What’s the Deal with Socks in ‘Bluey’? We Don’t Have Every Answer, But We Have Some Theories

Few Bluey characters are as much of an enigma as Socks, Bluey and Bingo’s young cousin. Why, in a world of anthropomorphized dogs, does Socks act like a literal dog? How old is Socks? Is her behavior a normal part of dog development?

I don’t have answers for all those questions, but chances are you found this article by asking Google for Socks’ age—and that, at least, I can shed some light on.

How old is Socks in Bluey?

In early episodes of Bluey, Socks is portrayed as a literal dog, growling and yipping to express herself, and walking on all fours. As the series goes on, Socks gradually starts to act more human, walking upright and talking.

Although Socks’ age is never made clear in the series, and all the kids age throughout seasons 1-3, the official Bluey website states that Socks is a “puppy” and is still learning to talk and walk on two legs. That seems to indicate that she’s roughly a year to 18 months old.

So does Socks act like a dog because she’s young? Ha! That’d explain it, right? Wouldn’t that be nice and tidy? Here’s the problem, though: Bluey portrays other dogs Socks’ age, and all of them act like human babies.

“Baby Race” throws a wrench in Bluey‘s explanation for Socks

In “Baby Race,” Chilli tells Bluey and Bingo about Bluey’s days as an infant. As we see in Chilli’s flashbacks, Bluey and the other babies act like human infants, sitting upright and wearing diapers. None of them act like dogs.

So what’s the deal with Socks, then? Some fans have proposed that Socks is autistic, but frankly, I don’t like any explanation that compares people with autism to animals. Even in a show that’s literally about animals.

Honestly? The most likely explanation is that Socks’ behavior was an early concept in the show that Joe Brumm and the other writers abandoned over time. In the end, Socks is simply Socks. There’s no one else quite like her, and we’ll just need to accept her as she is.

(featured image: Disney+)