Bandit Heeler is everyone’s favorite dog dad. He’s the father and constant playmate to Bluey and Bingo, his adorable daughters. But how on earth does he have the stamina to play with them each and every day? I hear you ask. How old is Bandit supposed to be, anyway? Is he the same age as his voice actor, David McCormack?
Nope! McCormack is 55 years old, but Bandit is younger than that.
The answer to the Bandit’s age question is there if you’re willing to take a deep dive into Bluey lore, and smart fans have done just that. What you need to do is check out season 3, episode 6, titled “Fairytale.”
“Fairytale” tells the story of how the 10-year-old Bandit was mean to his little brother Stripe and got jinxed by his older brother Rad as a result. Poor Bandit really went through it, as not even his own parents would say his name and break the jinx. This flashback is set in the ’80s, so we can narrow down Bandit’s age from there.
Right at the beginning, when Bandit is running through everything that was different about the ’80s, we see a cassette marked “Bad Medicine.” You probably recognize the name—that’s a Bon Jovi track! And it was released in 1988. (Next to the “Bad Medicine” cassette is another one marked “Tears F,” which has got to be Tears For Fears, who were also very active during the ’80s.) We can therefore assume the “Fairytale” flashback is set no earlier than 1988. It would have to be 1988 or 1989, then, for it to still count as the ’80s.
So if Bandit was ten years old in 1988 or 1989, how old does that make him during the present day of Bluey? Well, if we assume the first season takes place in the year it came out, 2018, Bandit would be 39 or 40 years old when Bluey starts. He’s got a lot of life in him yet! We’ll next see him in the Bluey minisodes come July.
