According to a very funny article by New York Times TV writer Virginia Heffernan, there is a warning on the new "Sesame Street: Old School" DVD that reads, "These early 'Sesame Street' episodes are intended for grown-ups, and may not suit the needs of today's preschool child." Baffled, Heffernan writes: At a recent all-ages home screening, a hush fell over the room. "What did they do to us?" asked one Gen-X mother of two, finally. The show rolled, and the sweet trauma came flooding back. What they did to us was hard-core. Man, was that scene rough. The masonry on the dingy brownstone at 123 Sesame Street, where the closeted Ernie and Bert shared a dismal basement apartment, was deteriorating. Cookie Monster was on a fast track to diabetes. Oscar's depression was untreated. Prozacky Elmo didn't exist.
It brings up an interesting question: Were those of us who grew up in a time before organic snacks and mandatory car seats and Abby Cadabby really at a disadvantage?
Heffernan suggests that over-protected kids today could learn a little something from old-school Sesame Street:
The harshness of existence was a given, and no one was proposing that numbers and letters would lead you "out" of your inner city to Elysian suburbs. Instead, "Sesame Street" suggested that learning might merely make our days more bearable, more interesting, funnier.
We're with her. Kids today are often presented by kids' programming with a misleading "everyone wins!" version of reality. They could stand a little more misanthropic Oscar, a little less "Prozacky Elmo."
Reader Comments ( Page 2 of 14)
16. Tony, I agree with your assesment as the greatest generation fading out now, though I think that the comotose lifestyles of Y and beyond are in for possibly serious hardships as the environment that has been degredated and near destroyed by previous generations has set them up for the same hardships they sought to avoid.
Tony P. at 3:11PM on Nov 20th 2007
17. I'm going to post a topic on www.U-Debate.com about this...anyone who wants to take me on come on over.
Jessica Summer at 3:27PM on Nov 20th 2007
18. I was in 5th grade when Sesame Street first came on the air. I remember watching it and liking it very much even though I was older. I remember watching it again in the early 1990's with my little nephew and even though it was still cute it had lost some of the original punch that made it so fun to watch. Sesame Street should teach children about reality not fantasy. They could be a big boon to helping children prepare for the real world instead of helping to set them up in a fantasy one. The truth is everybody doesn't win and every one doesn't feel good all the time nor should they. No one is entitled to these things and if you can't handle discipline or correction, then how are you ever going to be able to survive when you do get out into reality. These are part of every day things as an adult and a child.
LambLion58 at 3:43PM on Nov 20th 2007
19. a sesame street for today?
for one the neighbors would not know each other, except they might be jealous of the nicer car they see.
maybe they would occasionally bump into each other at wal-mart.
burt would be too busy texting ernie. big bird would be chatting with mr snufflupagus on a hands free cell. bob would worry that his housing values will go down if gordon lived nearby, and mr. hooper would be suspicious of maria's immigration status.
back in those days regular people hung around regular people
people interacted with those around them instead of constantly calling and texting somebody else
people respected the working class
people actually had local business which they frequented, and knew the shopkeeper
damn right the "old school" sesame should be for adults (((as well as kids if we can save the next generation))) if you have an iota of education and sense, you could understand the lessons of community and civility, and maybe after that remember what 9 x 7 equals
mr mike at 4:01PM on Nov 20th 2007
20. morons all of you...its all about parental input and if you believe this malarky chances are you need professional help
Me at 3:59PM on Nov 20th 2007
21. I had a vision...a great vision...of a movie or a TV Special where the Care Bears nuked the Smurfs. I did my best to pervert my child by teaching her the same perverse kids' songs we sang when I was growing up in the 60's, and making sure she got told about how life actually works as opposed to the garbage they teach in schools these days where everyone wins. As a result, she is a well-adjusted, appropriately cynical, funny, humor filled honor student graduating from college and going on to med school 22 year old woman. Her choices are great. She is highly self-disciplined. She hopes for the best but plans for the worse. She credits me with her cynicism, which is the ONLY stance it makes sense to take in today's world. Both my daughter and I found Oscar the Grouch our favorite Sesame Street character. Neither of us can stand Elmo. She has gone on to educate her 9 year younger little brother, who is following in her footsteps. More Oscar. Less Elmo. Tickle Elmo to death and give him a decent burial.
Father John at 4:07PM on Nov 20th 2007
22. Oh and that stupid purple dinosaur. My kid used to sing "I hate you, you hate me, we put Barney up a tree/with a knife in his back and an A-bomb in his head/now that stupid dinosaur's dead." She'd probably get kicked out of school for that in these absurd "no tolerance" times where idiot teachers and administrators kick kids out for DRAWING pictures of guns and so on. The school system and their employees need massive enemas.
Father John at 4:10PM on Nov 20th 2007
23. I HATE Elmo. Unfortunately, my children love him. I would love to be able to sit and watch old Sesame Street episodes with my kids. That and The Muppet Show. I watched Sesame Street in the early 80's and I think I turned out just fine!!
Stacey56637 at 4:20PM on Nov 20th 2007
24. I even heard some baloney where they said that big yellow bird is actually being an closeted gay pedo or something like that. It was like some decade ago more or less. I grew up with early 'Sesame Street' TV shows in 1970's, especially before they had Close Caption on it or something little after 1978-80 for deaf kids like I once was. And from what I could remember of it, they're pretty being lame in an comparison to where they might would want to put out new 'Sesame Street' XXX adult shows of today for our today kids to see. I think these old ones would be just fine for these today's very young kids, nonetheless!
whitehudson at 4:33PM on Nov 20th 2007
25. Yep I am tired of safe education, safe toys, and safe TV shows and movies etc. Kids today are growing up to never take risks so what are they all going to be like as wussy ass adults later on. I agree its one thing to want to protect your child from harm but its another to hide them from reality. Americans teach their kids elmo and other countries teach their kids how to use guns and build Bombs. NO I am not saying we should teach our kids to be terrorists but with the world heading into the toilet I want my kids to know how to defend themselves later down the road from GOD knows what is around the corner in our lifetime anymore, and I doubt throwing away all the guns and weapons is an option because its unrealistic to think thats ever going to happen. WAR will always exist in one form or another.
Randy at 5:18PM on Nov 20th 2007
26. The only thing about this artical is the fact that
the disclaimers before each episode were wrong.
These episodes of Sesame Street ARE intended for
children. I'll admit that Gordon was wrong to feed
Sally a plate of cookies, but yes, milk is good for
you. And that "Hey, Cow, I See You Now" ditty was
more sleepy than most of Joe Raposo's songs. But,
I've seen this clip many times in 1976, and it never
bothered me, so I think it depends on who you talk
to. These are my 10 favorite Joe Raposo songs.
"Flying" (a film about eagles)
"Dressed Up"
"Trying, And Trying Again"
"Everybody Sleeps/Eats"
"A Little Bit At The Beginning"
"When You're A Kangaroo"
"I Believe In Little Things"
"We're A Family (Animals in crowds)"
"Everybody Run (5, 4, 3, 2, 1, Let's Run)
"Me (Everything I Am Is Me)"
Richard Ott at 6:05PM on Nov 20th 2007
27. I never watched Sesame Street, not even once! As a child nor as an adult. However, I have seen some of todays programming aimed at children, and it is terrible. And I have dealt with "todays children" having 2 step sons of my own who were poisoned with todays "trash" way of thinking before I happened along.The schools are a joke, so why not the tv shows? And leave it to this upcoming generation to turn something as easy and soft hearted as a 1970s childrens program into some Psycho Plot to ruin the imaginations of our countries' children. This way of thinking is a perfect example as to how ridiculous our education system and programming has become.
pullmafingerquik at 6:18PM on Nov 20th 2007
28. Doesn't Disney own these characters? If so, that may explain what this is all about: $$. In case someone doesn't know what those symbols mean, it means 'money' translated: Whatever pleasures the 'sponsors' (also known as 'those who pay the bills') pleasures the commercial entity known as 'Disney.' I could get bitter about the 'Christian right' and all those who 'pay the bills' by buying their palp-as-product, but if I push this too far this message will be purged.
wvbailey at 6:21PM on Nov 20th 2007
29. in a new generation of "everybody wins" and no discipline, the only people that have lost out is that generation. kids need to know that not everyone wins and that there are consequences to their actions and that life is not always kind to everyone-that's just the way it is. To suggest that this show is anything other than what it is, is asinine. this is a teaching show and it teaches the difference between people and their cultures, there's not a dang thing wrong with that. These people that don't want it put out must be the people the pointed out all the "bad" stuff in the disney movies and all the "bad" stuff in the warner bros. cartoons-Jesus, get a life already!!!
grace at 6:21PM on Nov 20th 2007
30. Liberalism? Did you really equate the problem of over protecting and sheltering our kids to liberalism? For some reason I think that push of Christian Conservatism and its goal to control the "values" of America has slightly more to do with it.
Tony at 6:50PM on Nov 20th 2007