully designed play equipment, easter eggs and photo opportunities throughout.
Audio around the attraction plays those ever-so-catching tunes from the show (including Chattermax…if you know, you know, but may wish you didn’t).
Image credit Graham Speak
Is it perfect? No – there are some breaks in the ‘immersive-ness’ - it would have been great if the station entrance told more of the story rather than running you alongside the back of the building, for example.
We couldn’t see any specific ride merchandise on opening day, which felt like a missed commercial opportunity.
But overall, Bluey is a fantastic addition to Alton Towers’ lineup, and judging by the smiles on the thousands of guests who attended the attraction’s opening day, the Merlin, BBC Studios, and Ludo teams have got it on their hands as a huge hit.
IP partnerships – a strategic growth focus for Merlin
I managed to catch a rare conversation with Jonathan Lewis, VP of global IP licensing at Merlin, to discuss all things Bluey and the future of IP at Merlin.
Image credit Alton Towers
Q: What made Bluey as an IP so appealing to Merlin?
A: Bluey is a true global phenomenon, and we’ve seen just how strongly it resonates with families here in the UK. As we’ve expanded our offering across CBeebies Land and the CBeebies Land Hotel, guest response has been phenomenal, with record crowds coming to meet her.
Image credit Alton Towers
It felt like a natural next step to build on that excitement by introducing the world’s first Bluey-themed junior coaster at Alton Towers Resort, creating a truly special experience for families.
As one of the UK’s most loved preschool brands, this addition helps us continue to grow our family offering and give even more reasons for younger families to visit and enjoy time together.
Q: How does this fit into the broader CBeebies Land proposition? What role is the IP playing from a guest point of view?
A: We launched CBeebies Land back in 2014, and since then, we’ve introduced a lot of different characters and experiences to our guests, including Octonauts, Peter Rabbit, Go Jetters, JoJo & Gran Gran, to name but a few.
From calming sensory spaces, to beautifully themed play areas and incredible costume character shows, all the way through to “my first coasters”, we’ve consistently pushed ourselves to ensure the land offers something for everyone.
Image credit Alton Towers
When working with a hugely popular brand like Bluey, we knew we had to push the bar high and allow this IP to drive a new generation of guests to CBeebies Land.
Q: How have you captured the ‘heart’ of the brand in the Bluey ride?
A: There are so many charming components that flow through every Bluey episode. You laugh, cry, reminisce and even learn things along the way…. and that’s just the parents! What we couldn’t ignore were the similarities between a family’s day out at a theme park and an adventure with the Grannies!
So, from the moment you step through the portal, you’re met with iconic scenes, playscapes, sounds and characters from Bluey’s world, long before you board Janet and Rita’s thrilling and chaotic coaster ride through the Heeler garden.
Image credit Alton Towers
This was all about creating a Bluey experience that would allow guests to immerse themselves in her world and their very own episode, so if you’ve ever seen one of the Grannies episodes, I promise you won’t be disappointed!
Q: How has the IP been delivered? What has been unlocked for guests that couldn't have been without the IP?
A: The first thing you will see as you enter CBeebies Land will be the stunning recreation of the Heeler House with Bluey and Bingo waving to passing guests. Bluey’s all about imagination, creativeness and play – something we pride ourselves on at Merlin, so we wanted to ensure those qualities flowed through the queue line.
At every turn, guests will be met with some of their favourite iconic scenes from the show.
From crawling through Rug Island to dancing in fairy rings, photo ops with your favourite characters, and playing Keepy Uppy, Bluey, as a brand has enabled us to unlock an element of imaginative play we’ve not previously worked with in CBeebies Land.
Q: How do you make the decision to leverage 3rd-party IP or not?
A: Across the Merlin estate, we always like to have a balance between homegrown IP’s and 3rd party brands. We’ve had fantastic success with homegrown storytelling at Alton Towers Resort, from Wicker Man to the iconic Nemesis Reborn, which have grown their own fan bases.
Merlin has built up fantastic partnerships around the world with some of the most iconic IP brand owners, including the likes of LEGO, Warner Bros, Paramount, BBC, Sony & Hasbro.
Most recently, we have announced our hugely exciting partnership with Microsoft & Mojang Studios to bring Minecraft to life with Minecraft World at Chessington World of Adventures being our first project to launch in 2027.
Behind the scenes, we put a lot of hard work into tracking the latest IP trends, exploring their future growth plans & analysing audience data.
Q: How does Bluey complement the rest of the Alton Towers Resort?
A: Everyone at Merlin is incredibly proud of CBeebies Land and the CBeebies Land Hotel here at Alton Towers Resort.
As a business, we work hard to ensure there’s something for everyone when they visit, from our high-speed thrill coasters to the historical Towers and tranquil gardens. Nobody should leave this amazing theme park disappointed!
Image credit Alton Towers
CBeebies Land absolutely ticks the pre-school box for us, it’s a British institution just like Alton Towers Resort, and with exciting IPs on the channel like Bluey…we know CBeebies Land’s future is very bright!
Q: What are you most excited about for the Bluey attraction?
A: Very simply, this is the world’s first Bluey coaster. The only place you can come and enjoy a Grannies themed adventure is at Alton Towers Resort!
We couldn’t be happier with this project, and we’re so honoured to have worked with BBC Studios and Ludo on this iconic addition to CBeebies Land.
Lots more IP planned for Merlin attractions across the globe
The Bluey launch is one of many IP-based investments announced by Merlin, including the World of Paw Patrol, which is soon to launch at Chessington World of Adventures Resort.
Following in 2027 will be the very first Minecraft theme park land and accommodation at Chessington, promising ‘a thrilling world first coaster, interactive adventures and epic block-built playscapes’.
Image credit Graham Speak
All this will lead up to the world’s first Lego Harry Potter land and accommodation at Legoland Deutschland Resort, which Merlin’s CEO, Fiona Eastwood, promises will ‘raise the bar for creativity and innovation like never seen before’.
Given the great Bluey experience created at Alton Towers, we can’t wait to see how Merlin brings brands to life next!
