"Sesame Street Classics" HBO Max Rollouts

[DotBridgekeeper]

Some Buffy episodes from s12 also come to mind, that's if they needed a series of episodes linked by a common thread.

 

[YellowYahooey]

Or, maybe even the Season 13 snow saga, considering that winter is approaching.

 

[YellowYahooey]

This came as a surprise, and I discovered this yesterday evening...

13 more fresh episodes have been added to HBO Max last Friday (January 28):

Episode 2356: Elmo, Gordon, and Miles Go to the Zoo (Season 19 premiere)
Episode 2850: Savion Gives Elmo His Old Tap Shoes (Season 22)
Episode 2941: Elmo pretends he's a flower (Season 23)
Episode 3435: Elmo and Rosita are Farming (Season 27)
Episode 3791: Maria Pet-Sits at the Fix-It Shop (Season 30)
Episode 3845: A Garden on Sesame Street (Season 30)
Episode 3853: Elmo's Zoo (Season 31)
Episode 3879: Big Bird and Snuffy Explore Things That are Alive (Season 31)
Episode 3890: Baby Bear and the Monster Sing-along Party (Season 31)
Episode 3983: Three Monster Girls Who Love to Sing (Season 33)
Episode 4032: Elmo Falls in Love with Gina (Season 34)
Episode 4060: Alan’s Vacation Replacement (Season 35)
Episode 4071: Professor Super Grover’s School for Super Heroes (Season 35)

So it turns out we get one episode from the 1980s and a second episode from the once-underrepresented Season 34. I'm happy we even got an episode from the 1980s - this must be the first time we had any fresh episodes from that decade in over a year.

Incidentally, Episode 2356 listed on the HBO Max page on Muppet Wiki shows that the episode was never aired since PBS aired it (hence the check mark alongside it). I could have sworn that particular episode previously aired on the Unpaved series?

 

[clipjj27]

This came as a surprise, and I discovered this yesterday evening...

13 more fresh episodes have been added to HBO Max last Friday (January 28):

Episode 2356: Elmo, Gordon, and Miles Go to the Zoo (Season 19 premiere)
Episode 2850: Savion Gives Elmo His Old Tap Shoes (Season 22)
Episode 2941: Elmo pretends he's a flower (Season 23)
Episode 3435: Elmo and Rosita are Farming (Season 27)
Episode 3791: Maria Pet-Sits at the Fix-It Shop (Season 30)
Episode 3845: A Garden on Sesame Street (Season 30)
Episode 3853: Elmo's Zoo (Season 31)
Episode 3879: Big Bird and Snuffy Explore Things That are Alive (Season 31)
Episode 3890: Baby Bear and the Monster Sing-along Party (Season 31)
Episode 3983: Three Monster Girls Who Love to Sing (Season 33)
Episode 4032: Elmo Falls in Love with Gina (Season 34)
Episode 4060: Alan’s Vacation Replacement (Season 35)
Episode 4071: Professor Super Grover’s School for Super Heroes (Season 35)

So it turns out we get one episode from the 1980s and a second episode from the once-underrepresented Season 34. I'm happy we even got an episode from the 1980s - this must be the first time we had any fresh episodes from that decade in over a year.

Incidentally, Episode 2356 listed on the HBO Max page on Muppet Wiki shows that the episode was never aired since PBS aired it (hence the check mark alongside it). I could have sworn that particular episode previously aired on the Unpaved series?

I check Muppet Wiki regularly, and 'get excited' when I see the page for HBO Max get updated, thinking 'Maybe they have more Classic episodes coming out which can be uploaded!!!' Sure enough, this was the case for this past Friday, but sort of like YellowYahooey, I'm a little disappointed that none of the episodes were from the 'first 14' seasons (i.e., the true 'classic' era, and these episodes are generally 'harder' for most to 'get hold of,' or so it seems for some reason).

 

[LittleJerry92]

Coming back briefly just to share this:

You sure that’s really the “true classic” era or is your judgement clouted by your personal preferred era? And yeah it is frustrating we haven’t had many opportunities to see more of the 70s shows that would also be beneficial for the guides, but in the end, HBO nor the workshop owe us anything. They’ll put out whatever they feel like putting out on their HBO library.

 

[YellowYahooey]

I preferred the show more during Seasons 12 through 14. I wish there would be some material from Season 13, since only one episode from that season is on HBO Max, and that was an episode already aired on HBO Kids.

At least, with the latest additions of content last November and just recently on January 28, I have a good feeling there's going to be more content to come. It's possible that the conversion to digital format was likely paused due to COVID-19 and lockdowns. With a good majority of the population fully vaccinated by this point, it makes sense as to why there are hardly any restrictions now.

 

[DotBridgekeeper]

… but sort of like YellowYahooey, I'm a little disappointed that none of the episodes were from the 'first 14' seasons (i.e., the true 'classic' era) …

I guess I choose to read 'classic era' as the nucleus (or formative era) of the show; at least where it concerns a vast majority of the inserts that were used for the first two decades of the show, including Muppet segments, cartoons, nature films, etc. Each individual tends to define 'classic era' according to their generation. My vintage is Season 3 and up, but I get equally excited to see lost gems from the first two seasons, even though they were from before my time.

 

[clipjj27]

Coming back briefly just to share this:

You sure that’s really the “true classic” era or is your judgement clouted by your personal preferred era? And yeah it is frustrating we haven’t had many opportunities to see more of the 70s shows that would also be beneficial for the guides, but in the end, HBO nor the workshop owe us anything. They’ll put out whatever they feel like putting out on their HBO library.

Interesting point, LittleJerry92. I guess the phrase 'true classic' is 'swayed' by my personal viewing history when it comes to the show. And, like I think I've mentioned before, the first 14 seasons are the only ones as of now which need more info in terms of snapshots of what a segment 'looks like' when it comes to Muppet Wiki, so this too is 'driving' my decision to 'press for' episodes from that era. But, again, like you say, HBO Max and CTW don't 'owe us anything' in terms of either personal memories or info for the Wiki episode guide.

 

[clipjj27]

I guess I choose to read 'classic era' as the nucleus (or formative era) of the show; at least where it concerns a vast majority of the inserts that were used for the first two decades of the show, including Muppet segments, cartoons, nature films, etc. Each individual tends to define 'classic era' according to their generation. My vintage is Season 3 and up, but I get equally excited to see lost gems from the first two seasons, even though they were from before my time.

Hi, DotBridgeKeeper. Like I mentioned to LittleJerry92, 'true classic' is a subjective phrase, and as many of you who've seen me post here, on MuppetWiki, and YouTube may know, I'm 'pushing' for more stuff from the show's first 14 seasons, both in terms of personal memories and being able to 'fill in more info' on the Wiki episode guide.

 

[YellowYahooey]

Yes, I agree that there needs to be more screenshots from episodes that are not accounted for yet. I wouldn't be shocked if COVID-19 restrictions delayed the process. I especially would like to see what episodes are confirmed to have aired on Episode 1800, as I could have sworn I recall seeing the "R Car" skit in the slot that had a heavy and light segment in the original script. The one segment I am interested in seeing an image of in Muppet Wiki is "School is Cool Counting". I remember seeing that segment (which was supposedly computer animated) on a repeat episode on February 11, 1983, and it started with a boy counting ten toes. Aside from that episode, it also appeared on Episode 1741 in January 1983 (possible initial airing), and maybe one or two more episodes in 1983.

There were two "School is Cool" segments and they were aired only in Season 14. The other is "School is Cool Reading", which was shown just one episode. That episode was uploaded on the Internet, and so was the standalone segment.

That particular episode also has the initial airing of the very hilarious "Ernie & Bert releasing balloons" - which ended to Bert's anger getting the best of him, and creating chaos through the apartment in the middle of the night, only for Ernie to ask Bert to hold it down - that segment was shown only four times, but I do recall seeing (and recording) it on Open Sesame on Treehouse TV in 2001.