Your Thoughts: Sesame Street Season 43

[JonnyBMuppetMan]

Hi, I'm new to forums since I'm not much of a talker. I figured I'd start on this thread since there's a lot to talk about this season. I won't ramble on about everything I liked, but I will say I was very impressed with the four episodes I caught last week (my DVR didn't record on Thurs. so I missed one ).

I was especially amazed with Elmo the Musical. Admittedly, I like Elmo's World (and appreciate it for its classic Sesame elements that people tend to overlook), but I agree with the general consensus here that the segment's run its course and that Elmo the Musical is an excellent replacement. There's an aspect to it that actually reminds me of The Muppet Show, complete with singing and dancing chickens! LOL

 

[Drtooth]

Admittedly, I like Elmo's World (and appreciate it for its classic Sesame elements that people tend to overlook)

I've often said that EW is basically a condensed 15 minute rehash of all the approaches Sesame Street has taken to teaching subjects, only shown all at once and on the same subject. I will say that EW had its moments (the epic return of Kermit to Sesame Street for one... and the Ears episode having multiple Looney Tunes references, especially the "wrong turn at Albuquerque" for another). There are two frames of hatedom on that segment. One being the standard Old School anti-Elmo, anti-segment crowd, the other who thought it was too long and felt Elmo was more a mascot than a character. I fell into the latter.

The true problem with the segment was that it was a gone horribly right situation. It was popular with the wrong demographic, something that usually kills a TV series... look no further than Freakazoid. The show went from a preschool-kindergarten audience to a younger than three toddler audience. Considering the show wants to go into deeper math and science subjects (the STEAM), it seems like those concepts would be lost to an EW watching audience that has 15 minutes on one simple subject.

ETM fulfills the need to make the show's demographic older (old enough to understand some of the new concepts, anyway), and I guess these parents are fuming because they still think the show is for babies and toddlers.

 

[CensoredAlso]

I guess these parents are fuming because they still think the show is for babies and toddlers.

Who shouldn't be watching that much television anyway. Sorry parents but you'll have to get a real babysitter once and awhile!

 

[Oscarfan]

I tried to tell them that on Facebook, but was met with: "You don't have kids, so don't tell me how to raise mine." Which, is kinda true, but still.

 

[JonnyBMuppetMan]

ETM fulfills the need to make the show's demographic older (old enough to understand some of the new concepts, anyway), and I guess these parents are fuming because they still think the show is for babies and toddlers.

Hopefully, that furor on Facebook will blow over in a few weeks (or months). No one's immediately used to change, so to an extent, I guess it's understandable.

 

[CensoredAlso]

I tried to tell them that on Facebook, but was met with: "You don't have kids, so don't tell me how to raise mine." Which, is kinda true, but still.

What they are forgetting is that being a parent doesn't make you an expert in psychology or child development. Anyone can be a parent. Not everyone is educated.

And I have no sympathy for parents crying because Elmo's World is gone. Sorry, lol.

 

[Oscarfan]

I saw "The Good Sport" (Thanks Phillip!) and I had a sappy smile when Elmo admitted his mistakes at the end. That was just a great story and it's always great when Elmo's not the poster image for love he always is.

I like the fact that the word of the day bit started with the celebrity not knowing they were part of it. That's like Grover dragging Kermit into a demonstration or vice verse. I wish they'd do more bits like that.

If there's one thing I wish Murray would do, it's not laugh off the abuse Ovejita gives him. All the characters suffer and comedy doesn't come from recovery. I don't want to see him suffer, but it's much funnier when Ovejita's antics make him more a straight man instead of equals. Bert laughing off Ernie's jokes or Kermit taking Grover's back slaps with a smile doesn't make for funny moments, IMO.

The Grover bit is great. The ending is something I'd never expect to see on the show these days; I guess anything goes is starting to seep back in. Elmo was good again, I was saddened by the truncated intro (it's a great intro song) and I didn't think there were enough songs (not counting the cheerleader ones), but it was a good bit with a great lesson and the effects were great (how they did that race I'll never figure out).

Also, I don't understand the purpose of the sponsor things at the end. Are they there to fill more air time EW's absence left?

 

[Drtooth]

Who shouldn't be watching that much television anyway. Sorry parents but you'll have to get a real babysitter once and awhile!

I tried to tell them that on Facebook, but was met with: "You don't have kids, so don't tell me how to raise mine." Which, is kinda true, but still.

What they are forgetting is that being a parent doesn't make you an expert in psychology or child development. Anyone can be a parent. Not everyone is educated.

There are things I understand not knowing until you have kids... but child psychologists and pediatricians have been decrying the educational value in products for kids under the age of 3. Especially the Tweeg/Flim Flam Bros. medicine wagon style Baby Einstein and Your Baby can Read. I completely understand that you need to put something on for a kid to answer a phone call or to handle laundry or to just get the kid out of the way while you do chores. You kinda have no choice there, as it's impossible to sit with a toddler every waking moment (those are what playpens were for, though). But it seems that these parents want EW for the educational and structural properties that, let's face it, are lost on someone who barely has an imprint yet. This is science.

Plus, ETM has been confirmed to purposely lose the viewers that are under the age of 3. SW did not want that demographic dragging the show down. They had to pander to toddlers, and the writers clearly didn't like having to dumb everything down to play for kids who wouldn't appreciate it. Among other reasons, if 2 year olds aren't completely interested in a TV show, they're more interested in the rest of the world they're just discovering.

 

[CensoredAlso]

I completely understand that you need to put something on for a kid to answer a phone call or to handle laundry or to just get the kid out of the way while you do chores. You kinda have no choice there

I know one of the experts decrying Baby Einstein said it would be better for kids that young to have more grown up shows on the TV, like Dancing with the Stars, simply because it's less stimulation overload. Like I've been saying for years, there's nothing wrong with showing kids more grown up shows. And as it turns out, it's a heck of a lot more useful than Baby Einstein nonsense.

But parents get defensive; they don't want to be told they're doing something wrong. If something's all cute and colorful, how could it possibly be bad?

 

[dwayne1115]

Well we know that the folks at Sesame are not going to put on something that dose not work. I know there has to have been sevral screenings with sevral diffrent age groups before Elmo the Musical was a sure thing on the show. We have seen them do that with everything else, so why not this as well.