Therese Sta. MariaMillennials are undergoing a long overdue catharsis because Steve Burns from Blue’s Clues recently made a surprise video where he spoke to his now grown-up audience after so many years. The video was posted only yesterday, 8 Sept 2021, and yet it has already gained more than 30 million views on Twitter as of writing. Steve’s spiel was in celebration of 25 years of Blue’s Clues, a show which has seen two more hosts since his departure.
Did you know that the current host is actually Filipino American? To be more specific, Josh Dela Cruz is the first Asian American to host Blue’s Clues & You!
Making a Filipino American the new host of the much-beloved Nickelodeon kids’ show was a step towards representation and normalising inclusivity in the minds of young audiences around the world. So, don’t be surprised if you chance upon Blue’s Clues & You episodes which present a bit of Filipino culture. To date, the show has already aired two major episodes depicting Philippine culture.
Filipino culture in Blue’s Clues & You
The first-ever Blue’s Clues episode where Josh introduces his culture was all the more special because he was joined by his lola. In Filipino, that means “grandmother.” The episode’s challenge basically revolved around Josh baking bibingka together with Blue and asking his lola to taste it afterwards. To which she replied, “Masarap!,” meaning “Delicious!”
But perhaps the more touching Filipino moment in this episode was when Josh asked for his lola’s blessing through “Mano po,” a hand gesture younger Filipinos do to show respect towards their elders.
As for the second episode? Well, it wouldn’t surprise you that Josh showed his Filipino side through music and dance. In fact, he and his lola translated a whole nursery song in Tagalog for this episode. And yes, Blue was singing and jumping along the whole time. Who would’ve thought that we’d see Blue bobbing her head to a Tagalog song?
All these special episodes with Josh’s lola are on YouTube for kids to enjoy. And if they want more of lola, Blue’s Clues & You has a special series called Story Time With Lola, which are all available for watching on the Blue’s Clues & You official YouTube channel.
Also read: This Filipino Food Truck Stood Up to Asian Hate and Won!
It’s really bittersweet to be reminded of how happy and innocent we were back when we used to watch Blue’s Clues. We love that the show has also evolved over the years, especially that there’s more Asian representation in the shows kids all around the world watch. Oh, to be a kid again!
All images credited to Blue’s Clues & You | Official YouTube Channel
