Don't Eat the Pictures

[BEAR]

I couldn't find a thread about this, so I thought I would start one.

I just rented and watched Don't Eat the Pictures (Sesame Street visits the Metropolitan Museum of Art) the other day. I am not sure if I had seen it before or not as I didn't remember anything about it, so it felt as if I was seeing it for the first time. I thoroughly enjoyed it very much. The songs were probably the best part. Also, it was nice to see yet another wonderful piece of Sesame Street history from before I was born (even if it was only a few years earlier). Good to see David again, a very young Maria and Linda, Snuffy when he was still considered "imaginary", and to hear Olivia's lovely singing! Also, was that Brian Meehl's Telly? I assume it was. Interesting to get to see that also. By the way, I must apologize for some of my previous posts on this forum insisting that Telly's personality has not really changed since then and that it is the same just with more development and energy in the voice. I realize now just how different Telly really was back then. He is still a worry wort now, but back then he was really mopey. Almost like Eeyore. Telly is so much more eccentric and excitable now. I stand corrected.
The thing I observed most is the content of the special. It was an interesting plot line with Big Bird, Snuffy and the Egyptian boy. Very edgy and at times quite dark. I sometimes forget how strange things were in the 70s on this show. Demons, ticking clocks...at any rate, there were some slightly creepy moments in it. It would make me even more afraid to be alone in a big museum like that. I thought, "Whoa, you wouldn't hear them talk about demons and stuff on Sesame now".
I am sad that The Count didn't have a bigger role in the special also. I feel they could have done more with him. They didn't even show him trying to find Big Bird.
All in all, I really did enjoy it, especially Big Bird's song about stars and Oscar's song about the broken sculptures.

What are your thoughts?

 

[GonzoLeaper]

This was a great 1983 special produced to help promote the Metropolitan Museum of Art, obviously. "Don't Eat the Pictures" is an awesome Sesame Street video! I really enjoyed it- but I was little freaked out at seeing all the Egyptian mythology and stuff...was it actually a demon that was mentioned? It's been a while since I've seen it- but I enjoyed it. Cookie Monster's "Don't Eat the Pictures" song was great! I'm glad I was able to get a copy of this great video!

 

[MrsWembly]

I grew up with this one. I agree, great story. I love the end where the little boy's heart was heavier than the feather. Big Bird made the point that he's been alone with no one to love him so of course his heart would be heavy. And as soon as Big Bird and Snuffy told him they loved him and gave him a big hug, his heart became lighter than a feather. Great concept. I also love Paul Dooley playing the museum security guard.

 

[superboober]

Indeed that gave me an advance knowledge of the basics of the entire Osiris legend before I probably would have learned it in school. It was rather sporting of Big Bird to loan a feather for the weighing (why one would be unavailable for a god is beyond me, but still...).

I agree this is one of their best specials, with a wonderful score. It does seem a little strange there aren't more guards on duty around the museum, or even alarm systems for the characters to trip if they wandered into a valuable section, but no matter. As I might have noted on an earlier thread, I always wonder how Snuffleupagus was able to get into the museum without being noticed, although given that he was still technically imaginary at the time, he might have just popped in. I agree with the earlier quote that there is great suspense as the clocks tick toward midnight; somehow answering questions from a demon is a bit unnerving, especially for younger viewers as I was when I first saw it. In the meantime, the other characters have their great moments, especially Ernie and Bert discussing Washington crossing the Delaware, Oscar singing the praises of the broken statues, and Cookie's repeated cravings on eating the paintings. His demolition if the hot dog stand at the end is the perfect ending to the special--not to mention the funniest part.

 

[CensoredAlso]

Indeed that gave me an advance knowledge of the basics of the entire Osiris legend before I probably would have learned it in school. It was rather sporting of Big Bird to loan a feather for the weighing (why one would be unavailable for a god is beyond me, but still...).

Me too, I already knew about Osiris when we started studying Egypt in 6th grade! I love this special, especially the moodiness. I admire Sesame Street for being a little dark sometimes, it made the story better.

Yeah, the feather just doesn't appear for no apparent reason. Even as a kid I knew that was just an lame excuse to use Big Bird's feather.

 

[BEAR]

Indeed that gave me an advance knowledge of the basics of the entire Osiris legend before I probably would have learned it in school. It was rather sporting of Big Bird to loan a feather for the weighing (why one would be unavailable for a god is beyond me, but still...).

My girlfriend and I laughed at the same thing when we watched it the other night. That was a great scene though, with Big Bird standing up for the Prince. That demon thing was kinda creepy at first but then really funny in a weird way.

 

[BEAR]

Also, Superboober, I think this is other proof that Snuffy wasn't really imaginary, because at the end, Snuffy walks right by the guard. We don't see him, but we see his shadow and the only reason the Guard doesn't see him is because he took his glasses off but he appeared to have acknowleged that something was there. I loved that moment. It was done so brilliantly.

Also, Cookie eating the hotdog stand at the end was so funny. He must have been soooo hungry being trapped in that museum all night. It reminded me of the ending of Christmas Eve on Sesame Street when he eats Gordon and Susan's Christmas tree, and then also Cookie eating almost all of the VW by the end of Follow That Bird. I also came to this conclusion...have you noticed that it's always Big Bird and Cookie Monster who seem to get into mischief, intentional or non-intentional. All three of the programs mentioned in this post are examples of this, and they always seem to do the same things. Big Bird gets lost and Cookie destroys/eats something no normal person would.

 

[The Count]

Yes, that was a groovy special.

To help out...Prince Sahu was the name of the Egyptian kid, portrayed by Aram Chowdery.
It's possible that was Willy the Hot Dog Man (Kermit Love)'s hot dog cart at the end of the special.
Not sure if you guys know this... But upon the weighing of a person's heart in Egyptian myth, should the heart prove to dip below the feather counter-balanced on the scales of a person's life... A creature named Ammut with the head of a crocodile, body of a wildcat or mountain lion, and legs or feet of a hippo would leap up and devour the person's heart casting their soul into the Egyptian equivalent of the neterworldly limbo.
Will come back after I get back home and check my Muppet List, there's a question regarding this special's human cast I've been wondering about.

 

[SesameStreetFan]

Also, Superboober, I think this is other proof that Snuffy wasn't really imaginary, because at the end, Snuffy walks right by the guard. We don't see him, but we see his shadow and the only reason the Guard doesn't see him is because he took his glasses off but he appeared to have acknowleged that something was there. I loved that moment. It was done so brilliantly..

Snuffy was NEVER really imaginary. The adults just thought he was imaginary because they never got to see him.

**This post was edited because it violated forum rules. Disagreements are fine but keep them polite and respectful. Name calling is not allowed. Two people can look at the same thing and walk away with two very different interpretations. Discussing those different ways of seeing the same thing is great so long as we all remember everyone's opinion is welcome here. **

 

[BEAR]

Hi, Ed. It wasn't Willy's hotdog stand out in front of the museum because the vender was some other guy. Don't know who the actor was who played him though. The Guard was played Paul Dooley. And the human SS cast was Gordon, Bob, Susan, Linda, Maria, David and Olivia. Not sure who played the "demon" guy. Will have to check the credits again.