Why was Bedtime Stories and Songs edited?

[D'Snowth]

After purchasing "Count it Higher" on DVD yesterday, I'm considering getting DVDs of other titles that I've had on VHS since I was practically born, but I'm just curious as to why "Bedtime Stories and Songs" was retitled and edited? Other titles don't seem to be edited in any form, so why does this one have to be?

 

[D'Snowth]

Actually, I think I've kind of figured out at least one of the reasons why this particular video had been edited...

The original contained "The King's Problem", which featured a MUCH younger Maria from the early 70s, so I guess that would probably completely confuse today's kids.

 

[minor muppetz]

I wonder about that as well, but then the rerelease also had a Grover segment replaced with another segment. Don't know what was so wrong with the Grover segment.

But would a young Maria really be a problem? Rock & Roll and Dance Along both include a very young Gina, and as far as I know those are still in print (though I haven't seen copies in stores for years, but at the very least they were still in print in 2005). There are many other old videos with the cast that are still in print, though maybe not with such obvious younger looks. Bedtime Stories and Songs is really the only video that got altered for a rerelease (well, so did Big Bird in China). While not every video release is still in print, I think everything that was released on DVD is, though I'm not too sure on whether the Old School or Play with Me Sesame releases are in print (I haven't seen new copies of any of those in years). As far as I know they never altered Sign Yourself Silly, which has the original celebrity edit of Put Down the Duckie and a Don Music segment.

Though it seems that starting in the 1990s if not earlier they pretty much stopped showing segments where the adults look younger (years before they seemingly stopped showing earlier segments with the Muppets looking different). There was an episode from season 30 which included "The Word is No", with Gina looking a lot different, but that was presented as a flashback. Interestingly, last years release of "Elmo's World: The People in Your Neighborhood", aimed at today's target audience (not nostalgiac fans), features two early versions of The People in Your Neighborhood, with younger-looking Bob and Maria. So I guess they must not be too concerned about confusing kids now (if only they'd feel this way and put the older clips in new episodes and more new video releases).

 

[salemfan]

As far as I know they never altered Sign Yourself Silly, which has the original celebrity edit of Put Down the Duckie and a Don Music segment.

When Sing Yourself Silly came to DVD, they kept the Don Music segment in there. In fact, I was surprised they kept it because it came to DVD AFTER the character was discontinued because of complaints about kids imitating his head-banging.

 

[LittleJerry92]

Well that certainly didn’t stop his segments continuing to syndicate (albeit rather spread out far between) till season 29 and his segments getting future releases since.

 

[salemfan]

Well that certainly didn’t stop his segments continuing to syndicate (albeit rather spread out far between) till season 29 and his segments getting future releases since.

Well, did the inundation of complaints from parents about kids imitating Don Music's head banging come before or after the death of Don Music's performer, Dick Hunt?

 

[LittleJerry92]

 

[minor muppetz]

On the subject, did Don Music ever bang his head in street scenes (okay, I think he did when Hooper's Store opened)? Seems like in nearly all the ones I know of, he does not bang his head. It's as if that running gag was actually dropped long before Richard Hunt died, even if they continued showing the old news sketches on occasion afterwards (considering many of those street scenes were single self-contained scenes, it's a shame they didn't repeat those segments through the 1990s).

 

[LittleJerry92]

He did in the reopening of Hooper’s Store but it was cut off I believe.

 

[salemfan]

On the subject, did Don Music ever bang his head in street scenes (okay, I think he did when Hooper's Store opened)? Seems like in nearly all the ones I know of, he does not bang his head. It's as if that running gag was actually dropped long before Richard Hunt died, even if they continued showing the old news sketches on occasion afterwards (considering many of those street scenes were single self-contained scenes, it's a shame they didn't repeat those segments through the 1990s).

Yes, he did. It's in episode 2035 and 2285.