Sesame Street Old School DVD's: Not For Kids

[D'Snowth]

I don't want to go too much off topic, hehe, but I think it's especially hard being an individual as a child. It gets easier as you get older

I'd like to get a second opinion on that...

 

[Drtooth]

If we're living in an "oh-so-careful" world, then why are kids being encouraged to swear and curse after they finish kindergarten?

Not touching the other issue you mentioned, but I never heard kids being "encouraged" to swear. Certain kids pick it up from their parents, and they think it's funny, and make crude jokes as soon as they hit 3rd Grade. I needn't get into the AIDS jokes kids were telling when I was young.

Herald is right. Kids aren't "angelic" at all. That's the thesis of South Park. i knew my fair share of Cartmans... trust me.

Back to the topic...

Good point. Personally I think it's because society does not have its priorities in order. They are so concerned about being "oh-so-careful" about silly PC things, that they are not noticeing the real problems creeping in.

example? Kid shoots up his school. What do they do? Question his motives? Look at his home life? Check out what's happening with his life? See if he was brutally picked on? No. They sort of enforce people to check I.D. before you can go into an R rated movie.

I mean, As I said a while back, you get too caught up with worrying about a smaller issue, a larger one sneaks in under your nose. They made such a big deal with kids being fat (which is an important issue) they completely ignored all the different things can get high off in the kitchen. And when they got to that, it was too late to do anything but Warn people about it. Other than the "watch our news cast at 11. We've got horrifying information we're withholding for ratings purposes" it didn't get quite the media attention as the same nutricionists coming in and saying the same thing over and over.

Funny story. Remember how the Elmo singing toy (the plastic jukebox one) caused a problem because some parent with horrible hearing misunderstood an overly compacted file coming out of a 2 cent speaker? How she thought it said to beat up Elmo? Well, it was one of the toys that was recalled for lead a few weeks later. kid probably had lead poisoning way before it corrupted his 2 year old mind.

But going way back to the subject-

As I said before, some of the things SS did in 1969 were bold, and actually jarring to the mainstream. A lot of those things that were so bold became common place. One example? The diverse cast. That caused quite a lot of controversy for a lilly white medium like TV. Now, that's no problem.

I will say I can't blame SW for our world being full of overprotected parents that have to sheild our children from reality. I can just blame them for going along with it.

I mean, I know SW can do bold things if it wants to. I mean, this is the same company that flies people in to the most dangerous places in the world to try to use their message to spread peace. They made those videos for military kids whos parents had to keep getting redeployed and coming home in iron lungs (though, granted, I wasn't happy they used muppet characters to illustrait that point... it's like seeing G.I. Joe and Cobra Commander having a tea party. it's wrong somehow). I know they can do something like that. problem is, with SS being so sanitized now (no thanks to parents that don't watch the show with their kids and talk about it, which is what they're supposed to do), where are they going to put something like that?

 

[ISNorden]

more...http://www.radaronline.com/exclusives/2007/11/jaded-cynical-lost-blame-sesame-street.php

Big Bird an "acid casualty?" Gordon a potential sex offender? 1969 Sesame Street bad because iPods hadn't been invented and the 123 building needed renovation? That guy has one heckuva sick sense of humor; no TV show is perfect, but to blame his own jaded and cynical outlook on a show that doesn't agree with him is going too far.

 

[ISNorden]

http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/blogs/sfgate/detail?blogid=29&entry_id=22108

Thank heaven that it's not just old-school fans without kids, who miss seeing Cookie Monster eat cookies and act like a monster. The whole idea of the original character wasn't to be a role model for healthy eating--or for any other behavior; Cookie was supposed to embody young children's obsession with favorite foods and with putting everything in their mouths. I'm glad to read that at least some parents today understand that--and that they're not blaming TV shows for childhood obesity. Whew!

 

[Drtooth]

Thank heaven that it's not just old-school fans without kids, who miss seeing Cookie Monster eat cookies and act like a monster. The whole idea of the original character wasn't to be a role model for healthy eating--or for any other behavior; Cookie was supposed to embody young children's obsession with favorite foods and with putting everything in their mouths. I'm glad to read that at least some parents today understand that--and that they're not blaming TV shows for childhood obesity. Whew!

Actually... I always thought that Cookie embodied Jim Henson's bizzare sense of humor where monsters constantly eat things. Cookie Monster to me was a character embodiment of Jim's Earlier work.

I still think that a couple songs don't change that. I'd love to see him go back to eating cookies, but I'd rather see him go back to eating trucks, letters, brickwalls....

 

[CensoredAlso]

I mean, this is the same company that flies people in to the most dangerous places in the world to try to use their message to spread peace.

Oh absolutely, a lot of the foreign shows haven't gotten to that "success" point and are still quite bold. I definitely admire the American and foreign perfomers for trying to make these shows in other countries a reality, despite the enormous difficulties they face. Marty Robinson once talked about a puppeteer who worked on the Israel/Palestine show who was crying just before filming. She found it very difficult to preach peace and friendship on the show since she had lost family members in the battles these cultures have. I mean how do you preach frienship when people are killing your family and friends? But she composed herself and did the show anyway, because she knew it might have a positive impact on future generations.

 

[beaker]

In a new BBC Documentary called "Crazy Rulers of the World", they show how the CIA literally uses Sesame Street music in torture sessions with Iraqi prisoners and people at Guantanamo Bay. When asked about this, the current Sesame Street composer seemed surprised the government would do such a thing.

Of course, the same Republicans who tried to shut down Sesame Street and PBS, now are making Sesame Street create pro war specials, explaining why various Muppets parents are coming back injured from wars("Dont worry Elmo, your dad was courageously trying to kill the evil brown people) Is it any surprise the US defense company RAND is working with Sesame Street?

So yeah, you could say Sesame Street has changed.

On the other face, Sesame Street now has to be squeaky safe and sterile.

Sure, it was inappropriate for Dutch Sesame Street to show full male and female adult nudity in shower sequences with kids...but I cannot think of anything inappropriate in 70's and 80's SS.

What was Sesame Street about in the late 60's?

At the time America was going through a literal near civil war, a cultural revolution where mass rioting, massive anti war demonstrations, and sweeping change was going on with the ugly face of inequality rising to a fever pitch.

With the nation reeling from Vietnam, massive civil rights being destroyed,
JFK-MLK-RFK being killed, and the true face of poverty in America's inner and rural cities coming to the forefront, Sesame Street was born. The world NEEDED Sesame Street.
Having it take place in an inner city was brave and neccesary, and not the fantasy world it could have become.

I LOVE the original Sesame Street as I love the 80's and even 90's Sesame Street.

A disclaimer that kids play in a dump? Cookie smokes a pipe? Oh brother.
"We must warn you, those filthy ghetto children are seen in their natural dump habitat, which will seem alien to all you Gap shopping SUV suburbanites out there!"

Sesame Street has gone off the deep end Im afraid, and "Abby Cadabby"
aint going to save it.

Someone on here said Sesame Street ended in 1992. Well by 1998 it was still good, Elmopalooza is still one of my fave Sesame things.

But no way should Elmo's World take such a large portion of the show.

 

[Drtooth]

On the other face, Sesame Street now has to be squeaky safe and sterile.

Sure, it was inappropriate for Dutch Sesame Street to show full male and female adult nudity in shower sequences with kids...but I cannot think of anything inappropriate in 70's and 80's SS.

What was Sesame Street about in the late 60's?

At the time America was going through a literal near civil war, a cultural revolution where mass rioting, massive anti war demonstrations, and sweeping change was going on with the ugly face of inequality rising to a fever pitch.

With the nation reeling from Vietnam, massive civil rights being destroyed,
JFK-MLK-RFK being killed, and the true face of poverty in America's inner and rural cities coming to the forefront, Sesame Street was born. The world NEEDED Sesame Street.
Having it take place in an inner city was brave and neccesary, and not the fantasy world it could have become.

Exactly the point. Those were times that weren't ruled by suburban Soccer Moms and other parents that either work 2 jobs or more to get big expesnive greedy things (as opposed to the parents that work 5 jobs and still have to be on food stamps due to the massive corporations paying Congress to keep the minimum wage at 1995 levels).

A disclaimer that kids play in a dump? Cookie smokes a pipe? Oh brother.
"We must warn you, those filthy ghetto children are seen in their natural dump habitat, which will seem alien to all you Gap shopping SUV suburbanites out there!"

Heh heh. Exactly. Even the poorest kids out there don't even play in that sort of stuff anymore. Something like a shocking bit of reality would shake up the rich suburbanites who think that Baby Einstine is actually going to make your kind into anything but the spastic ADD case you're going to turn him into.

Someone on here said Sesame Street ended in 1992. Well by 1998 it was still good, Elmopalooza is still one of my fave Sesame things.

But no way should Elmo's World take such a large portion of the show.

I have to say Children's TV took a big slug in the stomach in the early 90's no thanks to a certain someone. I mean, at the time PBS was still realling from those horrendous Dudley the Dragon and Bloopy's Buddys shows (which wasted the tallent of one Johnathan Winters, lemme tell you). But even then, SS still shined out on top.

I think it was a lot of what happened post 9/11 that helped to kill the show. Remember, that's when they remade the show so they have a nice comfortable structure so kids won't be jarred by...well, I won't go into anything as political as all that, but sufficed to say, due to stuff that happened way before they were born, a bunch of evil nasty people want to kill them for no reason.

 

[D'Snowth]

Oh! Would Jim Henson himself stand for such a thing? I think not!

 

[CensoredAlso]

Ok I've never taken up smoking myself, but I seriously doubt kids start the habit because they saw Cookie Monster doing it. lol

I guess there's three reasons I never took it up.

1. I'm naturally hesitant to try anything new, lol.

2. My Grandpa, a smoker himself, warned me what a nasty habit it was

And 3. My parents made it clear I'd be in huge trouble lol