Blue's Clues host Joshua Dela Cruz had a childhood crush on Winnie Cooper

By Marah Eakin | February 8, 2021 | 3:00pm

TV Features Blue's Clues

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When The A.V. Club video team was considering what we could do for the site’s Love Week, our minds quickly went to all of our—and everyone else’s—internet crushes. Sure, millions upon millions of people think Brad Pitt’s handsome, but only those who are truly online can appreciate the finer points of crushing on, say, a Timothy Chalamet or a Hunter Schaefer. Whole apparel lines have emerged from Twitter crushing on the greatness of Judy Greer and Alfred Molina, and there are entire Pinterest boards dedicated to ogling internet darlings like Rahul Kohli.

In that vein, we’re kicking off Love Week with a lovely chat with someone we love: Blue’s Clues & You host Joshua Dela Cruz. The third Blue’s Clues host, Dela Cruz inspired some major internet thirst when his casting was announced last summer, though toddler parents and legacy Clue viewers alike know that Dela Cruz’s talents stretch far beyond just having muscles. A Broadway veteran who sings, acts, and dances, Dela Cruz connects with kids at home through generous earnestness and open expressions, getting through whatever Blue’s lesson for the day is with flair and even a little bit of sign language. Dela Cruz is also Filipino American, something that Forbes says is “a major breakthrough for diversity in children’s television.”