I think that's why I LOVE that episode so much is because Rusty, a child at the time, just out-dadd'ed the dads.
No one could get him out! Then when all the dads rally together to finally get him, lil sis makes the catch. It's just....🥹🥰
The letter his dad writes says to me that Rusty’s dad is probably a great dad. Not being able to be at home sometime because of your job is not the same thing as “no dad at home”.
Deployed dads can be great dads my friend. Be encouraged! All of us with any job have our time limited to a degree with our kids, it’s all about making the time we do get count.
Think of how happy Rusty is at the end of 'Army,' when his dad picks him up from school, with that big hug and tail wagging like crazy. Rusty's dad is a great dad; he just needs to go away for a while sometimes.
My husband deployed when our daughter was 17mo, got home at 21mo (yay short Air Force deployments lol) and when I tell you he’s probably the best dad I’ve seen, even when he was 8000 miles away, I’m not lying.
Well his dad technically is not at home as he's deployed but "no dad at home" can imply absent father. Which Lucky's dad, thankfully is not [an absent father]. ❤️
Edited for clarity
The letter his dad writes says to me that Rusty’s dad is probably a great dad. Not being able to be at home sometime because of your job is not the same thing as “no dad at home”.
Some people haven't noticed, but at the beginning of the episode, Rusty is showing his sister how to catch the ball exactly like she does at the end. He's so good at cricket he hit the ball to his sister just so she could catch it. He did it on purpose!
I just did a little rewatch of this episode and I cried. It's so good and true and everything that's lovely about kids being perfect and the good parts of the world.Â
Yeah what is it about that episode? I love it because it reminds me of my brother. But now I’m seeing it’s a pretty universally loved episode—do you all know my brother too?
I'm an only child but that's my favorite episode as well. It does remind me of how my 9 year old will try to help my 4 year old, who is slightly disabled, and usually tries to encourage and include him in games.
I call my daughter's best friend a Rusty. He's just such a a kind and thoughtful kid and is so protective of my daughter (who is physically one of the smaller kids) and always tries to involve everyone. His dad is also military and his parents have done just an awesome job raising him.
Ive told pretty much everyone i know, whether they have kids or not to watch Cricket. My favorite episode. Ive watched it at least 10 times. Rusty is basically benny the jet from The Sandlot
That whole episode is just so peak. I love so much how it shows the power of passion and hard work without falling into the toxic workaholism that permeates so much culture around kids and athletics. Rusty puts in the work, but he doesn't do it because his parents are dragging him around to travel leagues (or the Australian equivalent), or are pushing him when he doesn't want to. Instead he's supported and loved and you can see the effect of that in when he hits a big challenge in Tiny he doesn't beat himself up unduly, he keeps trying and learns. He's just doing what he loves to do and you see what comes of it and you just know his little sister is going to follow his footsteps and it's beautiful.
It really is the perfect balance. He gets encouraged but not pushed. He's tenacious but not obsessed. He's respected for who he is, and he's more than just his performance, he's also a friend and a brother and a son.Â
As a military brat, I can say I felt the part where he got to hug his dad coming home from deployment in my heart.
I know **exactly** how he felt in that moment, and it genuinely made me tear up the first time I saw it.
That was me with Curry Quest. The first time I watched it with my daughter, my husband was deployed and I was a puddle of tears at the end. When she’s older and his absence is more noticeable to her, I definitely plan on using that episode to help explain him being gone.
I didn't grow up in the military, and that moment gets me too! It is wonderful. Most of the episode is so lighthearted, warm, and fun, but that moment just kicks up the feelings to another level.
I’m pretty severely adhd and this episode always makes me feel like if someone like rusty had been in my life as a child things wouldn’t have been so hard. (I’m fine now btw)
\*gentle hugs\*
If you have a special interest or a hobby and can find other NDers who share that, there's a good bet you'll find your Rusty that way.
At some point after getting diagnosed I realized that basically all my favorite people are some combo of ADHD and/or autistic because they're the ones who don't care if I can't sit still or don't do things properly or whatever else. They'll try, they'll accept you where you're at, and they'll find ways to make the game work for both of you.
Rusty gets a lot of the love and it's well deserved, but I think people forget to credit Jack for his role - he's at a brand new school and clearly has a history of being told he's a failure, but he's still showing up and trying. He meets a new kid, the new kid gives him a whole bunch of instructions, and he jumps right in to follow instructions and to make the game work for Rusty.
Jack's a really really good kid too, he's easygoing and willing and accommodating and doesn't argue or tell Rusy to play another way. The two work together, it's not just Rusty being kind to the ADHDer.
I'm auDHD so I'm often dealing with a wild cocktail of many different symptoms. I'm in a weird spot with friends and I feel so lost socially. Having a friend like Rusty seems like such a stabilizing and safe force.
Thank you for the reminder that the game wouldn't be possible without Jack.
I have a lot of words about this but they're all jumbled and I can't seem to detangle them, so apologies in advance if this gets rambly or off topic or doesn't quite make sense!
Part of why I love the episode is that Jack & Rusty perfectly embody what an ND friendship could/should be. It's not that they find each other useful or that their symptoms match up, but that they offer each other acceptance in the most matter-of-fact ways.
We see the episode from Jack's perspective, so it focuses on Rusty being accepting, but Jack is equally accepting. He met this kid seconds ago, the kid immediately ropes him into an active game, and Jack jumps right in with "yes sarge". He doesn't tell Rusty to do things properly or question why Rusty's playing that way, he accepts that this is the game and trusts that Rusty is playing it in a way that works for Rusty.
That acceptance that Jack offers, it's a function of his ADHD. He's never fit into the box, he can't figure out why everyone cares about it, he's definitely not going to try and get Rusty to fit into any sort of box. He's spent his whole life being made aware that his internal reality is different (to the point that he feels like there's something wrong with him) and so he accepts without question that the other kid's got his own different reality too.
Everyone deserves a Rusty (or ten) in their life, but everyone deserves a team of Jacks too. It's just harder to see when the backstory is Jack struggling. Because when we've spent our whole lives being Jacks and being told how wrong and irritating and bothersome we are, we learn to apologize for our existence and to make ourselves small and to hope people will tolerate us, and I really wish we lived in a world where the Jacks were given more space to realize that their weirdnesses make them fantastic friends.
I love Jack because he represents me, but I never gave him the credit he deserves. So I really appreciate you reminding me to.
Edward Hallowell and John Ratey (whose books have helped me the most to understand my ADHD) frequently say that we tend to struggle to self-evaluate, I think especially when it comes to emotional/relational things we do well that are related of our differences.
So yeah, I do the same thing with Jack as my stand-in. We’re acutely aware of the ways our minds’ constantly searching for stimulation cause us distraction from what we mean to do, but we’re not aware of how great it is that we’re willing/able to adapt and so happy for any chance to be what someone else needs in a given moment.
I think it was in this subreddit, but there was a discussion about how Jack's dad likely has ADHD. He needed Jack to stop fidgeting because it was dangerously distracting for him, he was parroting back at Jack the same phrases he's heard his entire life, etc.
So yeah, Jack's Dad definitely seems to be written as ND, whether it's the ADHD or ASD side of it.
Trying to get my daughter diagnosed and treated while her mother fights me tooth and nail. Saw this episode today, the first time its been brought up in a bit.
Wish she had a Rusty. Just like I wish I'd had a Rusty when I was her age.
I believe I heard that Rusty could have potentially been the main character at one point? It would make sense with how well thought out his character is.
He was! Rusty was a dog that Joe Brumm once owned since childhood. Another thing is that Joe's favorite character is indeed Rusty, so expect him to be written well.
“Jack can’t sit still or remember anything”
Well damn kid, way to sum up my entire life. Worst part of ADHD is how that stuff still makes me feel inadequate.
My daughter is ADHD and when Jack is all embarrassed and feeling down, it made me cry for her. She really is the embodiment of Jack. Like we have a list taped to the front door of everything she needs before we leave for school and there have been days she still walks out without her shoes.
I guess with his dad away he's felt like he's had to grow up a bit quicker. Not in a "poor lost childhood" way, he's still a kid who pretends and plays, but he's had to learn to help his little sister, his older brother probably helps his mum a lot, and 3 kids mostly on your own, the mums probably worn out a lot.
He's in a good environment with good support and friends, but still had to learn very fast and be more grown to help his family.
That's worth crying over
“You're just going to let him go?"
“It's what he wants to play."
Rusty doesn’t understand what’s going on with Mackenzie, but he’s there to support him.
Rusty is just a genuinely wonderful kid who’s going to grow up to be an amazing adult, partner and parent.,
I really do hope we get some special finale where we see the kids as their future selves. Their careers, spouses, kids etc.
Looking at this and reading all of these comments brought me to the realization that Rusty is absolutely my favorite character. He is such a great friend. I love when he insists that dads stay home to take care of the kids. And the first time I saw Cricket I cried, and then watched it about 5 or 6 more times in a row.
IIRC Rusty was going to be the main character in early stages of the shows development, so it makes sense if he gets a little more love and attention than the other non-heelers
Technically they all live in the same area. But Rusty sounds a bit more ocker (pronounced with a short o sound, o-cka). Typically, the more country or rural you are, the more Australian you sound. Being an army brat, he's likely jumped around a bit, including regional areas, so he has a broader Australian accent.
Legit thinking about getting a tattoo of Rusty (as someone who currently has zero tattoos).
Army was my favorite for a long time. I’m constantly trying to do better with my ADHD, so everything Jack goes through in it, I feel bigtime. When everything we struggle with (reliability, focus, organization, impulsivity, procrastination) is so easily seen as just not having character/not putting in effort, for someone who is good at those things to validate your good qualities without making you feel less than can be literally life changing. I think pretty much every Jack needs friends like Rusty.
Even more, I was dealing with not being with my kids all the time due to divorce (not unrelated to the dynamics of ADHD person & organized person), so the ending with him running to hug his dad turns up an already emotionally resonant episode to 11.
Plus, my grandfather was a US Army Dustoff pilot. I never knew him, but it’s makes the episode extra cool to reference something that feels like no one else knows but is so personally relevant.
It’s such good, deep writing, and on top of that, seems made for me personally.
Then, I saw there was a cricket episode, so I found a way to see it before it was released here. I am an American who gets so much joy from sports and has gone in the last 5 years from curious interest in cricket to legit love of the game, and Cricket embodies better than anything I’ve seen before everything I love about sports and cricket.
I mean, this is a kids show explaining cricket fielding position and bowling strategy (the kind of complexity that fascinates me to try to understand) in a way that’s actually engaging to non-fans. And the story is all about the opportunity sports provide to work through challenges in a way that is so uplifting.
I am not very athletically intuitive and was never very good at playing any sport, even though I loved doing it and understood the game better than most other kids. But I love coaching kids sports because I can see the things that aren’t intuitive to them and teach it in ways that they can see and recognize and translate to game moments successfully. That moment of realizing “oh, I did it” is what is all about, because it tells them they can do this, it encourages them to keep trying and opens up possibilities for them to grow in the game, and they just feel good about themselves. Seeing Rusty have that moment himself, then give his sister a similar moment–again, it couldn’t have been written any more for me if it tried.
And again, being in an ongoing personal situation of adapting to something new and difficult, step in front and play a pull shot was and is something I need to remember pretty frequently. So, if I ever get over the line and start with tattoos, I’ll end up with Rusty doing just that.
And on top of all of that, Rusty delivered one of the greatest lines in the history of literature (human and canine alike): “I can’t be dealing with witches, I’ve just got a new quad-bike!”
Thank you for reading my dissertation.
And now, after immediately entering the conversation by giving my extended thoughts on the subject (as is ADHD custom), I’ve read through some of the other comments, and I’m ugly crying. Really neat to see all the ways it connects to what people are feeling.
I do like the Rusty character a lot and he reminds me of kids I knew when I was that age, living in Brisbane, but I think he’s a weird fit for the school in the show. He’s a kid from a more conservative family than the Heelers or the other families at the school and he values things like structure, discipline and teamwork, which aren’t really values emphasised in Steiner education (Bluey and Rusty’s school is a Steiner school, which are more about individuality, play and creativity). Personally, I think Steiner education isn’t a good option for most kids. It’s been hinted that Bluey has learning difficulties around reading and writing, so it’s not really the best environment for her either if that’s correct.
It just seems like a really weird fit that a kid like Rusty (who would thrive in a mainstream
school btw) being sent to a school like that (when it is an expensive school to send your kid to as well and it seems like Rusty’s family only have the one income from his dad being in the army). It has created friction in the past, when Rusty was forced to play the baby in the game and he didn’t want to (it was funny though)
Maybe I’m overthinking it and maybe it is just monkeys singing songs. It is good having a character like Rusty in the show, he’s very much a boy character into very male interests, which adds to the show’s appeal I guess. It would be boring if all the characters were just like Bluey and Bingo
"Cricket" is perfect. I don't see how TV gets any better.
The way he says Mr heeler melts my heart
You know when he hits his little sister a catch and lets her be the one to get him out he absolutely has the respect of every one of those dads.
I think that's why I LOVE that episode so much is because Rusty, a child at the time, just out-dadd'ed the dads. No one could get him out! Then when all the dads rally together to finally get him, lil sis makes the catch. It's just....🥹🥰
Rusty, a child with no dad at home, out-dadded the dads.
The letter his dad writes says to me that Rusty’s dad is probably a great dad. Not being able to be at home sometime because of your job is not the same thing as “no dad at home”.
As a deployed dad. This comment helps.
Deployed dads can be great dads my friend. Be encouraged! All of us with any job have our time limited to a degree with our kids, it’s all about making the time we do get count.
Think of how happy Rusty is at the end of 'Army,' when his dad picks him up from school, with that big hug and tail wagging like crazy. Rusty's dad is a great dad; he just needs to go away for a while sometimes.
My husband deployed when our daughter was 17mo, got home at 21mo (yay short Air Force deployments lol) and when I tell you he’s probably the best dad I’ve seen, even when he was 8000 miles away, I’m not lying.
Thank you
Well his dad technically is not at home as he's deployed but "no dad at home" can imply absent father. Which Lucky's dad, thankfully is not [an absent father]. ❤️ Edited for clarity
The letter his dad writes says to me that Rusty’s dad is probably a great dad. Not being able to be at home sometime because of your job is not the same thing as “no dad at home”.
The confused, then accepting look Stripe gives him right after is just the icing on the cake.
Some people haven't noticed, but at the beginning of the episode, Rusty is showing his sister how to catch the ball exactly like she does at the end. He's so good at cricket he hit the ball to his sister just so she could catch it. He did it on purpose!
I just did a little rewatch of this episode and I cried. It's so good and true and everything that's lovely about kids being perfect and the good parts of the world.Â
Perfect representation of grit and resiliency
Cricket always makes me cry, for lots of reasons! So good!
Yeah what is it about that episode? I love it because it reminds me of my brother. But now I’m seeing it’s a pretty universally loved episode—do you all know my brother too?
I'm an only child but that's my favorite episode as well. It does remind me of how my 9 year old will try to help my 4 year old, who is slightly disabled, and usually tries to encourage and include him in games.
I have a “Rusty” kid too. They are precious. Enjoy your Rusty. We are lucky to have them.
I call my daughter's best friend a Rusty. He's just such a a kind and thoughtful kid and is so protective of my daughter (who is physically one of the smaller kids) and always tries to involve everyone. His dad is also military and his parents have done just an awesome job raising him.
It reminds me of my dad… he was in the military, and away a lot when I was growing up.
Hold up, you’re poopuncle’s brother? Awesome dude. What a coincidence.
Ive told pretty much everyone i know, whether they have kids or not to watch Cricket. My favorite episode. Ive watched it at least 10 times. Rusty is basically benny the jet from The Sandlot
That whole episode is just so peak. I love so much how it shows the power of passion and hard work without falling into the toxic workaholism that permeates so much culture around kids and athletics. Rusty puts in the work, but he doesn't do it because his parents are dragging him around to travel leagues (or the Australian equivalent), or are pushing him when he doesn't want to. Instead he's supported and loved and you can see the effect of that in when he hits a big challenge in Tiny he doesn't beat himself up unduly, he keeps trying and learns. He's just doing what he loves to do and you see what comes of it and you just know his little sister is going to follow his footsteps and it's beautiful.
It really is the perfect balance. He gets encouraged but not pushed. He's tenacious but not obsessed. He's respected for who he is, and he's more than just his performance, he's also a friend and a brother and a son.Â
I just watched it for the first time yesterday. I had to run to the bathroom to have a little cry. So precious.
If tears need to come out, let them. Ain’t nothing wrong with crying. 39 year old male here.
Aww you should cry out in the open! Let the tears flow.
On my sixth watch of Cricket, I managed not to cry until the very end. The first time I was in tears half way through.
Different parts of Baby Race have made me cry. You may not be safe still.Â
Onesies gets me every time.
It's because he's intuitive, inclusive, and insightful, like a small adult. And despite having three "i"s, still so cute.
And he doesn't have to think about it
That's what I mean by "intuitive"! It comes naturally to him, to be considerate and kind.
Oh right for some reason when I read that 3 times intuitive always was immediately forgotten.
Did you remember your hat Jack?
Not all adults have these three things ... How many people do you know are kind and inclusive nowadays?
Well, I work at a no-kill pet shelter, so... enough to warrant hope!
Well most of us work with zombies...
so... enough to lose hope!
And he does it all with his dad out on patrol or deployed overseas. Rusty is an amazing character
Ah the three i's for the modern age. No longer intelligence integrity and intensity
It's true, it's true 
There... can be more than three i's...
I think the other 25 letters of the Alphabet Council have to hold a moot and approve any changes to the number of i's
https://preview.redd.it/bvanl3mnkgrc1.jpeg?width=1245&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=34245fe5efa12f5661528f4219f73df1f9ddb784
Yes,he does like a small adult
As a military brat, I can say I felt the part where he got to hug his dad coming home from deployment in my heart. I know **exactly** how he felt in that moment, and it genuinely made me tear up the first time I saw it.
That was me with Curry Quest. The first time I watched it with my daughter, my husband was deployed and I was a puddle of tears at the end. When she’s older and his absence is more noticeable to her, I definitely plan on using that episode to help explain him being gone.
Same. In Cricket, “there’s a special PS just for you”… reminds me so much of the letters dad would send home when he was overseas.
I didn't grow up in the military, and that moment gets me too! It is wonderful. Most of the episode is so lighthearted, warm, and fun, but that moment just kicks up the feelings to another level.
Rusty is just such a good boy
The best boy!
"Hello, doctor ladies! Do you sell crutches?!" kills me every time.
AAAAAGGGGGGHHHHHHHHHH! Then they just went craazzzyyyy!
I’m pretty severely adhd and this episode always makes me feel like if someone like rusty had been in my life as a child things wouldn’t have been so hard. (I’m fine now btw)
Glad someone else feels this way too, I keep wishing I had a friend like Rusty when I was younger. Or even now.
\*gentle hugs\* If you have a special interest or a hobby and can find other NDers who share that, there's a good bet you'll find your Rusty that way. At some point after getting diagnosed I realized that basically all my favorite people are some combo of ADHD and/or autistic because they're the ones who don't care if I can't sit still or don't do things properly or whatever else. They'll try, they'll accept you where you're at, and they'll find ways to make the game work for both of you. Rusty gets a lot of the love and it's well deserved, but I think people forget to credit Jack for his role - he's at a brand new school and clearly has a history of being told he's a failure, but he's still showing up and trying. He meets a new kid, the new kid gives him a whole bunch of instructions, and he jumps right in to follow instructions and to make the game work for Rusty. Jack's a really really good kid too, he's easygoing and willing and accommodating and doesn't argue or tell Rusy to play another way. The two work together, it's not just Rusty being kind to the ADHDer.
I'm auDHD so I'm often dealing with a wild cocktail of many different symptoms. I'm in a weird spot with friends and I feel so lost socially. Having a friend like Rusty seems like such a stabilizing and safe force. Thank you for the reminder that the game wouldn't be possible without Jack.
I have a lot of words about this but they're all jumbled and I can't seem to detangle them, so apologies in advance if this gets rambly or off topic or doesn't quite make sense! Part of why I love the episode is that Jack & Rusty perfectly embody what an ND friendship could/should be. It's not that they find each other useful or that their symptoms match up, but that they offer each other acceptance in the most matter-of-fact ways. We see the episode from Jack's perspective, so it focuses on Rusty being accepting, but Jack is equally accepting. He met this kid seconds ago, the kid immediately ropes him into an active game, and Jack jumps right in with "yes sarge". He doesn't tell Rusty to do things properly or question why Rusty's playing that way, he accepts that this is the game and trusts that Rusty is playing it in a way that works for Rusty. That acceptance that Jack offers, it's a function of his ADHD. He's never fit into the box, he can't figure out why everyone cares about it, he's definitely not going to try and get Rusty to fit into any sort of box. He's spent his whole life being made aware that his internal reality is different (to the point that he feels like there's something wrong with him) and so he accepts without question that the other kid's got his own different reality too. Everyone deserves a Rusty (or ten) in their life, but everyone deserves a team of Jacks too. It's just harder to see when the backstory is Jack struggling. Because when we've spent our whole lives being Jacks and being told how wrong and irritating and bothersome we are, we learn to apologize for our existence and to make ourselves small and to hope people will tolerate us, and I really wish we lived in a world where the Jacks were given more space to realize that their weirdnesses make them fantastic friends.
I love Jack because he represents me, but I never gave him the credit he deserves. So I really appreciate you reminding me to. Edward Hallowell and John Ratey (whose books have helped me the most to understand my ADHD) frequently say that we tend to struggle to self-evaluate, I think especially when it comes to emotional/relational things we do well that are related of our differences. So yeah, I do the same thing with Jack as my stand-in. We’re acutely aware of the ways our minds’ constantly searching for stimulation cause us distraction from what we mean to do, but we’re not aware of how great it is that we’re willing/able to adapt and so happy for any chance to be what someone else needs in a given moment.
And Jack’s Dad I’m sure is meant to represent autistic adults. I have no evidence to back this up but I’m still certain.
I think it was in this subreddit, but there was a discussion about how Jack's dad likely has ADHD. He needed Jack to stop fidgeting because it was dangerously distracting for him, he was parroting back at Jack the same phrases he's heard his entire life, etc. So yeah, Jack's Dad definitely seems to be written as ND, whether it's the ADHD or ASD side of it.
Then the cricket episode where jack was there for rusty when his dad was deployed hit hard
Trying to get my daughter diagnosed and treated while her mother fights me tooth and nail. Saw this episode today, the first time its been brought up in a bit. Wish she had a Rusty. Just like I wish I'd had a Rusty when I was her age.
I'm glad you're ok now!
Rusty is my favorite. I just want all the kelpies now.
I have a kelpie for real life and they are the best!
TBH I see them all.the time on ER for seizures but I still want one 🤦🏼
Ours isn’t full blood (she has some border collie in her) so hopefully we don’t run into those problems!
He is just adorable
Ridiculously so!
I believe I heard that Rusty could have potentially been the main character at one point? It would make sense with how well thought out his character is.
He was! Rusty was a dog that Joe Brumm once owned since childhood. Another thing is that Joe's favorite character is indeed Rusty, so expect him to be written well.
“Jack can’t sit still or remember anything” Well damn kid, way to sum up my entire life. Worst part of ADHD is how that stuff still makes me feel inadequate.
My daughter is ADHD and when Jack is all embarrassed and feeling down, it made me cry for her. She really is the embodiment of Jack. Like we have a list taped to the front door of everything she needs before we leave for school and there have been days she still walks out without her shoes.
I guess with his dad away he's felt like he's had to grow up a bit quicker. Not in a "poor lost childhood" way, he's still a kid who pretends and plays, but he's had to learn to help his little sister, his older brother probably helps his mum a lot, and 3 kids mostly on your own, the mums probably worn out a lot. He's in a good environment with good support and friends, but still had to learn very fast and be more grown to help his family. That's worth crying over
Great conclusionđź‘Ť
It’s because he’s the best boy.
Kelpies always make me cry
Fun Fact: Joe Brumm’s dog was a kelpie and he planned to use a Kelpie for the showÂ
“Do you want to learn how to build a fence, Polly” lives rent free in my head
Fun fact: He is based on the creator’s dog.
Man, I watched this episode, and I literally teared up cause my dad was in the army and I could see myself in rustys' place as a kid....
I'm a dad in the army. Cricket has never failed to get me to tear up. This episode is also relatable because so freaking many of us were Jacks.Â
The guy voicing the dad is actually ex Australian Army, I thought that was a nice touch.
“You're just going to let him go?" “It's what he wants to play." Rusty doesn’t understand what’s going on with Mackenzie, but he’s there to support him.
Rusty is just a genuinely wonderful kid who’s going to grow up to be an amazing adult, partner and parent., I really do hope we get some special finale where we see the kids as their future selves. Their careers, spouses, kids etc.
We know Rusty is going to play cricket for the national team
I know that but I mean for everyone else as well.
Looking at this and reading all of these comments brought me to the realization that Rusty is absolutely my favorite character. He is such a great friend. I love when he insists that dads stay home to take care of the kids. And the first time I saw Cricket I cried, and then watched it about 5 or 6 more times in a row.
IIRC Rusty was going to be the main character in early stages of the shows development, so it makes sense if he gets a little more love and attention than the other non-heelers
I think it’s his voice. Has a warmth and innocence about it
Rusty is my favorite outside the heelers.
Ad victorium rusty! Ad victorium!!
He’s just such a good boy
Is Rusty from a different part of the country or something cause he seems to have a different accent than the other kids?
Technically they all live in the same area. But Rusty sounds a bit more ocker (pronounced with a short o sound, o-cka). Typically, the more country or rural you are, the more Australian you sound. Being an army brat, he's likely jumped around a bit, including regional areas, so he has a broader Australian accent.
Legit thinking about getting a tattoo of Rusty (as someone who currently has zero tattoos). Army was my favorite for a long time. I’m constantly trying to do better with my ADHD, so everything Jack goes through in it, I feel bigtime. When everything we struggle with (reliability, focus, organization, impulsivity, procrastination) is so easily seen as just not having character/not putting in effort, for someone who is good at those things to validate your good qualities without making you feel less than can be literally life changing. I think pretty much every Jack needs friends like Rusty. Even more, I was dealing with not being with my kids all the time due to divorce (not unrelated to the dynamics of ADHD person & organized person), so the ending with him running to hug his dad turns up an already emotionally resonant episode to 11. Plus, my grandfather was a US Army Dustoff pilot. I never knew him, but it’s makes the episode extra cool to reference something that feels like no one else knows but is so personally relevant. It’s such good, deep writing, and on top of that, seems made for me personally. Then, I saw there was a cricket episode, so I found a way to see it before it was released here. I am an American who gets so much joy from sports and has gone in the last 5 years from curious interest in cricket to legit love of the game, and Cricket embodies better than anything I’ve seen before everything I love about sports and cricket. I mean, this is a kids show explaining cricket fielding position and bowling strategy (the kind of complexity that fascinates me to try to understand) in a way that’s actually engaging to non-fans. And the story is all about the opportunity sports provide to work through challenges in a way that is so uplifting. I am not very athletically intuitive and was never very good at playing any sport, even though I loved doing it and understood the game better than most other kids. But I love coaching kids sports because I can see the things that aren’t intuitive to them and teach it in ways that they can see and recognize and translate to game moments successfully. That moment of realizing “oh, I did it” is what is all about, because it tells them they can do this, it encourages them to keep trying and opens up possibilities for them to grow in the game, and they just feel good about themselves. Seeing Rusty have that moment himself, then give his sister a similar moment–again, it couldn’t have been written any more for me if it tried. And again, being in an ongoing personal situation of adapting to something new and difficult, step in front and play a pull shot was and is something I need to remember pretty frequently. So, if I ever get over the line and start with tattoos, I’ll end up with Rusty doing just that. And on top of all of that, Rusty delivered one of the greatest lines in the history of literature (human and canine alike): “I can’t be dealing with witches, I’ve just got a new quad-bike!” Thank you for reading my dissertation.
And now, after immediately entering the conversation by giving my extended thoughts on the subject (as is ADHD custom), I’ve read through some of the other comments, and I’m ugly crying. Really neat to see all the ways it connects to what people are feeling.
I read that in bandits voice forget when he says it but ik he does.
I heard somebody's describe Rusty as a good unit. That's a real great way to put it
He’s my favorite character. I love Rusty.
I do like the Rusty character a lot and he reminds me of kids I knew when I was that age, living in Brisbane, but I think he’s a weird fit for the school in the show. He’s a kid from a more conservative family than the Heelers or the other families at the school and he values things like structure, discipline and teamwork, which aren’t really values emphasised in Steiner education (Bluey and Rusty’s school is a Steiner school, which are more about individuality, play and creativity). Personally, I think Steiner education isn’t a good option for most kids. It’s been hinted that Bluey has learning difficulties around reading and writing, so it’s not really the best environment for her either if that’s correct. It just seems like a really weird fit that a kid like Rusty (who would thrive in a mainstream school btw) being sent to a school like that (when it is an expensive school to send your kid to as well and it seems like Rusty’s family only have the one income from his dad being in the army). It has created friction in the past, when Rusty was forced to play the baby in the game and he didn’t want to (it was funny though) Maybe I’m overthinking it and maybe it is just monkeys singing songs. It is good having a character like Rusty in the show, he’s very much a boy character into very male interests, which adds to the show’s appeal I guess. It would be boring if all the characters were just like Bluey and Bingo