There is an inner child in all of us. No matter how hard we might want to push it away because life has determined it is time to adult, it’s always there. Sometimes nostalgia brings out that inner child as we reflect on the things that we used to know and love and no one is playing on that currently more than Nick Jr. Millennials may remember that the original host of Blue’s Clues, Steve Burns, picked up a large suitcase, walked out the door, and boarded an animated bus with a final wave to his fans as he made his last appearance. Where did he go? Well, in celebration of Blue’s Clues’ 25th anniversary, Steve has returned to let us know that he has never forgotten us.
Nick Jr. posted an emotional video of Steve addressing the now grown-up fans he left behind. Dressed in his iconic striped shirt, Steve is featured on the video with a caption that reads, “So about that time Steve went off to college…”. He explains in the video that he had to go off to college, which he acknowledges was “really challenging, but great because I got to use my mind and take a step at a time.” This is a reference to one of the show’s many songs.
What has fans getting super emotional about the video is when Steve directly addresses the viewers who watched Blue’s Clues when they were children. He commends them on all of their accomplishments as adults and thanks them for helping him search for clues on the show. Here is what Steve had to say to the fans followed by the video that has since gone viral!
“And then look at you and look at all you have done and all you have accomplished in all that time. I mean, we started out with clues. And now it’s what? Student loans, and jobs, and families. And some of it has been kind of hard, you know? I guess I just wanted to say, that after all these years, I never forgot you, ever. And I’m super glad we’re still friends. You look great by the way. Whatever it is you’re doing, it’s working.”
Steve Burns left Blue’s Clues, which aired from 1996 to 2006, in 2002. He was replaced by Donovan Patton, who was supposed to be his brother Joe on the series. The show followed an animated blue-spotted dog named Blue as she leaves a trail of clues/paw prints for the host and the viewers to figure out her plans for the day. The series went on to become the highest-rated show for preschoolers on American commercial television and was critical to the continued growth of Nickelodeon. It has been called “one of the most successful, critically acclaimed, and ground-breaking preschool television series of all time.”
So why are fans in their feels about this? I think most remember watching the show fondly as children and now the first host they all loved and remember the most, is addressing them like adults. Mentioning college, student loans, and starting families is something all of us can relate to on some level and now this huge thing from childhood is acknowledging going through that with us. It might be a little cheesy but a feel-good story never hurt anybody and this one certainly put a smile on my face.
Were YOU a fan of Blue’s Clues growing up?