1969 backdrops

[Joggy]

well there are many other shows for pre- schoolers whether on PBS or elsewhere. always has been. so what do you mean?

It's all in the marketing, I guess. Teletubbies, Barney, Blues Clues, and all those other series that are SS's competition, sell their products more 'aggressively' than Sesame Street - following the marketing trend that started in the 90s. Until then, none other preschool show did such a thing.

Sesame has never been like that. They were more about quality than quantity (the $s). In the 70s and 80s, that quality was enough. However, in today's business world, such an unagressive product won't last long with such aggressive competition, no matter how much quality it has.

 

[Mark The Shark]

Actually, it's interesting you brought that up. Because about a year or two ago, something told me that Sesame Street was not going to last much longer. Because it was not doing very well at all. But I have been told that the population has really grown, because the new format is sticking on.

But sadly, I have heard from a lot of people, that it wouldn't be such a big deal for little kids if it went off the air, because there are several other kids shows for them. And that's partially the reason why SS isn't that popular anymore. It actually makes me sad to hear that kids don't like Sesame Street.

The obervation that SS seems to be copying things done on "hipper" and "more contemporary" shows indicates that the producers are trying (I'm not going to say "grasping at straws") to keep their show in step with "the times" in order to stay relevant and stay on the air. There *is* a lot more competition from other shows than when SS started (when there was no cable, there were three network affiliates and maybe a couple of indpendent TV stations, and local children's television more closely resembled early SS, at least in form, with local hosts introducing old movie house cartoons which were 20 to 30 years old *then*). It doesn't worry me too much, since I haven't been a regular viewer of the show since I was 7 or 8 and I'm not someone's parent. But yeah, if it more closely resembled the show I remember, that would be really cool and I'd probably keep up with it more.

I'm just thinking about all of this...you know, Jim Henson not dying would have helped a lot!

 

[Ryan]

Actually, it's interesting you brought that up. Because about a year or two ago, something told me that Sesame Street was not going to last much longer. Because it was not doing very well at all. But I have been told that the population has really grown, because the new format is sticking on.

But sadly, I have heard from a lot of people, that it wouldn't be such a big deal for little kids if it went off the air, because there are several other kids shows for them. And that's partially the reason why SS isn't that popular anymore. It actually makes me sad to hear that kids don't like Sesame Street.

What does that have to do with 1969 backdrops?

 

[matthewxel]

You tell 'em Ryan!!

 

[ssetta]

I know. It happens all the time here on Muppet Central.

 

[Censored]

To get back to the topic at hand, (as some members seem to be VERY anxious for us to do), it should be noted that the blank backdrop and wall was in fact used several times after 1970. In the 80's, Ernie and Elmo did a musical skit about parts of the face in such a setting. And as late as the 90's, Telly, Elmo, Rosita, and Zoe did a skit that was partially performed with a blank background. I'm not sure what they're doing today, but throughout the years, certain types of muppet skits just seemed to lend itself to that kind of scenery.

 

[Buck-Beaver]

Granted I don't catch the show often, but isn't the "blank" backdrop and wall a near-constant on Sesame?

I think they've kept using it because - just like the Sesame Street Muppets - the show tends to use a very simple approach to design. The "wall" segments on the show always reminded me of the similar bits they would do in the Peanuts comic strip.

 

[matthewxel]

They reminded me of the Peanuts too.