Blue's Clues (Nickelodeon)

In every episode of BLUE'S CLUES, the human host, Joe, leads his young viewers through the show while encouraging them to help him find the clues that will solve the conundrum that beleaguers him. Blue, the loveable animated dog that helps Joe decipher the clues, is the picture of loyalty. She can "skidoo" into magical places and situations without distracting from the educational message.

Not only is Blue's Clues colorful and fun, but it allows young viewers to interact in the problem-solving challenges. Some puzzles may require sounding out words. Others may involve numbers, shapes, or even geography and physiology. The plots are generally good quality, and are always interactive without being bothersome. In other words, though Blue's Clues is suitable for the youngest viewers, it does not lie flat -- there is some complexity to the lessons at hand.

On top of it all, the sets are very creatively fashioned, often appearing to be collage or multi-media in nature. The background soundtrack plays a gentle jazz that doesn't condescend to the viewer, and Joe sometimes gestures in American Sign Language to match what he is saying. The discerning eye will discover many such details. In fact, Blue's Clues does a very fine job of treating its young viewers as the multifaceted individuals that they are.