Bluey is officially entering the audiobook space. BBC Studios and Penguin Random House have announced Bluey: The Beach and Other Stories, the first audiobook collection for the animated juggernaut. The collection publishes globally on September 1, 2026.
The audiobook features eight stories narrated by Australian actress Miranda Tapsell, known for The Sapphires and for voicing Dougie’s mum in the series. The lineup pulls from some of the show’s most beloved episodes: Baby Race, Barky Boats, The Beach, Charades, Daddy Robot, Magic Xylophone, The Pool, and Typewriter. That is a strong opening slate, with Baby Race and The Beach in particular ranking among the most emotionally resonant episodes the show has produced.
The move builds on a publishing partnership that has been quietly massive. BBC Studios and Penguin Random House renewed their book publishing deal for Bluey in late 2024, and the print side has been one of the strongest performers in children’s publishing. Adapting those picture books into audio was the obvious next step, and BBC Studios is framing it exactly that way.
Jan Paterson, Director of Books and Audio Publishing at BBC Studios, said the strength of engagement from families made audio a natural extension, giving listeners a new way to connect with characters they already know. Rianna Mezzullo, Publisher at Penguin Random House Children’s Licensing, added that bringing the picture books into audio expands how young readers can experience the stories, and pointed to the role shared listening plays for children, families, and early years settings.
For parents, this fills a real gap. Bluey has dominated streaming charts for years, but screen-free options for the franchise have mostly been limited to the print books and the occasional celebrity read-along on YouTube. A proper audiobook collection means car rides, bedtime, and quiet time now have an official Bluey option that does not involve a screen. Anyone who has spent time around a preschooler knows how much mileage families will get out of eight familiar stories on loop.
It also signals where the franchise is headed while fans wait on the bigger screen news. With the Bluey feature film in development at Disney and the show continuing to roll out minisodes, BBC Studios has been steadily widening the brand into every format it can reach: books, toys, live experiences, and now audio. Given that Bluey routinely tops the most-watched streaming lists in the US, an audiobook line was less a question of if than when.
The choice of Tapsell as narrator is a smart one. Keeping the voice inside the show’s existing cast preserves the Australian warmth that makes Bluey work, rather than handing the stories to a generic narrator. If this first collection performs the way everything else Bluey touches does, expect more volumes to follow quickly.
Bluey: The Beach and Other Stories publishes worldwide on September 1, 2026.
Sources: Deadline | Yahoo Entertainment
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