Sesame Street Old School DVD's: Not For Kids

[Drtooth]

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 think we're forgetting that they want to purge all media of any references to smoking. All the way up to PG 13 movies. What was it? All movies that now feature smoking will be rated R?

That'll learn the big Tobbacco corporations.

 

[The Count]

Guys... Would like to remind you to stick to discussing the ways that SST Old School differs from current seasons of the show, the changes that've taken place transforming the program we all love. Try to leave the added discussions for another thread if you believe it pertinent to say something on the matter. Thanks, just trying to keep things tidy around here.

 

[CensoredAlso]

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.

.......Wow, lol. Well, I do find their choice of music rather ignorant. There's plenty of music that's genuinely painful to listen to, heh.

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.

I don't know the whole story so correct me if I'm misunderstanding. But many European countries do have different standards regarding nudity.

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.

I think the world and this country does need Sesame Street today, especially regarding communication. People are all on different sides of political and social issues, and they refuse to listen to each other. From where I'm sitting, we need to have different points of view to eventually come to a truth. Both liberals and conservatives need to learn to stop pointing fingers and start trying to understand each other. Even in the school yard, children tear each other apart because of differing personalities.

Richard Hunt felt lucky to be on Sesame Street because "we get to teach kids how to live with each other. The sooner you realize that you can get on to more important things."

A disclaimer that kids play in a dump?...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!"

I agree, I think they were trying to be sensitive, but it ending up being a bit the opposite.

 

[Drtooth]

I don't know the whole story so correct me if I'm misunderstanding. But many European countries do have different standards regarding nudity.

Way off topic, but wait'll I get into Japan's very odd nudity in broadcasting laws sometime.


Anyway, this topic has actually popped up in other webboards. Not kidding. And it all seems that everyone's taking this far too literally. I mean, they were trying to pass some B.S. that they don't think that kids would like to watch old School episodes. And they did this with a small disclaimer at the beginning of the first episode. I have to say that the real message appears in the inserted booklet. It says "I encourage you to watch the current episodes with your child."

Now, I didn't see that message say, "Watch out. If you watch this dated material with you're kid, he may grow up to be slightly deranged" (or something like that.

I find it hillarious they think that the older episodes aren't educational to todays kids. Maybe not as entertaining to kids that just want to see Elmo and Abby in every episode. Maybe confusing to not see Baby Bear and Hero Guy, but certainly, I disagree with the concept of it being "not educational." I talk of course about kids who would expect to see all the current characters.

I'm sure if parents watch these with their kids, and explain to them there's no Elmo or Zoe, the kids may be exposed to a different world.


And who knows, maybe that world will catch on.

 

[wiley207]

What surprises me is that last season they taught "danger." The Little Jerry song "Danger" is rather out of date and unacceptable to be shown today... but maybe "Danger's No Stranger" is up-to-date and "hip" enough to be rerun The Pinball Number Count can still be shown, and I know it was last shown in Season 33 in 2002. It'd go great coming after a "Number of the Day" segment with the Count's organ!

 

[ssetta]

If you can believe it, there is a Season 32 episode on Sprout that features Jazz #2, but it wasn't in the episode originally.

 

[Fozzie Bear]

I deleted the two posts about 9/11 because they weren't on topic and, being political in nature, might take the thread way off topic and have a more negative effect on the thread rather than a positive one.

 

[ErnieImitator]

Put the kids to bed....It's Sesame Street!

I found out that they have deemed the first 10 seasons of Sesame Street unsuitable for today's children.

In this thread, let's try to list all the things the PC crowd would shake their heads at.

- The fact that Cookie Monster is addicted to cookies.

- That fact that Oscar permanently lives in a trash can, and is never affable.

- The fact that Ernie is seen in the bathtub (from the waist up!) (*gasp* Implied puppet nudity! Not to mention that when Bert is in the same scene, it might send the message to the children that it's ok to walk in on someone when they're naked! Highly doubt that.)

PC Moms: Good. They've successfully incorporated people of different races and disabilities and have them live together in harmony and cooperation. But we've got to do something about that Cookie Monster!

 

[wwfpooh]

But we've got to do something about that Cookie Monster!

Continued from above post: I know! Let's make 'em say cookies are a sometimes food and regulate his eating habits!

 

[ISNorden]

I found out that they have deemed the first 10 seasons of Sesame Street unsuitable for today's children.

In this thread, let's try to list all the things the PC crowd would shake their heads at.

- The fact that Cookie Monster is addicted to cookies.

- That fact that Oscar permanently lives in a trash can, and is never affable.

- The fact that Ernie is seen in the bathtub (from the waist up!) (*gasp* Implied puppet nudity! Not to mention that when Bert is in the same scene, it might send the message to the children that it's ok to walk in on someone when they're naked! Highly doubt that.)

PC Moms: Good. They've successfully incorporated people of different races and disabilities and have them live together in harmony and cooperation. But we've got to do something about that Cookie Monster!

How about these "bad examples":

- The fact that a rock band calls a random stranger from a pay phone to sing about telephones. (Sure, they get arrested in the end, but...)

- The fact that a "mad painter" vandalizes people's property with numbers and never suffers any real punishment.

- The fact that a certain blue monster acts very unprofessional towards his customers, no matter which job he takes.

- The fact that no teacher ever appears in Roosevelt Franklin's classroom, and that most pupils there speak rudely or sarcastically.

- As for Ernie's rude and selfish behavior towards his "old buddy Bert"...the examples could take days to list. It's a miracle that Bert still considers Ernie a friend!

I'm sure that most reasonable parents wouldn't want their children copying those aspects of Sesame Street either. Poor social skills can harm someone as badly as a poor diet, yet no one's seen Bert sing to Ernie about minding his manners...or Charlie sing to Grover about treating customers respectfully.

Don't get me wrong; I'm not saying that every character on the show should be a role model of some kind. Sesame Street would have become terribly boring if everyone went through the same kind of misguided reform that happened to Cookie Monster. Still, it bothers me that parents notice one problem and blame Sesame Street for it--yet ignore other problems that could have triggered the same response.