Notebook

The Handy Dandy Notebook (Super Duper Notebook in the UK Version, Useful Friendly Notepad in the Portugal version, or just Notebook in any version) is a small notebook 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 Steve, Joe and Josh 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 since 1996 to 2002), and Joe's notebook (used from 2002 to 2006). 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 (though if the crayon is a different color, the wrap is the same color with darker stripes), and Joe's crayon has a square pattern wrap that changes color based on whatever shirt he wears in an episode. In the reboot, Josh's crayon has a blue-striped wrap, matching the notebook cover.

It also appears as the first clue in "Draw Along with Blue", "Blue's Big Musical", and "Inventions"; and the answer to Blue's Clues in "Joe Gets a Clue".

Versions

Steve's 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 different variants.

Beginning of original use: "Snack Time"
End of original use: "Steve Goes to College"

The same notebook is used by Kevin in the UK version from "Pretend Time" until "Blue's Book Nook".

Variants

Birthday Notebook

Blue's Birthday 008 — From Blue's Birthday

This variant has a yellow ribbon wrapped around it, making it resemble a birthday present.

Used In: "Blue's Birthday"

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.

Used In: "Blue's Big Treasure Hunt"

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, so when he finds the third clue in the living room, the notebook changes back. But in the portuguese Verison It was used Troughout the Episode.

Used In: "Blue's Big Pajama Party"

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.

Used In: "Blue's Big Holiday"

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.

Used In: "Nature"

Café Notebook

This variant has a tall rectangle shape with a red crossed fork and spoon on the cover and white papers.

Used In: "Café Blue"

Joe's Notebook

In Joe Gets a Clue, Blue gives Joe his own notebook to play Blue's Clues with. It is shaped like the Thinking Chair, and is thinner and taller than Steve's notebook.

First Used: "Steve Goes to College"
Last Used: "Soccer Practice"

In the UK version of "I'm So Happy!", Kevin is given this notebook by Sidetable Drawer.

Variants

Bedtime 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.

Used In: "Bedtime Business"

Car Notebook

$(KGrHqN,!mEE69UrpGP BOyHHNfsu!~~60 2 — From Blue's Big Car Trip

This variant is also shaped like the Thinking Chair, but looks like a car instead of the Thinking Chair.

Used In: "Blue's Big Car Trip"

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.

Used in: "Meet Polka Dots!"

Love 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.

Used In: "Love Day"

Gold Notebook

This variant comes in gold, and uses a slightly-different design of the Thinking Chair.

Used In: "Meet Blue's Baby Brother"

Josh's Notebook

Josh's notebook has the same shape as Steve's Café notebook and has light and dark blue stripes on the cover like Josh's shirt. The notebook also has a phone on the back.

Used in Blue's Clues & You!

Trivia

Real Handy Dandy notebooks designed to look like both Steve and Joe's were sold as toys for kids by Flying Colours Toys Inc. 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 the handydandynotebooks.com website, which has every single notebook used in the show, as well as their own designs.
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.
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 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 the theme song 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.
- In "Blue's Big Costume Party", the notebook made a spooky laugh when opened.
- In "Prehistoric Blue", it was called a "dino-notebook". It looks exactly like the normal notebook, but when opened, it roars like a dinosaur.
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 3 times: once in "Draw Along with Blue", once in "Blue's Big Musical", and once again in "Inventions".
- Out of all 3 times, the Thinking Chair was included in the drawing design twice, in "Blue's Big Musical", and in "Inventions". Also, "Draw Along with Blue" was the only time where Steve forgot that the Notebook 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.
- 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.
Bass music is heard when Steve draws the clues while tuba music is heard when Joe draws the clues.
"Blue's Big Holiday" and "Making Changes" are the only episodes to have the notebook make a sound when shaken.
- The notebook is referred to as a rattle notebook in "Making Changes".
In all episodes that feature a different notebook variant, Blue pulls out the normal notebook instead of it's variant in the theme song, except for "Blue's Birthday".
- "Love Day" and "Meet Blue's Baby Brother" are not counted.

From Mid-Season 5 to Season 6, the clues in Joe's notebooks draw by themselves, come alive, and sing what they are. It is currently unclear if this will 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 them selves and signing when they come alive.