Wackadoo! Queensland sets world record for biggest game of Keepy Uppy

The Sunshine State is now officially the home state of TV’s Bluey after it bump-passed a tidal wave of red balls.

In a dizzying display of fun-fuelled athleticism, nimble Aussies right across Queensland have set a world record for playing the biggest game of Keepy Uppy.

As seen in the children’s TV series Bluey, Keepy Uppy involves keeping an inflated ball airborne as long as possible by ever-so-strategically whacking it from one person to another.

Kurrawa Beach on the Gold Coast was one of the three sites where fans could join the biggest game of Keepy Uppy. (Image: Tourism and Events Queensland)

About the Keepy Uppy world record attempt

The mammoth mission, staged on Sunday, 2 June, enlisted 702 people in total to give it an almighty crack across almost 2,000 kilometres, sweeping iconic Queensland hot spots including Cairns, Brisbane and the Gold Coast.

After a sea of ruthless, soaring limbs kept the game’s signature red balls in the air for one simultaneous minute at each location, The Australian Book of Records’ newest entry was officially cemented.

In Cairns, where Australian Traveller was invited to take part in the state-wide endeavour, a sun-soaked crowd at Cairns Esplanade erupted in applause as youngsters sporting Bluey and Bingo ears and snacking on Bluey-branded snacks, squealed in the arms of relieved, over-exerted parents who struggled to regain a steady breath.

The Esplanade in Cairns played host to the Keepy Uppy game. (Image: Tourism and Events Queensland)

To instil further giddy elation, Bluey and Bingo themselves also made an appearance, inviting starstruck kids (and parents, in all honesty) in for meet-and-greets overlooking the Esplanade’s famed pelican-frolicked mudflats.

It was a fitting scene as the quintessential Queensland landscape provided inspiration for Bluey’s touching Fairytale episode, which explores how the kids’ dad, Bandit, first met their mum, Chilli, while holidaying separately in the region.

Kids got to cosy up to Bingo and Bluey during the world-record setting day. (Image: Tourism and Events Queensland)

Queensland’s Minister for Tourism and Sport, Michael Healy, was also in attendance in Cairns and couldn’t resist posing for photos with the global megastars, whose animated antics are broadcast and streamed in more than 60 countries.

Meanwhile that morning, similar scenes of glee lit up the Gold Coast’s Kurrawa Beach and Brisbane’s South Bank, home to further landmarks that provide inspiration for the show.

Bluey and Bingo kept spirits high in Brisbane. (Image: Tourism and Events Queensland)

Why did the Keepy Uppy event happen?

The blockbuster stunt marked the launch of Tourism and Events Queensland’s biggest global campaign in more than a decade as Queensland officially brands itself the home state of Bluey.

Seizing the opportunity to showcase the spectacular real-life backdrops that inspire the Heeler family’s adventures in the TV show, the state is now inviting holidaymakers to plunge themselves right into Bluey’s world and recreate their favourite onscreen moments themselves.

Swimming with humpback whales in Hervey Bay. (Image: Tourism and Events Queensland)

The campaign, which has also recruited Robert Irwin as ambassador and star of its TV advertisement, is anticipated to attract an extra 1.3 million visitors to Queensland as it targets key markets in the United Kingdom, the United States, Singapore, Japan and New Zealand, in addition to interstate Bluey fans.

Scenic imagery from 13 of Queensland’s top tourism destinations will feature in a series of ads that will be sent around the world.

Kids can make a splash on the Great Barrier Reef with Sunlover Reef Cruise from Cairns. (Image: Tourism and Events Queensland)

Flight and accommodation deals from campaign partners including Flight Centre Travel Group in Australia and New Zealand, Qantas Group, Expedia Group and Accor in Australia, will also form a crucial part of the campaign.

By June 2025, an additional $1.7 billion is predicted to be spent in Queensland as a result of the multi-faceted roll-out.

Queensland Premier, Steven Miles, attended the Brisbane Keepy Uppy game with his daughter on Sunday, where he spoke about the state’s unique appeal to global audiences.

“We have some of the world’s best tourism assets, and this is our chance to use Bluey to showcase them to the whole world,” he said at the event.

The majestic Mount Mulligan is one of many iconic spots to visit in Queensland. (Image: Tourism and Events Queensland)

What else will the ‘Queensland is Bluey’s world for real life’ campaign involve?

While Keepy Uppy certainly made its mark over the weekend, the campaign is destined to maintain momentum thanks to the launch of an extravagant 12-night Queensland holiday giveaway which will see one family sent to explore a string of bucket list destinations including the Gold Coast, Brisbane, the Sunshine Coast, Cairns and the Great Barrier Reef.

From luxury glamping in Noosa and Gold Coast theme park hopping, to riding the famous Kuranda Scenic Railway and snorkelling the World Heritage-listed Great Barrier Reef, it’s a glittering prize from Tourism and Events Queensland that’s guaranteed to entice.

Visit Warraba Sunflowers in Cambooya. (Image: Tourism and Events Queensland)

Plus, the inclusion of VIP tickets to the Bluey’s World immersive experience, opening on November 7 at Brisbane’s Northshore, will mean the winning family will be one of the very first to step foot inside the interactive adventure.

For your chance to be in the running to win, visit queensland.com/blueysworld. Entries close AEST 5pm, 30 June 2024.