What could we possibly do to bring back Classic SS

[Dantecat]

Right.

 

[mikebennidict]

well if I misunderstood I apologize.

 

[Rosewood]

Bring back our Street!

The only way our classic Episodes will ever be shown again is if enough people go to the Sesame workshop web and give them a reason of concern that is strong enough that it will make them stand up and take notice. The fact of the matter is that they could care less about satisfying the wishes of those of us who simply wish to re-live a little nostalgia. The people they are pushing to cater to the needs (and wants) of are the children of today, mostly ages 2-4. Why do you think "Tickle Me Elmo" went over so big? I guarantee it wasn't because we, the majority of the first and second generation, wanted one! The sales industry is now the hub of what they base their program characters on, and Kevin Clash (a.k.a. - Elmo) is up to his eyeballs in it! He has worked his way up the chain of command so far (he is now part of the upper management) that most people have simply given in to the fact that Elmo is here to stay and given up. But, unless we want the kids of today to all go around speaking third-person (like Elmo), not pronouncing their letters correctly (like "Baby Baow"), and having the stubborn attitude that gives them the warped idea that their personal oppinion is the only one that matters (like Zoe), we have got to start making our concerns known, weather we are parents of young kids or not. If you state your concern to the management at Sesame Workshop, I have surprizingly found that they will respond to you. The key is that you have to make your stated concern one that is focused on the good of todays kids. It won't be an easy task, but if enough people express their concern (in a civil manner) about the pointless things the S.S. of today is focussing on filling kids heads with, and make a valid point about how the old episodes used to actually focus on "teaching" kids, rather than just "relating" to them, we may get more of our cherished S.S. back yet. Another thing I pointed out when I wrote to them was the fact that, unless they showed more old vintage material that I could relate to, I could not stand to bring myself to "sit and watch with my kids" like they are always telling todays parents to do. In fact, I flat out stated that, unless they replaced "Elmo's World" and "Hewo Guy" (which now takes up half the show) with something more educational that would help prepare my kids for school, that I would simply replace their entire show with old episodes that I had taped! If enough "parents" wrote them and threatened to do the same "for the good of their own children", the possibility of loosing viewers just may convince them to grant us our wish!

 

[That Announcer]

Rosewood, I bow before you. Well said.

I don't really see classic SS coming back. Yes, a DVD could be made; yes, it could be a season set, a box set of the most popular episodes, a single-disc clip show or anything else. However, I would bet cash money that Sesame Workshop won't put one out soon. Why? Asking them will prove futile, as they'll probably give some hairbrained answer like, "Well, our research has shown that the children of today prefer Elmo to the classic characters, so we're going with what they want." Bull. I remember about two years back, a poll was run on the Sesame Street website (the old, good Sesame Street website, the one with the Guy Smiley trivia game). The topic of the poll: "Who is your favorite Sesame Street friend?" Number one, of course, was Elmo. (What do you expect?) Number two? Cookie Monster. Third was Grover. Now, it would seem to me that's concrete evidence the kids of today do not care about when the characters came from, they just want somebody that will make them smile. (If it's worth anything, I voted for Ernie.)

Sesame Workshop must do something about this. The answer is not to cut back on Elmo; the answer is to show more of the classic stuff. The reason I so fervently defend this is that my dad had a bunch of old records which I listened to as a kid. I love that stuff, and I hate the new stuff. I may fire off a letter to SW as well, though I doubt I'll have any impact on their future plans.

 

[Daffyfan4ever]

well if I misunderstood I apologize.

That's alright. It happens.

 

[Rosewood]

Thank-you, "That Announcer". I strongly feel that more of Jim Henson and Joe Rapozoe's songs and skits should be shown on todays S.S. Unfortunately though, unless they make "Elmo's World" into a spin-off of its own, or cut down on some of the low-quality "info cartoons" and other stuff they have now jam-packed into the 1-hr slot that Sesame Street still holds, their is simply not enough time on the show to keep what they now have and show the old stuff as well. In order to do so, something would have to go, and my vote goes to eliminate "Elmo's World" completely! That would free up over 20 minutes of show time. Do you realize how many good old "Jim and Joe" creations could be shown in that amount of time? Tons! To give you an idea of the scope of this, I was going through my old tapes the other day and making a compilation of clips, songs and sketches for my own kids to watch, and in a time frame of 26 minutes, I had recorded over 30 of them! I'm not voting to eliminate Elmo all together, only to bump him down a few notches so the other classic muppets can get their well-earned few minutes of recognition, as well! People wonder why Elmo is such a big hit with the kids today. I can tell you why; it's because Elmo is pretty much all they ever get to see! If you were to ask kids today what they thought about Harry, The Martians, Harvey Knee-slapper, Simon the Sound-man, or even Kermit the Frog, for that matter, most of the majority wouldn't have a clue as to who you were talking about. And that, IMO, is heart-wrenchingly sad! These kids today have no idea as to the great classical stuff they are missing out on!

 

[mikebennidict]

even though you recorded over them, what did they think about the old characters?

 

[BEAR]

I'm glad people aren't asking to completely eliminate Elmo all together forever, because that's not gonna happen. It shouldn't happen. Elmo is still an important and valued member of the Sesame Street team. Besides, if SW wrote the character out of the show all together, people would still complain and I am sure we would be unhappy even about that. Slowly writing out Elmo's World is a great idea. I think it has run its course. It was a great segment for a while but it is about time for it to be done. Making it its own show would be the best idea. I don't think EW will be around too much longer anyway. It will eventually end and Sesame Workshop will find new things to do. How long has the current format of the street story in whole at the beginning of the show? Because the format could always change again. They are experimenting. Maybe they will find that the other way was better or maybe they will try something else new. Lets not expect Elmo's World to be around forever. I don't expect Elmo to be the "camera hog" forever. His presense will calm down a bit. Maybe I am just trying to be optimistic about it.

 

[HOTGIRL9809]

I want all the Savion episodes back!

 

[muppetwannabe]

Elmo was just starting his life when I was watching the show! I love Elmo they can't get rid of him! I do wish they would show more of Snuffy though! He has been my favorite from the beginning! At least they haven't eliminated him altogether though!. I wish they would keep the oldschool sets coming. I was disapointed at first but now I love watching what they did release! I heard somewhere about a 40th anniversery DVD set does anybody have any news on that?