abbreviate letter fireworks sequence

[superboober]

I always wondered why the sequence with the alphabet being spelled out by exploding fireworks was occasionally cut off at M to go to another sketch (nor was the the only one; sometimes the "rolling shapes" skit would be switched off as the pig approched the rectangle and prepared to take a bite out of it). Anyone know why they might have done this?

 

[ISNorden]

I always wondered why the sequence with the alphabet being spelled out by exploding fireworks was occasionally cut off at M to go to another sketch (nor was the the only one; sometimes the "rolling shapes" skit would be switched off as the pig approched the rectangle and prepared to take a bite out of it). Anyone know why they might have done this?

I can understand why a shapes segment might get shortened, since Sesame Street is narrowing its focus to pre-kindergarten kids. (How many of them have heard of shapes other than circle/rectangle/triangle/square yet?) I can bet they'd still be wondering about the pig at the end when they grew up...

Cutting off an alphabet sketch before Z, on the other hand, makes sense only if the producers want to use it for teaching that other letter. (Sesame Street has already used that approach for teaching numbers, after all.) I can easily imagine some precocious 5-year-old who sees the fireworks sketch for the first time, and wonders whether the alphabet was ever shorter...