Alive with Steve Burns

Behind the Blue Curtain: A Peek Into the Making of Blue’s Clues and Its legacy

Alive with Steve Burns

Show Notes

Angela Santomero and Traci Paige Johnson, the creative forces behind Blue’s Clues, join Steve Burns for a 30-year reunion that goes far beyond nostalgia. They go deep behind the scenes to share never before heard stories.

Why did they cast Steve?

How the show almost didn’t make it to air.

The spinoff you never heard about.

They also discuss why pauses mattered more than punchlines, how Mr. Rogers directly shaped the show’s DNA, and the risk of telling preschoolers, “You can do anything.” It’s a deep dive into how it all happened and why the impact still resonates decades later.

—---------------------------------------------------------------------

** if you like this episode, then check out these ** How to be Happier https://youtu.be/onhtAqXVcHA

Is Charisma Dangerous https://youtu.be/feh3bAha3P0

——————————————— Exclusive Offers For Our Listeners:

Sign up for your one-dollar-per-month trial today at shopify.com/alive.

Go to bioptimizers.com/alive and use my exclusive code ALIVE15 to get 15% off any order.

Sign up and get 10% off at http://betterhelp.com/stevealive.

——————————————— Alive with Steve Burns - Season One Episode 22 | Angela Santomero & Traci Paige Johnson

Instagram: @alivewithsteveburns

TikTok: @alivewithsteveburns

————————————————

There are a thousand podcasts you can listen to. This one listens back.

Alive with Steve Burns continues the conversation you began all those years ago. Back then it was letters and numbers and graham crackers. Now it’s death, sex, taxes, and all the big, messy questions of being alive. Why does money stress us out? Is the American dream dead? What’s the future of truth?

Each week, a new guest drops by Steve’s window for a genuine and respectful dialogue between two people just trying to figure it out, together.

Funny, tender, and just a little weird, this show invites you to sit down and think with Steve once again and wonder… what it really means to be Alive.

You are not alone. You are cared for. If you need someone to listen:

National Suicide and Crisis Hotline: https://988lifeline.org/

NAMI Helpline: https://www.nami.org/nami-helpline/

Crisis Text Line: https://www.crisistextline.org/

Keywords: Blues Clues, blues clues behind the scenes, making of blues clues, angela santomero, traci paige johnson, steve burns, alive with steve burns, mr rogers, childrens television, blues clues creators Watch full episodes of Alive on YouTube. Stay up to date with Lemonada on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram at @LemonadaMedia.

If you haven’t yet, now is a great time to subscribe to Lemonada Premium. You’ll get ad-free episodes and bonus content from Steve. Just hit the 'subscribe' button on Apple Podcasts, or, for all other podcast apps head to lemonadapremium.com to subscribe.

Click this link for a list of current sponsors and discount codes for this show and all Lemonada shows: lemonadamedia.com/sponsors See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

More from Alive with Steve Burns

Apr 22, 2026

What if grief isn’t something to fix but something to understand? In this episode, psychotherapist Megan Devine breaks down the truth about loss, why we’re so uncomfortable with it, and how our culture gets grief completely wrong. From the myth of “moving on” to the pressure to feel better on a timeline, this conversation challenges everything we think we know about healing. Steve and Megan explore how trying to control or minimize grief often makes things worse. Megan offers a more honest, practical way to live with loss, support others, and stop judging ourselves for how we feel.

Apr 15, 2026

Blake Mycoskie opens up about building TOMS Shoes, chasing success, and still feeling empty. He unpacks the hidden cost of validation, the crash that followed, and how he’s redefining purpose, connection, and what it actually means to feel like enough.

Apr 8, 2026

Steve sits down with media psychology expert Rebecca Tukachinsky Forster to break down parasocial relationships, the one-sided connections we form with TV hosts, creators, and public figures. From childhood TV to social media, they explore why these connections feel real and how easily we trust them.

Apr 1, 2026

Megan helps Steve approach the anxieties, fantasies, and obsessions we bring to our relationship with money.

Mar 25, 2026

Adam Savage sits down with Steve to discuss the future of facts, the scientific method, busting myths, and he gives us a peek inside his legendary workshop.

See all episodes →