Kelly Clarkson surprises audience with free trip to Queensland inspired by Bluey’s US success

Bluey’s popularity in the United States knows no bounds, with the cartoon recently crowned the country’s most-watched television series this year.

So the frenzied celebrations of a talk show audience after being told they would enjoy their own Bluey experience, in the form of a free trip to Queensland, should come as no surprise.

WATCH THE VIDEO ABOVE: US talk show host Kelly Clarkson announces Queensland trip for audience.

Like talk show queen Oprah Winfrey’s “We’re going to Australia!” moment in 2010, American Idol winner and TV host Kelly Clarkson shocked her audience on Tuesday when she announced the “trip of a lifetime”.

“Everyone in the audience is going on vacation in Queensland, Australia!” she said on The Kelly Clarkson Show.

Clarkson had been interviewing Australian actress Melanie Zanetti, who voices Chilli Heeler (Bluey’s mum), about her hometown of Brisbane, Queensland, where the cartoon is set.

“Queensland is a really beautiful place to grow up. It’s got gorgeous weather, it’s really safe,” Zanetti said.

“We have incredible beaches in Queensland, we also have the Great Barrier Reef, which is one of the great wonders in the world.

“So it’s really special.”

Clarkson, who said she watches the show with her two children, noted that the new Bluey’s World attraction is set to open in Brisbane, received an overwhelmingly positive response when she asked the audience: “Would anyone here be into checking that out?”

Zanetti, an ambassador for Tourism and Events Queensland, paid tribute to Bluey creator and director Joe Brumm for the show’s global success.

“He’s a bit of a genius, being able to find the core truth in all its absurdity and hilariousness,” she said.

“But there’s so much beauty in the show the well, and levels and layers.

“My favourite episode is Sleepytime; all of this unseen labour that parents do to make their kids feel safe and whole and protected at night.

“It’s funny and it’s gorgeous, but there’s so much heart and I think that’s what’s really at the core.”

Tourism and Events Queensland has latched onto Bluey for its own marketing purposes, via the “Queensland is Bluey’s world, for real life” campaign.

The prize-winning audience members received two tickets each to fly with Qantas, as well as four nights’ stay at an Accor hotel in either Brisbane or the Gold Coast.