Sometimes, you'll never know where a source of motivation would come from.

It could be from a TV show you watched while you're having lunch. Or it could be that some one you met while you're on your way to get some lunch.

And in this special case, it could come in the form of a short video from an ex-TV host of a children's show we've long forgotten about.

A surprise visit

Remember him?
Last week, the official Twitter account of Nick Jr., a Nickelodeon channel for young children, tweeted a suprising video featuring Steve Burns, the first host of the wildly popular children's show 'Blue's Clues'.

The 47-year-old reprised his role as Steve, complete with the familiar striped lime-green rugby shirt he used to wear, in the two-minute video that was released in conjunction with the show's 25th anniversary.

However, this wasn't a special episode: he came back for a touching motivational video for those who feel like they're struggling with life.


Burns started the video by talking about his abrupt exit from the show in 2002.

"I realise that was kind of abrupt. I just kind of got up and went to college.

"And that was really challenging, by the way, but great because I got to use my mind and take a step at a time, and now I literally am doing many of the things that I wanted to do," he said.


And in a positive tone that defined his role on the show, Steve praised the viewers for everything that they have accomplished when they were apart.

"And then look at you, and look at all you have done and all you have accomplished in all that time. And it’s just — it’s just so amazing."


Steve then touched on some of the real-world problems that his former viewers might have faced while they were growing up.

"We started out with clues, and now, it’s what? Student loans and jobs and families?

"And some of it has been kind of hard, you know? I know you know," he said.


Steve then took the opportunity to thank the viewers for their support, and said he couldn't have done all that he's done without their help.

"I guess I just wanted to say, after all these years, I never forgot you. Ever," he said.

You can check out the full video below, but be warned though; you might need a box of tissue for this.

Netizens feeling nostalgic

Burns' sudden reappearance brought back memories of childhood for many, evidenced by the 37 million views the clip has raked to date.

The short message by Burns struck a chord with netizens, with many admitted to tearing up after watching the video:


We're not crying, you're crying.

What actually happened to Steve?

'Blue's Clues' made its debut on TV back in 1995, and it quickly became one of the most popular children's show at the time -- in fact, it reached 14 million viewers each week at one point in time.

In fact, Steve Burns became so popular, People included him in their annual list of America's most eligible bachelors in 2000.

However, six years and more than 100 episodes in, Burns shocked his fans when he announced that he will be leaving the show in an episode titled 'Steve', where he introduced new host Donovan Patton as his younger brother Joe.

'Blue's Clues' ended in 2006, and it was soon rebooted in as 'Blue’s Clues & You!' in 2019.

Steve left and went to college.
After his abrupt departure, fans started wondering what happened to Burns.

There were rumours that he had passed away because of a heroin overdose, or he was killed in a car accident. He later came out to dispel the rumours in a public interview.

In 2016, Burns told Huffington Post that he felt that it was a good time to leave the show because creators of the show moved on to other projects.

"I left the show because it was just simply time to go. I was pretty much playing a boyish, older-brotherish kind of character on the show. I was getting older; I was losing my hair; a lot of the original gangsters on the show, like the people who created it, were all moving on to other careers.

"It just felt like time. I just had a gut feeling like it was time to go,” Burns said in the interview.

Well, it's great to know that Steve is alive and well all this while.

And thank you for the little pick-me-up, Steve. We all needed that.