Do you recognize this man?

 If you think he looks like the autistic victim in Law & Order than you definitely don't have kids.  Look closely parents-if you have a child between 1-5 you have a chance?  Now imagine him in a green stripped rugby & khaki pants?   Still nothing?   Now picture him with an animated little dog.  Yep--that's him Steve, from the original Blues Clues!

It's official our two year old, Sophia has her first crush--and like many young girls, it's someone on TV who sings or dances.  Much to my husband's chagrin it's Steve from Blues Clues, the original host of the toddler show.  Nate much prefers Joe, Steve's replacement (he claims Steve reminds him too much of Pee Wee Herman.)  Personally, Joe's much more animated like a typical children's TV host (something that gets old when you have to watch it as many times as I do.) 

Sadly this is the debate in our house. Steve or Joe? 'Course most of the time Sophia calls them both Steve so maybe it only matters to us?  But the way she asks to see Steve--well we're both getting flashes of a 13-year old Sophia pining for some teen-heart-throb.  So to settle Nate's Pee Wee concerns of course we had to Google him.  Our fears were alleviated, but I will admit that knowledge of the show sort of ruined my motherhood ideal.  

The first time I saw Blues Clues (what Sophia has christened Cous Cous!) I was taken with the sweetness of Steve and his little banter with household objects.  After you spend any time with a toddler you find yourself talking like Steve weather its conscious or not.  So in my head I imagined that Steve was a stay at home Dad who made up a whole little world for his toddler and then turned it into an award winning TV show.  (I guess if I imagined him as a dad it was less creepy?!?)    Anyway if you're reading this and you're thinking --who cares!?!?  Well don't worry--someday you'll have kids and when they want to watch the same show OVER & OVER for weeks at a time till everyone has memorized EVERY line & EVERY pause.  Well then you may find yourself thinking What's the deal with this guy? Or girl? Whomever is the hero of your child's fascination.  And then you'll be glad for Google too!  Besides what else are you going to do while you watch that video AGAIN?!?

Wanna know why your toddler finds it SO fascinating--The Research Behind the Show