Speculation: Sesame Street 45th Anniversary Possibilities

[minor muppetz]

Tonight I had another idea, though I know I've mentioned a similar idea before...

But it would be cool if Sesame Workshop could put out "best of" collections for each season on iTunes, each having their own volume. Though I doubt they'd put it all out in one day, and would be a little redundant when you consider iTunes has special (incomplete) collections of episodes from seasons 35-44.

But my idea is a collection of volumes for each season ("Best of Season 1", "Best of Season 2", etc.). There'd be twelve videos to download per season. Four complete episodes, four street stories without the inserts, and four insert highlight reels. There could be highlight reels arranged by character, subject, theme, parody segments, celebrity segments, whatever. There's plenty of years that are good years for Ernie, Bert, The Count, Grover, Kermit, Big Bird, Oscar, Telly, Elmo, Zoe, Abby, Cookie Monster, Snuffy, and/or Herry clips. I think seasons 20 and 21 (and possibly others) are good years for Monsterpiece Theater segments, and many seasons from the 1970s and 1980s are good years for Sesame Street News clips. Though I'm not sure whether there are any really good years for waiter Grover/Mr. Johnson clips, or Super-Grover clips (the closest I can think of is season 6, which had at least three segments).

Here's a few examples of what I'd include:
Best of Season 1

• Episodes 1 (even though that's already available on DVD and iTunes, but I feel it's too essential), 5, 78 (that's the first episode with Rubber Duckie, right?), and 100. Note that with the exception of episode 1, I am not sure off-hand what the majority of segments included in those episodes.
• Street Stories: Oscar moves from Sesame Street (episode 2), Big Bird wants to go to day care (not sure what episode that's from... it could be one of these), and two others.
• Muppet Highlight Reel
• Bert and Ernie Highlight Reel
• Letters and Numbers Highlight Reel
• Buddy and Jim Highlight Reel

Best of Season 2

• Episodes: 132 (mainly because that episode has "Rubber Duckie", and seeing it would let us know once and for all whether it's the first appearance of the classic season two version or if it's a repeat from the first season), 179, the episode where the street has a pet show, and the episode where an ice cream machine gets installed.
• Street Stories: The adults want to know who owns the garage, and three others.
• Highlight Reels: Grover, Songs, Monsters, and Sherlock Hemlock (this is probably the best year for Sherlock Hemlock segments).

Best of Season 3

• Episodes where Luis and Rafael open the Fix-It Shop, Big Bird takes a picture of Snuffy, Bad Barney blackmails Big Bird, and Linda moves to Sesame Street.
• Street Stories: Big Bird meets Snuffy, Oscar awaits Tough Eddie, and two others.
• Highlight Reels: Kermit the Frog, Animation, Harvey Kneeslapper, and Season Three Cast (mainly focusing on Rafael, Molly, Tom, early Snuffy, Mad Painter, and Wally and Ralph).

Best of Season 4

• Right now I can't think of what street stories occured this year (is this the season that had the episode where Big Bird became convinced that Snuffy was imaginary? If so I'd nominate that one), so I'll just list what kind of highlight reels I'd include here: Sesame Street News, Roosevelt Franklin, The Count, and Cast (the human cast).

Best of Season 9

• Again, not sure off-hand what episodes to include, but for the highlight reel, I'd include "Hawaii trip highlights", plus highlight reels for the Alphabet, Muppets, Happy Days cast, and Film Inserts.

Best of Season 12

• Episodes: Mr. Rogers judges a race between Big Bird and Snuffy, the episode with the "bring your own can night" segment, the water shortage episode (that's from this season, right?), and another episode.
• Highlight Reels: Muppets (heavy emphasis on characters introduced around this season, including Telly, Dr. Nobel Price, Warren Wolf, Deena and Pearl, Forgetful Jones, Countess Dahling von Dahling, and others), Animation, Numbers, and Parodies (I assume there's enough from season 12).

Best of Season 15

• Episodes: Episode 1839, and three others (is this the season that had the episode where Forgetful Jones tries to remember what street he's on?).
• Street Stories: Gordon and Snuffy in the marathon, David tries to make a milkshake the way Mr. Hooper did, and two others.
• Highlight Reel: Teeny Little Super Guy, Parodies, Celebrites, and Oscar.

Best of Season 16

• Episodes: Season premiere, Snuffy at the movies, that episode where Oscar sees Snuffy (to find out that it does exist), and one other.
• Highlight reels: Early Elmo, Films, Songs, and Sesame Street News.

Best of Season 17

• Episodes: 2096, the episode where Gordon and Susan adopt Miles, and two others.
• Street Stories: Big Bird adjusts to the adults being able to see Snuffy (somebody wrote about this episode a long time ago, saying it was the episode after he was seen, but there's no additional evidence of this episodes existence) and two others.
• Highlight reels: Bert and Ernie, Monsters, Parodies, and Numbers.

Best of Season 25

• Episodes: Season premiere, Gordon and Susan stay at the Furry Arms Hotel, Tarah participates in an obstacle course, and Big Bird and Snuffy help Savion at the laundromat.
• Street Stories: Biff gets his thumb stuck in a bowling ball, Slimey's errands, and two other episodes.
• Highlight Reels: Zoe, Monsters, Around the Corner, and Celebrities (perhaps with this season's "A New Way to Walk" to open or close the highlight reel).

Best of Season 29

• Episodes: Jerome moves to Sesame Street, Irvine acts nice, Slimey wants to go to the moon, and Slimey lands on the moon.
• Street Stories: Slimey starts his space trip, Snow White's sister Flo White wants to have seven of something, Snuffleupagus parade, and one other story.
• Highlight reels: Slimey's space trip highlights, Grover, Films, and Around the Corner.

Best of Season 30

• Episodes: Season premiere, Big Bird gets "C is for Cookie" stuck in his head, Telly gets a "letter of the month" by mistake, and Zoe gets her Zoemobile.
• Street Stories: Telly takes advantage of Alan's "Hooper's Store: Where you can get what you want, just the way you want it" sign, a mysterious letter X visits the street, Irvine wants to take a bath, and Miles' video project.
• Highlight reels: Elmo, Elmo's World (two full segments, maybe the "Transportation" one if it's not in any of the episodes listed), Suzie Kabloozy, and Bert and Ernie.

Hopefully you get the idea. I must point out that some of the episodes/street stories I mentioned for seasons 25-30 might not have pages on Muppet Wiki, but are episodes that I recall seeing (I could be off by a year regarding some of the seasons, though I'm pretty sure I'm not, and it's possible some of those street stories were recycled from previous seasons).

 

[minor muppetz]

Here's something else I was thinking about today. I know I've thought about it before, and might have mentioned it somewhere, though not in this thread (I've looked through all my posts in this thread to make sure): A book or CD-ROM compiling info on every single episode.

I know, it would take whoever compiles it a long time to put together (depending on what is done for reference... Watching all the episodes or looking at scripts/files on the episodes). The guide would include episode numbers, air dates, and a rundown of what's in each episode. For the first appearance of a segment, a description would be included, but whenever it's repeated, it'd just list the segment and the episode number for it's first appearance (for it's second appearance in a single episode, maybe have it say "see above"). Maybe the guide could also include guides for Play with Me Sesame, the two movies, and the many specials and direct-to-video projects (which would be easier to include complete info on than all the episodes, since Muppet Wiki has info on most of those). Part of me feels there should also be a massive, index-style guide to all inserts (just listing all the inserts and what episodes they first appeared in, readers would have to look at the episode sections to know more about them).

And if it were a CD-ROM, it'd be cool to have photo galleries for all the episodes and video clips. I wouldn't expect a massive amount of video clips, or photos for every segment in a single episode (that'd take a lot of time to compile). Actually, thinking about the index idea and the concept of this being a CD-ROM, maybe this could include a section on every recurring segment, with a guide to all individual segments and a list of the first episodes to include them.

Of course, I feel like this is something that would be better to save for the 50th anniversary (but I want it now!).

 

[minor muppetz]

Another idea that would be great: If they did something similar to the contest 20th Century Fox recently did for The Simpsons, where fans get selected to compete to see who can watch the most consecutive episodes of Sesame Street. Though it seems like something Sesame Workshop might not want to promote (as it would involve very little sleep). But it'd be cool if they would play every episode in order until they're down to the last person/couple of people watching, competing for a cash prize.

Though i also feel like maybe they shouldn't go exactly in order (would any of the participants really be able to make it through the entire first season in one sitting?). Maybe they could start with as many milestone episodes as possible. The first episode, first appearance of Snuffleupagus, Fix-It Shop opening, Linda's first appearance, Big Bird learns about Mr. Hooper's death, Snuffy is seen, and so on. And then all of the storyarcs/cliffhanger episodes, all back-to-back-to-back. And then, if people are still watching... A random grab bag of episodes from the entire 45-year history.

Or perhaps "Watch Sesame Street for Charity". Where people can donate money to watch several episodes, maybe ten dollars an hour.

 

[Drtooth]

Looks like, other than the Lincoln center stuff, we're getting a big fat bag of nothing this go around. Very disappointing, especially since the merchandising money they could have made goes back into their company anyway.

And if you think about it, we got much more stuff last year, a non-anniversary year. Didn't we have at least 2 T-shirt design contests? You'd think we'd have at least another of those.

 

[minor muppetz]

And if you think about it, we got much more stuff last year, a non-anniversary year. Didn't we have at least 2 T-shirt design contests? You'd think we'd have at least another of those.

I didn't really notice there being a lot put out last year that would be expected for the anniversary. There weren't even any more iTunes releases of classic episodes or any DVDs aimed at collectors (the closest would be Fairy Tale Fun, which had five classic clips, two of which had already been released).

And now I'm thinking that maybe there should be a special "45th anniversary" line of "special edition" DVDs of Sesame Street specials, like Christmas Eve on Sesame Street, Big Bird in China, and Put Down the Duckie.

A sample of what could be included:
Christmas Eve on Sesame Street

• Audio commentary (either by cast and performers or by characters)
• Interviews with the cast
• Bonus Clips: Both Sesame Street News segments involving Santa Claus, Bert and Ernie: Snowman, and "Grover comes in from the cold"
• TV Promos

Put Down the Duckie (actually, I'd prefer it to be released as originally broadcast, under it's original title "Sesame Street, Special")

• TV promos (I vaguely recall seeing a commercial for this special before I saw the special)
• PBS bumpers with Sesame Street characters (there used to be one on YouTube where Kermit and Cookie Monster ask viewers to pledge money, and Jim Henson's red book mentions that there were a few done in the early 1980s)
• Bonus Clips: Squeal of Fortune, Sesame Street News: Boston T Party, Itzak Pearlman: Easy and Hard, and Ernie loves his boat
• Special featurette on the many celebrity guest appearances on the show

Big Bird in China

• Audio commentary by Caroll Spinney (or maybe by Big Bird)
• Making-of featurette
• TV promos
• Bonus Special: Big Bird in Japan

Friends to the Rescue

• Bonus hurricane scenes (scenes that didn't make it to the home video release)
• Roscoe Orman's introduction (as seen in recent reruns)
• Bonus Clip: Sesame Street News: Three Little Pigs Emotions
• Bonus street story: Bert and Ernie's apartment gets flooded
• Audio commentary
• making-of featurette (they could use the behind-the-scenes footage from the A&E documentary, unless A&E owns the rights to that footage)

 

[Drtooth]

We got nothing, end of story. The show itself didn't even change the 5 year old theme song. It's a huge disappointment and a huge lost opportunity.

 

[fozzieisfunny]

We got nothing, end of story. The show itself didn't even change the 5 year old theme song. It's a huge disappointment and a huge lost opportunity.

We can't just give up now.. Today marks the first episode of the show. They're not going to release all their season 45 merchandise for today. ( Or, maybe they will. Who knows?)

 

[minor muppetz]

Wouldn't it be funny if, instead of making a big 45th anniversary celebration, they made a viral video where Oscar angrily tells the fans that the show doesn't need a 45th anniversary celebration? Might be a little mean, though.

Has anybody considered contacting Sesame Workshop and asking if there will be more for the anniversary?

 

[fozzieisfunny]

Wouldn't it be funny if, instead of making a big 45th anniversary celebration, they made a viral video where Oscar angrily tells the fans that the show doesn't need a 45th anniversary celebration? Might be a little mean, though.

Has anybody considered contacting Sesame Workshop and asking if there will be more for the anniversary?

Hey, I never thought of that.. We could do that. If I knew what Sesame Workshop's P.O Box is.

 

[DTF]

Wouldn't it be funny if, instead of making a big 45th anniversary celebration, they made a viral video where Oscar angrily tells the fans that the show doesn't need a 45th anniversary celebration? Might be a little mean, though.

I think it could be done in a funny way - instead of telling them they don't need one, having Oscar come out of the can and wonder why there's a party in front of his trash can, getting miffed because all the noisemakers have an elephant in his can copying, maybe some balloons fall into his can.

Then, he wonders what they're going to do at 50 - and he complains how that's supposed to be the big one, saying something like, "Did Gordon and Suan have a surprise 45th anniversary party? No. 50's the Golden ANnviersary - on 45 you don't get gold, you just go to a restaurant, get the Early Bird dinner special, and then come home and watch Jeopardy!" Maybe with an appearnace by Alex Trebek.