Thinking Chair

The Thinking Chair on display at Nickelodeon Studios Burbank

The Thinking Chair is an armchair that Steve, Joe, or Josh sit on to think about the answer for Blue's Clues. It is also sat on during Mailtime when letters and emails are being read.

Prehistory

Before Blue's Clues began production, the Thinking Chair was a regular chair designed and sold by Galerkin Furniture as part of their Max line. It was originally made for a show on the E! Network called Pure Soap, with an extended sofa version to match. The chair itself was produced in various colors such as blue, indigo, purple, and the now-famous red.

Thinking Chair Variations

• A Day at the Beach- Blanket (during thinking time, due to being at the Beach)
• Nature & Spring is Here!- Thinking Rock (due to being outside)
• Magenta Gets Glasses - Couch (due to the lack of additional room for Miranda on the actual Thinking Chair)
• Magenta's Messages - Yellow Lawn Chair
• Blue's Big Car Trip - Driveway (during the Play Blue's Clues song), Backseat Behind Passenger Seat (during thinking time, due to being in a car)
• The Fairy Tale Ball - A Group of Mushrooms (during the Play Blue's Clues song), Baby Bear's Chair (during thinking time, due to being in a skidoo segment)
• Soccer Practice, Blue's Big Neighborhood Adventure, Knights of the Snack Table (Blue's Clues & You!), The Case of the Missing Thinking Chair, Pearl's Kickball Championship, Hola, Mexico City!, and Josh Visits the Philippines!- Thinking Bench (due to being outside)
• Meet Blue's Baby Brother - The Golden Thinking Chair (this chair is surrounded by flowers of the various Notebooks seen throughout the series. It is found atop a hill in Puppyville.)
• Blue's Show and Tell Surprise & Something New at Blue's School - Classroom Thinking Chair at Blue's School
• A Blue's Clues Festival of Lights - Purple Thinking Chair
• Blue's Snowy Day Surprise - Snow Thinking Chair
• Blue's Dino Clues - The Very First Thinking Chair (A light purple rock shaped like a chair with swirls seemingly carved into it)
• Blue's Mystery Present - Present Store Thinking Chair
• Rainbow Puppy's Skidoo Adventure - Post Office Thinking Chair (during mailtime), Cardboard Thinking Chair (during thinking time)
• Blue's Big City Adventure - New York City Thinking Chair (during the Play Blue's Clues song) (Note: In the Thinking Time scene, the Thinking Chair magically appears on a stage in Central Park)
• Blue's Treasure of Clue Lagoon - Sand Thinking Chair (during the Play Blue's Clues song), The Lost Thinking Chair of Clue Lagoon
• Blue and Little Rainbow Riding Hood - Suitcase Chair
• The Legend of the Jack O'Lantern & Rainbow Puppy's Big Farm Fair- Thinking Bale (due to being at the farm)
• A Blue Christmas with You!- Thinking Sleigh
• Into the Blueniverse! - Thinking Chair Rocketship (a modification of the normal Thinking Chair for space traveling)
• Firefighter Blue to the Rescue! - Fire Station Thinking Chair
• The Case of the Missing Thinking Chair - The living room floor (since the Thinking Chair is in the backyard that time)
• Farm Friends! (book) - Thinking Tractor
• Return of the Thinking Squad – Frozen Thinking Chair
• The Big Blue Derby- Thinking Chair-iot (just the normal Thinking Chair with wheels)
• The Wizard of Skidoo- Mushroom thinking chair (during the Play Blue's Clues song and Mailtime), Thinking Throne (during Thinking Time)
• Josh and Blue's Ice Cream Shop- Thinking Chair-ry (during Thinking Time), Sand Thinking Chair (during Mailtime)
• Rock On, Rainbow Puppy!-Rainbow Sparkle Thinking Chair
• Josh Visits the Philippines!- Philippine Thinking Bench (during the Play Blue's Clues song), Flower Thinking Chair

Trivia

• The Case of the Missing Thinking Chair is the only Blue's Clues & You! episode (so far) in which the thinking chair ends up in the backyard.
• The Thinking Chair was the second clue in "Inventions" and it was the only time it was a clue.
  • The Thinking Chair was also drawn in "Blue's Big Musical" and "Inventions" as part of the Handy Dandy Notebook (the first clue in both episodes). The notebook was also a clue in "Draw Along with Blue", but the thinking chair was not included in that drawing.
• Steve was given the original Thinking Chair when he left the show, and the chair used in the final two seasons of the original series was a replica. It is possible that the season 3-4 thinking chair is also a different chair, because the arms were wider. Seven new Thinking Chairs were made for Blue's Clues & You!
• Reproductions of the Thinking Chair have appeared at theme parks like Dreamworld and King's Dominion.
• Despite that there are substitute thinking chairs in several episodes, Steve, Joe, and Josh did sit on the thinking chair during the Play Blue's Clues song.
• In both "Nature" and "Spring is Here!", the host doesn't sit in the Thinking Chair because they're outside throughout the whole episode, they sit in the Thinking Rock instead.
• In "Magenta Gets Glasses," Steve doesn't sit in the Thinking Chair figuring out the clues because Miranda is over and they sit on the couch instead figuring out the clues together.
• According to "Bedtime Business", the thinking chair is where Joe sleeps, although humans in real-life sleep in beds. Joe also did not have any blankets with him, so he would get not just uncomfortable, but also really cold, especially in winter.
  • However, as the zooming out of the house appeared, the window where Blue normally appears had its light turned off. Joe likely was the one who turned off the light, and then he most likely went to his actual bed and slept there like normal humans would.
• Piper O'Possum (the host of Nick Jr. from 2004-2007) sat on the Thinking Chair in a 2006 split screen credit promo for Blue's Clues coming up next.
• This is Steve, Joe, and Josh's special place.
• It was the answer in "Hide and Seek with Blue."
• The Thinking Chair is on the front of the notebook, to remind the host to sit in the thinking chair after they find the three clues.
• The Thinking Chair is mentioned in "Blue's Big Car Trip" & "Meet Blue's Baby Brother".
• The Thinking Chair is absent but made a cameo appearance on the notebook in "Magenta's Messages" & "Soccer Practice".
• There was a golden thinking chair in "Meet Blue's Baby Brother".

Gallery

Golden Thinking Chair

Blue's Clues & You!

Alternate Thinking Chair

Meet Josh

Hide and Seek with Blue

Snow chair (from Blue's Snowy Day Surprise)

The Very First Thinking Chair

A Frozen Thinking Chair

Merchandise

Kid-sized Thinking Chair by Amazon

Inflatable Musical Thinking Chair

Play and Learn Thinking Chair by LeapFrog

Kids Sized thinking chair by Uncle Howie Products

Other

Pure Soap armchair

The chair in various colors

Piper on the Thinking Chair

Got Milk?

Blue's Clues show at Dreamworld, Australia

Behind The Clues

Nickelodeon Studios Burbank

Thinking Chair recreation at Nickelodeon Resort Punta Cana

Thinking Chair on display at FAO Schwarz New York City