“Blue's Clues” Fans Celebrate Original Host Steve Burns on His 51st Birthday

Burns continues to connect with fans, emphasizing listening, 28 years after "Blue's Clues" first premiered

Steve Burns is celebrating a special day. Need a clue? It involves cake and candles!

Tributes to the Blue's Clues host flooded social media as the original star of the beloved Nickelodeon series celebrates his 51st birthday on Oct. 9.

"The fact that you continue to show up for us proves that it was never just a show, thank you 🩷," one fan commented alongside their birthday wishes on Burns' most recent TikTok video.

"One of my childhood heroes!" another remarked of the actor.

Blue's Clues first premiered on Nickelodeon in 1996, starring Burns as leading man Steve. He remained on the series until 2000, when he was then replaced by Donovan Patton. Patton played Steve's brother Joe until the show ended in 2006.

In 2019, Josh Dela Cruz nabbed the leading role for the revival Blue's Clues & You! and remains a part of the franchise, including starring in the Paramount+ feature film released in 2022.

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Related: 'Blue's Clues' ' Steve Burns Was Initially 'Skeptical' Series Would Work: 'It Was Simply Too Strange'

In May, the original Blue's Clues star delivered the keynote address to approximately 800 graduates receiving master’s, bachelor’s and associate degrees and certificates at SUNY Delhi's commencement ceremony. The heartfelt speech included words of wisdom and callbacks to the beloved children's series.

Noting that he still gets told how much the show means to people, he then took a moment to impart some valuable advice based upon the lyrics of the Paw Prints song he used to sing on the show.

"Very often, someone will repeat to me a phrase that I said all the time on every episode, and that's, 'If you use your mind and take a step at a time, you can do anything that you wanna do,' " he said.

Burns said the phrase's purpose was to serve as an "empowering reminder of the power of hard work" and an "empowering reminder of the importance of having a dream."

Burns' inspirational messages across social media have forged a special connection between him and the now grown-up original Blue's Clues audience, who continue to share the series with their own children today.

In a recent interview with The New York Times, Burns explained part of his decision to reconnect with fans was that so many thought he had died in the time after his 2002 exit from the series.

"That hurt, to be honest. And it kind of messed me up because that was happening while the Internet was just sort of beginning to Internet," he admitted.

"When a zillion, trillion people all think you’re dead for 15 years, it freaks you out," he noted, prompting him to begin the warm social media presence he's appreciated for today.

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