What year did it all change for the worst?

[MJTaylor]

I think that Sesame Street changed for the worse in 1998. Yes, you've guessed it - the reason was Elmo's World! But really, the show has been changing with the times since the day it began. I suppose Elmo's World was when we realized that it wasn't the same as it was in the seventies.
However, I do like how they brought back the counting song that was used in the baker films. Now, if only they'd bring back the films themselves. And who else misses the Mad Painter?

 

[Ilikemuppets]

But if it comes down to that, didn't a large number of children watch Sesame Street through the 70's and 80's? And weren't parents pleased with the results in those decades too? If the old format had not produced positive results in entertainment and education, I doubt that the show would have lasted past 1969 when the whole idea was very much an experiment.

That's true. I guess it can be argued that it does the same now. But that's the proof the expert's have and I'm not one of them, so I can't say either way. But if it does work now days, then it's simply a matter of taste and liking. ANd that's just as important. If it appeals as well as educates, then I don't see a problem with it.

 

[Drtooth]

Maybe I have no room to talk because I'm a child of the 80's, but I absolutely agree. Sure, they may have made some unpopular decisions (i.e. making Snuffy visible to everyone), but the spirit and quality of the show was very much the same throughout that decade as it was in the 70's. Obviously as a kid, I made no distinction between the older and newer material, but now that I know more about the show, I can say that I find the 80's material to be every bit as enjoyable as the late 60s/70s material.

Exactly. I must come out and say something very unpopular... I HATE SNUFFY NOT BEING REAL. Why? It's like those Sylvester the cat cartoons where he sees a giant mouse (really a Kangaroo) and tries to tell his son, and his son doesn't believe him. He gets frustraited trying to prove it, and it's comical. Why is it funny in that context? Sylvester is a jerk, and deserves to be treated with no dignity. We feel good when he gets frustraied. Big Bird is a sweet lovable young boy. I, for one, feel sorry for Big Bird. He doesn't deserve it.

I saw a photo of an old skit in the Unpaved book, where some nasty looking newspaper guy holds a paper that says "enough Snuff stuff." Heartbreaking. If I were Big Bird, after a while, I'd feel deeply insulted, and leave Sesame Street forvever, not getting any contact with anyone I knew. I would have been depressed my entire life, and very standoffish, not trying ever to make friends again. I mean, there's some feel good quality in Big Bird plugging away, always trying to prove them wrong with foolish optimisim... but it's really depressing when you think about it.

Oddly enough, I am a big fan of Charlie Brown. But he at least has a philosophic depressed feel to him that makes it not so pathetic.

Anyway, I wanna add (if I didn't already) that "It's time to Play" is the worst thing to happen to SS, especially since the changes.

 

[travellingpat]

I say it got worse (although i still enjoy it today) in the late 90s when Elmo, Zoe, and Baby Bear took over

 

[JLG]

I admit it...I've always loved the "New Wave" characters like Zoe, Baby Bear and Rosita. In fact, I kind of wish they had been around earlier, since they fill a niche in SS's world that had been kind of empty before, methinks. (I'm not counting Elmo as a new-waver because he's been around for more than 20 years now. In fact, even Zoe and Baby Bear are getting up there in years, now.

What I think people really object to is not the characters themselves, but the material they're given these days. For most of the 90s the show's tone was pretty much the same as it had been, so having some "younger" characters around didn't make it seem toned down. Now the whole thing has been reimagined for a younger audience than before, so the writing holds less appeal for grown-ups in the room.

 

[JLG]

Drtooth: Re: Sylvester----Maybe the Sylvester of Friz Freleng-directed films (the Tweety Bird series) is somewhat of a jerk, but I don't find him all that unlikeable in Chuck Jones's or Robert McKimson's films (which include the "giant mouse" episodes you're talking about.) Boastful and stubborn, sure, but appealing in his way. Thou disagreeth?

BTW, I've seen that "enough Snuff stuff" episode you saw a photo of. Big Bird actually gets into somewhat of an angry shouting match with Bob and Susan over whether Snuffy's real in that scene, while that newspaper guy keeps coming up with all these silly headlines about the arguing. Looking at what you said, it IS kind of depressing to watch in a way, since everyone is so coldly dismissive of the Bird.

 

[Kimp the Shrimp]

elmo is bad but it went down hill in 1986 when i stopped watching lol

 

[Drtooth]

Drtooth: Re: Sylvester----Maybe the Sylvester of Friz Freleng-directed films (the Tweety Bird series) is somewhat of a jerk, but I don't find him all that unlikeable in Chuck Jones's or Robert McKimson's films (which include the "giant mouse" episodes you're talking about.) Boastful and stubborn, sure, but appealing in his way. Thou disagreeth?

That's true. I just picked him out because he was the best example of what I was thinking of. Dastardly and Muttley and Wile E. Coyote came to mind, but didn't work.

Yankee Doodle Pidgeon is so blaggin' annoying that I WANT to see those two capture him. ANd Wile E. well, I feel sorry for the guy.

 

[LadyVader]

Elmo should get his own show and put SS back to where it was before he took it over.

 

[mikebennidict]

That's never going to happen.