Why they don't show old Muppet sketches anymore

[Don_Music_2004]

I think the main reason why they don't show old Muppet skits from early 70's anymore is because the look of the Muppets then were outdated. I think the way the old charachters looked was ridiculous. Especially in that episode from Season 30 when Snuffy was pretending to be a Vaccume Cleaner, and they zoomed into Ernie and Bert's apartment and showed and old skit from 1969 and made it seem as if it was going on during that same day. Eventually they started remaking old skits using the old soundtracks and a new video. Like Rubber Duckie, I don't wanna live one the moon, La La La, and C is for Cookie.

 

[mikebennidict]

no they don't look redicuulous and it's silly they'd waste time making new muppet skits because it's not like the younger kids have any concept of what skit is older and newr. when i was 2-3 it would of never crossed my mind that a muppet skit from 1969 was in a 1975 or 1976 episode. no one that young thinks like that.

 

[Don_Music_2004]

Well I always noticed the difference.

 

[mikebennidict]

even at age 2?

 

[Buck-Beaver]

I think using some of the skits from the first few seasons might not be so good (the characters changed a lot the first 2 or 3 years) they're still airing clips from the 70s and they hold up really, really well I think.

 

[MuppetQuilter]

As I understand it, some skits aren't shown, or rarely shown, because the material is dated-- the clothing, culture references, etc. are clearly from 30 years ago and that can be jarring even to very young children. But the biggest problem with airing old skits is the same problem SST always has-- money. They have to pay royalties to the puppeteers (including the puppeteers who worked the right arm of the Muppets) and the actors (or the heirs of the puppeteers and actors). Given the limited budget SST has to work with, they tend to concentrate on bits that fit their current curriculum and goals rather than recycling older stuff.

When SST premiered it was trying to help make up the gulf that existed between inner city, blue collar kids who didn't attend preschool and middle class suburban kids who had a year or two of preschool, playgroups, and weekly visits to story time at the library before they began school. The average viewer was 5-6 years old. Today the average viewer is 3 and attends prechool and/or daycare. The needs of the audience are different and thus the content is a bit different.

Of course many of the old skits still play very well and do air. It's just a matter of SST balancing the money with their educational and socialization goals for the show. That and trying to compete in a much larger world of children's television these days.

 

[Censored]

The real question is: Even if children can notice the difference in the old and new muppets, what harm does it do?

 

[mikebennidict]

i think the Sesame Workshop is just either being overprotected or are more than less satisfying their own selfishness. I still don't buy into the notion clothing referrences can be jarring to the youngters it certainly wouldn't probably not even cultural differences. i since i recall watching SS at age 2, i even question when they say the average viewer was age 456 years old and not under. i know i'm in no position to argue that and maybe for the 1st 20 years it was on. and if they didn't realize that younger kids, what took them so long to discover it? also to Muppet Quilter please don't think i'm trying to be arguemenative with you i'm sure along with other your just relaying information you've been given.some of this just sounds illogical.

 

[Censored]

i think the Sesame Workshop is just either being overprotected or are more than less satisfying their own selfishness. I still don't buy into the notion clothing referrences can be jarring to the youngters it certainly wouldn't probably not even cultural differences.

Exactly. I've never heard of a child that was suffering from "PTSC" (Post Traumatic Sesame Street Confusion). Once again, I go back to my theory of "armchair therapists" who are so removed from the real world, they analyze everything in a theoretical sense and can no longer distinguish between real dangers to children and an old skit on Sesame Street. As I've said before and will say again, if the only problem any child ever had was being confused about the inconsistency of an old Sesame Street skit, this would be a beautiful world.

One of the biggest misconceptions has been that the needs of nostalgic adults and the needs of children are at odds with one another. All we're asking is that Sesame Workshop (ugh, hate that name) make available the old skits from a KID'S show so kids and adults can enjoy them today. There's not one old skit on Sesame Street that I would be afraid to show a child today.

 

[MuppetQuilter]

Well, you don't have to agree, but the child development experts and educators who work at Sesame Workshop feel it is best to stay current. As the parent of a SST viewer, I can tell you kids do notice. I'm not saying it causes stress, but it takes them out of the moment, interupts the educational process, and causes them to focus on the funny clothes or that strange guy in the store rather than learning to share, count, or say hello in Spanish.