'' is a children's show about a dog named Blue. It features live action one on one on paper-cutout
Animation . The series follows a dog named Blue through her everyday life, providing small children with fun and education. The show airs on both
Nick Jr. and
Noggin . The show had aired on
Nick Jr. On CBS until September 2006. In
July 2007 there was a spin-off show called ''
Blue's Room '' which introduced new characters.
From 1996 to 2002, Blue's owner was Steve, a non-animated character played by
Steven Burns . When Burns chose to leave the show, the character Steve went off to college and his younger brother Joe (played by Donovan Patton) moved in to take care of Blue.
The game of Blue's Clues begins near the beginning of the episode, when the host asks Blue a question. Blue responds by jumping at the screen and marking it with a blue pawprint, which is sign that Blue wants to answer the host's question by playing Blue's Clues. The host happily asks the audience if they want to help with the game. The audience does not really respond in more recent episodes. The host, with the help of the audience (who are constantly spoken to and asked questions by the host, effectively breaking the
Fourth Wall ), then searches the house for Blue's three clues. Along the way, the host speaks with other residents of the house, often characters based on inanimate objects such as a side-table drawer, a
Shaker Of Salt , and a
Mailbox . After all three have been found, the host sits in his "thinking chair" and puts the three clues together to form a central image. This image is the answer to the host's original question, which goes along the lines of "What does Blue want to do today?" ''Blue's Clues'' also has lots of songs about every event, like "We
Just Got a Letter".
The hosts use a few
American Sign Language signs during the show, signing words like ''smart'', ''help'', or ''adventure'' and also ''thank you'' as they speak them. ASL is not used consistently enough to teach ASL to a child, but those who are already learning ASL may enjoy seeing a modicum of sign in a mainstream program.
The original version of the ''Blue's Clues'' goodbye song (from 1996 to 2002) goes like this:
:Now it's time for so long,
:But we'll sing just one more song,
:Thanks for doin' your part, you sure are smart,
:You know, with me and you
:and my dog Blue
:We can do anything that we wanna do!
The Original Clue Song
:Blue's Clues, Blue's Clues!
:We've gotta find our first pawprint, thats the first clue!
:We put it in our notebook cause they're whose clues?
:Blue's Clues!
:We've gotta find the second pawprint, that's the next clue!
:We put it in our notebook 'cause they're whose clues?
:Blue's Clues!
:We've gotta find the third pawprint, that's the last clue!
:We put in in our notebook cause they're whose clues?
:Blue's Clues!
:You know what to do
:We sit down in our thinking chair and think, think, thi-ink
:Cause when we use our minds
:Take a step at a time we can do, any-thing!
:That we wanna do
Clue Search Hum
:We are looking for Blue's Clues
:We are looking for Blue's Clues
:We are looking for Blue's Clues
:Wonder where they are...
Today, the song farwell goes like this (Blue's Room only):
:Come on, won't you help me say so long?
:Everybody sing the goodbye song
:Ready...here we go!
:Bye...bye bye
:Thanks for coming with us sweet potato
:Bye bye!
Blue's Clues version
:Now it's time for so long,
:But we'll sing just one more song
:Thanks for doin' your part, you sure are smart
:You know with me, and you
:And my friend Blue
:We can do anything that we wanna do!
''Blue's Clues'' was created by a creative team led by Todd Kessler -- who was at the time a writer-director -- and producer at Nickelodeon and researcher Angela Santomero. Blue's Clue's was a male dog Kessler and Santomero hired cut-out animator
Traci Paige Johnson to collaborate on the pilot. (Johnson would eventually provide Blue's voice. A child voice actor filled in for part of season 2.)
Kessler had previously worked on the PBS children's show ''
Sesame Street '', and both he and Santomero hoped to build on and improve that model of educational programming. "We wanted to learn from ''Sesame Street'' and take it one step further," said Santomero.Malcolm Gladwell, ''The Tipping Point'', p. 111.
"I love ''Sesame Street''," said Kessler. "But I always believed that kids didn't have short attention spans, that they could easily sit still for a half an hour."Gladwell, p. 110. While ''Sesame Street'' was originally organized around short, commercial-like segments, each ''Blue's Clues'' show is a single extended narrative.
"There was...a theoretical perspective at the time, based in part on Piaget, that a preschool child couldn't follow an extended narrative," according to Daniel Anderson, who helped develop ''Blue's Clues'' for Nickelodeon. In the early 1980s, however, research suggestive that narrative was in fact a crucial way that small children organized their experiences.Gladwell, pp. 118-121.
The show also uses phrase repetition and a minimum of editing in an attempt to avoid confusing its young audience.
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''Blue's Clues'' was extensively analyzed by
Malcolm Gladwell in his bestselling book ''
The Tipping Point ''. According to Gladwell, the show was carefully designed, using methods pioneered by ''Sesame Street'', to encourage its educational messages to "stick" in a child's mind.
In a 2004 ''Blue's Clues'' episode, "The Legend of the Blue Puppy", Blue talks as a puppet in a segment called "Blue's Room". "Blue's Room" has become a regular segment of the show, with several
Direct-to-video DVD s based around the concept. Some viewers have argued that Blue's speaking ability in "Blue's Room" negates the purpose of the "clues" she leaves to communicate in the regular show. Other viewers say that the pacing is much faster in this segment.
- Steve ( Steve Burns ):
Up until 2002, Steve Burns was the host of the show.
- Joe (Donovan Patton):
Joe is Steve's younger brother. He was phased in as the new host in 2002, with a number of shows featuring both Joe and Steve (sometimes only Steve's voice). On the show, Steve explained to the audience that he was moving away for college.
- Kevin ( Kevin Duala ):
Kevin is the host of the UK version.
- Duarte ( Duarte Gomes ):
Duarte is the host of the Portuguese version.
Toni Braxton ,
India.Arie ,
Macy Gray and
They Might Be Giants all appear as guests in the episode ''Bluestock''. The first three are animated, They Might Be Giants appear in a short film.
- Blue ( Tracy Paige Johnson ) - a female, Blue dog and namesake of the show. Does not speak except in Blue's Room. First appeared in "Snack Time."
- Side Table Drawer ( Aleisha Allen ) - Female talking furniture that holds the clue notebook; first interacted directly with the host in "Steve Gets the Sniffles".
- Slippery Soap ( Cody Ross Pitts ) - a talking male bar of soap; first appeared in "What Does Blue Need?"
- Tickety Tock (Kelly Nigh) - a talking female Clock ; first appeared in "What Time Is It for Blue?"
- Mr. Salt (Nick Balaban) and Mrs. Pepper ( Penny Jewkes ) - The French salt and pepper shakers. First appeared in "Snack Time."
- Paprika ( Jenna Marie Castle ) and Cinnamon ( Corrine Hoffman ) - Mr. Salt and Mrs. Pepper's children. Paprika, a girl, first appeared "Blue's News"; Cinnamon, a boy, debuted in "The Baby's Here".
- Shovel ( Jonathan Press ) and Pail ( Julia Wetherell ) - talking sandbox toys (Shovel is male and Pail is female - brother and sister) (referenced in "Meet Blue's Baby Brother"); first appeared in "Story Time".
- Mailbox ( Seth O'Hickory ) - delivers the mail at mail time; first talked in "Mailbox's Birthday". First appeared in "Snack Time
- Magenta ( Koyalee Chanda ) - Blue's best friend, a female, pink dog; first appeared in "Blue's Story Time".
- Periwinkle ( Jansen Panettiere ) - the next-door neighbor, a talking male periwinkle cat; first appeared in "Blue's Big Musical Movie".
- Miss Marigold - Blue's teacher; first appeared in "A Surprise Guest".
- Green Puppy ( Adam Peltzman ) - Blue's female friend and classmate; first appeared in "Blue's Sad Day".
- Orange Kitten - Blue's female friend and classmate; first appeared in "Blue's Sad Day".
- Purple Kangaroo - Blue's male friend and classmate; first appeared in "Blue's Sad Day".
- Turquoise - Blue's pet turtle; first appeared in "Blue's Birthday".
- Polka Dots - A green dog with purple polka dots; first appeared in "Meet Polka Dots!"
- The Felt Friends - characters who live in a world of colored felt shapes; two recurring Felt Friends are Freddy and Fifi, who first appeared in "Blue's Favorite Song".
- Moona - ( Christiana Anbri ) A "moon fairy" who tells what time it is in Blue's Room. She has a crescent-shaped body and crescent-shaped pigtails.
- Horace - Steve's stuffed anteater; first appeared in "Blue's Big Pajama Party".
- Boris - Joe's toy duck; first appeared in "Joe's First Day".
- Sprinkles - Blue's baby brother; first appeared in "Meet Blue's Baby Brother".
- Key - He opens the box in which Blue's Room is held. He also unlocks Dress-up Chest. He first appeared in "The Legend Of The Blue Puppy".
- Boo - ghost from the skidoo picture of a spooky house who appears only in the episodes "What is Blue Afraid Of?" and "Blue's Big Costume Party".
- Sifter - Pail's new friend; who appears only in the episodes "Shy" and "What's New, Blue?".
In 2000, a ''Blue's Clues'' movie called ''Blue's Big Musical'' was released. In this movie, a music show is planned. Blue and Tickety want to sing a duet together, but Tickety loses her voice and decides to ring her bells instead. Blue needs another partner because a duet needs two singers. They play Blue's Clues to find Blue a new partner. Also, Side Table Drawer wants to sing in the music show, but is too shy to ask and everyone else is too busy to notice. Meanwhile, Periwinkle sees the show being prepared and mistakes it for a magic show, so he gets himself ready by practicing magic tricks.
During the "Blue Skidoo" segment, a music lesson is provided by G-clef (played by guest star
Ray Charles ). Throughout the movie, Steve keeps complaining that he never gets to find the clues by himself, and he eventually finds the third one without the viewers' help. In the end, Steve figures out that Blue wants to sing a duet with Side Table Drawer.
# Snack Time 9/8/1996
# What Time Is It for Blue?
# Mailbox's Birthday
# Blue's Story Time
# What Does Blue Need?
# Blue's Favorite Song
# Adventures in Art
# Blue Goes to the Beach
# Pretend Time
# A Snowy Day (
Christmas episode)
# The Trying Game
# Blue Wants to Play a Game
# The Grow Show
# Blue Wants to Play a Song Game!
# What Does Blue Want to Make?
# What Story Does Blue Want to Play?
# Tickety's Favorite Nursery Rhyme
# What Is Blue Afraid Of? (
Halloween episode)
# Magenta Comes Over
# Blue's News!
# Steve Gets the Sniffles
# What Does Blue Want to Build?
# Blue's Senses!
# What Experiment Does Blue Want to Try?
# What Does Blue Want to Make out of Recycled Things?
# What Was Blue's Dream About?
# Blue's ABCs
# Math!
# Blue's Birthday (blue's clues special)
# What Does Blue Want to Do With Her Picture?
# What Does Blue Wanna Do on a Rainy Day?
# Blue's Surprise at Two O'Clock!
# The Lost Episode!
# Blue's Sad Day
# What Game Does Blue Want to Learn?
# What Did Blue See?
# Nurture!
# Blue Is Frustrated
# What Is Blue Trying to Do?
# Mechanics!
# Hide and Seek 7/19/1998
# Blue's Big Treasure Hunt 3/8/1999 (Blue's Clues special)
# Art Appreciation 4/26/1999
# Weight and Balance 5/10/1999
# What's That Sound? 6/7/1999
# Animal Behavior! 6/21/1999
# Blue's Big Pajama Party 10/10/1999 (Blue's Clues special)
# Draw Along With Blue 10/18/1999
# Blue's Big Holiday 11/29/1999 (Christmas episode)
# Pool Party 4/3/2000
# Anatomy 4/10/2000
# Signs 4/25/2000
# Nature 7/3/2000
# Geography 7/10/2000
# Blue's Big Musical Movie (with Ray Charles and
The Temptations ) 2000 (double length)
# Occupations 7/17/2000
# Blue's Big Mystery 9/25/2000
# Periwinkle Misses His Friend 10/2/2000
# What's So Funny? 10/9/2000
# Inventions 10/23/2000
# Blue's Play 10/30/2000
# Prehistoric Blue 11/6/2000
# Opposites 11/13/2000 (aka The Wrong Shirt)
# Words 12/5/2000
# Magenta Gets Glasses 2/19/2001
# Blue's Collection 2/26/2001
# Cafe Blue 3/5/2001
# Shy 3/12/2001
# Environments 3/19/2001
# Stormy Weather 3/26/2001
# Thankful (
Thanksgiving episode)
# Blue's Big Costume Party 10/16/2000 (Halloween episode)
# The Anything Box 4/16/2001
# Adventure! 4/19/2001
# Superfriends! 4/23/2001
# What's New, Blue? (1) 10/8/2001
# Blue's New Place (2) 10/15/2001
# Mr. Salt and Mrs. Pepper Day (3) 10/22/2001
# The Baby's Here! (4) 10/29/2001
# Making Changes (5) 11/5/2001
# Bugs! 11/12/2001
# ¡Un Día Con Plum! 11/19/2001
# What's Inside? 11/26/2001
# Blocks 12/3/2001
# Blue's Backyard Ballgame Bonanza 2/15/2002
# Puppets 2/25/2002
# Rhyme Time 3/4/2002
# Let's Plant! 3/29/2002
# Imagine Nation
# Blue's Book Nook
# Let's Boogie!
# Steve Goes to College 4/29/2002
# Can You Help? 4/30/2002
# Colors Everywhere! 5/6/2002
# The Snack Chart 5/13/2002
# The Big Book About Us 5/20/2002
# Playing Store 5/27/2002
# Patience 6/3/2002
# Blue's Clues 100th Episode Celebration! 6/10/2002
# Joe's Birthday Party 8/5/2002
# I'm So Happy! 9/2/2002
# The Boat Float 9/9/2002
# Bedtime Business 9/16/2002
# Shape Searchers 9/23/2002
# Blue's Checkup 9/30/2002
# Contraptions! 10/7/2002
# A Brand New Game 10/21/2002
# A Surprise Guest 1/6/2003
# The Dress-Up Day 1/13/2003
# Blue's Big Band 2/17/2003
# Up, Down, All Around! 3/3/2003
# The Story Wall 4/28/2003
# The Alphabet Train 5/5/2003
# Numbers Everywhere! 5/12/2003
# Blue's Predictions 5/19/2003
# Our Neighborhood Festival 6/23/2003
# Blue Takes You to School 8/11/2003
# Meet Polka Dots! 9/15/2003
# The Scavenger Hunt 9/16/2003
# Let's Write! 9/17/2003
# Magenta's Messages 9/18/2003
# Body Language 9/19/2003
# Blue's Big Car Trip 9/22/2003
# Look Carefully... 9/23/2003
# I Did That! 9/24/2003
# Animals in Our House? 9/25/2003
# Morning Music 9/29/2003
# Blue's First Holiday 12/12/2003 (Christmas episode)
# The Legend of the Blue Puppy 2/8/2004
# Love Day 2/16/2004
# Blue's Wishes 2/16/2004
# Joe's Clues 2/23/2004
# Skidoo Adventure 3/15/2004
# Playdates 3/22/2004
# The Fairy Tale Ball 4/5/2004
# Soccer Practice 4/26/2004
# Bluestock 5/10/2004
# Behind the Clues: 10 Years with Blue
# Meet Blue's Baby Brother 8/6/2006 (double length)
To celebrate the 10th anniversary (2006) of ''Blue's Clues'', a "Meet Blue's Baby Brother" primetime special premiered on
August 6 ,
2006 , where her brother was revealed to be a multi-colored puppy named Sprinkles. Nickelodeon also created a 12-minute documentary going behind the scenes of ''Blue's Clues''.
- A pink snail appears in each episode three times as an extra challenge for older kids.
- The "12" on the face of the clock ''Tickety'' changes each episode depending on the particular plot at that time.
- A segment of San Jose Sharks games featuring Drew Remenda giving keys to the game is called "Drew's Clues".
A series of
Point-and-click computer games for
Microsoft Windows and
Macintosh have been released by
Bothell, Washington based
Humongous Entertainment .
