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Notebook

KevinsNotebook

The Handy Dandy Notebook (Super Duper Notebook in the UK Blue's Clues Version, Bloco de notas amigável útil (Useful Friendly Notepad) in the Portugal Blue's Clues version, or simply Notebook in any version) is a small notebook (Steve, Joe, and Josh) and a telephone (Josh, on the back) used in almost every episode of Blue's Clues (mainly the ones where Blue's Clues is played) to write down the clues. Sidetable Drawer keeps it in her drawer when the hosts aren't using it, and at the start of each episode, they would go to her to retrieve it.

The name "Handy Dandy Notebook" has been used to describe Steve's notebook (used from 1996 to 2008), Joe's notebook (used from 2002 to 2008), and Josh's notebook/smartphone (used in Blue's Clues & You!). Common traits that many different variants of the notebook share include a red spiral and yellow paper. The notebook has a crayon in the spiral that reflects whoever owns it. Steve's crayon has a green-striped wrap around it (if the crayon is a different color, the wrap is the same color with darker stripes), and Joe's crayon has a square checkered pattern wrap that changes color based on whatever shirt he wears in an episode. In the revival, Josh's crayon has a blue-striped wrap (similar to Steve's), matching the notebook cover.

It also appears as the first clue in "Draw Along with Blue", "Blue's Big Musical", "Inventions", and Night at The Blueseum. It was the answer to Blue's Clues in "Joe Gets a Clue" and the last clue as a phone in "Playdate with Magenta".

Behind the Scenes

The covers for the Notebook as shown in Season 1 were made out of dense cardboard with only one crayon made that would wear down over time throughout Season 1, in Season 1, the inside of the front cover also had the holes reinforced with tape (seen during the 1st clue). Starting in Blue's News (during the 3rd clue), the covers were made out of birch plywood, multiple crayons were made, and the spiral was made from spray painted aluminum armature wire, which would remain the same throughout the entire original series with the holes for paper getting slighter bigger. the covers pictures were printed stickers with holes punched out, the crayon wrappers were also stickers with packing tape over them, the pages were made out of construction paper for all the notebook pages. In Season 1, the holes on the notebook were standard hole punched size, in Season 2, the covers holes became 7.9mm, but the pages remained the standard hole punch up until Blue's Birthday, from that episode to early Season 3, the covers remained the 7.9mm holes, and the pages got the 7.9mm size also, starting in Blue's Big Pajama Party, the holes would be on the final size, 9mm, but for Joe's notebook, the notebook had two 9mm holes and four 7.9mm holes. One side of the spiral of Steve and Joe's notebook would always be pinched in slightly to form a crayon catcher, so that it could hold the tip of the crayon in place. the crayon catcher did change throughout the show, in Season 1, it made an almost full circle where it could fit the tip with the wrapper on it, it stayed the same in Season 2, only now it was trimmed to allow the cover to pass over it and rest in it, from Season 3-6, it was changed to a "V" shape, where it could only fit the tip of the crayon in it. the spiral had two different directions, from Snack Time to Math!, the spiral was in the right-handed position where the covers would rest on the left side, starting with Blue's Birthday and into the revival, the spiral changed to a left-handed position where the covers would rest on the right side. Two different crayons were made for Joe's notebook; one to hold the crayon when it was in the crayon catcher, while the other one was shorter for drawing the clues since the spiral looks shorter on Joe's than Steve's. Steve Burns revealed in a Cameo video message that the crayon (when it wasn't being used to draw) was made out of wood.[1] Steve Burns answered a fan's question revealing at the Fan Expo Philadelphia 2023 that he didn't draw the clues in the notebook rather it was Traci Paige Johnson in 3-point perspective. In the revival, the notebook covers were 3-D printed to cut down on cost.

Notebooks and Variations

Used by Steve, Joe, Kevin, Durate, and HyunSup Shim

"Blue Prints" Notebook

The notebook seen in the series pilot Blue Prints has yellow covers with a black outline, yellow pages and a thin black spiral. The front cover is noticeably blank with no graphic of the Thinking Chair, a feature that was added in the final version of Snack Time. This notebook was only in this pilot of the series by Steve and was already in his pocket when he pulled it out rather than retrieving it from Sidetable Drawer.

"Season 1 - 4" Notebook

Steve's notebook is square-shaped, has a green front and back cover with black lining, and depicts the Thinking Chair on the front. When Steve went to college, he started using the notebook to take notes during his classes. This notebook is perhaps the most recognizable, and also comes in many different variants. The same notebook is used by Kevin in the UK version from "Pretend Time" until "Something To Do Blue"

Blue's Big City Adventure and Blue's Clues & You!

  • Steve's notebook briefly returns in Blue's Big City Adventure where Steve is shown using it to jot down Josh's whereabouts in New York City. It appears again in the Blue's Clues & You! episode The Case of The Missing Thinking Chair, where it is retrieved from the filing cabinet in Blue Prints Detective Agency. The notebook used in the movie was an original prop from Blue's Clues (on loan from FAO Schwarz at the time of filming) while its appearance in the series is a newly made replica.

Steve, Kevin, and Duarte's Notebook Variants

Fancy Notebook

This variant although not used in the show, it appeared in "Sidetable Drawer's" dream with a sparkly red spiral and thinking chair, sparkly green cover and sparkly black lining on the front.


Birthday Notebook

This variant has a yellow ribbon wrapped around it, making it resemble a birthday present. It was revealed by Steve and Kevin that it is the regular notebook that they decorated.

Treasure Hunt Notebook

This variant has a red treasure chest with sparkly gold lining on the front instead of the Thinking Chair. It also has a secret compartment on the back cover that holds a treasure hunt hint.

Nighttime Notebook

When Steve goes outside at night, the notebook changes to reflect the time. It has a black front and back cover with yellow lining, a yellow moon and stars on the front, and a yellow-lined Thinking Chair. This only happens when Steve goes outside and finds the second clue, and Steve reveals that it is because his notebook looks different in the dark, so when he finds the third clue in the living room, the notebook changes back. In the UK version, only the front cover has the front with black, yellow lining, a yellow moon, and stars on the front, and a yellow-lined Thinking Chair while the back cover is the regular green with black lining. However, in the Portuguese version, it was used throughout the episode.

Holiday Notebook

This variant has a white front and back cover with a silver snowflake on each corner (each snowflake has a different design), and there is a tall yellow present with a green ribbon on the Thinking Chair. Also, when Steve shakes it, the notebook makes a jingling sound.

Nature Notebook

This variant has front and back covers with wooden lining on the bottom and left and right sides, a brown spiral, dark beige paper, a crayon that looks like it was carved from a log of wood, and a front cover that depicts the Thinking Rock instead of the Thinking Chair. In the UK Version, the front cover has no wooden lining and the back cover is tan instead of green. In the Portugal and Koran versions, the front cover has the regular black lining.

Sketch Pad

This notebook is a big rectangle shape with black covers and the front has a striped pencil scribbling on a piece of paper and it has tan pages. it was used for drawing pictures in it. In the UK version, it looks similar to Steve's, but the pencil on the front cover has darker green stripes and the scribble on the paper is a simple scribble while the spiral is more thin. In the Portuguese version, it looks more like a book and no spiral is present.

Order Pad

This variant has a tall rectangle shape with a red crossed fork and spoon on the cover and white paper. It was not used as the main notebook, and the regular notebook was used. Steve calls it Order Pad in the U.S. and Kevin calls it Order Book in the U.K.

Used by Joe, Josh, and Kevin

In Joe Gets a Clue, Blue gives Joe his own notebook to play Blue's Clues with while It is shaped like the Thinking Chair, and is wider and taller than Steve's notebook. It later makes a special appearance in the Blue's Clues & You! episode, Blue's Mystery Present where it was given to Josh by Joe which appears smaller.

"Season 5 - 6" Notebook

In Joe Gets a Clue, Blue gives Joe his own notebook to play Blue's Clues with while It is shaped like the Thinking Chair, and is wider and taller than Steve's notebook. It later makes a special appearance in the Blue's Clues & You! episode, Blue's Mystery Present where it was given to Josh by Joe which appears smaller.

Joe's Notebook Variants

Pillow Notebook

This variant is the same shape as Joe's normal notebook but is thicker and has a front and back cover made of the same material as a pillow.

Notebook Friend

This variant is essentially Joe's notebook with a pair of googly eyes, curly yellow yarn hair, and a green strand with frayed edges for a mouth. Sidetable and later Joe pretended to have it talk with them and others.

Car Notebook

This variant is also shaped like the Thinking Chair but looks like a car instead of the Thinking Chair. It is not Joe’s notebook. It was given to him.

Love Day Notebook

This is the only variant of Joe's notebook that does not use the Thinking Chair shape. Instead, the notebook is shaped like a heart, and the front and back covers are red with yellow lining.

Gold Notebook

This variant comes in gold and uses the design of the Golden Thinking Chair.

Used by Josh

Josh's notebook is similar to Steve’s notebook but has light and dark blue stripes on the cover like Josh's shirt. The notebook also has a phone on the back. When pulled out, the sound is a boxing bell similar to Steve's notebook chime. It is used in every episode except Bluestock where Josh instead uses his guitar and Blue's Mystery Present where it is replaced with Joe's Notebook. In Blue's Storytime with Camila, The Phone side of the notebook is used for the first time to record clues using ASL. It is also the first clue in Night at the Blueseum.

Josh's Notebook Variants

Birthday Notebook

The first variant is the same as the regular, but the Thinking Chair has a present bow.

The second variant is the same as the regular, but the Thinking Chair is wearing a party hat.

Super Duper Notebook

This variant has a red cape on the back.

Nighttime Notebook

Like Steve’s notebook, When Josh goes outside at night, his notebook changes to reflect the time. It has a dark blue gradient front and back cover with yellow lining, a yellow moon and stars on the front, and the Thinking Chair. This only happens when Josh goes outside and finds the second clue, so when he finds the third clue in the living room, the notebook changes back. However, in Sleepy Singalong with Blue, the notebook remains dark throughout the episode.

Musical Notebook

This variant has musical notes on it. All are eighth notes, three single notes, and two double notes.

Pirate Notebook and Map Book

This variant has sparkly stripes and the Thinking Chair wearing a pirate hat.

Same as the regular, but horizontal and has a treasure chest with sparkly light blue lining on the front, similar to Steve's Treasure Hunt Notebook from "Blue's Big Treasure Hunt". This variation of the notebook is voiced by Steve Burns and is also magic as it is capable of drawing the clues without the use of a crayon.

The Very Merry No Ho Hotebook

This variant has three snowflakes (two with the same design) and the Thinking Chair wearing a Santa hat. When it is shaken, it makes a jingling sound, like Steve's holiday notebook. Its debut was in "Blue's Night Before Christmas". The Christmas notebook later makes a reappearance in "A Blue Christmas and You!"

Love Day Notebook

This variant is the same as the regular, but has four pink hearts on it (2 small, 2 big).

Rainy Day Notebook

This variant is the same as the regular, but the Thinking Chair is under a light yellow umbrella.

Spring Notebook

This variant is the same as the regular, but has a lot of flowers.

Halloween and Very Scary Notebook

This variant is the same as the regular, but the Thinking Chair is orange and has a jack-o-lantern face on the backrest. It has an orange spiral.

This variant is the same as the regular, but It’s dressed up like a monster and it has furry blue stripes with 2 googly eyes and 2 horns and the running gag is where the notebook keeps eating the crayon and every time Josh pulls the crayon out the notebook, in which the crayon gets shorter and shorter every time after Josh takes it out of the mouth of the monster notebook.

Hanukkah Notebook

This variant is the same as the regular, but has a blue spiral, a blue and white stripe cover with a blue Thinking Chair and a blue and white stripe glitter crayon.

Snotebook

Same as the regular except it has snowflakes and the Snowy Day Thinking Chair in the front and a blue spiral. It also has a different ding than the other notebooks.

Notebooksaurus

Josh's Notebook has been made to look like stone and the crayon made of a stick, and it has a white spiral instead of a red one. Josh's phone is replaced by a regular back cover, the only Blue's Clues & You notebook variant to not have Josh's phone thus far. Just like Steve's Dino-Notebook in Prehistoric Blue, it makes a dinosaur roar sound effect every time Josh opens it.

Spacebook

This is the same as the regular except the Thinking Chair is in outer space. It has black pages as well as a white crayon and a blue spiral.

Notepad

The Notepad is where Josh writes his orders in the ice cream shop. It was later used to temporarily replace the Handy Dandy Notebook in the episode. it has White Pages with stripes. It also has a pen instead of a crayon.

Rockin’ Rollin Notebook

This variant is the same as the regular, but it has a blue electric guitar instead of the Thinking Chair on it.

Miranda's Libreta

This variant is the same as the regular, but it's Pink with Magenta Spots on it, and it has a Purple Spiral, and a Magenta striped crayon.

Notebook App

Whenever a clue is found while inside a mobile device, the hosts use the Notebook app to draw the clue.

Camp Notebook

This variant is the same as the regular, but is Brown with light brown stripes on it. And a log border. It also has no phone. And a bark crayon.

Used in: "Welcome to Camp Clue" and "Camp Clue Hits the Trail"

Occurrences

  • Another notebook that looks exactly like Steve's was among the items for sale on the shelves of the present store (it was on the lower left) in "Math!".
  • It costs 13 Blue dollars/Pounds.
  • The back of the disc case for the computer game Blue's Birthday Adventure lists the Handy Dandy Notebook as "Handy-Dandy Notebook".
  • According to "What Experiment Does Blue Want to Try?" (or at least in that episode), the red spiral that holding the paper together is made of metal and therefore magnetic.
  • In the KBS Korean version of the same episode, the notebook had an alternate cover.
  • In Sidetable's dream in "What Was Blue's Dream About?", she had a fancy notebook for Steve to play Blue's Clues with. It was basically a darker version of Steve's notebook with a sparkling cover and spiral.
  • In "What's So Funny?", Sidetable gave Steve a "Handy Dandy Potato" (an ordinary potato) as a joke. It wasn't until during Play Blue's Clues that Steve realized and fixed the mistake.
  • In a few episodes, there are variants that look exactly like the normal notebook, but it makes a certain sound when opened.
  • The Handy Dandy Notebook was addressed as its UK name, Super Duper Notebook, in the US in the episode "Superfriends".
  • Kevin, the host of UK version, uses the same notebook design of both Steve's and Joe's.
  • The Handy Dandy Notebook was a clue 5 times: once in "Our Favorite Treasures", once in "Draw Along with Blue", once in "Inventions", once in "Blue's Big Musical", and once again in "Night at the Blueseum". It was often nicknamed the "clue-notebook".
  • Out of all 3 times, the Thinking Chair was included in the drawing design twice, in "Inventions", and in "Blue's Big Musical". Also, "Draw Along with Blue" was the only time where Steve did not draw the Thinking Chair in the Notebook which it was a clue.
  • As a clue in all three episodes, the music instrument for the clue music for notebook was a bass, the same instrument heard when all the clues were drawn in Steve's notebook.
  • Joe's notebook was the answer to Blue's Clues in "Joe Gets a Clue".
  • As the series progressed, the holes on the original notebook gradually grew larger. In the middle of the third season, they reached their largest size.
  • After the early episodes, a ding from a percussion instrument is heard when the notebook is withdrawn. When Steve takes out his notebook, the ding is of a triangle; and when Joe takes out his, it is of a chime. When Josh takes out his notebook, it is a boxing bell.
    • Sometimes, another item may be accidentally withdrawn instead of the notebook, like a magnifying glass or "A Really Great Book". When this happens, the ding of a hi-hat cymbal is heard.
      • When Steve accidentally took out the kaleidoscope instead of the notebook in "What Did Blue See?" and when Steve accidentally pulled out a tissue from "Let's Plant", a fainter ding of a chime was heard. The triangle ding is heard after he got his notebook.
      • When Steve does his pulling out his notebook movement with his right hand before realizing he has his notebook (as a clue) on his left hand in "Draw Along with Blue", the fainter ding of a chime is heard.
      • When Steve took out the sock holding the notebook (both of which he got from Sidetable Drawer) to draw the 1st clue (books) in "Something To Do Blue", the triangle ding was fainter. The more clearer ding was heard after Steve got the notebook from the sock.
  • Upright bass music is heard when Steve draws the clues, tuba music is heard when Joe draws the clues, and electric bass music is heard when Josh draws the clues.
  • "Blue's Big Holiday" and "Making Changes" are the episodes to have the notebook make a sound when shaken.
  • The notebook is referred to as a rattle notebook in "Making Changes". It looks like the regular notebook, but when shaken, it sounds like a rattle.
  • In all episodes that feature a different notebook variant, Blue pulls out it's variant replaced by a normal notebook in the theme song, except for "Blue's Birthday".
  • From Late Season 5 to Season 6, the clues in Joe's notebooks draw by themselves, come alive, and sing what they are. It was unclear if it would happen again in "Blue's Clues & You!" until now. In a new preview of Blues Clues & You, Josh drew the color green like in classic episodes where the host draws the clue, so we may see Josh draw the clues on his notebook instead of the clues drawing themselves, and singing when they come alive.
    • This format was never featured in any Steve or Josh episodes.
    • The talking clues did not return in Blue's Clues & You!. Josh is seen manually drawing them, just like Steve in seasons 1-4, and Joe in most of season 5.
  • Skidoo Adventure, Bluestock (Original/Remake) and Blue's Big City Adventure are the only 4 times that Joe/Josh played the game but did not use the notebook because in Skidoo Adventure has words instead of Clues.
  • The ringtone of Josh's phone is an excerpt of the Blue's Clues & You! Theme Song made to sound more like a cordless phone ringing.
  • Josh's notebook has no visible camera lenses, so it was unknown how Steve and Joe were able to see Josh, Blue, and the viewer on a video call on "Meet Josh!", Josh was able to take a picture in "Playdate with Magenta" and take a selfie with the Sun in "Science with Blue".
    • Also, no in-market smartphone had an under-screen selfie camera.
    • However, there may be a wire under it that connects to the camera, and the lens may be invisible.
    • There is a camera lens on the cover of the notebook in Blue's Big City Adventure.
  • It is possible that Sidetable puts stickers on Josh’s notebook, due to the fact that his notebook is part phone, and she couldn’t buy a new notebook phone.
  • Because the Notebookasaurus variant does not have Josh's phone, it's possible the Notebookasaurus was made entirely from scratch unlike previous variants.
  • Rumors says that Map Book is voiced by Steve. until the credits says that he DID Voiced Mapbook.
  • Josh's Phone has a printer features in the episodes Sage & Ginger's Baby Book and Blue's Storytime with Camila.
  • Josh used a page from the notebook to write a letter in The Wizard of Skidoo.

Trivia

  • Real Handy Dandy notebooks designed to look like all Steve, Joe, and Josh's were sold as toys for kids by Colorbök, Flying Colors Toys Inc., and other manufacturers.
  • Since discontinuation, they are no longer available at retail markets and regular fetch a high price on auction sites like eBay, however, handcrafted recreations are sold online on handydandynotebooks.com, which has every single notebook used in the show, as well as their own designs.
  • Another recreation of the Handy Dandy Notebook since the discontinuation is Writing Utensil HDN where he creates prop replicas.
  • There were also Joe's Shirt notebooks of all colors, Holiday, and other notebooks made by Flying Colors, however, they never appeared in the show.
  • On March 25th, 1999 - Handy Dandy notebooks manufactured by Colorbök were recalled due to the plastic coil ends breaking off which posed as a choking hazard for children.

Notebook Gallery

Steve, Joe, Kevin, Durante, and HyunSup Shim

Joe, Kevin, and Josh

Josh

Toy Releases

Steve and Kevin

Joe

Josh

References

  1. ↑ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CyzJKERlEUg&start=124

Audio Samples