Do you think of Sesame Street as a real street?

[ryhoyarbie]

Heh. Funny you should mention that. I can't remember where it was (I know it's somewhere in between Wakefield and Peabody MA because I saw it en route to somewhere) but I did see a street that just so Happens to be a Sesame Street. Of course, this one is in the suburbs, and it's a bunch of ordinary looking buildings... but I was absolutely amazed that I saw it.

You should have walked over to a trash can, knock on it, and see if a grouch lived in it. I know I would have. Or check to see if a 6 ft tall yellow bird was walking around.

 

[dinoboy]

Yes, I think that Sesame Street is a real street. However trying to find it in NYC would be impossible, let alone exausting with all that walking. Persoanaly, I would think that it would be a great idea if there was an actual replica of Sesame Street in NYC, where the kids could play and learn safely, the muppets would be animatronic or walk around costumes. Actors would dress up like the cast of SS to greet the kids who come to play.

 

[ngreen522]

Yes, I think that Sesame Street is a real street. However trying to find it in NYC would be impossible, let alone exausting with all that walking. Persoanaly, I would think that it would be a great idea if there was an actual replica of Sesame Street in NYC, where the kids could play and learn safely, the muppets would be animatronic or walk around costumes. Actors would dress up like the cast of SS to greet the kids who come to play.

Ya know, Sesame Place has all of that and it's really not too far. You could hitchhike, bus, or yellow cab it - No problem.

Okay, seriously, I think it's worth the drive. Just grab some kids and go.

 

[JLG]

In my mind it's a real street somewhere in Manhattan (though admittedly cul-de-sacs are rare in Manhattan). In that universe, it's normal for some people to have "screens" following them around. In every TV show that breaks the fourth wall, in that universe it's just a fact of life that a screen follows some people's lives, with an ever-present audience watching.

And regarding letters and numbers, as Bert said in Muppet Family Christmas, "Where we come from, this is small talk." There have been a few self-aware references over the years that the people on Sesame Street are oddballs. Like that time in '75 or so when Bob and Gordon were playing "One of These Things" with some chairs, and the chair delivery guy thought they were a couple of nutjobs (It was hilarious because he was reacting like any person from the 'real world' would. )

So a "screen" with an agenda of teaching children, somehow made itself known to the number/letter-oriented residents of that neighborhood about 40 years ago, and that's how it's been ever since. I don't dwell too much on the details.

It's also a nice "echo" of things that Big Bird, while on the Muppet Show, mentioned that that and Kermit live in the same neighborhood. I imagine that Kermit would travel across town to the Muppet Theater and come home to Sesame Street at night (probably after getting lost every single time since the street's location appears to be hard to pin down even to the people who live there.)

 

[RedPiggy]

From Mapquest...

1. [700-799] Sesame St
   Anchorage, AK 99503
2. [200-373] Sesame St
   Aspen, CO 81611
3. [374-567] Sesame St
   Aspen, CO 81611
4. [568-599] Sesame St
   Aspen, CO 81611
5. [2300-2399] Sesame St
   Atco, NJ 08004

Also, although Mapquest doesn't say it, my mother lived either on or near a Sesame Street in Florida when she was a kid/teen or something. I've seen it.

 

[mikebennidict]

None of the links work.

 

[bazooka_beak]

Yes, but not from any specific place - not New York, not Chicago, etc. just a street. At least, I didn't when I was a kid. A street where you can't be shot, or mugged, or generally feel unsafe/scared. I would pay a lot of money to spend even five minutes there. It would make me the happiest I've been in years... or ever, really.

 

[ISNorden]

Technically, Sesame Street "canon" places the street somewhere in New York; the characters have confirmed that detail several times. (Global Grover, for instance, mentions taking NYC roads to come home from his trips.) If they're telling the truth about that detail of their universe, I imagine the neighborhood as a quiet, renovated set of housing projects along a cul-de-sac. Whatever magic lets text float in mid-air during lessons, fairy spells to put tutus on the residents, and omnivorous monsters to co-exist with giant talking birds...also hides the Sesame Street neighborhood from people. (Think of the hidden railroad platform in that Harry Potter movie, and you get the general idea.) Even the residents occasionally get confused by the magic surrounding their street; there's a reason Gordon admits it's "not the easiest place in the world to get to".

 

[wwfpooh]

Agreed. The Street--like many of Henson's work--is surrounded by magic, so it's hard to pin down or get to (hence why people ask how to get there in the theme song), just as the Labryinth would be, or finding The Muppet Theatre, or trying to get Down to Fraggle Rock...XD

To us fans it is easy to see the places in our mind's eye, but in the real world, people are so involved in their own little lives, that they fail to see the magic that surrounds them (which is basically what Uncle Matt, Cantus, and Majory were saying to Gobo as the young Fraggle was trying to communicate with Doc). ^_^

 

[Ignorance]

When I was younger, I probably thought that Sesame Street was not a real street and after filming the muppets went home and um... were muppets.

But now, I believe in the magic of it being a real street.