| When Bloomberg senior writer Devin Leonard wrote earlier this year about the megahit children's show Bluey and its strangely uncertain future, its creator hadn't committed to more seasons of the show. Is that about to change? Plus: Trump and AI regulation, how CEOs are preparing for the next administration, and why Israelis think they'll have a better friend in the next White House. If this email was forwarded to you, click here to sign up. It may seem like the world is becoming a darker place with the election of a convicted felon to the US presidency, seemingly endless wars in the Middle East and Ukraine, and any number of other disconcerting global developments. For those in need of refuge, there's Bluey, the hit Australian preschoolers show about a family of blue heeler dogs that has charmed legions of kids and adults alike with its blend of humor and insight into the resilience of the human heart. November, in fact, has been a month of new tentpole moments for the franchise. Bluey's World, an "immersive experience" in Brisbane, Australia, where the series is set, opened on Nov. 7. Celebrity attendees such as Melanie Zanetti and Dave McCormack, the now familiar voices of Bluey's parents, Chilli and Bandit, graced the blue carpet. The eagerly awaited attraction drew visitors from as far away as Brazil. There was the introduction of yet another high-profile product, Bluey Crocs, which sold out in less than 40 minutes. The rollout event on Nov. 9 at the company's flagship New York store featured a "meet and greet" with Bluey and her little sister, Bingo, presumably portrayed by costumed actors. Later this month Bluey will soar again over the streets of New York in the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade. This time she'll be accompanied by grannies Rita and Gladys, whom regular viewers know are actually Bingo and combustible younger cousin Muffin dressing up as oldsters.  Bluey will return to the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade this year. Photographer: Michael Brochstein/Sipa/AP Photo As the characters of Bluey often say when they're otherwise at a loss for words, "Wackadoo!" It's almost enough to make the show's devotees forget that BBC Studios and the Australian Broadcasting Corp., have yet to do what fans desire more than anything else: greenlight a fourth season of Bluey, which ended in April with "The Sign," which ran four times longer than the usual seven-minute episodes. It had more than a few fans weeping by the end and craving more. In the short run, the lack of another season may not matter. With more than 150 episodes, Bluey remains one of the top 10 most streamed shows in the US, according to Nielsen, making it crucial for the continued growth of Disney+ in its largest market. Nor has it inhibited the ability of BBC Studios, which distributes the show everywhere but Australia and controls its global licensing, to keep announcing new Bluey stuff, a third album, the debut of Bluey "minisodes," one- to three-minute videos that the show's creator Joe Brumm has described as a way to make use of funny bits that didn't make it into earlier episodes. At some point, however, such placeholder offerings won't been enough. Bluey, after all, is a business, valued to be worth as much as $2 billion. Eventually, says Emily Horgan, a kids TV consultant who once worked at Disney, retailers and licensees are going to "want some clarity on the content pipeline, to know that they're committed to a living IP and not something that's stagnating." She says that could be a fourth series, more specials like "The Sign" or even a movie. Some viewers are already restless for more. "Fans want the longer episodes again, not shorts," says Margaret Thompson, a transplanted Australian who lives in Portland, Oregon, and posts regularly about Bluey on YouTube as Aussie Girl Margie. She describes the experience of going from "The Sign," which was nothing short of epic in Bluey terms, to the bite-size minisodes as "a bit of whiplash." Perhaps not surprisingly, given the dollar amounts involved, the people in a position to provide some answers aren't saying much about Bluey's future. BBC Studios and Disney declined to comment. Attempts to reach Ludo Studio, the Brisbane-based company that controls and produces Bluey, were unsuccessful. There's one person perhaps most likely to be in the know, and that's Brumm, whom everybody involved in the show largely credits with Bluey's magic and whose continued involvement is crucial to the franchise going forward. It wasn't clear earlier this year when Bloomberg Businessweek spoke to him about Bluey whether Brumm wanted the show to continue. He feared it becoming stale. However, asked earlier this week whether there were any new developments, including a fourth season, Brumm responded via email. "Might be an announcement next week," he said. "I'm hoping." It's not definitive, but it is a sign. Previously in Businessweek: How Bluey Became a a Billion Smash Hit—With an Uncertain Future | 
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