Does anybody think you're weird for watching Sesame Street?

[CensoredAlso]

I definitely took a lot of cruel teasing for my interests over the years. The funny thing is though, once these same people saw how devoted I was and how much fun I had with my interests (it also helped that I was a nice person to them hehe), they eventually came to identify it with me in a good way. Even if they didn't share it themselves, it was MY thing.

I'm not saying this always happens, but it's not that unusual either given some time (and again, kindness doesn't hurt ).

 

[Greedo]

It's like abusing your teachers to malign Sesame Street! Getting in touch with youth and innocence through watching SS is not at all immature in my mind. It's also fantastic for aspiring puppeteers and puppet makers to watch da mastahs at work, how they can interact with us and capture our hearts and minds through inanimate objects. It's just plain ignorant I think to make fun!

Take Kevin Clash- when he was young, he was obsessed with puppetry. In high school everyone made fun of him, saying "You sleep with puppets", until he was able to perform on local TV. Of course, then everyone said "OMG this is really cool Kevin", and before you know it...shish ka-ba-baaaaaa... SSHHAAAZZZZAAAMM!

He's on SS. Who's got da last laff now?

 

[Drtooth]

Take Kevin Clash- when he was young, he was obsessed with puppetry. In high school everyone made fun of him, saying "You sleep with puppets", until he was able to perform on local TV. Of course, then everyone said "OMG this is really cool Kevin", and before you know it...shish ka-ba-baaaaaa... SSHHAAAZZZZAAAMM!

He's on SS. Who's got da last laff now?

And let's not forget that he has a higher up position now, and gets paid the BIG bucks.

 

[Convincing John]

And let's not forget that he has a higher up position now, and gets paid the BIG bucks.

True...and yet...there's some irony here.

Not to open up the old "Elmo debate" here, but I believe it plays a factor on this topic.

We're here because we're fans of Jim Henson. We mention that to people and the general belief/train of thought from the general Joe on the street is summed up this way: (forgive me if it looks like an algebra equation, but it's the best way I can describe it).

Jim Henson="the Sesame Street guy"

or

Jim Henson="the Muppet Babies guy"

which leads to:

Sesame Street="Elmo"

and

Muppets="Muppet Babies"

which leads to

Muppet Babies/Elmo="baby stuff"

resulting in

Jim Henson="Preschool Entertainer and nothing else"

Final result from average Joe: "You like a preschool entertainer? Ha ha ha ha!"

The public only sees a little bit of the Henson empire now. During the heydey of the Muppet Show or the first year of Saturday night Live it was different. People saw Jim Henson as something different.

The Sesame gig worried him and we all know that. But, thanks to Lord Lew Grade we got to see (and experience) the edginess of the Muppets not found on SS. When the show was over though, Jim needed the money for other stuff he wanted to do., Labyrinth, etc. It was the 80's, filled with Ewoks and Smurfs, "cuddly stuff" and the Muppet Babies fit right in with that. Sure, they kept the main characters in the public's eye in some form. But at what cost?

As for Sesame, it was just kind of there in the background unless something big was noticed on the show enough to make the papers. Mr. Hooper's death, Maria and Luis' wedding, etc. Something did happen in 1996 (thanks a lot, Rosie ) that turned Christmas into chaos. It's not Mr. Clash's fault, it's just what happened. Elmo became the next "Cabbage Patch Kid" for parents to fight over. (And parents complained about the Skeksis being vicious?)

The core group that created Sesame Street is all but gone, either retired, nearly retired or passed away. Due to this and the Christmas of 1996, it left Elmo to "fill the void" of these absences.

Remember what Rowlf said on the pitch reel? "We got to open the doors for these little kids, you know, BUT NOT TOO CUTE!"

We know that, as Henson fans, but what about the general public? What do they see?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cNt29huGNoc

Sesame Workshop Merchandising staff: "Magnificent, aren't they?"

While typing this, I was thinking of an excellent comic panel from Tough Pigs. I know I've been through this situation. How 'bout you guys?

Convincing John

 

[ISNorden]

True...and yet...there's some irony here.

Not to open up the old "Elmo debate" here, but I believe it plays a factor on this topic.

We're here because we're fans of Jim Henson. We mention that to people and the general belief/train of thought from the general Joe on the street is summed up this way: (forgive me if it looks like an algebra equation, but it's the best way I can describe it).

Jim Henson="the Sesame Street guy"

Even in the days before Muppet Babies and Elmo-mania, that assumption caused me some embarrassment in the family: my father didn't like me watching the Muppet Show at age ten because (exact quote from Dad here) "it's based on Sesame Street", which he considered a "baby show". (If only I'd been able to tell him that Jim started the Muppet Show specifically for older audiences, and that it usually had only ONE character in common with that so-called baby show... )

which leads to:

Sesame Street="Elmo"....

[snippage]

The core group that created Sesame Street is all but gone, either retired, nearly retired or passed away. Due to this and the Christmas of 1996, it left Elmo to "fill the void" of these absences.

Remember what Rowlf said on the pitch reel? "We got to open the doors for these little kids, you know, BUT NOT TOO CUTE!"

We know that, as Henson fans, but what about the general public? What do they see?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cNt29huGNoc

Sesame Workshop Merchandising staff: "Magnificent, aren't they?"

While typing this, I was thinking of an excellent comic panel from Tough Pigs. I know I've been through this situation. How 'bout you guys?

Convincing John

I think it's a shame that Sesame Workshop has had to rely on merchandising royalties and corporate sponsors to stay out of the red; the reason average folks equate Sesame Street with Elmo now, is that the Workshop needs to stay on the good side of the people who make money for them. Old-schoolers who blame Elmo for "ruining Sesame Street" ought to blame the toy marketers instead: before the "Tickle Me" dolls became a fad, he was just one more Muppet in the gang, not the only Muppet that most kids cared about.

 

[Kiki]

Yeah, when I was in primary school I was teased a bit. In grade five and six I'd wear a Cookie Monster top and people would go, "You're wearing Sesame Street...? That shows for babies!" Y'know? And now, as a teenager in college (which is junior to high school here, not like uni), I've noticed that trendy shops -the one's that I don't show in!- are now stocking SS tops and stuff, and now it's fashionable. It kinda cheeses me off that girls my age wear a top with Miss Piggy or someone on it and they haven't watched Muppets in their lives.. or how they crap on about how much they love Elmo and they don't have a single clue who Kevin CLash is. That's just me, that whole thing's just always grinded my gears! So yeah, but people do find it weird that I actually /watch/ SS seriously and buy merch and stuff and that I'm a full-on collector. They find it lame. Though I must admit, I am childlike. I'm not childish though, plus I think being childLIKE is a great thing.

 

[CensoredAlso]

Human beings (and this includes anyone and everyone) have this tendancy to occasionally act like sheep and follow trends, whether it's something popular, or even unpopular. What's funny is that even when people are trying to be individuals, they're often still following a group (again, either popular or unpopular).

 

[Convincing John]

Human beings (and this includes anyone and everyone) have this tendancy to occasionally act like sheep and follow trends, whether it's something popular, or even unpopular. What's funny is that even when people are trying to be individuals, they're often still following a group (again, either popular or unpopular).

(Stands up and claps).

You hit the nail on the head there with that and I agree 100%. YES! I used to be a teacher and I saw this happen time and time again.

As for the Muppet Show being "based on Sesame Street", that's just bunk. There was only one character crossover (two if you count Rowlf). Why yes, we saw Sesame Muppets exploding, eating each other and getting caught in romantic tangles all the time. I'm sure Mr. Hooper spoke Swedish and tossed birdseed milkshakes over his shoulder too. What some people think about SS and Jim's legacy...yeesh! (And they call us crazy).

Convincing John

 

[Drtooth]

Even in the days before Muppet Babies and Elmo-mania, that assumption caused me some embarrassment in the family: my father didn't like me watching the Muppet Show at age ten because (exact quote from Dad here) "it's based on Sesame Street", which he considered a "baby show". (If only I'd been able to tell him that Jim started the Muppet Show specifically for older audiences, and that it usually had only ONE character in common with that so-called baby show... )

I always felt that Sesame Street was the one thing that would have branded Jim a Children's entertainer for life time. Not Muppet babies, not any of those 80's Preschool videos, Sesame Street.

I say that there are quite a few more people wearing SS T-shirts openly out there than I'd ever have imagined. But it seems a lot of older Muppet fans tend to gravitate more towards oddball characters like Beaker and the Swedish Chef (myself included). So, if I had to make a guess, a lot of older SS fans (outside of this forum, that is) would gravitate towards weird characters seen there. I'm sure that if they made more Martain and 2Headed Monster merchandise, older fans would be wearing those T-shorts.

 

[Convincing John]

I always felt that Sesame Street was the one thing that would have branded Jim a Children's entertainer for life time. Not Muppet babies, not any of those 80's Preschool videos, Sesame Street.

Right! Jim was really concerned about that back in 1968 and he had a heck of a time trying to get the Muppet Show off the ground later. Lucky for him it did, eh?

Convincing John