Goodbye Steve, Hello Joe!!
Written: Apr 29 '02 (Updated Apr 29 '02)
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Product Rating:
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Pros: encourages children to think and learn while they play
Cons: none - except Steve's departure may be rough on some kids (it was on me).
The Bottom Line: A favorite show for 5 years. Fun to watch. Encourages participation and learning - just a great show.
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| ned1's Full Review: Blue's Clues |
Five years and countless episodes, and now my mornings will be changed forever. I knew this day was coming for some time - I tried to prepare myself, told myself everything will be OK.
I can't believe it's finally here. I hate to say I am actually sitting at my computer fighting back the last of my tears. The worst part is, I don't think I ever got this emotional when they cancelled or changed any of my shows, so just how much of a mom does this make me?
I think I took this whole thing worse than all four of my kids - mommy just doesn't do change very well. It’s not like I don't have a career and a life beyond the show, but for the past five years of my life has come to a standstill every morning at 9:30 - no matter what I was doing, what work had to get done, I stopped to sit and watch the show with whichever of my four children were home.
Now with them being older (5, 7, 8, and 13) they don't have the desire to watch every day - they can figure out the clues with one viewing. Despite the fact that three are now in school and Blue Clues is considered out - they all will still sit and watch, as long as the blinds are pulled.
So just what is this show that sparks imagination and love for learning new things. What was one of the original shows to encourage kids to play along that always had my kids screaming happily at the set, "a clue a clue?" and for one long year prompted one of the all time great love affairs between my son Trevor (then 4) and Julia Louis-Dreyfus. The answer to all those questions - Blue's Clues!!
When I was little we had TV shows - Sesame Street, Magic Garden, Hodge Podge Lodge and Romper Room. None of them were truly interactive - I can recall watching Sesame Street and counting to ten with Mr. Bentley as I waited for him to fall down the stairs with the confection of the day, and singing along to my favorite songs (remember the one about two little cats?). Romper Room was slightly more interactive - you waited every day for the woman to say hello to your name (actually I think she said, "I see _______").
Five years ago we discovered Blue's Clues and right from the start my boys then 2 and 3 were hooked. The premise is simple and works so well. Steve, the human, lives in a house with his computer-animated dog Blue. Each episode they look for three clues to help them solve a "mystery" (what does Blue want to do at the park, what gift did Blue buy her friend. who's coming to play with Blue). At the end of the episode Steve sits in his Thinking Chair and reflects on clues to solve the mystery. Each week they show the same episode every day to reinforce the concepts taught.
Blue's Clues was innovative in many ways - it has Steve dress the same way every episode and all the surroundings look exactly the same, so the kids focus on what is being taught, versus what they are looking at. Each episode follows the same pattern - there is mail time, the greeting, the Blue's Clues song, searching for clues and writing them in a Handy Dandy notebook. Steve has a staple of friends (Side Table Drawer, Mailbox, Tickety, Pail and Shovel, Magenta, etc.).
Each episode features a few of the friends and every now and then some new ones are added - like when the Salt and Pepper had a baby size container of Paprika. Things happen to friends, like they would to friends in real life. Last year Magenta got glasses. Despite insisting he was too old, my son who was 7 at the time and had just gotten his first pair watched the episode. Afterwards he said that's how he felt, so this is a show that knows and cares about how kids feel.
The whole show Steve, and now Joe, spends most of the time talking to the camera - which is suppose to be your child. Steve asks questions, which encourage your child to respond. I remember a Birthday Party episode years back - my son was going to be 4 around that time. His love of the show was so great and he was so engrossed in the episode that there could have been a major earthquake and he would not have noticed. He was talking to the show as if Steve were sitting on the couch next to him.
This is just a fabulous show. I have nothing bad to say about it - except for those few mornings I did not have crayons and notebooks ready for my troops and I had to scurry half-asleep to find them. My kids never let me hear the end of that.
After five years my kids still love it and watch it (although they don't admit it). Tonight they sat for 90 minutes watching the three transitional episodes when Steve says goodbye and Joe says hello. There was not a dry eye to be found in the house - it actually felt like a member of our family was moving away, and although my kids are old enough to know the difference between TV and reality, my seven year old honestly asked, "can we visit Steve at college, or at least write him a letter?" All I can say to that is here's a show that knows what it is doing and does it well.
Recommended:
Yes
Type of Program: Educational
Program Quality: Thought-provoking, original material
Best Suited For: Whole Family
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Epinions.com ID:
ned1
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Member: Nancy
Location: in the Barbie aisle
Reviews written: 894
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About Me:
Off to Basel (1/21) - in search of Swiss Miss Barbie - back (1/26)
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