My own two cents

[BEAR]

A lot of older fans just yearn for the classic Sesame Street days. I do too many times. It was comfortable for us, it is sentimental and nostalgic. Change is hard for people in general. We have to remember though that it is about what works for the children. What worked 20 years ago may not be exactly what works now, of course certain things still remain the same. We forget that it is first about relating to our childrens needs. I for one always enjoy it. I like the characters and the songs. That is why I always watched Sesame Street as a child. The fact that it was also teaching me things was just a special bonus. I still enjoy it when I tune in. I guess I just feel that some of the new format, meaning having the whole street story in one at the start of the show, makes the hour go by faster. Like a blink of the eye. I just can't get enough!! haha!! Just kidding, I'll be okay.

I do have a question for you, Rowlf84, if you don't mind me asking...does Sesame Street have any plans to do more Christmas/holiday specials or feature films, or anything like that? We always talk about how Christmas was one of the things the Muppets always did well and Sesame Street is no exception. Is there anything you can tell us about that?

 

[rowlf84]

I have not heard of anything currently in development, unfortunately. I will let you know if I do.

 

[Rosewood]

A question I have had for a long time

The way you have been able to get your message across to people in this forum is very commendable. You obviously have the ability to simply watch from the side and see things from a much broader spectrum and only speak when you feel there is something worthwile to say (unlike myself). I agree with what you said in your article; Kids today have a much different level of needs than we did years ago. They also have a much broader range of skills and abilities which they must meet before they can start school now, much more than ever before. Back when SS was started, learning basic ABC's and 123's and getting kids prepared for school was an absolute must, and still is to this day. The main goal the creation of SS was trying to achieve, (at least from what I understand), was to prepare kids for school through the usage of public broadcasting. As you said, SS was the first publicly broadcast T.V. program whos main goal was to entertain and educate at the same time, yet not be condecending. And they were a success that has yet to this day to be matched. But back when they started, they had fresh, untainted subjects to base their research projects on. I guess my question is this: with the research projects still being an on-going process that SS bases its program contents on, where are they finding kids to be the "guinea pigs" for them that have not somehow been tainted or biased in some way, (at least here in the U.S.)? I can't think of many kids here in the U.S.A. to test "Elmo" on who havn't already become familiar with him, if not hooked on him. I would think it nearly impossible to perform one of the many tests they claim to base Elmo's popularity on without it being tainted somehow. Have they started to rely upon the third-world countries they are now being introduced to? Just curious.

 

[superfan]

Excellent question, Rosewood. The screening process probably has gone through many changes throughout the 30+ years! And who knows, once Elmo loses his 'power', what's next?

 

[furryredmonster]

I am glad everyone has something not as mean to say about Elmo. I just hope Elmo will not completly vanish. I really like the classic characters. But Elmo is just awesome.

rofwlf,
Can you tell me something? There IS going to be Elmo's World still airing for quite some time right? Gosh, I hope it is.

 

[anythingmuppet]

I actually dont mind Elmo much anymore. It's Zoe & 'Baby Beow' I dont like..

 

[rowlf84]

Unfortunately, as in any human surveying, there are always going to be factors that you can't account for, such as previous exposure to current SS characters. Research is not my area of specialty (as I've only done research on their research, if you get my drift), but I imagine that they try to pick kids that are within their target age range, both female and male, and different ethnicities. As for third-world countries, there are currently over 11 associated "Sesame" productions and over 30 in development. They all focus their research and education on topics that are important in their country (ie: AIDS in Africa, ethnic tolerance in Israel and Palestine). However, I think that with time, if Sesame wants to, they can introduce new characters that can garner children's attention as much, if not more so, than Elmo. Again, parental (especially moms) reaction is important. If a new character is introduced that appeals to the parents, they will be excited about sitting their kids in front of the TV and buying merchandise associated with that character. Who do you think had the money to buy those tickle-me Elmo's? Not the kids.

 

[rowlf84]

rofwlf,
Can you tell me something? There IS going to be Elmo's World still airing for quite some time right? Gosh, I hope it is.

As for this season, yes. I think things are usually planned one season at a time.

 

[BEAR]

Understanding the fact that Elmo is used to appeal to the current viewers, and that they write out characters they feel aren't working anymore, it is still safe to say that characters such as Big Bird, Ernie and Bert, Cookie Monster and Prairie Dawn and others are still needed to teach? I believe they are? Do they think so? You say that they introduce fresh characters like Elmo, but eventually they may find something else that will take the spot. I just want to make sure that they still feel the other characters serve a certain purpose and were not just kept because they are familiar and have all been around since the beginning. Does that make ANY sense? Otherwise they could have canned those characters sooner along with Herry Monster and Sherlock Hemlock for example if they weren't working anymore.

 

[rowlf84]

That's a good question. I honestly don't have enough information to say anything for sure. Almost everything I have said has been pure speculation as a result of what I have resesarched and observed as a third party. I have not been associated with the company for long, and I'm not in the research or writing departments. Therefore, I can't relay the exact thought processes that the executives/writers/producers go through. I mean, it could go as far as the writers having a personal preference towards certain characters, I don't know. I think some of it has to do with the lessons that they have to teach, deriving vague plotlines for those lessons, and then fleshing out those plots with characters. But, I reiterate, most of what I've said has been gained from personal research, speculation, and 3rd party observation.