The Blue's Clues Timeline Theory

Initially posted to DeviantArt.

Madeline Fretz - Yesterday, I watched a theory video about when each Barney & Friends episode and Barney Home Video (counting Barney and the Backyard Gang) takes place. Highly recommend for any Barney fan. Some of my ideas come to me in my sleep, so I thought to myself, why not do a Blue's Clues timeline theory? So sit in your thinking chair and think, think, thi-i-ink along with me as we go through...the Blue's Clues Timeline Theory.

Let's start at the very beginning, a very good place to start, and in this case, with the pilot, Blue Prints. I like to assume shows and movies take place at the time they're filmed or on the date they air or are released (see the Brady Bunch special that promoted the 1995 movie), and Blue Prints is no exception. It was filmed in 1994, likely after Gullah Gullah Island and Allegra's Window (and Gargoyles on Disney Channel) premiered on the same day, so let's place it from October to December of that year.

Next up, THE SERIES! Starting with the season that started it all, season 1. As TheBarneyDesk pointed out, you can tell when a season takes place judging from the episodes about certain seasons or holidays, and season 1 has an episode called, "A Snowy Day", and snow usually takes place in winter, and I had three snows around January of last year, so let's place season 1 in January, 1996, before it premieres on September 8th.

"But Maddie", you may be wondering, "don't the episodes, 'The Grow Show' and 'Blue Goes to the Beach' exist?" Yes, but there is media where summertime happens in the wintertime, so Blue Goes to the Beach remains, but let's place, "The Grow Show" in spring 1996 when everything changes and the weather is just fine to grow plants.

Now onto season 2, which I'm assuming takes place in April, 1997 due to the episode, "What Does Blue Want to Play on a Rainy Day?". Rain happens in all four seasons, but there is a saying that goes, "April showers bring may flowers". You know what that means - season 2 has a particularly memorable episode where Blue celebrates her birthday, and it's in April.

We move on to season 3, which mainly takes place in the fall of 1998 given the episodes, "Blue's Big Mystery" and "What's That Sound?" seem to hint so, as well as "Blue's Big Costume Party", which centers around Halloween, which is on October 31st, "Thankful", which takes place on Thanksgiving, which is always on a Thursday in the Fall season of November, even though, "Nature" is more of a spring episode. However, there are a few exceptions. "Blue's Big Treasure Hunt" takes place on the day it airs - March 14, 1999, due to the Land of Great Discovery having a rainbow leading to a pot of gold, which is usually associated with St. Patrick's Day, which is always in March. "Pool Party" takes place in the summer of 1999 due to pool parties usually taking place in the summer. And of course, we have, "Blue's Big Holiday", which takes place in December, 1998 due to the winter holidays celebrated in that episode usually taking place that month.

Our next entry is season 4, which @Thomperfan speculates is the most talked-about season since, not only is Cinnamon born, but it's also the season where we are introduced to Joe and say goodbye to Steve. In the last episode of this season, Steve moves out to go to college, so I'm assuming this season takes place in the summer of 2000, ending in August since that's when we dropped my sister off at university, even though she does return for fall and winter breaks. (even though I don't like to go into personal information nowadays, as mentioned in my YouTube video, "Goodbye Internet", I have since slowly returned regularly so that video is outdated).

With Steve gone, we can move on to season 5. Now, it is unknown where Blue's Clues take place (my mom and I have a headcanon answer, but I won't say it out loud), but some areas start school in August while others start in September, and that's when this season takes place given the episode, "Blue Takes You to School", unless Periwinkle was a new student as the school year progressed. Season 5 starts in either August or September of 2001 (the latter was a very infamous month and I think we all know why) and continuing into December with the episode, "Blue's First Holiday", which takes place then due to, as mentioned, Christmas and other winter holidays always taking place that month.

And now we skidoo to the last season of the classic show, season 6. Unlike the previous five seasons, each of the nine episodes of this season take place on the dates they air, save for, "Love Day", which takes place two days before it airs on February 14th, 2004, otherwise known as Valentine's Day. So season 6 takes place from February to April, 2004.

With all six seasons out of the way, we jump into Blue's playroom box for Blue's Room. Like season 6, each episode of the first season of this spin-off takes place on the dates they air, save for "Holiday Wishes", which takes place on Christmas Eve - December 24th, 2004. So season 1 of Blue's Room takes place from August, 2004 to November, 2005.

It's time for more way great playdates, as now we get to season 2 of Blue's Room. "Meet Blue's Baby Brother" takes place on the day it airs - August 6, 2006, as Blue and Joe hosted the continuity links on Nick Jr. while preparing for the family party (source). The rest of the season takes place on the days they air, though there are two exceptions.

First off is, "Away Great Playdate", which takes place in August or September, 2006 due to having a scene at the beach. "But Maddie", you may be asking, "September is in the fall, isn't the beach for summer?" True, but there was one year where I went to our beachy vacation spot in early September before the school year started, so that's where I'll place "Away Great Playdate".

Our second exception is, "Sprinkles' Sleepover", which takes place the night before it airs on February 15, 2007. This is because this episode takes place at night but airs in the morning. (side note: with the exception of, "Blue's Big Pajama Party", I find it baffling that bedtime episodes of kids' shows air at DAYTIME.)

12 years go by without any new Blue's Clues media, unless you count Mega Music Fest. Blue's Clues & You! premieres on November 11th, 2019, but in universe, it takes place in the spring, preferably in April since, as we've gone over, that's when Blue's birthday is, and season 1 of Blue's Clues & You! has an episode where Blue celebrates her birthday (all episodes of this season are remakes of older episodes).

Season 2 of Blue's Clues & You! takes place the following April, in 2020, due to the episodes, "Spring is Here" and "Blue's Rainy Day Rainbow" (see the season 2 paragraph). The former episode may take place when Spring begins in March, but hey, it's just a theory. As we all know, April is also in Spring. "Blue's Night Before Christmas" is the exception, taking place on December 24th, 2019 - Christmas Eve.

Season 3 of Blue's Clues & You! takes place from October to December, 2020, since there are two episodes, "The Legend of the Jack-O-Lantern" and "Blue's Big Costume Parade", that take place on or around Halloween, which, as we went over, is on October 31st, and "A Blue's Clues Festival of Lights" celebrates Hanukkah, which takes eight days in December.

Season 4 of Blue's Clues & You! takes place from December, 2021 to January, 2022, since it starts with the episode, "A Blue Christmas with You", which takes place on another Christmas Eve - December 24th, 2021.

The New York City-set musical, Blue's Big City Adventure takes place in summer, 2022 due to Josh's short-sleeved shirt, and that's when people usually wear those.

And we conclude with the unfortunately short-lived season 5 of Blue's Clues & You!, which takes place in summer, 2024 given the last two episodes, "Welcome to Camp Clue" and "Camp Clue Hits the Trail", which center around summer camp.

And that, my friends, is the Blue's Clues timeline theory. We've gone through the pilot, all 13 seasons, and the Paramount Plus feature. I put together this picture to remind you again when each season takes place (ignore the mistakes, for I made this before this post).

Now that we're done, I have a challenge for you - try and make a timeline theory of your own. I can't wait to see it! Now it's time for so long, thanks for doing your part, and I'll see you all next time!

The video that inspired this theory