Amazon.com reviews for
"Blue's Clues" (1996) More at IMDbPro »

Blue's Clues - ABC's and 1,2,3's (vhs):

Amazon.com video review: The popular Nickelodeon Jr. show for the 2-4 age group does an excellent job of introducing simple vocabulary and numerical concepts in these two episodes. In the first, Steve and his dog Blue's house is labeled to discover what book Blue wants to have read to her. The labels (everything from "refrigerator" to "wall") are treated lightly, Steve mostly asking the audience to name the first letter of each word. Steve and Blue also work on constructing a simple sentence.

In the second episode, Blue wants to buy something. Simple counting games and a shopping trip to The Present Store make for a solid exploration of numbers. Addition, subtraction, and even fractions are on the menu. --Doug Thomas

Blue's Clues - Rhythm and Blue (vhs):

Amazon.com video review: Two episodes from the popular Nickelodeon Jr. show explore musical themes. In "Blue Wants to Play a Song Game," our intrepid Steve uncovers Blue's clues for what song she wants to play. Several nursery rhyme songs are featured along with examples of music in nature. The latter theme is explored further in "Music in a Everyday Way." Music is discovered in jars of water, sticks on the floor, and animal sounds. Even the thinking chair becomes a musical instrument. The sound and rhyme matching will make this video hold up to repeated plays quite well. --Doug Thomas

Blue's Clues - Cafe Blue (vhs):

Amazon.com video review: Steve attaches a bow tie to his famed Rugby shirt and--voilá!--his and Blue's house is a small restaurant serving cheese sandwiches and spaghetti. But the chef team of Mr. Salt and Mrs. Pepper are missing the ingredients for spaghetti sauce and, of course, that is what all four customers order. So Steve and Blue jump into a grocery store picture to shop for the makings and gather clues for Blue's favorite dessert in the process. The food theme continues in the second episode, "Snacktime," as Steve tries to figure out what his dog wants to drink with her food. Kid viewers learn shapes while putting away groceries and visit a felt farm-scene where they are asked to match chicks in hats. Shapes, counting, color recognition, and what the Montessori folks call "practical living" are the lessons of the day in these entertaining 25-minute mysteries. (Ages 2 to 5) --Kimberly Heinrichs

Blue's Clues - Telling Time With Blue (vhs):

Amazon.com video review: How do Blue and Steve keep track of their busy schedule? When Steve and Blue are anticipating a big surprise in "Blue's Surprise at Two o'clock," the pair plays Blue's Clues to help the time pass more quickly and learns all about the minute and second hand in the process. "What Time Is It for Blue" explores the concepts of time and patterning as Steve and Blue try to remember what follows clean-up time in their daily routine. This program covers the basics of telling time and helps children understand how time helps order life. Especially effective is Steve's illustration of relative time: 15 seconds pass in a flash when Steve and Blue try to solve a puzzle, but one minute spent anticipating mail time seems to last forever. Devote some time to the study of time with Steve and Blue. (Ages 3-7) --Tami Horiuchi

Blue's Clues - Story Time (vhs):

Amazon.com video review: Finally, parents will have something to pop in the VCR when their hopelessly addicted tots ask for a hit of the blue dog during one of the many hours it's not actually playing on television. This 50-minute video contains two segments that touch on several traditional tales, but focus on "The Three Little Pigs" and "Goldilocks and the Three Bears." There's a little Elvis humor for the adults, but most of the jokes are aimed squarely at the pre-K set, who are asked to help our rugby-shirted friend Steve discover his evasive cartoon dog's favorite stories. With any luck, the video should buy you more than 50 minutes of peace as your child is likely to be inspired to engage his or her dog in porridge-portion comparisons or corner the cat behind the washing machine for a rousing game of "Little pig, little pig, let me come in." --Kimberly Heinrichs

Blue's Clues - Arts & Crafts (vhs):

Amazon.com video review: If the phrase "Blue scadoo, we can, too" means anything to you, and you know that salt and pepper are actually a married couple with French accents, you probably have a potential consumer of this 50-minute video residing in your household. During two 25-minute segments, our host Steve and his animated dog Blue together serve as a Martha Stewart for preschoolers by showing them how to make a stage-worthy sock puppet, bake a scrumptious banana cake, and mix yellow and red paint for that perfect shade of orange. Now the tricky part of owning this tape is that your child is going to want to sew, bake, and paint each time he or she watches this stimulating video. Are you prepared for such chaos? --Kimberly Heinrichs

Blue's Clues - Blue's Discoveries (vhs):

Amazon.com Essentials: Blue's Clues features Steve and his friend, the sweet, long-eared, curious dog Blue. Each segment explores problem-solving, something that the show's young audience will deal with, in various levels, on a daily basis. Blue's Clues slowly offers up three clues to uncover what's missing, what Blue wants, and other examples that are easy for preschoolers to relate to. Blue's Discoveries contains two science-oriented stories that feature an experiment Blue wants to try and what Blue would like to do with recycled items. These experiments can easily be replicated at home by kids and parents. --N.F. Mendoza

Blue's Clues - Stop, Look and Listen (vhs):

Amazon.com video review: This 51-minute video opens with Steve taking a new look at familiar surroundings. As Steve and his viewers play Blue's Clues to figure out what Blue saw outside, they get a glimpse of how perspective can change an object's appearance. Just watch how a paw print changes when reflected in a mirror or take a look at a bundle of sticks through a vase of water. The fun really begins when Blue offers Steve his kaleidoscope to view books, a butterfly, and Mailbox's letter. Steve and his young viewers also make use of perspective and deductive reasoning to help Squirrel figure out who's calling him.

The second episode focuses on mysterious sounds around Steve and Blue's house. As Steve tries to discover what Blue just heard on the porch, he's intrigued by a variety of sounds. He listens to the dripping faucet, a rushing stream, and popping popcorn. Especially effective is Steve's silent walk home from the stream--complete with mime! Another fun sequence finds Blue and Steve adding sound effects to a silent movie. Once you've figured out the answer to Blue's Clues, curl up on the porch with the gang and enjoy the sounds of nature. (Ages 2-10) --Tami Horiuchi

Blue's Clues - Blue's Big Pajama Party (vhs):

Amazon.com video review: Grab your sleeping bag and your favorite bunny slippers: it's time for a night-time game of Blue's Clues. Our moon-eyed (human) host named Steve and his frisky, animated dog named Blue have invited a crowd of their usual pals for a pajama party. While the format of this episode mirrors the other Blue's Clues shows, standard tunes such as "Mail Time!" and "We Just Figured Out Blue's Clues" are practically whispered so as not to disturb sleeping characters. Together, the very sleepy Steve and his cartoon friends identify nocturnal animals by their sounds and venture off to outer space as "pajamanauts" to discover why there's night. In a bonus episode titled "What Was Blue's Dream About?", the much more awake--but quaintly clueless--Steve works to decipher a number of characters' dreams. The helpful lesson to youngsters here is that they can change their dreams at will. Capped off with a glitzy disco tune called "It's Our Dream," Blue and Steve help Sleeping Beauty turn a nightmare into a rainbow-colored birthday extravaganza. As always, the funky cartoon world in which Steve and Blue conduct their clue finding stimulates the eyes--just as the wonderful variety of music stimulates the ears. A pleasing choice for kids in the 3- to 5-year-old range. --Liane Thomas

Blue's Clues - Blue's Big Holiday (vhs):

Amazon.com video review: If sleuthing, not Santa-stalking, is the name of your 2- to 5-year-old's game, grab your scarf and settle in for Blue's Big Holiday, a festive double feature that doesn't dissolve into folkloric fluff. The title episode arranges itself gently around December's gift-giving trifecta. Steve and Blue, off delivering presents, pick up on some peculiar goings-on at the homes of their pals: At Wynonna Judd's, a tree twinkles in the living room; at Lisa Datz's, candles symbolizing a miracle burn brightly; and at Tyrese's, corn and a cup, tokens of community togetherness, create a curiosity-arousing tableau. Who knew Blue hung out in such swanky celebrity circles? No matter--they're a mere sideshow here. The mystery we're meant to tackle is not who celebrates what and why, but which patch Blue wants to add to her holiday quilt. "A Snowy Day" also circumvents the seasonal trappings in favor of a romp through the white stuff. Before bundling up, though, Steve will need to get to the bottom of what Blue wants to play (hints: a carrot and a snowball factor in). He'll also have to skidoo into a calendar to fix an inappropriate winter scene (swimsuits in the snow?) and match some falling snowflake patterns for Mr. Salt and Mrs. Pepper. What's best about this collection is its bold choice to go against the holiday herd and bag the moralizing. Instead of getting all wrapped up in the dog days of December, it keeps its concept on a short leash, which means plenty of skill-builders and problem solving. It's perfect for preschool fans of the show, and parents hoping to head off the annual hoopla with calm, low-key holiday fare. --Tammy La Gorce

Blue's Clues - Blue's Birthday (vhs):

Amazon.com video review: This is the first video of this children's favorite series that's not just a TV segment. The introduction, created for the video, follows Blue's intrepid friend Steve as he visits a kid's house to learn the "Birthday Candle Dance." It's only six or so minutes but it does add to the fun. Then it's on to Blue's fabulous birthday party, where she has left some clues for what she really wants for her birthday. Another winner. --Doug Thomas

Blue's Clues - Playtime With Periwinkle (vhs):

Amazon.com video review: If you thought periwinkle was only a color, guess again. And while you're guessing, you're ready to play Blue's Clues, the wildly popular Nick Jr. show hosted by Steve Burns. Steve's appeal is that of a cool babysitter who kids adore and parents trust. Wearing his standard khakis and green rugby shirt, Steve sings, dances, and "skadoos" through a computer-generated world of animated objects and colors as yummy as fruit-striped gum. His dog, Blue, leads him in guessing games by leaving pawprints as "clues" that Steve (and viewers) must find and record in their handy-dandy notebook. The show's goal is to promote critical thinking while engaging kids in problem solving. Steve's earnestness adds the chemistry that makes it a hit. "Will you help me?" he asks young viewers with the sincerity of a trusted confidante as he steps up close to the camera, pausing to wait for a reply. Playtime with Periwinkle continues the winning formula with two 25-minute tales. In "Blue's Big Mystery," Steve and Blue find a magic fort in their neighborhood and wonder, Who is the mystery builder? A series of clue-solving questions will promote deductive reasoning and observation skills as young audiences uncover the mystery of Blue's new friend. In the second episode, "Periwinkle Misses His Friend," Blue's new neighbor is homesick for his old friend Plum, until Steve and friends suggest ideas to cheer him up. Viewers will learn coping skills in adjusting to a family move and making new friends. Ages 2 to 6. --Lynn Gibson

Blue's Clues - All Kinds of Signs (vhs):

Amazon.com video review: Hearing-impaired (and Academy Award-winning) actress Marlee Matlin bookends two "Blue's Clues" episodes and gives the tape its theme by teaching Steve some American Sign Language. In the first story--in which Steve and friends attempt to ascertain where a certain blue dog would like to eat her snack--Steve teaches some signs and follows signs of another kind on poster boards. The written signs, of course, lead to the canine's clues, designated by her famous paw print. Blue Scadoo finds Steve jumping into Jane's book and meeting her deaf friend Carly, who tells a story in sign language. In the second episode, Steve tries to figure out where Blue wants to go by using a map the cunning dog has left behind. He eventually jumps into a Candyland-style game, finds Blue with the Gingerbread Girl, and winds up going to the library. Children ages 2 to 5 will enjoy and learn from this 51-minute video. --Kimberly Heinrichs

Blue's Clues - Blue's Big News - Read All About It! (vhs):

Amazon.com video review: Preschoolers who cling to their handy-dandy notebooks long after Blue's latest clues have been collected should pencil in Read All About It, a must-see for scribes in training. In the first of two episodes, "What's New Blue," Steve and Blue scout around for stories to fill their newspaper; Mr. Salt and Mrs. Pepper provide a major scoop. Later, in "Blue's New Place," at-home sleuths get to the bottom of what Blue--a literary pup, it turns out--likes to do best in her new hideaway. Here, as ever, the show's creators prove they're on the same page with parents. Subtle, substantial skill builders, never patronizing or paper-thin, abound. --Tammy La Gorce

Blue's Clues - Blue's Big News - The Baby's Here! (vhs):

Amazon.com video review: The big news for Steve and Blue in this cheerful episode about growing families is the imminent arrival of Mr. Salt and Mrs. Pepper's new baby. The grateful couple catches the spotlight (and some terrific gifts) when Steve introduces "Salt and Pepper Day." Steve also explains to young viewers that sometimes families add more members, and that older brothers and sisters (such as Salt and Pepper's daughter, Paprika), have to make an adjustment. Blue gets wrapped up in preparing for the big day by dropping her own clues for Steve to find (and for the audience to piece together). The Baby's Here! has all the usual charm and special effects inventiveness of Blue's Clues, with a bit more for kids and parents to talk about afterward. --Tom Keogh