Popular Clip Of Original 'Blues Clues' Host Lets Grown-Ups Feel All The Feels

Sep 10, 2021

In celebration of the iconic Nickelodeon show "Blue's Clues" and its 25th anniversary, Nick Jr. tweeted a video on Sept. 7 featuring the show's original host, Steve Burns, who left the show in 2002 after more than 100 episodes. Since Nick Jr. posted the video, it has gone viral, accumulating more than 2 million likes and 500,000 retweets on the platform — not to mention the many replies from nostalgic fans.

The show — which is known for a cast of memorable characters like Steve, Mailbox, Mr. Salt, Mrs. Pepper and Blue herself — got its start in 1996, and it quickly became the TV show of a generation. Burns, who was "Blue's Clues" only human character, was the face of the show at just 23 years old. Naturally, fans got attached to Burns, and so when he left in 2002, fans were equal parts shocked and sad. Because his departure was so sudden and unexpected, "Blue's Clues" fans generated a number of rumors — that he got in a car accident or was an addict. The simple truth, as he explains in the video that dropped Tuesday, is that he went to college.

From then on, Donovan Patton took the helm. But just two years later, the show was canceled, replaced in part by "Blue's Room," a spinoff that aired from 2004 to 2007. Luckily for fans, Nickolodeon rebooted the show under the new title "Blue's Clues & You!" in 2019, starring Joshua Dela Cruz as the show's host. If the reboot and Burns' recent video tell us anything, it's that people haven't forgotten about "Blue's Clues" — even after 25 years.

Burns spoke to his abrupt and unexpected departure in the Sept. 7 video, in which he dressed in classic "Blue's Clues" attire: his green and white rugby shirt. 

"I realize that was kind of abrupt. I just kind of got up and went to college. And that was really challenging, by the way, but great because I got to use my mind and take a step at a time, and now I literally am doing many of the things that I wanted to do," Burns says in the video.

Burns also reflected on all the time that has passed since his departure in 2002, saying that it was "amazing" what viewers have accomplished. He also addressed the new hardships of adulthood, which the early generation of viewers is likely dealing with.

"We started out with clues, and now, it's what? Student loans and jobs and families?" he says. "And some of it has been kind of hard, you know? I know you know."

Anyone active on Twitter knows that fans of the show love the video, the nostalgic memories that it conjures up and its positive message.

"This video coming out RIGHT when I and a lot of other people my age are moving away for college just like Steve did is so important. It feels like the perfect end to a chapter of our lives we didn't know we needed. And I'm also glad that we are still friends, Steve," @AntonAnybody tweeted in response.

In another video that Nick Jr. posted in celebration of the show's 25th anniversary, Burns, Patton and Dela Cruz reunited to watch all of their first episodes hosting the show. And fans are predictably thrilled.

"This show will always be so very special to me," @aawalters91 wrote in response. 

Did you or your children watch "Blue's Clues" as a kid? What's your favorite memory from the show? Let us know — and pass this nostalgic video on to others!