Speculation: Sesame Street 45th Anniversary Possibilities

[minor muppetz]

A new idea I thought of today: Wouldn't it be amazing if they can get as many of the cast and crew (including those no longer on the show) as possible (maybe 45 of them) to talk about their top 45 favorite Sesame Street moments or memories? Something like this would be too big for a DVD collection (especially since there'd likely be a lot of overlapping moments.... How many cast members wouldn't mention Big Bird learning of Mr. Hooper's death or the entire Christmas Eve on Sesame Street?), and we don't know if they'd like to list 45 favorite moments like some of us would. They might want to talk about just a few favorite moments, but then again I'm not a mind-reader.

But it would be cool if they did something like that for the Sesame Street website blog, or if sesamestreet.org had a series of playlists of everybody's top 45 favorite clips. It'd be especially cool to see Frank Oz make such a list.

Or maybe a documentary special compiling the top 45 greatest Sesame Street moments as picked by the cast and crew (maybe even have fans nominate) and then show the most commonly-picked choices. Or maybe it'd be cool if they could find a way to have the characters talk about their top 45 favorite moments, but how would they determine favorite moments that don't feature each individual character (I know, The Count's top 45 favorites are probably counting clips, Oscar would like clips about trash or being grouchy, Cookie Monster would like clips about food, but there's also characters who aren't tied to an interest or gimmick).

Of course, if Sesame Workshop decided to let fans nominate clips for a "top 45 favorite moments" DVD, would fans like us nominate what we truly like the best or would most of us nominate rare clips that we most want to see? Back in 2010 I did a list of my top 41 favorite Sesame Street segments for the Muppet Mindset, if I was given the chance I could pick those 41 moments and then add four segments that were introduced after 2010 (or older segments I either hadn't seen or didn't know about).

Or maybe a "top 45 greatest Sesame Street moments" book would be great. It could be like Jerry Beck's "Top 100 Looney Tunes Shorts" book that came out a few years ago.

I need to stop getting myself excited over ideas that I have no control over.

 

[Drtooth]

It's be great if they actually did a new theme song for that season. The homunculus Zoe that's still present in the current one is an embarrassment.

 

[minor muppetz]

One thing I suddenly thought would be great for the 45th anniversary: A special iTunes release of 45 episodes, one per season. Yeah, it might be a bit much, since somebody at Sesame Workshop confirmed via correspondence with one of our members that there's no current plans to release any more classic episodes on iTunes, and all iTunes releases of full episodes are always limited to just twelve, but it sure would be cool.

Currently, fifteen seasons are represented on iTunes (episodes from seasons 1, 5, 10, 15, 20, 25, and 35-43). If a special release of 12 episodes from only seasons that are not yet on iTunes were made, that's 28.... Still too much.

 

[MikaelaMuppet]

One thing I suddenly thought would be great for the 45th anniversary: A special iTunes release of 45 episodes, one per season. Yeah, it might be a bit much, since somebody at Sesame Workshop confirmed via correspondence with one of our members that there's no current plans to release any more classic episodes on iTunes, and all iTunes releases of full episodes are always limited to just twelve, but it sure would be cool.

Currently, fifteen seasons are represented on iTunes (episodes from seasons 1, 5, 10, 15, 20, 25, and 35-43). If a special release of 12 episodes from only seasons that are not yet on iTunes were made, that's 28.... Still too much.

You missed seasons 30-34.

 

[sesamemuppetfan]

You missed seasons 30-34.

I don't think those seasons have been released on iTunes.

 

[minor muppetz]

Yeah I'm pretty sure there are no season 30-34 episodes on iTunes. In fact before I did my last post I checked the iTunes Store page at Muppet Wiki to see which "seasons" are on iTunes (each grouping of episodes by season is just half a season).

Of course if they wanted to do a 12-episode iTunes release to represent the 45th anniversary, they could do one episode for every five-year period, which leaves us with nine episodes, and two episodes each for three different five-year periods.

In deciding which five-year periods would not get two episodes, I'd only include one episode from seasons 36-40 and 41-45 (since all of those seasons have half-season releases on iTunes). I'm thinking maybe two for either seasons 1-5 or 5-10, two from seasons 11-15 (I have a feeling they would include episode 1839, and for the other I would choose a season 12 episode, one that has Michael Earl's Forgetful Jones and Snuffleupagus, and Deena and Pearl, if there are any episodes with all them), and then two from seasons 26-30 or 31-34.

 

[minor muppetz]

Another DVD idea I had is one that focuses on various characters thoughout the year. Sort of like a second "Best of Friends", except each segment per character section would be from a different decade or era, to show them through the years. Though depending on character some might have multiple segments from the same decade (Murray and Abby have been around for nearly ten years), while others might skip decades (there haven't really been that many Ernie and Bert segments in the past five years).

For example, let's say it's four segments per character section. The Ernie and Bert section could have a first season segment (though I wouldn't have each section start with a segment from a characters first season), then one from the late-1970s or the 1980s, then a 1990s segment (I would choose "Things That I Remember"), and then one of Eric Jacobson's performances as Bert.

Or for Cookie Monster, I would include either the season one "Kermit's Feelings Lecture" or the season two "Cookie Monster Shrinks", then either the late-1970s "Breakfast Time" or the late-1980s "Kermit's Mystery Box", the 1990s "First and Last Cookie", and the recent "Me Want It (But Me Wait)" (or maybe one of the two recent segments with Guy Smiley).

I would have disc 1 have four segments each for Big Bird, Bert and Ernie, Cookie Monster, Elmo, The Count, Grover, Oscar, Zoe, Telly, Kermit, Abby Cadabby, and three each for Snuffy, Herry, Prairie Dawn, Murray, Rosita, Baby Bear, and maybe the Two-Headed Monster. And for bonus features a selection of segments with old school characters no longer on the show.

And then I'd have disc 2 focus on learning subjects for themes, following the four-segments-per-subject rule (though I guess it wouldn't have to be one per decade or era). Such as songs, the alphabet, letters, numbers, opposites, cooperation, problem solving, shapes, colors, different languages/cultures, jobs, spoofs, body parts, and more. And for bonus features, perhaps some Sesame Street viral videos as well as some rare clips.

 

[D'Snowth]

That was one thing I found a little, let's say, unusual about the Best Friends DVD: while it certainly had it's share of classic/old school inserts for certain characters, such as Bert telling Ernie not to eat cookies in bed, they also used remakes of certain others, like Ernie and Bert's letter 'L' song, or the 80s version of ABC-DEF-GHI (not that I'm complaining about the latter, it's my personal favorite version).

 

[minor muppetz]

That was one thing I found a little, let's say, unusual about the Best Friends DVD: while it certainly had it's share of classic/old school inserts for certain characters, such as Bert telling Ernie not to eat cookies in bed, they also used remakes of certain others, like Ernie and Bert's letter 'L' song, or the 80s version of ABC-DEF-GHI (not that I'm complaining about the latter, it's my personal favorite version).

This is probably for another thread, but I wonder if a DVD set dedicated to every version of the various songs that have been remade would sell well. Of course it'd probably take more than a disc for every version of The People in Your Neighborhood or One of These Things (and there has been an Elmo's World DVD with three versions of People in Your Neighborhood). I'd buy such a release, if only to FINALLY see the original versions of Rubber Duckie and Sing. And it'd be cool to watch every version of What's the Name of That Song? in a row.

 

[sesamemuppetfan]

This is just a random thought that came to me recently, but I kind of think that there should be a DVD with all of Judy Collins' appearances on the show. Considering that there are a good number of clips we've seen of her, and several that haven't come out of the vault, I personally think there should be a DVD like this. Looking back at the celebrities that appeared on the show during the 70's, I think Judy has made the most appearances (feel free to correct me if I'm wrong), so I feel that a DVD like this deserves to be released.

Sorry if this is not the right thread for a topic like this.