If there is a small person in your house, there is a reasonable chance they have an opinion about Bluey. Possibly several, and very enthusiastically given! If that is the case, we have some very good news for you.
A Little Bit About Garvalin
Garvalin have been making children's shoes since 1968, from Elche in southeast Spain, a region where shoemaking has been a way of life for generations. Over fifty years later, they produce more than 1.8 million pairs of shoes each year and sell in over 40 countries, and their focus has never shifted from the thing that started it all: making genuinely good shoes for growing feet.
We have chosen to stock their barefoot range as it uses soft, flexible materials and has generous toe space to support natural movement and comfort at every stage, from first steps right through to the adventures of an active childhood. And right now, the designs include a certain very enthusiastic Blue Heeler puppy.
Why Bluey?
If you have somehow not yet encountered Bluey, here is what you need to know. She is a six-year-old Blue Heeler puppy from Brisbane, Australia, full of imagination and enthusiasm, who turns everyday moments into adventures with her family. The show has won an International Emmy, a Peabody Award and three Logie Awards, and has become one of the most watched children's programmes in the world.
More to the point, Bluey is one of those rare children's shows that parents genuinely love too. The episodes are short, warm, funny and quietly brilliant about the realities of family life. The dad, Bandit, has become something of a cultural icon for parents everywhere. If you know, you know.
The show is built around the idea that children learn through play, and that imaginative, active, free movement is at the heart of childhood development. Which, when you think about it, lines up rather nicely with everything we believe at Happy Little Soles about barefoot footwear.
The Garvalin x Bluey Collection
Garvalin x Bluey Barefoot Boots
Garvalin x Bluey Barefoot Slipper Socks
For the moments between adventures, the Garvalin Bluey barefoot slipper socks are exactly what they sound like: cosy, soft, Bluey-themed and built on barefoot principles. Flexible, grippy and gentle on small feet. Perfect for padding around the house in the manner of a Blue Heeler who has just declared that everyone is playing Keepy Uppy whether they like it or not.
Garvalin x Bluey for Summer
We have expanded our range of Bluey barefoot shoes this year, and now your little one can spend their summer with their puppy friends in canvas trainers, first shoes and new walker sandals.
Garvalin's Barefoot Range
Beyond the Bluey collection, we also stock Garvalin's first shoes and a range of barefoot sneakers, boots, and sandals for more confident walkers, built on a choice of two barefoot sole units.
Hop Hop features a zero-drop design with a 6mm sole and 3mm removable insole for a total stack height of 9mm, offering good flexibility and durability.
Footprint is even more flexible, with a 5mm sole and 2mm removable insole for a stack height of 7mm, with an anatomical shape that mimics the natural form of the foot more closely and offers a more connected-to-the-ground feel. Both are designed with a medium width, making them a versatile fit for a good range of foot shapes.
First shoes are a big moment. Garvalin understand that, and it shows in how carefully their early walkers are made.
Who Are Garvalin For?
Garvalin's barefoot range is designed for babies and children, from those very first wobbly steps right through to confident, curious, running-everywhere small people. The Bluey styles in particular tend to appeal to preschool age and younger primary school children, though we have seen plenty of parents who would wear them too if they came in adult sizes.
The medium width fit works well for average width feet. As always, we recommend measuring your child's foot in centimetres and checking the size guide for the specific style before ordering. Garvalin sizing can run slightly small, so if you are between sizes, going up is usually the right call.
If you still need a hand, our Customer Service Team is always happy to help, and knowing you've got free returns makes ordering a little easier.
Why We Stock Them
Garvalin bring something to Happy Little Soles that there aren't many alternatives for: genuinely affordable, genuinely barefoot, genuinely fun children's footwear from a brand with over fifty years of expertise behind it.
The Bluey partnership is a bonus that happens to be perfectly timed, given that Bluey is currently one of the most beloved characters in preschool households across the UK.
We also love the alignment between what Bluey stands for and what barefoot footwear stands for. Both are built on the idea that children learn and grow through free, imaginative, active play. Feet that can move naturally are feet that can keep up with whatever adventure Bluey has decided everyone is doing today.
You can explore the full Garvalin collection, including the Bluey boots and slipper socks, at Happy Little Soles here.
