In the dizzying map of her dreams, H.E.R. makes a stop over at Blues Clues & You where she brings to life a friendly purple dinosaur with a heart and voice of gold.
When it comes to the business of dreams, Gabriella Wilson has been working hard at the hustle. Making a name for herself in and out of her moniker, H.E.R., the Filipino American singer and songwriter is no stranger to seeing things through. From her early breakthrough on a reality talent show and even publishing poetry, it was clear that the musical prodigy would make it big. Soon, H.E.R. would earn the attention and respect of the music industry, including the likes of Janet Jackson, Drake, Rihanna, and Alicia Keys, no big deal. Growing fame and fortune aside, it was really the music that struck a chord with the world, which would eventually earn her multiple Grammys and an Oscar. But even with this glowing list of accolades to her name, H.E.R. has more dreams to make reality, starting with Blue’s Clues.
“GUYYYSSSSS I’M ON BLUES CLUES. MY CHILDHOOD DREAM!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Thank you @nickjr @nickelodeon I had so much fun,” the artist wrote on Instagram, who makes a roaring debut on Blue’s Clues & You. In the episode titled, Blue’s Dino Clues, we see the clue-finding gang play a prehistoric version of their favorite pastime in what appears to be a kid-friendly take on the Mesozoic era.
Guided by Josh, Blue, and a mysterious dinoasaur egg safely nestled in a carry-on, we meet a purple T-Rex, voiced by H.E.R., who schools everyone on dinosaurs in a surprisingly catchy song. “Dinos, dinos, so many I know. Look at all the dinos, dinos, so many kind, we come in every shape and size. We all got a thing or two to help you know who just is who,” and so goes the Jurassic ditty, introducing us to different vibrantly colored creatures in the hopes of reuniting the mysterious yet-to-be-hatched dinosaur with its family.
Blue’s Clues Goes Jurassic
“Blue’s Clues was one of my favorite shows growing up. I can’t believe I get to play a character in the show and live my childhood dream,” H.E.R. relates in a statement. And it couldn’t have been more fitting, because in the award-winning and long-running children’s show on Nickelodeon, the T-Rex is described “as the queen of the dinosaurs and the microphone who can hit the high notes and the low ones too with pure ease in her melodious powerful voice.” Couple that with her knowledge on dinosaurs and this early on, she is looking to be a favorite character, tiny arms and heart of gold and all.
Interestingly, this intersection also means that another Filipino has made it to the show, because aside from Josh Dela Cruz taking over the Blue’s Clues gang, who is Filipino American just like H.E.R., they also introduced Filipino culture by way of Lola and bibingka. The representation on the much-beloved show even depicted a tender moment where Josh made the gesture of respect to an elder, the mano po. This wasn’t just a one-time thing either because apart from a special online series, Story Time With Lola, in another episode, lola would stop by Blue’s Clues & You again and this time, sang the nursery rhyme, Three Little Ducks with her apo, Josh. The best part? They sang it in Tagalog, too! Hooray, for Tatlong Bibe making it into the Blue’s Clues universe.
Come Through
Now, we hope that that wasn’t the last we’ll be seeing of the T-Rex on Blue’s Clues, because we want more H.E.R. Perhaps she could even sing in Tagalog, too. Maybe a prehistoric karaoke session with Blue and Josh? After all, she credits her success to her musical upbringing and of course, being Filipino. “I’m half Filipino and Filipinos love karaoke,” she said in an interview. “I’ve always been around music my entire life and I just gravitated towards instruments.”
Here’s to hoping H.E.R. comes through again on Blue’s Clues.
CONTINUE READING: CAN WE TALK ABOUT HOW STEVE, THE OG HOST OF BLUE’S CLUES, MADE US ALL TEAR UP?
