Dirt Dog restaurant apologized after seriously underestimating the immense popularity of the Disney cartoon character Bluey with their themed event.
A Las Vegas location of the West Coast hot dog chain, known for their gourmet hot dogs with a "hip-hop edge," got roasted for hosting a massively hyped event that failed to meet the expectations of young Bluey fans.
Bluey is an anthropomorphic Blue Heeler puppy from the eponymous Disney+ TV series for preschoolers. The show is hugely popular around the world, which Dirt Dog miscalculated when posting their Facebook invite for "Bluey Day".
Roughly three thousand people RSVP'd and most of them showed up en masse, with people waiting for hours in a line outside in the grueling Vegas heat.
Families that finally made it inside the establishment experienced lackluster offerings that didn't measure up to the hype.
Exhibit A: Face painting.
FOX5 Las Vegas
And exhibit B: A Dirt Dog employee passing himself off as Bluey in a blue onesie and his face partially exposed.
FOX5 Las Vegas
Parents were underwhelmed and some children were so upset, they were crying.
Complaints on Dirt Dog's social media page included comments like, "Thanks for ruining my 3 year old's day," and "I drove 1 [hour] just to see a grown man in PJs."
While the Dirt Dog event was free, the debacle was compared to the botched Willy Wonka-inspired interactive exhibit in Glasglow, Scotland, that infuriated paying ticketholders for its lackluster offerings inside a barren warehouse.
That experience also included a character called The Unknown that terrorized young visitors.
At least Dirt Dog has a tasty menu. But that's not what Bluey fans were there for.
One disappointed child who attended Bluey Day with her mom told Fox5 News she was "mad" when she saw the tall man passing himself off as Bluey.
She said:
“He looked, like, unexpected. We could see his beard.”
Blanca Nelly Torres-Villegas/Facebook
You can watch a news report, here.
Parents outraged by massive event featuring amateur ‘Bluey,’ restaurant apologizesyoutu.be
The kid's mother, Stephanie Hernandez, was equally upset.
She told the news outlet:
“The kids were distraught. Some kids were crying. Some kids were upset, crying in their parents’ shoulders."
“How could you do that to little kids: advertise something so fun and eventful for kids ranging from toddlers to six, seven years old, and not actually follow through with it?"
Hernandez added:
"It was a very upsetting moment to see so many kids, especially my daughter, just really upset."
Dirt Dog marketing spokesperson Taj Wilder said they weren't expecting such a massive turnout for the event and they had underestimated Bluey's popularity.
“We expected like maybe 50 to 60 people–not in the sense of like the whole city coming out," said Wilder. "Just now knowing who Bluey is, we would have planned ahead and would have had security."
The restaurant shared a statement on social media, which read in part:
“We are truly sorry this event wasn’t the expected experience!"
“We were overwhelmed with the turn out to this event.”
Dirt Dog Las Vegas/Facebook
At least one person was able to recognize the restaurant's good intentions.
Others also focused on the positive, with one person saying it was "a free event. It is a risk you take," and another who enthused, "My son LOVED this event! Thank you for hosting!"
One Facebook user suggested improvement options and said of "Bluey Day":
"It wasn't the greatest, but in the end it was free, and to be fair my daughter still really enjoyed herself. I do feel this could have been better executed, maybe have it outside in the parking lot where there is more room."
"Have your entire staff on deck, more than just 1 face painter."
"Clear out the tables and chairs so the kids and go inside and dance. Too popular of a character to have a free event at such a tiny space."
After dealing with the backlash, Wilder said:
"I knew Bluey was big. I just didn't realize just how big he was."
It's worth noting that Bluey is a female pup, not a male as suggested by Wilder.
The spokesperson continued:
"The biggest takeaway is that if people want Bluey, go all out. [If] you wanna do stuff for the community, just make sure you do it at the highest quality."
The news outlet said the Dirt Dog team from LA is working on organizing a do-over with another family event, this time with a better, more actualized Bluey costume.
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