No Sesame classic clips at all before 2008

[ssetta]

I really do feel like this show is going down the tubes more and more in terms of how much classic material is used. So far this season, there has not been a single clip shown from before 2008 (when the show started broadcasting in HD). I just feel like there's no purpose in watching the current show anymore if this continues.

Back in Season 34 (2003), I was complaining about the fact that there was no material being shown from the 70s, but they were still showing a little bit of material from the 80s, and plenty from the 90s. They actually showed MORE classic material in seasons 37 and 38 than they did in 34. But then in Season 39, they stopped showing many clips from the 90s, maybe an occasional one but not very often. Then beginning in Season 40, it seemed like they just kept showing less and less classic material. But even then, there were a few surprises, like there was that one surprise in Season 41 with "I Gotta Be Clean." I'll never forget that. And then in Season 43, they did air that one sketch from the 90s with Ernie and Rubber Duckie, but other than that, everything was from the 2000s, if any. It just seems like they keep showing less and less classic material, and it just makes me really sad. I just don't know what I'm gonna do anymore. I feel like there's a void in my life right now of classic Sesame Street. Even Sprout is only showing Season 40 now.

 

[D'Snowth]

Again, there's this unwritten rule that the show can't look "dated" for today's kids.

 

[ssetta]

Again, there's this unwritten rule that the show can't look "dated" for today's kids.

I understand that, but I don't agree with it and it still makes me really sad. I just don't really think I can take it for much longer, or I'll get really depressed. I've already been depressed enough for the last couple of years. I mean, of course there's all the clips on SS.org, and Sesame Street's official YouTube channel, and even a few classic episodes have been released on iTunes, but I just don't feel like it's enough to get me through my whole life.

 

[Oscarfan]

C'est la vie.

And stop watching because there's no older material? Why not watch for the NEW material?

 

[minor muppetz]

I was wondering if the show was still showing full-frame segments this year. I haven't seen too many episodes from this season.

It's interesting, segments from the first 20 years were very common up until about season 32, though it seems segments from the first season were scarce in the late-1990s (but I know that some were broadcast until either season 31 or 32, not counting Baker #10 appearing in The Street We Live On), then segments from the 1970s were rare (The King of 8 appeared in a season 36 episode, and I know that some Pinball Number Count segments were shown around the season 33-36 era, and the season ten "Bert Teaches Pigeon Checkers" segment was shown in a season 38 episode). Then stuff from before 1990 were dropped in season 39, and then around season 41 or 42 it was even rare for segments from the 1990s to be shown (though they were shown), and now it appears that segments in full frame are now scarce (we should get through the whole season to determine whether they've been dropped entirely). But stuff from the early years took a long time to be dropped, and then stuff from the 1990s and later seem to have been dropped faster.

Lately, I've wondered if they should make new widescreen performances of some of the best-known songs, so that kids (who don't watch the DVDs or listen to the albums or watch old clips online) can continue to be exposed to the songs. I didn't realize that the late-1990s Rubber Duckie had been shown recently, but I think it's been awhile since the show last showed the latest performances of such classic songs as ABC-DEF-GHI, C is for Cookie, I Love Trash, What's the Name of That Song?, Sing, and other classics.

At least the current DVDs still show full frame material as well as widescreen material. Though it's not that common, there are still children's-market DVDs that feature classic clips. Sometimes it's just one classic clip as a bonus feature, other times in recent years there have been DVDs aimed at the current demographic that have older segments from the early years (an Elmo's World DVD even has the original version of The People in Your Neighborhood). And a lot of older videos with plenty of classic clips are still available on DVD.

 

[Drtooth]

And stop watching because there's no older material? Why not watch for the NEW material?

I watch for the new material. All 11 minutes of it....

On the one hand, there's enough platforms to watch the older material on to never need to watch the show for those segments ever again. This isn't the horrible 90's-early 00's era where you had to buy half hour video tapes for like one or two sketches (that are edited, having characters talk over them or in someway are altered) or tape trading with someone's dated old fuzzy SLP VHS full of tape glitches and artifacts. Other than the fact that SW needs to liberate more old footage from the bowels of their archives and has a BIIIIG stick up its butt about others posting full episodes, I'd say they've done a pretty good job.

On the other, I fail to see why "this is not in HD Widescreen" is why a lot of older segments are tossed aside and repeat footage of the same parody and musical segments from the same 26 episode season is such a better way to go. While the format of the show disallows many of those kinds of skits to pop up, they certainly can fit a couple in. There are some that don't have an aged look to them at all. They showed 80's Ernie and Bert segments... even one from the 70's several seasons ago when they still had JTE.

 

[MikaelaMuppet]

C'est la vie.

And stop watching because there's no older material? Why not watch for the NEW material?

More classic clips should be shown. That's another reason why Sesame Street went downhill. Right now, Sesame Street is lacking classic clips.

 

[Oscarfan]

More classic clips should be shown. That's another reason why Sesame Street went downhill. Right now, Sesame Street is lacking classic clips.

Yes, because that's logical.

Classic clips shouldn't be played for the sake of playing them. There's modern classics being born each season.

 

[D'Snowth]

Isn't that kind of a contradiction in terms?

 

[Drtooth]

Yes, because that's logical.

Classic clips shouldn't be played for the sake of playing them. There's modern classics being born each season.

Stop making me like your posts and putting it better than I could have.

Sesame Street doesn't have to cater to any adults that aren't parents of the children watching. Yet, they have multiple online platforms to watch old videos, collector's sets of older episodes and landmark footage, adult sized T-shirts and merchandising. They could easily just forget about the entire back catalog and just cater to the younger than 3 crowd. It's not like they're taking away classic clips from the show to personally ruffle old school fans'. It would be great if they had room in the show for some non-parody or celebrity segments, that's my problem. I'd love to see Super Healthy Monsters (or whatever that translates into) added as a segment next season. I've seen the old stuff before, I'm actually hungering for new stuff.