Your Thoughts: Sesame Street Season 38

[Drtooth]

It looked like Henson's Ernie there.

No... it was definately Steve's.

Anyway, It's nice to see Elmo actually expessing childish emotions. Dude can be a selfish jerk if he wants (waits for inevitable comment about Elmo's World). It was nice to see Baby Bear talk about Curley.... though I think it's creepy she grew up while most of the other characters never change. Maybe that's why we never See Natasha anymore.


Is it just me, or did the animation of the Traction Jackson cartoon get better? Nice to see a new segment featuring that character. I love his doggy.

Other than that, very dull episode due to the lack of new material.

What season was "Papa's Big Bear Hug" from? It looked recent, but I've never seen it before.

 

[Ilikemuppets]

Well, I'm sure Gina knows somebody who's usually around for baby sitting or maybe nursery school or somthing like that. I only saw the very beginning of the street story so I missed most of that because I have to help my mom send my brother care packages while he's away at school, but from what i can tell it was pretty good.

 

[Daffyfan4ever]

I see. Maybe it was from sometime in the 90s when Steve started performing Ernie. I'm not exactly sure when the brighter orange Ernie with shorter hair actually came out. I might want to look that up. Anyway, thanks for the info.

 

[Drtooth]

You think Elmo still has that season 33 crush on Gina?

 

[Ilikemuppets]

You know, it's kind of hard to tell? But I thought that was season 34.

 

[ISNorden]

#4158 in a nutshell

The good points:

• The street story was believable, if a bit dull; Gina's life as a single working mom is busy enough to make others feel left out.
• The Traction Jackson segment about jealousy was well done technically, and tied in beautifully with the street story.
• I'm glad Sesame Workshop included some 80s/early 90s material, especially "African Animal Alphabet" (a distant memory even for an old-schooler like me).
• Another Global Grover sketch, even if it's old; he's been hard to find this season.
• A number segment that teaches counting by something other than 1's; it's good for kids to pick up concepts like that as soon as they're able to understand.
• The "Big Bear Hug" song made me wish I had a VCR; new material is usually good, but new material about hugs is a hundred times better to me.
• A non-Trash Gordon ending. The way Abby flashes back to the actual letter/number clips is creative, although I wish she'd been part of the street crowd they showed just before panning over to her. (Even though Abby's a fairy, she's accepted help from her Muppet and human friends before!)

The bad points:

• More recycled material for the letter and number of the day...*YAWN* Is Sesame Workshop's budget so low that they had to choose which topics got old vs. new clips all season?
• The Word on the Street (both Murray's opening and the celebrity clip) felt "tacked on"; it had no connection to the story or the rest of the show.
• Three words: too much Elmo. I don't mind him starring in the occasional street story; I've even learned to like a few EW segments. But both together--ugh! I agree with the user who suggested that episodes with an Elmo-centered story should drop EW in favor of more clip/story time.

Overall, I'd rate Episode 4158 a 7 out of 10: it's above average but still could have been better.

 

[Daffyfan4ever]

You know, it's kind of hard to tell? But I thought that was season 34.

Yeah. That was sesaon 34, because I remember they aired episodes from that year during the time they were airing season 36. They didn't air season 33 that year because the format was so different. But I do remember seeing that season 34 episode during the time they aired season 36. I guess I'm confusing everybody here. Lol.

Three words: too much Elmo. I don't mind him starring in the occasional street story; I've even learned to like a few EW segments. But both together--ugh! I agree with the user who suggested that episodes with an Elmo-centered story should drop EW in favor of more clip/story time.

Yeah, I've noticed they only get Abby in one scene per show. If she's not in the street story, they usually use her in an insert or to give the show sponsors. That's what they should do with Elmo. Just use him sparingly.

 

[DTF]

I would say pretty much the same things as far as the street segment, which is about all I saw. But, I will say this - the continuity was great, but this would have been the perfect place for a throwaway line with Gina saying, "Well, Elmo, I'm still his Mommy, so while Gordon's wife Susan babysits him, I still like to spend lots of time with him, too."

There was a clip from the late '80s or early '90s? That's awesome.

It was a bit dull; it would have been better if Elmo asked something like, "Why can't someone else watch him?" (Thus explaining Susan's absence.)

The word not only seemed tacked on, but simplistic for a "word of the day." However, I may be biased here; I was reading "Peanuts" books at 3-4, and with Charlie Brown and the others, it was very easy to pick up on what a sigh is. Maybe that is a more advanced word than I think.

I thought the "word on the street" would be "jealous" with another dimention being mentioned; that sometimes it's not just a sad feeling, sometimes a jealous person gets very angry at the person receiving special treatment. I can see why they didn't have Elmo mad at Marco, but it deserved to be brought up, and that would have been the time. (It doesn't have to be raging jealousy - just like the one "FUll House" episode where Michelle, 3, wants the baby the guys are watching to go home.)

That anger might not come about if the person talks about their sad feelings right away. But, that would have been something the celbrity could have said if that was the word - that "sometimes if you dont' talk about and get through those feelings, jealousy can make you very angry."

 

[ISNorden]

I would say pretty much the same things as far as the street segment, which is about all I saw. But, I will say this - the continuity was great, but this would have been the perfect place for a throwaway line with Gina saying, "Well, Elmo, I'm still his Mommy, so while Gordon's wife Susan babysits him, I still like to spend lots of time with him, too."

It's a shame that Sesame Workshop doesn't take ideas from outsiders; that suggestion would have improved the story a lot.

There was a clip from the late '80s or early '90s? That's awesome.

At least two of the clips today were that old: I distinctly remember seeing "African Animal Alphabet" and the "I'm so happy" film (with the clapping girls) before anyone at the former CTW had even thought of "Elmo's World".

It was a bit dull; it would have been better if Elmo asked something like, "Why can't someone else watch him?" (Thus explaining Susan's absence.)

Excellent thinking; Susan's lived on the Street since Episode 1, and the absence of a character like that can't always be explained as a death or a move out of town.

The word not only seemed tacked on, but simplistic for a "word of the day." However, I may be biased here; I was reading "Peanuts" books at 3-4, and with Charlie Brown and the others, it was very easy to pick up on what a sigh is. Maybe that is a more advanced word than I think.

In fact, "sigh" turns up in one of the best-known classic Sesame Street clips (the Yellow Yahoo cartoon, which has been around since 1969). I'm surprised that it was OK to use the word in context then, but that it has to be taught separately now.

I thought the "word on the street" would be "jealous" with another dimension being mentioned; that sometimes it's not just a sad feeling, sometimes a jealous person gets very angry at the person receiving special treatment. I can see why they didn't have Elmo mad at Marco, but it deserved to be brought up, and that would have been the time. (It doesn't have to be raging jealousy - just like the one "Full House" episode where Michelle, 3, wants the baby the guys are watching to go home.)

That anger might not come about if the person talks about their sad feelings right away. But, that would have been something the celebrity could have said if that was the word - that "sometimes if you dont' talk about and get through those feelings, jealousy can make you very angry."

Get out of my head, DTF; you and I are thinking exactly the same thing (except that I haven't seen the "Full House" episode you alluded to). Explaining jealousy in a little more depth--especially the angry side--could have helped a lot of kids with baby brothers/sisters. As the episode actually went, that "sigh" lesson was a lot less constructive than one about "jealous" could have been.

 

[DTWolf]

No, no, no, you've all got it wrong about the babysitting--Gina just takes Marco to work with her. The chickens in the waiting room sit on him while Gina's working.