Steve From “Blue’s Clues” Finally Meets Toddler Who Launched His Career, All Grown Up

In the mid-90s, Steve Burns was an aspiring young actor with a career goal of earning roles like Dustin Hoffman and Al Pacino. They were little guys who were tough as nails and not to be trifled with. Instead, he found himself dueling for the host position for a new show on Nick Junior. The casting for the host of Blue’s Clues was down to two people: Steve and a man described as “conventionally attractive.”

Instead of playing the host role traditionally, Steve did something unusual. As he describes it, “I remember getting way too close to the camera and pausing until it felt weird. And then I paused a little longer. Right? And really tried to do that listening thing.” The Nickelodeon executives weren’t ready to hire Steve to host Blue’s Clues. However, something cemented their decision within seconds.

The tiny tot who has since grown up to become an influencer TikTok creator, known as Astraea Regina. Tiny Regina was the catalyst. The toddler was almost three when her mom, working at Nickelodeon, brought her to the studio. The studio created a focus group of children and showed them the audition clips. All the kids reacted favorably to his audition, but one little girl went especially gaga for young Steve. Her mom, Lisa Headley, described her daughter’s reaction: “She kind of went a little feral, you know, dancing and carrying on, jumping up and down.” The young woman explains it on her Instagram account.

Toddler Regina’s reaction was featured in promo videos for Blue’s Clues, with Steve winning the hosting role. The first episode went live on Sept. 8, 1996, and twenty-seven years have passed since then.

Steve gave up the role in 2002. Revisions of the show have seen two other hosts, Joe (Donovan Patton) and Josh (Josh Dela Cruz). However, it wasn’t until just recently that Steve met the person responsible for his hiring on Blue’s Clues. Dressed as Queen Astraea, the two hugged while she told Steve she was the “feral” toddler in the focus group. An image of the two hugging at a comic convention in Indiana quickly went viral.

This wasn’t the first time Steve had been surprised by someone he had influenced as a child. In 2021, he met a grown man who had received a “Make-A-Wish” Foundation wish. The child wanted to meet Steve from Blue’s Clues. Brandon Ragland beat his cancer and wanted to share that with Steve. It really doesn’t get any more wholesome than that!

You can still watch Blue’s Clues with Steve, Blue’s Room with Joe, and Blue’s Clues & You with Josh on Paramount+ (they offer a free trial). The movie “Blue’s Big City Adventure” features all three hosts with Blue in the city of New York. Blue’s Clues is perfect if you need plenty of smiles and an infusion from childhood.

You can find the source of this story’s featured image here.