# Blues Clues : Joe vs. Steve **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [April 29, 2002, 11:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/blues-clues-joe-vs-steve/106379 "2002-04-29T23:37:18Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 12\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![DAVEW0071](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e19b73/32.png) [@DAVEW0071](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DAVEW0071)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2002, 7:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/blues-clues-joe-vs-steve/106379/21 "2002-04-30T19:52:09Z")
I think the show demands a younger-type person. Steve was beginning to show his age. Mrs. Dave-Guy and **Halford the Human Eel[sup]TM[/sup]** watched the transition show last night. Being a teacher, my wife thought they were smart to do it the way they did, with Steve going off to college. Not only does this keep him from just disappearing, but it allows him to return periodically for a while. I didn’t really watch the show, so I can’t say if I like Joe better than Steve or what. But, for what it’s worth, an elementary school teacher thinks the transition was handled well, as was the idea of introducing different looking elements for Joe (his handy-dandy notebook, apparently, is different, e.g.). ---
**Author:** ![mobo85](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/b19c9b/32.png) [@mobo85](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mobo85)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2002, 8:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/blues-clues-joe-vs-steve/106379/22 "2002-04-30T20:34:09Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by tourbot \* > **What struck my family as we watched the three part changing of the guard tonight was how much bigger Joe is than Steve. Who’s the little brother?** One of the first things Joe mentioned in the intro to Part 1 of yesterday’s special was that “Steve’s my older brother-even though I’m taller!” > [@](#): > > _Originally posted by Lyllyan_ > **Did he never watch his own brother’s show? How can he not know how to play Blue’s Clues?** I think the thing is that in the universe of the show, it isn’t a show. You know, just like almost every other show on television. The idea seems to be that the viewer is a friend come to visit the house. Therefore, if Joe has never been to Steve’s house when a game of Blue’s Clues has been going on, he has no idea how to play Blue’s Clues-since in the world of _Blue’s Clues_, the television show _Blue’s Clues_ does not exist! ---
**Author:** ![Mr.Frink](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/977dab/32.png) [@Mr.Frink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr.Frink)\ **Post date:** [May 1, 2002, 4:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/blues-clues-joe-vs-steve/106379/23 "2002-05-01T04:14:56Z")
All in all , a pretty powerful show today. On the playground, today’s episode probably had the same impact for them as the last episode of \*\*M_A_S\*H \*\*or **Seinfled** did for our generation. As for Joe…I think he’ll work out fine. Although, I must admit I was a bit worried in the beginning–he seemed to have a hard time grasping many of the concepts. But Steve, being a patient older brother, did an _excellent_ job in carefully sheparding him through the show’s paces. I only hope that Joe achieves the same level of chemistry with the co-hosts that Steve had… ---
**Author:** ![Arden\_Ranger](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/b487fb/32.png) [@Arden\_Ranger](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Arden_Ranger)\ **Post date:** [May 1, 2002, 7:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/blues-clues-joe-vs-steve/106379/24 "2002-05-01T07:07:53Z")
My kids are both out of the Blue’s Clues demographic, but we still watched it. I shall miss “I’m the King” Steve. Fortunately, we have hours and hours of it on videotape. ---
**Author:** ![robinh](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/b77776/32.png) [@robinh](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/robinh)\ **Post date:** [May 1, 2002, 6:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/blues-clues-joe-vs-steve/106379/25 "2002-05-01T18:03:09Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by voguevixen \* > \*\*As I understand it, Steve was pretty dim himself (a friend claims her 3 year-old used to scream at the TV “Jesus, Steve, it’s RIGHT THERE!!!”) > > \*\* My 3yo does this with Steve (and Dora.) "I _said_, ‘It’s right _there_!’ " We’ve discussed, more than once, the fact that Steve doesn’t seem very bright. She watched the transition episodes yesterday and remarked halfway through that “Joe isn’t very smart, either.” Something I (may have) noticed: I thought at one point, when Joe said “thank you” to someone, he made the ASL sign for “thank you” at the same time. (He touched his fingertips to his chin, then moved his hand slightly forward.) Is that the correct sign? If so, did anyone else notice it? ---
**Author:** ![Homebrew](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/c89c15/32.png) [@Homebrew](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Homebrew)\ **Post date:** [May 1, 2002, 6:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/blues-clues-joe-vs-steve/106379/26 "2002-05-01T18:13:48Z")
Steve has been doing the ASL “thank you” for most of the show’s run. He also did the sign for “smart” when they sing the “We just figured out Blue’s Clues” song. I assume Joe will continue this custom. ---
**Author:** ![ShibbOleth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/848f3c/32.png) [@ShibbOleth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ShibbOleth)\ **Post date:** [May 1, 2002, 6:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/blues-clues-joe-vs-steve/106379/27 "2002-05-01T18:18:58Z")
So my youngest (four year old boy) saw the new Blues Clues guy yesterday. I know this because Mrs. ShibbOleth told me on the phone “The Boy wants to go to college”. So when I got home I said to him “I hear that you want to go to college.” “No.” “You don’t want to go to college?” “No. I _am_ going to college.” “Do you know what college is?” “It’s a big school for big kids.” “Is Steve a big kid?” “Nope. He’s a grown up.” So, that’s not an entirely bad side effect. It never occurred to me that my son might say, in his own way, “Fine, I’m going with him.” ---
**Author:** ![Morgainelf](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/71e660/32.png) [@Morgainelf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Morgainelf)\ **Post date:** [May 1, 2002, 8:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/blues-clues-joe-vs-steve/106379/28 "2002-05-01T20:36:36Z")
Where the hell is Steve going to college on a yellow school bus? I don’t remember taking the bus to college… I like Joe. He’s MUCH cuter, and I just want to push his bangs out of his face. My daughter is 15 months old, so we’re just getting into Blues Clues. I don’t think she’ll notice a difference, but I sure will. Mmmmhmmm… ---
**Author:** ![Rubicon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/58f4c7/32.png) [@Rubicon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rubicon)\ **Post date:** [May 1, 2002, 10:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/blues-clues-joe-vs-steve/106379/29 "2002-05-01T22:00:09Z")
Watching the two of them together was like watching some kind of badly-costumed local theater production of Portrait of Dorian Gray. Steve looked like he was heading off to the retirement home, not college. My theory is that Joe is Steve’s illegitimate son, perhaps mothered by a down-on-her-luck Sesame Streetwalker. ---
**Author:** ![voguevixen](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/b5ac83/32.png) [@voguevixen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/voguevixen)\ **Post date:** [May 1, 2002, 11:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/blues-clues-joe-vs-steve/106379/30 "2002-05-01T23:58:10Z")
Bwahahaha! Nice one Rubicon. ---
**Author:** ![BiblioCat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ed8c4c/32.png) [@BiblioCat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BiblioCat)\ **Post date:** [May 2, 2002, 12:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/blues-clues-joe-vs-steve/106379/31 "2002-05-02T00:29:27Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Rubicon \* > \*\*My theory is that Joe is Steve’s illegitimate son, perhaps mothered by a down-on-her-luck Sesame Streetwalker. \*\* Zoe, perhaps? 😉 ::flees:: ---
**Author:** ![robinh](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/b77776/32.png) [@robinh](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/robinh)\ **Post date:** [May 2, 2002, 1:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/blues-clues-joe-vs-steve/106379/32 "2002-05-02T01:20:35Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Homebrew \* > \*\*Steve has been doing the ASL “thank you” for most of the show’s run. \*\* Thanks, **Homebrew**. As you may have guessed, the show is usually just background noise for me. I mostly just listen with half an ear, TV time being mom-gets-things-done time around here. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/blues-clues-joe-vs-steve/106379.md?page=1)