Steve from Blue's Clues Checks in on His Childhood Best Friends
A wise man once said, “You spend the last day of your childhood on a random Sunday.” Or something like that. Such was the case for many of those who grew up in the ‘80s and ‘90s, who had Steve from Blue’s Clues to keep them company.
Steve Burns, or just Steve to his audiences and fans, helped many of us look for clues that cartoon pooch Blue left behind in the TV show when we were kids. On the show, he was an empathetic character who never judged us for not getting the clues right away. Instead, he was patient, kind, and wholesome — perhaps the closest thing to “gentle parenting” many of us experienced as kids.
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Steve spent six years and nearly 100 episodes on the show, before one day, in 2001, he hopped on a bus and left, with not much being said. Years later, he eventually gave his childhood best friends—us, who are now adults—closure, years after he left. While it was the kind of closure we didn’t know we needed, it was also unexpectedly nostalgic. The feeling that you get when you stumble upon your grade school class picture; or when you find out that your cherished childhood friend, whom you haven’t heard from for a long time, is getting married.
In the heartwarming video posted on Nick Jr.’s social media accounts in 2021, Burns explained how his character left the show to go to college. He said, “And then one day, I was like, ‘Oh hey, guess what? Big news, I’m leaving. Here’s my brother Joe, he’s your new best friend,’ and then I got on a bus, and I left and we didn’t see each other for like a really long time? Can we just talk about that? Because I realize that was kind of abrupt.
“I just kinda 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,” he explained.
And while it felt like forever, we’re finally finding out that this wholesome and friendly character never really went away. He just grew up. Like all of us.
Since his “closure” video went viral, Steve has kept a TikTok account @hioutthereitsmesteve, which has unexpectedly become one of the most wholesome corners on the platform. He also occasionally shares some of the most important “clues” we need to get through life.
Screenshot of Steve Burns from his recent Tiktok video
In a recent video on the platform, Steve checked in on his followers, saying, "Hello. What's going on? How are you?" and then simply listened like a friend as the answers poured in. While it was a simple and short message, the comments section became a safe space for the adults who used to hang out with him as kids to share some pretty candid responses.
Some users opened up about their current obstacles and difficulties, while others shared how their lives have improved.
In his video from three years ago, it does seem like Steve really gets us. “And then look at you, and look at all you have done, and all you have accomplished in all that time,” he said. “And it’s just, it’s just so amazing, right? 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 know you know.”
While Steve won’t be coming back to help us search for Blue’s clues, this latest check-in with his followers just goes to show that he meant what he said in his “closure” video: “I wanted to tell you that I really couldn’t have done all of that without your help. And in fact, all the help that you helped me with when we were younger is still helping me today, right now. And that’s super cool. 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.”
The comments section gives us important clues as an adult: Life goes on. It gets better. And that sometimes, all we need is a friend.
