The way it was vs. The way it is

[BooberFraggless]

After doing some serious thinking I realized why I liked Sesame Street so much better before The New Format or Elmo's World Days. Back then you never knew what you were going to see next. The main story of the show was broken up into about 5 different parts. You never knew what twist the plot would take on throughout the episode. In between when they aired those funny little commercials, you never knew which ones you were going to see, it was a total surprize every day. Some of the skits were brand new, and some of them were as old as being from the first year the show was around. I remember watching these clips as a kid and wondering what was going to happen next in the story back on the street. Like what was going to happen to Big Bird, or what was going to happen with Telly and Oscar. Sesame Street back then was like one big photo Album. It was just like looking through an old photo Album like I have done in the past and looking at your family and friends over the years and seeing how theyv'e all changed. For example They didn't care if they showed a skit with Grover from the first year the show was on, in an episode from 1990. Even though the charachters look and voice was different and it was probably even noticeable to the kids watching at home, they just didn't care, they showed it anyways. The way they have the show now is so repetitive and boring. You pretty much always know what's going to come on next. They have a set routine now, no more surprizes, no more funny little commercials. The only commercial like skits you may see are during the letter and number of the day bits, and you can bet the teeth in your mouth you won't be seeing anything that goes back any further than 10 years. I can't stand how the main story on the street is shown all at once now. It totally ruins the surprize and the suspense. Also Baby Bear, Elmo, Zoe, and Rosita seem to have totally taken over this show. Telly is the only charachter I like that was popular when I was a little kid that's still popular. What are some of your opinions on then vs. now?>

 

[BEAR]

I really enjoy reading your views on the subject and you speak quite well. I am glad you have started posting here. I look forward to more SS discussions with you. I will agree with the majority of what you said. I don't like that they have the entire street story in whole at the very beginning of the show. Its like all the meat is gone and the rest is just the peas on the side.
Also, it is true that Elmo, Baby Bear, Zoe, and Telly have dominated the street stories, but not Rosita. I could be wrong, but she doesn't really show up all that much, atleast compared to the rest. She is in a full street scene once in a while and then sometimes you just see her run on and off in less than a minute. Out of that whole little group, she is fairly occassional. I want to see The Count on the street more. Wasn't there a time when he would be on the street hanging around Telly, Big Bird, Snuffy and all them? Jerry Nelson retired from his other Muppet duties but decided to remain on SS to perform The Count, plus a few other little parts here and there. How come the only time I see him lately is in the very short number of the day segment? Maybe he will be doing more in the upcoming season so I will wait and see, but the Count is such a wonderful character he needs to be on the street more.

 

[That Announcer]

Well, it's rant time.

The "old" Sesame Street was a little like the Gong Show. Why? You never knew what was going to come next. You might laugh at it, you might cry with it. Nevertheless, you knew more or less what was going to come in that hour: a story with all your favorite Street characters; little "commercials" teaching you the number and letter of the day; a sketch with Ernie and Bert; a bunch of memorable songs and maybe some Grover or Cookie Monster stuff thrown in. What was really neat about it was that none of this was guaranteed. The only thing you could be sure of was that there would be a story and a few animated segments. Other than that, it was a pot luck of fun skits, songs, stories and pieces that were a little trippy, indeed. However, there was no certain thing that you would see. I know all this because I was a heavy SS watcher before the new format, and I can remember what it was like. I can remember hoping there would be an Ernie and Bert, or maybe the "pinball machine" sequence, or the Ladybug's Picnic.

SS before the new format was like a time machine. You could easily see a culture jump from 1972 at one point to 1992 twenty minutes later. You could watch the Muppets evolve from their earliest form into what we know them as now. No matter if you were the parent, the grandparent or the kid, you knew there would be something you remembered and liked in each episode. Interaction between older characters like Snuffy and newer characters like Telly was not uncommon, and made the show something parents could genuinely watch and enjoy. Elmo was not even that bad during the old format, as he was on there a lot, but so was everybody else. Count von Count and his wife, Oscar and Grungetta, Bip Bippadotta, Rosita, Zoe, Papa Bear... everybody.

Sadly, this was not to stay like this. I don't remember when it happened exactly, but I do remember being shocked at a new-format show and the ones that aired after it. Why? They were all the same. There was a set schedule for what was going to happen. Street story, animated sequences, letter and number of the day, Spanish Word of the Day (usually "Si" and "No"), Ernie and Bert, JTE, Elmo. The characters on the street segments suddenly dwindled to exactly six: Elmo, Baby Bear, Zoe, Telly, Big Bird and Oscar. I don't know why the Workshop execs made this change, but they must have been high when they made it, because it was the worst decision they'd ever made. Yes, the show began to go downhill when Elmo's World began to appear, but the forty-five minutes before Elmo's World were still a surprise, and Bill Irwin (or possibly Michael Jeter) made Elmo's World something myself and my father actually liked to watch, because God knows what they'd be pulling out of their magic hats. Now even the Mr. Noodle (or possibly Mrs. Noodle) segments are formulaic, and I know **** well what's going to happen, and I don't like it. Even kids in the first grade of my school (just at the end of the SS target audience) realize how formulaic the show has become, and I often join in discussions with them about it.

Where are the guest stars, the surprises, the magic? Where did the humor go? Where did all my favorite characters go? What happened? Did an ET take them up into space and leave a little red devil control of the show? Did the Count take everybody on vacation by boat so he could count the knots? What happened?

 

[BEAR]

Are there going to be any new Elmo's World segments? They would need to get another Mr. Noodle. We've already lost 2. What next?

 

[That Announcer]

I'm not sure. I hope that there are no more EW segments produced, which might lead to its removal. If the producers insist on producing more EW segments, I would suggest Michael Crawford as the next Noodle. You probably know him as the Phantom of the Opera from the original stage production.

 

[BEAR]

I'm not sure. I hope that there are no more EW segments produced, which might lead to its removal. If the producers insist on producing more EW segments, I would suggest Michael Crawford as the next Noodle. You probably know him as the Phantom of the Opera from the original stage production.

Yes, Michael Crawford is an interesting suggestion. I just wonder how they would do it. When Micheal Jeter came along (as the 2nd Mr. N), Elmo referred to him as "Mr. Noodle's brother, Mr. Noodle." What would the third one be called? Just getting complicated.

 

[That Announcer]

Yes, Michael Crawford is an interesting suggestion. I just wonder how they would do it. When Micheal Jeter came along (as the 2nd Mr. N), Elmo referred to him as "Mr. Noodle's brother, Mr. Noodle." What would the third one be called? Just getting complicated.

How about "Mr. Noodle's other brother Mr. Noodle"?

 

[BEAR]

How about "Mr. Noodle's other brother Mr. Noodle"?

That's probably what would happen, but thats just too weird for me.

 

[Ilikemuppets]

Are there going to be any new Elmo's World segments? They would need to get another Mr. Noodle. We've already lost 2. What next?

there aer sevn new EW segments for season 36, but I have a question. When you said "we've already lost 2" what did you mean? Did something happen to Miss. Noodle or Something?

 

[BEAR]

there aer sevn new EW segments for season 36, but I have a question. When you said "we've already lost 2" what did you mean? Did something happen to Miss. Noodle or Something?

Michael Jeter (the 2nd Noodle) died. If I am correct, Jeter replaced Bill Irwin. Then Kristen Chenoweth came on to be the 3rd Noodle (Miss Noodle), but I wouldn't expect her to take on that role as a full time thing. She has better things to do, plus she is now a regular on The West Wing.