Burns visits campus, shares memories
Students anxiously waited in their seats, talking amongst each other as the lights dimmed. The crowd roared with excitement as the iconic childhood character Steve was standing before them.
On Feb. 2, Texas A&M University Kingsville (TAMUK) hosted a lectureship series, during which Steve Burns, the original Blue’s Clues host, was invited to speak with students. Burns was welcomed to campus by students, many who grew up watching and learning with him
“The support feels wonderful,” Burns said. “It’s mostly just cool to sort of continue the conversation from when we were all so much younger. This always felt like we were really talking to each other and because of social media because of many things were still able to. It feels to me anyways, like we’re continuing the same conversation with the same people and that is pretty awesome.”
Blue’s Clues first aired in 1996 and Burns hosted until 2002, before his character left for college.
Last year for the 25th anniversary of the show, Burns recorded a message for Blue’s Clues fans, but directed it towards those who had grown up with him on the show.
“When we did that little viral video I remember thinking, oh I don’t want to talk to the little kids now who are watching the reboot of Blue’s Clues. I want to talk to you, the exact human beings that I talked to back then, and many of them are in college now, that’s really the impetus for doing it,” he said.
Burns’ video has amassed more than 40 million views since it was posted last year to @nickjr Twitter account. Burns was welcomed back by a generation that spent years watching him on TV.
“It’s hard to make that feel real you know, it’s hard to explain to someone,” he said. “I can never really think about Blue’s Clues as this thing that an entire generation experienced, for me it was always this little, tiny show. I was just talking to a camera; it seemed very small, very simple.”
Burns is overwhelmed and humbled by the support he has received since releasing the anniversary video, and tells of honor it is to be a part of something he describes as meaningful.
“We’re often asked to have a dream,” he said. “You’ve got to have this dream and you follow your dream at all costs; use your mind take a step at a time, follow that dream. But it was never my dream to be on children’s television ever. It’s nothing I’ve ever thought about. I never gave it 10 seconds of thought in my life, and if I had just sort of followed a prescription in my life for what I wanted to do I would have missed that.
“I’ve noticed in my life it’s been very useful to expand the definition of your dream and to look for things that, if aren’t exactly that, that might rhyme with your dream or are harmonious with your dream,” he continued.
Students were given an opportunity to compete for a chance to meet Burns if they could correctly answer when Blue’s Clues first aired. The first 20 students to correctly answer were given the opportunity to speak with, meet and take a picture with Burns.
“I was a big fan growing up. It was like my childhood coming completely full circle. It was very much nostalgic but made my heart warm in the best way possible,” senior Bio-Medical Science major Maddi Guess said.
Guess was one of the students given the opportunity to meet with Burns.
The lecture consisted of Burns opening with his own words, a sit-down Q&A with Dean of the College of Education & Human Performance Dr. Steve Bain and submitted questions from the audience.
Burns was able to interact during this portion calling on those who submitted questions to stand so he could see them, and when thing got emotional, he even ran off stage to give a hug.
“It was actually emotional for me and then to see an audience member crying it really kind of made me want to cry and it also brought my childhood back,” freshman Vet-Tech major Jamie Miller said.
To stay updated on all things Steve Burns follow him on Instagram @steveburnsalive or on TikTok @hioutthereitsmesteve.