This is topic Warning: Small children should not be exposed to Sesame Street "Old School"... in forum Books, Films, Food and Culture at Hatrack River Forum.
Adults are free to purchase the DVD collections, of course. The second one's recently come out. But a disclaimer has been put on the DVD case and a warning on the introductory screen of the DVD itself that it may not be appropriate for today's children.
It glorified cookie gluttony.
It had Big Bird hallucinating a "best friend".
It had Oscar being mean without showing hints of a heart of gold.
It had Don Music, who encouraged children to use their pianos as a head-bashing device.
And on and on. Why, it even has kids accepting invitations from strange adults to come over and eat munchies. Eep.
Now I'm wondering if DVDs of old Mister Roger's Neighborhood episodes get a similar warning. Lady Elaine Fairchild was pretty freaky, and don't even get me started on Purple Panda!
Posted by ketchupqueen (Member # 6877) on :
Yeah, that is silly.
Posted by Threads (Member # 10863) on :
Explicit but hilarious
Posted by Sean Monahan (Member # 9334) on :
I wouldn't necessarily blame them for that disclaimer. I would bet it's there primarily for the purpose of heading off frivolous lawsuits.
Posted by BlackBlade (Member # 8376) on :
I read about this, and I chuckled, then died alittle inside.
I think it's entirely good for today's children as the ADHD's role model Elmo had not joined the cast yet.
Posted by Puffy Treat (Member # 7210) on :
quote:Originally posted by Sean Monahan: I wouldn't necessarily blame them for that disclaimer. I would bet it's there primarily for the purpose of heading off frivolous lawsuits.
Reading up on it, Sesame Workshop really and truly does feel ashamed of some of the content in the original shows, and feels they exist best today as mere adult nostalgia.
One thing I noticed: A lot of the mild flirtation that happened between Maria and David's been edited out. Are they worried it would confuse children who only know Maria as the wife of Luis?
Posted by Pegasus (Member # 10464) on :
Link to NY Times article
Posted by MightyCow (Member # 9253) on :
I don't want to live in a world where we don't teach children that cookie gluttony is a good thing.
Posted by PSI Teleport (Member # 5545) on :
But I watched an episode today that glorified jelly bean gluttony! (Along with everything else that starts with the letter J.) How is that any better?
Posted by Saephon (Member # 9623) on :
Funny you brought this up, my friend's AIM profile had a very funny excerpt from an article on the flaws of Elmo.
quote: Chatman, who refers to Elmo as the Jar Jar Binks of "Sesame Street," worries that Elmo teaches kids to care only about themselves.
"Elmo is just a baby-voiced, self-obsessed character who is only concerned with Elmo," says Lee. "He just passively observes things: 'Elmo is looking at a sandwich. Elmo is eating a sandwich. Elmo is crapping out the sandwich and writing his name on the wall with it.' " The last celebrity to so obsessively refer to himself in the third person was Richard Nixon.
Whereas Count Von Count markets math and Oscar markets the acceptability of negative emotions, Elmo, brilliantly, just markets Elmo, leading him to be the show's cash cow, or whatever misshapen animal he's supposed to be.
Posted by ketchupqueen (Member # 6877) on :
When my mom got Noggin I used to go over there just to watch reruns of classic Sesame Street.
I can't help but think an awful lot of today's Sesame Street is overproduced and watered down. For instance, there was a classic guest appearance by Paul Simon. It was just him playing "Me and Julio Down by the Schoolyard" and a bunch of kids dancing and having fun and laughing and running around in circles. This conveyed the point that music is good and dancing is fun. Now, to convey the same point, they have a song about how dancing is a great thing to do, complete with kids doing choreographed hip-hop dancing and ADHD-inspiring camera cuts. I can't help but prefer the former.
Posted by anti_maven (Member # 9789) on :
Ah nostalgia, it isn't what it used to be though... Although I agree with KQ, that the new stuff is over produced, pre-masticated, pap.
Like BlackBlade, I died a little when I read this. OK the world has moved on from the early 70s but I wonder if the perils we see a round every corner aren't just the same perils we had then, but with better marketing.
I mean to say, Cookie Monster smoking a pipe on MonsterPiece Theatre - I don't recall that leading to a spate fo 5 year olds blazing on their briars...
All this sanitization is purely for the pacification of the Adults who are watching. The kids couldn't give two hoots. Maybe if we gave a little more credit to the 5 year-olds, things wouldn't get so crazy.
On a more serious note, can anyone point me in the direction of the funky seventies "1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9,10 - eleven, twelve" song, with the groovy graphics like a pinball machine - or am I the only one who remembers this (possibly a big-birdesque hallucination brought on by excessive cookie consumption and pipesmoking?????)
Any help would be greatly appreciated!
Posted by ketchupqueen (Member # 6877) on :
I watch old SS clips on YouTube with my three-year-old all the time. There's some awesome stuff.
Posted by porcelain girl (Member # 1080) on :
My friends and I bust into that song almost every time someone is counting, anti-maven. Or if someone counts to ten, someone else inevitably mumbles "eleven, twelve" under their breath.
Of course, my favorite Sesame Street memories are almost all of Ernie (and sometimes Bert.) Oscar was my favorite character, but somehow Ernie gets more play time in my fond memories.
And his songs (or songs featuring him) were the best. "I Don't Want to Live on the Moon," "Dance Myself to Sleep," and even "Put Down the Duckie" come to mind. Posted by ketchupqueen (Member # 6877) on :
After posting this I had to play "Put Down the Duckie." My daughter and I danced uncontrollably. Sesame Street on YouTube rocks. Posted by Sterling (Member # 8096) on :
Good heavens, have they seen what Wile E. Coyote is showing kids about how to hold dynamite?!
(sigh)...
So... No Don Music bonking his head on the piano, and no gluttonous cookie monster. Just Elmo endlessly droning on about Elmo, and Baby Bear teaching our children that it's cute to turn 'r's into 'w's and refer to everything about himself as his "wee little" so-and-so.
...And Sony reminding us unskippably every time we put in one of the recent DVDs how important our support of the Sesame Workshop is to them.
It's still better than a lot of what's out there for kids, but it's not what it used to be. What I've seen of "Read Between the Lions" usually is more impressive.
quote:Originally posted by porcelain girl: My friends and I bust into that song almost every time someone is counting, anti-maven. Or if someone counts to ten, someone else inevitably mumbles "eleven, twelve" under their breath.
You're not alone.
Posted by anti_maven (Member # 9789) on :
OH JOY!!!
Thank you KQ and Porcelain Girl! You have made my day!
Mind you, in my pipe and cookie-fueled daze I don't remember it being that long - wonderful!
Posted by ketchupqueen (Member # 6877) on :
It often wasn't-- they usually showed just parts of it, highlighting the number of the day. Posted by ketchupqueen (Member # 6877) on :
It's Between the Lions, Sterling, no "Read" in the title.
And while it's okay (I used to not be able to stand Leona's whiny little voice, but I guess I'm over it) I still like The Electric Company better.
Posted by Sterling (Member # 8096) on :
Was thinking of the theme song. My bad.
Posted by Puffy Treat (Member # 7210) on :
Sesame Street definitely took a downturn when Jim Henson and Richard Hunt died, then Frank Oz mostly left puppetry for his film career.
With the show skewing younger and younger, Elmo became the new core character almost by default.
Posted by Chris Bridges (Member # 1138) on :
Wrote about it already, back when "Sin City" came out.
FROG: The stink of melting polystyrene fills the nostrils I don't have. There's only one creature cruel and ambitious enough to do this, and I hope he's in a ticklish mood.
A high-pitched voice comes from the darkness.
ELMO: Hee hee! You shouldn'tna come back, Frog. Shoulda stuck with your show and your movies and left Elmo his world. It's Elmo's now, you know. Ha ha ha, hee hee! No more humans and monsters and togetherness and problem-solving and skits that make you think. Just Elmo, Elmo's goldfish, and Elmo's merchandising empire. Oh, and Zoe, here, of course. Ha ha ha!
Posted by Lisa (Member # 8384) on :
Love it!
Posted by Noemon (Member # 1115) on :
A year or two ago somebody posted a link to a site that did kind of a "behind the scenes" type biography of one of the muppets. I can't remember whether it was Kermit, Grover, or Ernie. I realize that this is a pretty vague description of the site, but does anyone else remember it, and happen to have a link? I've wanted to refer people to it a number of times lately, but haven't had much luck finding it (which isn't surprising, given how little I remember about it)
Posted by ketchupqueen (Member # 6877) on :
Was it like a VH1 Behind the Music style parody? I seem to remember something like that.
Posted by Noemon (Member # 1115) on :
Yep, it was. It seems like it should have been Kermit being profiled, but as I think about it harder I'm thinking it was actually Ernie.
Posted by Dan_raven (Member # 3383) on :
You do realize that Sesame Street was a strong influence in producing the type of adults who would demand this sticker be put on Sesame Street dvds.
Posted by ketchupqueen (Member # 6877) on :
Noemon, I was thinking Kermit too.
Posted by Noemon (Member # 1115) on :
Kermit would make more sense, definitely. Elmo plays the role of the up and coming kid whose career the character being profiled first nurtured before the young talent turned on him and stole his show, if I remember correctly.
Posted by ElJay (Member # 6358) on :
Jake, are you thinking of Grover is Bitter? I can't link to it from work, but google will take you there.
Posted by Puffy Treat (Member # 7210) on :
quote:Originally posted by Dan_raven: You do realize that Sesame Street was a strong influence in producing the type of adults who would demand this sticker be put on Sesame Street dvds.
It's Sesame Workshop who decided to add the disclaimers, based on their own opinions on what is and isn't appropriate for children.
Which "adults who would demand this sticker" are you referring to? Them? They co-created the show. It's their call. Just like it's our call to ridicule or laud them. Posted by Noemon (Member # 1115) on :
I'm not sure, Liza, but when I get home I'll google it and find out.
Posted by ElJay (Member # 6358) on :
Disclaimer: I have no idea what you are actually talking about, I just decided to test my google-fu based on what you said about what you were looking for.
Posted by The Rabbit (Member # 671) on :
In defense of the disclaimer, US society really has changed in many significant ways over the past 40 years and some of those changes do influence what is appropriate for children.
I was just watching Oscar singing "I Love Trash" on Sesame Street and it occurred that back in the 60's and 70s, when Oscar was introduced, America didn't have lots of people living on the streets. In fact, the current notion of homelessness didn't really exist at that time because the poor could usually find shelter in flophouses of various kinds and could find day labor in most US cities. I'm sure there were a few people sleeping on the streets in places like skid row but you just didn't see it in most places like you do now.
Back in the late 60s and 70s, no one would have associated Oscar the Grouch with homeless people who live on the streets and dumpster dive for food because homelessness just wasn't the wide spread problem it is today.
Posted by Noemon (Member # 1115) on :
Your Google-fu is strong, Liza; that's exactly the site I was thinking of. Thanks!
Posted by advice for robots (Member # 2544) on :
I never connected Oscar with homeless people before this thread. I guess I just always figured living in a garbage can and eschewing hygiene and etiquette were just his schtick. Heck, doesn't Big Bird live outdoors, too, in a big nest?
We grew up on Sesame Street, but now we can see how silly Sesame Street is and how very simple it is compared to the complexities of the world. Somehow we expect it to have grown up with us, I guess.
Posted by ElJay (Member # 6358) on :
Cool, Jake. Maybe I'll take a look at it when I get home, sounds funny. Posted by ketchupqueen (Member # 6877) on :
I never connected Oscar with homeless people, either, afr.
Posted by Puffy Treat (Member # 7210) on :
quote:Originally posted by The Rabbit: Back in the late 60s and 70s, no one would have associated Oscar the Grouch with homeless people who live on the streets and dumpster dive for food because homelessness just wasn't the wide spread problem it is today.
If that were truly the reason for the label, then they'd have moved Oscar out of his trashcan long ago. The character still resides in his can in the current shows. Sesame Workshop had concerns that Oscar comes off as too harsh and cruel in the earlier shows, not "people will think he's homeless!!!" Posted by Puffy Treat (Member # 7210) on :
Oh, how I miss Jim Henson.
Posted by advice for robots (Member # 2544) on :
FWIW, I always imagined Oscar's can to be just the tip top of his domain. I liked to think he had some kind of big, wonderful, comfortable house going on down underneath.
Same with Snoopy and his doghouse.
Posted by ketchupqueen (Member # 6877) on :
They've implied as much, afr. And anyone who's seen Elmo in Grouchland has had it pretty well confirmed (drat my mother-in-law for sending that to my daughter, the songs are annoying the FIRST time, never mind the fiftieth!)
Posted by AvidReader (Member # 6007) on :
What a beautiful song, Puffy. They just don't make them like that anymore.
My favorite bit was anything that started with, "Hi ho. Kermit the Frog here reporting to you live from..."
Posted by Puffy Treat (Member # 7210) on :
quote:Originally posted by advice for robots: FWIW, I always imagined Oscar's can to be just the tip top of his domain. I liked to think he had some kind of big, wonderful, comfortable house going on down underneath.
We know from the classic shows that Oscar has a swimming pool, a tennis court, -and- living quarters for at least one elephant down there! Posted by advice for robots (Member # 2544) on :
So we can think of all that negativity and filthiness as just the way Oscar interfaces with the rest of world, that cute old cuddly curmudgeon. Not as a symbol for any particular class of people.
Posted by The Rabbit (Member # 671) on :
I never associated Oscar with homelessness either, but I didn't grow up in city where hundreds of people lived on the streets and ate out of trash cans. I can imagine that kids who do grow up in that kind of city, might make that association.
Posted by ketchupqueen (Member # 6877) on :
I grew up in that kind of city.
Posted by Puffy Treat (Member # 7210) on :
quote:Originally posted by AvidReader: My favorite bit was anything that started with, "Hi ho. Kermit the Frog here reporting to you live from..."
Hee-hee-hee... Posted by Puffy Treat (Member # 7210) on :
quote:Originally posted by The Rabbit: I never associated Oscar with homelessness either, but I didn't grow up in city where hundreds of people lived on the streets and ate out of trash cans. I can imagine that kids who do grow up in that kind of city, might make that association.
Once again: That's not the concern Sesame Workshop had about Early Years Oscar. It was his original rough-edged personality they were worried about, not his residence. Posted by The Rabbit (Member # 671) on :
Too bad. I liked the rough edge Oscar.
Posted by Boon (Member # 4646) on :
I just miss Super Grover. Posted by ketchupqueen (Member # 6877) on :
I saw Super Grover a few months ago.
Posted by Noemon (Member # 1115) on :
As a kid, this was always my favorite Sesame Street short. Well, among my very favorites, anyway.
Posted by ketchupqueen (Member # 6877) on :
Oh, I liked that too, Noemon.
I think my favorites are still two Ernie songs:
Dance Myself to Sleep and I Don't Want to Live On the Moon. Closely followed by the elephants at the zoo getting a bath to "Splish Splash" (which apparently no one loved as much as me because it's not on YouTube. )
And as an adult I discovered this little gem from the 90s on one of the Sesame Street DVDs my daugher Netflixed: Boogie Woogie Piggies do the ABC! As an adult, I get all the references, musical and lyrical, to classic Big Band songs. I probably enjoy it a lot more than my daughter does. She prefers Bert's Purple Hand and Who Took Bert's Cookies? Posted by Puffy Treat (Member # 7210) on :
Do they have the one where Ernie has molded an incomplete clay bust of Bert?
And uses Bert's actual nose to complete the "masterpiece"? Posted by ketchupqueen (Member # 6877) on :
very funny!
Posted by ketchupqueen (Member # 6877) on :
Oh, yes, Pegasus! Ladybugs' picnic!
And I linked for Puffy up above. Posted by Pegasus (Member # 10464) on :
Doh!
Posted by Brian J. Hill (Member # 5346) on :
Count me in as another Ladybugs' picnic fan. I still get that song stuck in my head, about once every two weeks or so. It's usually when I'm counting out loud--when I get to 12 I want to say "and the ladybugs came, to the ladybugs' picnic."
Posted by Icarus (Member # 3162) on :
I thought this thread was in jest.
Posted by Lisa (Member # 8384) on :
quote:Originally posted by ketchupqueen: Oh, I liked that too, Noemon.
When I was a kid, long years before the advent of Elmo the Anti-Muppet, there was a Sesame Street album. The first and the original (link -- and you can download the album there as well). Here's the track listing:
01. Sesame Street Theme (The Entire Cast)
02. AB-C-DEF-GHI (Big Bird)
03. I've Got Two (Big Bird, Oscar, Mr. Hooper And Everybody)
04. Goin' For A Ride (The Anything Muppets)
05. What Are Kids Called (Bob And Susan)
06. Everybody Wash (Ernie And Bert)
07. One Of These Things (Bob And Susan)
08. Up And Down (Two Monsters)
09. Bein' Green (Kermit)
10. Somebody Come And Play (The Kids)
11. I Love Trash (Oscar)
12. A Face (Bob)
13. J-Jump (The Kids)
14. People In Your Neighborhood (Bob And The Anything Muppets)
15. Rub Your Tummy (Gordon)
16. The Number Five (The Kids)
17. Five People In My Family (The Anything Muppets)
18. Nearly Missed (Susan)
19. Rubber Duckie (Ernie)
20. Goodbye (The Entire Cast)
I grew up with this album. When I was 12 at summer camp, we did this album translated into Hebrew as our play.
My brother still had the vinyl (because they've never released this on CD) and he ripped it to a CD, copied the jacket and all. So now he and I have actually CDs of the album. It's the best.
Posted by BlackBlade (Member # 8376) on :
I tried to find the one with Prairie versus the wind machine, but I can't.
Posted by ketchupqueen (Member # 6877) on :
Lisa, my mom still has that record. And the Sesame Street Sing-Along, which we loved even more. And some Mr. Rogers records, and some Burl Ives kids' records (some of the songs have been released on cd but not nearly all.)
Posted by rivka (Member # 4859) on :
All of ours got dubbed to cassette years ago, but I think my mom still has all of the above. Definitely the Burl Ives.
Posted by ketchupqueen (Member # 6877) on :
My dad dubbed all of his but my mom's never got done. I should borrow them and use my dad's equipment to dub them (or rip them straight to CD.) But I'd have to not tell my mom whose equipment I was using... Posted by kmbboots (Member # 8576) on :
We had that record, too. "Nearly Missed" was probably my favorite, along with the classics "I Love Trash" and "Rubber Ducky".
Posted by Puffy Treat (Member # 7210) on :
Ah, for the days when fairy tales and nursery rhymes on Sesame Street -didn't- mean Baby Bear.
Posted by sweetbaboo (Member # 8845) on :
I will periodically sing the ABCDEFGH... song to my kids as they look at my like I'm insane. I get that one in my head too, along with the counting (1 2 3 4 FIVE...) and the ladybug picnic.
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Although I agree with KQ, that the new stuff is over produced, pre-masticated, pap.![[Smile]](smile.gif)
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