Traci Paige Johnson (born April 21, 1969) is an American animator and voice actress best known for creating the

Nick Jr. Nick Jr. (known on-air as the Nick Jr. Channel) is an American pay television channel spun off from Nickelodeon's long-running programming block of the same name. It is run by Paramount Global through its networks division's Kids and Family Gr ...

television series, ''

Blue's Clues ''Blue's Clues'' is an American live-action/animated children's television series, created by Angela C. Santomero, Todd Kessler, and Traci Paige Johnson, that premiered on Nickelodeon as part of its Nick Jr. block on September 8, 1996, and ...

'' (1996–2006), its spin-off, ''

Blue's Room ''Blue's Room'' is an American puppet television series spin-off from ''Blue's Clues''. It was created by Traci Paige Johnson and Angela Santomero. The show aired on Nickelodeon as part of the Nick Jr. block, and it started out as short segments ...

'' (2004–2007), and the reboot series, ''

Blue's Clues & You! ''Blue's Clues & You!'' is a live-action/computer-animated interactive educational children's television series developed by Traci Paige Johnson and Angela C. Santomero for Nickelodeon. It is a revival of the 1996–2006 ''Blue's Clues'' tele ...

'' (2019–present). She voices the titular character for the original series and ''& You!''.

Biography

While a student at

Northwestern University Northwestern University is a private research university in Evanston, Illinois. Founded in 1851, Northwestern is the oldest chartered university in Illinois and is ranked among the most prestigious academic institutions in the world. Charte ...

, where she earned a degree in radio, television, and film, Johnson began developing her "unique signature style of cutout animation using construction paper and everyday objects and textures". She was a freelance animator in the early 1990s when cable television network Nickelodeon wanted to create a new television show for preschoolers. She already had experience working in children's television. In 1994, Johnson, along with producer

Angela Santomero Angela Candace Santomero, also known as Angela Santomero (born April 26, 1968), is an American television executive producer and co-creator of the long-running Nickelodeon children's television programs ''Blue's Clues'', its spin-off ''Blue's Room ...

and director

Todd Kessler Todd Kessler is an American film and television writer, producer and director. Among his credits are showrunner and co-creator of Nickelodeon's preschool series ''Blue's Clues'' and director and producer of the feature film '' Keith''. Career ...

, which Nickelodeon executive Brown Johnson called a "green creative team", created the series ''Blue's Clues''. According to writer Diane Tracy, Johnson, Santomero, and Kessler did not possess traditional backgrounds of most producers of children's programs, but "did possess an amazing combination of talents, backgrounds, and personal attributes". Also, according to Tracy, Johnson would "change the look of preschool children's television". Johnson reported that she was cast as the voice of Blue, the show's main animated character because out of the show's crew, she sounded the most like a dog. While in high school, she was a member of an award-winning student-produced comedy show, '' Beyond Our Control'' which ran on the local NBC affiliate,

WNDU-TV WNDU-TV (channel 16) is a television station in South Bend, Indiana, United States, affiliated with NBC. It is owned by Gray Television alongside Elkhart-licensed Heroes & Icons affiliate WSJV (channel 28). Both stations share studios on the ca ...

, at that time owned and operated by the

University of Notre Dame The University of Notre Dame du Lac, known simply as Notre Dame ( ) or ND, is a private Catholic research university in Notre Dame, Indiana, outside the city of South Bend. French priest Edward Sorin founded the school in 1842. The main c ...

. She is married to Robert Mowen (another '' Beyond Our Control'' alum) and has three sons: Thomas, Oliver, and Emmet.

Filmography

Notes

Works cited

* Tracy, Diane. (2002). ''Blue's Clues for Success: The 8 Secrets Behind a Phenomenal Business''. New York: Kaplan Publishing. .

External links

* 1969 births Living people 20th-century American actresses 21st-century American actresses 20th-century American women artists 21st-century American women artists Place of birth missing (living people) American animated film producers American women television producers American voice actresses Nickelodeon people Nickelodeon Animation Studio people Northwestern University School of Communication alumni American women animators {{US-animator-stub