Why has Bunnings suddenly changed its name to Hammerbarn?

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By Caroline Williams of

Photo: Stuff / Chris Reeder

A sudden rebrand by Bunnings Warehouse has left DIYers scratching their heads.

The rebrand of Bunnings in Auckland’s Glenfield may result in young children begging their parents to take them to the hardware store.

Have schools updated their supplies list to include hardware? Not quite.

Instead, the Australian company has collaborated with the hit kids TV show Bluey, which revolves around the adventures of an Australian blue heeler puppy and her family.

The Emmy Award-winning Aussie cartoon took the world by storm following its creation in 2018 and can be streamed in more than 60 countries.

By May 2021, its episodes had been viewed more than 53 million times on TVNZ, with its ‘Hammerbarn’ episode, based on a fictional hardware store of the same name, leading the charge.

“The design of Hammerbarn draws inspiration from the Bunnings Keperra store in Brisbane, the home of Bluey, which adds an extra layer of significance,” the show’s creator Ludo Studio said in a statement.

Bluey is an Australian cartoon, revolving around the adventures of an Australian blue heeler puppy and her family.
Photo: Ludo Studios

Bunnings has temporarily rebranded its Glenfield store for February with free Bluey-themed workshops in stores across New Zealand each weekend.

Activities include meet and greets with Bluey and her sister, Bingo, scavenger hunts, and themed DIY workshops, and on February 3 and 4, Hammerbarn/Bunnings Glenfield will have a sausage sizzle benefiting the Make-A-Wish Foundation.

Bunnings New Zealand general manager Melissa Haines said Bluey had captivated the hearts of both Kiwi kids and adults.

“Our team have had kids and parents referring to Bunnings as Hammerbarn ever since the episode aired and we are thrilled to have brought this connection to life through our Glenfield store transformation and to have Bluey and Bingo visit New Zealand for the first time ever.”

Kate O’Connor of BBC Studios Australia and New Zealand said going to Bunnings was a “quintessential” experience of growing up Down Under.

“That’s why we couldn’t be more excited to see this iconic Bluey and Bunnings collaboration come together – and on such a grand scale – giving Kiwi and Aussie fans the world-first chance to experience Hammerbarn for real life, including exclusive and very collectable merch like Bluey and Bingo’s much-loved garden gnomes that feature in the episode.”

This story was originally published by Stuff.