April Fools: Sesame Street screenings to be held at Paley Center for Media

[minor muppetz]

I just saw multiple Facebook posts by Matt Vogel, Martin P. Robinson, and Alan Muraoka, saying that throughout the Summer, Sesame Workshop will host a series of Sesame Street episode screenings at Paley Center for Media, to include two full episodes plus a specially-compiled compilation. Each screening will also have special guests from the show, past and present, to take questions from fans.

In addition, Sesame Workshop has donated over 130 episodes from the shows first 30 years to Paley Center for Media. Some of these will be available for public viewing starting next Thursday, while some will first be screened during the screenings (along with episodes that have already been at the museum for years), and others will slowly be made available for viewing throughout the year.

Among the episodes added include the debuts of Mr. Snuffleupagus, Linda, Olivia, and Aristotle, the entire Hawaii trip, the entire week of episodes where Hooper's Store got rebuilt, the rare episode with Margaret Hamilton as the Wicked Witch, guest appearances by Stevie Wonder and Fred Rogers, the season 7 episode where Big Bird runs for president, the first episodes to include classic songs like "Rubber Duckie" (didn't say if it was the true original one from the first season or the second season version), "Bein' Green" (ditto), "C is for Cookie", and "Put Down the Duckie", and many, many more.

APRIL FOOLS

 

[Blue Frackle]

Stop.

 

[MikaelaMuppet]

Really wish this happened! Would be so cool to see if something like this existed.

 

[minor muppetz]

I've had this April Fools idea for a month. At first, I was just going to have it be about Sesame Workshop donating a large number of episodes to The Paley Center for Media - over the month, I've changed my mind on the number many times, ranging from 30 to 60 to 65 to 130 (which I finalized) to 160.

Then I got the idea to also say that Sesame Workshop was going to host screenings as well. I thought about listing people who would be hosting Q&As at the screening - ranging from Caroll Spinney, Frank Oz, Kevin Clash, Brian Meehl, and many former cast members.

And now, after posting this thread, I had another idea that I regret not doing. I should have said that Sesame Workshop would be donating brand-new copies of EVERY episode. Perhaps also with a full sketch rundown in the episode summaries (which would make it easier for Muppet Wiki guides). And to make it feel more like a joke, say that they'd be adding one full season per week, but the seasons would be added out of order (so, for example, one week would add the second season, the next would be the seventh season, then the twelfth season, then the forty-second season, then the twenty-sixth season, then the first season, and so on).

 

[mariolover]

I don't understand why they even have most (if not all) of the episodes stored away in a vault if they never intend on releasing them. It's total hoarding and a waste of space. Why can't Sesame Workshop just release every single Sesame Street episode ever made? It's just torture that they haven't released every episode yet and possibly never will. Can't they just put us out of our suffering and release them all? Especially the wicked witch episode. I want to see that one really badly. I'm surprised they didn't just destroy them all, but of course then there would be an even slimmer chance of us ever seeing them again.

 

[mariolover]

Does anyone know the contact information of anybody who works at the vault? If so, maybe we can have someone bootleg them all. I don't care if they're bootlegged, just as long as we get all of the episodes. Then we'll all be dancing in the streets.

 

[Oscarfan]

Or, let's go back to reality. That's a fine place. The pizza is pretty good there.

 

[mariolover]

Or, let's go back to reality. That's a fine place. The pizza is pretty good there.

The Paley Center for Media has pizza?

 

[Oscarfan]

Hoh boy...

 

[minor muppetz]

I don't understand why they even have most (if not all) of the episodes stored away in a vault if they never intend on releasing them. It's total hoarding and a waste of space. Why can't Sesame Workshop just release every single Sesame Street episode ever made? It's just torture that they haven't released every episode yet and possibly never will. Can't they just put us out of our suffering and release them all? Especially the wicked witch episode. I want to see that one really badly. I'm surprised they didn't just destroy them all, but of course then there would be an even slimmer chance of us ever seeing them again.

I am mixed on this feeling. I am glad that companies keep their master tapes and film prints/negatives in storage even if they don't intend to (or legally can't) get them broadcast or released on video/online. That provides hope that maybe one day they can have a legitimate release. On the other hand, I feel like we are very lucky that companies preserve their works, even ones that aren't likely to be seen again anytime soon.

Of course, with Sesame Street, all the inserts were made with the intent of being included in multiple episodes, so keeping them all was of benefit for those purposes. Though I think I read that Sesame Workshop also has tapes/reels/discs/digital files of the inserts on their own, outside of the episodes, as well.

The Paley Center for Media has pizza?

I think he meant reality.