Blue's Clues: Get to Know Joe! (2002)
Review by HTQ4
Film:
DVD:

Series Created by Traci Paige Johnson and Todd Kessler
Starring Steve Burns, Donovan Patton and Traci Paige Johnson

Features:

• Nick Jr. Parents Guide
  
• Blue's Clues 100th Episode Celebration
  

My Advice: Rent it

Blue (voiced by Johnson) and Steve (Burns) have been solving little riddles with each other since 1996, but the time has come for Steve to go to college (I guess to become a forensic detective or something). Steve's brother Joe (Patton) has come over so that Steve and Blue can show him the ropes to make for a smooth transition. At first, Joe only shows up for a visit, but by the end of these five episodes, Joe is firmly ensconced in the thinking chair.

This is a great little children's show, but I do believe that one of the elements that made it so popular and successful was Steve himself. Granted, most kids will love the show for the little blue dog alone and won't care a whit whether Steve, Joe, or my Aunt Fannie are the human being helping him along. That having been said, it's hard to say whether or not the show will suffer because of this cast change. Each of the episodes is designed to ease Joe into the scenario to decrease the shock value on the little kids watching the show. This it does, and I guess we should commend the people behind the show for knowing such a thing would be necessary.

As far as bonus material goes, this DVD is a little weak. However, I give them full credit for putting their mission statement on the DVD and the education and entertainment goals of the show on the DVD as well for parents to read. There is also a "bonus activity," which is not DVD interactive, but is child interactive. The activity ties in with the episode entitled "The Big Book About Us" and encourages parents to get with their kids to create a "Big Book About Me" filling it with pictures, drawings and stories about themselves...which I think is pretty neat. However, the idea of putting an extra episode under the bonus material seems a little pointless. I've said this about other DVDs and I still believe it: why couldn't that episode be one of the "regular" episodes? Granted this one is the 100th Episode Celebration, but it still could be included under the main menu.

As with all children's DVDs, I strongly recommend that parents rent before buying just to make sure their little one is going to really like it. If they like it, it's definitely worth the purchase.