For ten years, a little adorable puppy named Blue has been providing little tykes with an interactive learning environment filled with canine clues on the highly acclaimed educational show, Blue’s Clues.

A live host named Steve begins each episode by presenting a puzzle involving the animated dog. A series of three clues, each covered by a paw print, are left for the viewer to figure out, with a little help from Steve. Host and dog proceed to travel from one animated set to another, offering little tidbits of assistance until Steve finally arrives back in his living room. Perched in the “thinking chair,” he proceeds to show viewers how to solve the elusive mystery. Besides Blue and Steve, there were other recurring characters such as Mr. Salt and Mrs. Pepper, who imparted their own dose of life lessons on the audience, as well as Tickety, the alarm clock and a whole host of other objects and animated animals.

Each episode of Blue’s Clues was field tested among preschoolers before it was aired. Those that saw the original episode were so enthralled that the producers knew they had a hit on their hands. It would soon become the highest-rated show geared towards preschoolers that had ever been produced and found its way into 13-million homes. It has received nine Emmy nominations as well as a long list of awards for excellence in children’s programming.

The little dog named Blue has most certainly made an indelible impression on small children everywhere, simply by allowing them to get a clue.