Things you miss

[ISNorden]

I miss a lot more than just "not having too much Elmo"; here's my list in no particular order--

• So many old characters who were lost because the performer died and/or left the show: not just Muppets like Mumford, Herry, and Little Bird, but also human cast members like David, Mr. Hooper, and Olivia.
• So many old songs and sketches that didn't need remaking to teach the same lesson today: Bud Luckey's original "Ladybugs' Picnic" beats the CGI version any day. And the theme song...I miss the version that played every weekday for 20-odd years (not counting the rewritten arrangements during "trip weeks", though those were OK in my book).
• Long street stories that couldn't be resolved in 15 minutes or less, and involved more than a handful of characters (sometimes even the whole neighborhood).
• Less predictable structure than the show has had for 10-11 seasons. Not knowing what the next segment was going to teach was part of the fun, but I learned a heck of a lot anyhow!
• Multiple letters per day. When was the last time someone needed to recognize only one letter to read a longer word? (I can understand how multiple numbers per day might confuse someone today, though--especially with numbers above 12 in the curriculum. Counting a whole lot of shapes on two different cards would be trouble for someone who can't tell 13 squares from 14 of them!)
• Multiple clips about any topic important enough to teach. Kids need to learn about the same things in different contexts--and some children learn differently from others.
• Just-plain-fun fillers, as long as they're kept to a minimum (those short, abstract animations they used to link sketches were awesome!)
• Kids behaving naturally in real-world settings, or talking to cast members spontaneously.
• Trip weeks. Seeing some of the cast (human and Muppet) in a different real-world setting, making discoveries and friends wherever they go.

You get the idea: not all changes on Sesame Street involve budget cuts, concerned parents, or younger viewers. Some of what I miss is just a different style of teaching and performing...and an attitude that doesn't talk down to kids.

 

[Drtooth]

I miss when they didn't hammer a single subject into kids as part of an initiative due to failures in our education system. Sesame Street always had a buffet style of topics, an would always touch on a little bit of everything in a single episode. It's gotten better so far this season (out of 6 episodes), but when complex (for the demographic) scientific concepts start edging out reading and basic math, you know something's up.

Not to mention that awful health initiative. I don't know if I hate that one more or just as much as the natural sciences initiative.

 

[muppet maniac]

I was going to vote "Nothing" on this, but...

I much preferred it when the show wasn't celebrity/pop culture heavy like it's become in recent years. I know that both of these things have been a tradition of Sesame Street since the beginning, but it seems like every episode nowadays needs to have some A-list personality or a few cultural references just for the sake of having them on there.

 

[D'Snowth]

• Kids behaving naturally in real-world settings, or talking to cast members spontaneously.

Yes! I miss that too! I miss seeing how genuinely excited those kids looked being on the street, and interacting with the people and the Muppets, nowadays, the kids all look robotic and like they dread being there; there are very few exceptions anymore, like that Antonio kid who did a few inserts with Papa Bear, or pre-Murray Murray (when he was known as "Filfil").

I much preferred it when the show wasn't celebrity/pop culture heavy like it's become in recent years. I know that both of these things have been a tradition of Sesame Street since the beginning, but it seems like every episode nowadays needs to have some A-list personality or a few cultural references just for the sake of having them on there.

YES! I've said that many times before too, you're right, celebrities and pop culture references have always been a part of the show from the beginning, but there was a time when you DIDN'T see a celebrity EVERY SINGLE DAY. Not only that, but I notice in addition to the bits we have today where an A-lister and a Muppet (usually Elmo, Abby, or Murray) discuss the Word of the Day, but it's like every single street story anymore has a celebrity guest star (NPH as a shoe fairy, Jimmy Fallon as a survivalist, etc). I know Joan Ganz Cooney said they decided to do that to encourage the parents and other adults to watch the show as well, but it almost seems as if they're ringing of desperation the way they've been doing it lately.

 

[CensoredAlso]

but it almost seems as if they're ringing of desperation the way they've been doing it lately.

That is usually what that indicates on Television.

 

[CensoredAlso]

Yes! I miss that too! I miss seeing how genuinely excited those kids looked being on the street, and interacting with the people and the Muppets, nowadays, the kids all look robotic

It a symptom of a show that used to be created more organically and has now become a corporate entity. You know like Barney (remember that show's robot kids? ::shivers:: ). Lol

 

[Oscarfan]

YES! I've said that many times before too, you're right, celebrities and pop culture references have always been a part of the show from the beginning, but there was a time when you DIDN'T see a celebrity EVERY SINGLE DAY. Not only that, but I notice in addition to the bits we have today where an A-lister and a Muppet (usually Elmo, Abby, or Murray) discuss the Word of the Day, but it's like every single street story anymore has a celebrity guest star (NPH as a shoe fairy, Jimmy Fallon as a survivalist, etc). I know Joan Ganz Cooney said they decided to do that to encourage the parents and other adults to watch the show as well, but it almost seems as if they're ringing of desperation the way they've been doing it lately.

Not every street story has a celebrity in it (last season had, like, 3). And the reason they mostly appear with Elmo, Abby and Murray is because the Word of the Day bits are filmed in LA, so they can only bring a few puppeteers (normally Kevin, Leslie, Matt and Joey).

 

[Drtooth]

I much preferred it when the show wasn't celebrity/pop culture heavy like it's become in recent years. I know that both of these things have been a tradition of Sesame Street since the beginning, but it seems like every episode nowadays needs to have some A-list personality or a few cultural references just for the sake of having them on there.

It's SS's attempt to swing people away from the cable competition. I like the parodies, I like the guest stars on the street, but it seems that they're marketing them over the existing characters that are arguably more famous than half of them. Elmo alone has had a steady career for almost 30 years (the scary thing is, we're just about 3 years shy of that milestone). But even Elmo can't sell Elmo DVD's

Celebrity guest appearances always were a staple, sure... but they were never marketed over the characters, and most of all, they were always a surprise. But that last bit isn't exactly their fault. The press releases hit the internet to the point where SW has been releasing press packets for everyone to peruse for the past several seasons. Kinda like how we find out every single detail in a movie before the first trailer gets to theaters to the point we know exactly which movie to see to see the trailer of it. Internetz spoils everything, and ruins every surprise.

 

[CensoredAlso]

It's SS's attempt to swing people away from the cable competition. I like the parodies, I like the guest stars on the street, but it seems that they're marketing them over the existing characters that are arguably more famous than half of them.

Well the original characters that still appear are well known and Elmo certainly is. I don't think the other characters are too well known outside of the age group.

 

[Drtooth]

Well the original characters that still appear are well known and Elmo certainly is. I don't think the other characters are too well known outside of the age group.

Elmo is a celebrity in his own right. Big Bird, Cookie Monster, Ernie, Bert, Grover, The Count, and Oscar are very well known as well. More people know Sesame Street Muppets than Muppet Show Muppets. I don't really feel they need to emphasize celebrity and spoof segments, but it has to do more with trying to get adults that could care less about the show to watch it with their kids. The first time parents that grew out of that stuff quickly.

Still, there's a lot of B and C-listers that appear from time to time, and the main characters are much more instantly recognizable.