If you would have told me back in 2002 that I would be crying over a message from Steve from Blue’s Clues … okay, yeah, I’d have believed you. From 1996–2002, we were on a mystery-solving journey with Steve and his dog Blue, and yes, I was almost eleven years old by the time Steve left the show, but that didn’t mean I didn’t love the mail time or watching Steve talk to everyone in his home. But now, having Steve explain why he left and talk with us about how we grew up … well, that’s not fair, and it is emotional and I’m going to need Steve to relax.
Pair that with Stephen Colbert even having an emotional reaction to the former host of Blue’s Clues, and we’re all a mess. Steve took to the internet to destroy us all for the 25th anniversary of the show by saying that he never forgot us. Predictably, we all cried because he’s there for us now just as he was when we were kids watching the show. Millennials! We love to cry about people from our childhoods.
So Colbert, who has kids who grew up in the ’90s/early ’00s, said that he was an adult when Blue’s Clues was airing, so he doesn’t have an emotional connection to this … but then proceeded to watch the video and cry as Steve said that he never forgot us throughout all these years.
Nearly 20 years later, and Steve leaving us is clearly still fresh, but on top of Stephen Colbert also crying to the video we saw, he got to hug Steve from Blue’s Clues. I never wanted to make Stephen Colbert my enemy, but he did that now all on his own. What I wouldn’t give for Steve to hug me.
Again, I was a bit older when Steve left the show, so I remember wondering why he left and hating that Joe came in. (I’m so sorry to Joe. That was my “Okay, I’m too old for this” moment.) But his abrupt departure just never sat right with me. It felt like someone I knew and trusted just decided I wasn’t worth it and left.
And sure, as an adult I recognize that something probably happened behind the scenes and that’s why this departure was so quick, but when I think of Steve, I go back to my ten-year-old self, and having him tell me that I was always with him? Surprisingly making me cry yet again.
Blue’s Clues was an important part of how we grew up. It is part of the fabric of every ’90s millennial, and getting to see Stephen Colbert hug Steve made me so happy and so jealous at the same time. Can we all get hugs from Steve and go back to getting clues? Can we have one last mail time just for the memories? PLEASE?
(image: CBS)
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