Your Thoughts: Sesame Street Season 40

[Erine81981]

Yep, that was Frank Oz!

Thanks Muppet Dude. I knew it had to be just from the voice and the acting too.

Well i missed out on "Baby Bears is Afriad of Bees" so i'll have to catch that when it reaires but i'll try not to forget to talk about all the other episodes. It just might be a while before i get to them because i'm recording them and would rather watch them while i record them. But still pretty cool to see Frank Oz still working every once in a while on Sesame Street no matter what the years are.

 

[minor muppetz]

Today's episode is good so far. Mr. Johnson is heavily featured in the plot (having Chris as his waiter, as opposed to Grover. The plot involved ELmo wanting it to snow, so Abby changes the weather, but keeps getting the wroing seasons.

 

[Wiseman]

season 40 my thoughts

A very good start as always. The first three eps aired on 13 in my neighborhood and were very intersting I missed a few of the "gems" because I wasn't looking for them or was distracted, however, I did notice in the bee episode where the "Word on the Street" was pollinate that SS made a rather adult joke that got by the censors. When the bee was talking to the flower about how pollination works he said "you bet your stamen." The stamen is the male part of a plant's reproductive system (most plants have both male and female parts in the same plant), so in essence, the bee was making a double entendre. Now mind you I know that SS is famous for making jokes that only the adults watching the show along with the kids will get and I also know that not every adult knows the intimate details of the sex life of a rose. But I still found it very intriguing and thought that it was worthy of mention here and its own thread, to wit, I have created another thread entitled double entendres in SS. which will include ones from this season, past seasons and specials. So look at it and contribute to it and remember that when Gordon says "Grownups do it, oh yeah we do it" in "Potty Training With Elmo" he's referring to using the potty not to another intimate bodily function that grownups do.

 

[InvaderZim]

According to the Muppet wiki, 4191 has:
"An animated Cookie Monster talks about U, and the word "umbrella""

Could that also be from Sesame English?

 

[dwmckim]

According to the Muppet wiki, 4191 has:
"An animated Cookie Monster talks about U, and the word "umbrella""

Could that also be from Sesame English?

Yes. It looks like that's yet another type of segment originally done for international versions/spinoffs that's now being shown on the domestic show itself. Interesting that so far they've only used Cookie Monster ones as opposed to some of the others (but we'll probably see those too.)

Makes sense i suppose. I mean they're already made, they work for the homebase SST version on their own and at least they're only a minute! Good money saver for SW and plus whenever it comes to international market segments, SW is in a Grouch-if-you-do, Grouch-if-you-don't situation: if they include them in the show, fans complain that they take up space that could be used for something else; if they don't, fans complain "why don't we get to see these in the US?" (Though with things like B&E'sGA & A'sFFS, i think a lot of fans wish they could be seen in the USA but not in the show proper like a seperate show or interstitial somewhere or on a dvd release.)

I really liked today's show - yeah there were quite a bit of repeated segments - including an Abby we already saw last week (i think it was anyway - or am i just thinking of the dvd?) - but between the new stuff like the street story and the stuff that was repeated ("Feist 1234" is a big fave of mine and the Abby episode is a good one), the episode as a whole was strong. Still not liking the Murray host format but at least it did make me laugh aloud with the "Say WHAT?" "Underpants" bit.

I'm finding myself enjoying Elmo a bit more these days - which may be a side effect of the Murray overexposure taking some of the heat off Elmo but i think it's more that Kevin seems to be getting more in touch with the basic character. I've said before Elmo was a HILARIOUS WONDERFUL character when Kevin started doing him but over time he lost a lot of his defining qualities (the child-like wonder, shyness/sweetness, original speech patterns) and started becoming more generic and lifeless...the popularity of Tickle Me Elmo turned the character itself more boisterous and changed him around a lot. But i've noticed lately (as early as last season - in particular "Elmo Wants to Be Like Gordon"), Kevin seems to be getting a little more in touch with original Elmo and mixing it in a little with his current performances. It's not huge (cause if he went all the way it would be a huge shock because of how far away the character got), but i can see it in there...hopefully Kevin's trying to put more of it into current Elmo little by little.

And seeing the "Guess the Season" song with Rosita, Abby, and Zoe just totally multiplied my dislike for miniZoe. (or as i'm hereby referring to it, "WTFZoe") Seeing it right up in the camera and in relation to the other puppets, it really looks just plain awful. How anyone thought using that hideous thing as a replacement Zoe puppet would be a good idea (and how other people went along with it instead of politely telling them to take their pills or get some rest) is beyond me. RealZoe is such a BEAUTIFUL puppet (and i've seen it up close in person - simply stunning!) - there were a couple years a while back when the pupil placement was off and mucked up the look a little but it eventually got fixed. The eye focus is horrible on WTFZoe but it's just one of MANY things that doesn't work. I hope that everyone realizes that the replacement failed BIG TIME and that's why Fran's using RealZoe for promotional appearances; that they'll go back to it now. How can kids even like it? It looks like the real puppet is being replaced with a cheap made-for-kids toy puppet! Little Kid d.w. would watch the show and be upset that something was wrong with Zoe.

Okay, add me to the list of those who would LOVE to see a plush Blogg. Heck, anything remotely resembling one like a pillow or something! SW, you're sitting on a huge cash cow there and you'd be foolish to not persue such a marketing opportunity!

Still feel A'sFFS's too long and out of place within the context of the show as a whole, but i will stand up and proclaim how refreshing it is to have a longer regular segment to actually LOOK FORWARD to seeing as opposed to Elmo's World?

Murray Had a Little Lamb was too long and needed shortening but wow they went about it the wrong way. Someone mentioned how the guessing game portion was the more educational part in terms of the Spanish lesson. But it was also the FUNNIER part of the segment. The puppetry was incredible and the interplay between Murray and Ovejita hilarious!

And here is the heart of why Murray-as-host fails. Besides what's already been touched on; that it's too much focus on a single character when SST works best as an ensemble piece chockful of different varied characters - it's yet more of Murray by himself. The Word of the day intros and the Murray/kid moments from past seasons and all the Murray-as-host segments all place Murray as a totally-seperate-from-the-rest-of-the-Sesame-cast character. What made Murray Has a Little Lamb work and a great segment was the interplay between Murray and Ovejita.

I know that Joey actually likes Murray that way. He felt uncomfortable the couple times they used Murray in the street story, but sorry, Joey, sometimes "uncomfortable" is good. It means your character is being stretched and more fully realized. Maybe as a performer it felt unusual but on the other side of the screen, it was terrific. Murray was a really funny HIGHPOINT of The Golden Triangle of Destiny. Muppets work best when they play off each other. Take the other well-known Muppet host, Kermit. What made the character work on both Sesame and later TMS was his relationships with other characters. Sure he had his Kermit/kid moments but most of the time he was interviewing other Muppets in the News sketches or having to deal with monsters in his lectures. Even Elmo's World allows Elmo to interact with other Muppets and various times in the segment - it's not all Elmo talking to the camera (and Dorothy) - he gets emails from other Muppets or takes videos of them, he talks with Muppets representing the subject of the day at the end...even Mr. Noodle is a quasi-Muppet. Murray is just out there by himself save for his interactions with Ovejita in MHALL. It doesn't work and it gets real old real fast. I'm already SO OVER Murray and am watching Season 40 largely feeling "let's get this over with and move on to Season 41 which will hopefully be different". Murray is too isolated from the rest of the cast and seems like he just doesn't belong - and when he's then thrust into the role of host and comes back on the screen over and over AND OVER, massive fall-flat-on-face FAIL.

The only other "major" character that i remember being so isolated from the rest of the cast was Roosevelt Franklin. This always bothered me about the character as a kid - i could care less about his ethnicity and how it was being represented (we've all heard why it was felt the character didn't work and was dropped). Roosevelt NEVER interacted with the other Muppet cast members except in books. He was always with his mother or his own group of friends at the School. They finally came up with the Headball segments towards the end of the character's run where you at least SAW him with other SST Muppets but still not really interacting with them. As a viewer, you felt like he was from a different show. You'd get the hand puppet or the Little People figure and didn't play with it much because it was weird to have him doing scenes with your other puppets/Little People not because of his perceived race but because he didn't seem to have any relationship with the rest. But the difference between RF and Murray was at least he still had other Muppets to interact with even if they were pretty much his own posse. Murray is this anomoly on his own not seeming to belong yet still taking up all this screentime.

Joey, you're a great writer - i'm glad you're head writing the show - and a hilarious performer. But you need to get over your fear of having your main character work with others. It goes against the by now well established rules of what makes a characte work. Despite his push into the limelight, Murray Monster is when all is said and done nothing more than A Generic Joey Mazzarino Character (just a well designed one). Joey's relying too much on his own humor and personality to make Murray work but this does not make a classic character. It gives him a good springboard but this is ultimately nothing more than a base, a beginning. I reiterate what i said before that Murray is starting to come across as an ego trip - like a Muppeteer gets the chance to be head writer and takes advantage of the opportunity to make his character the next breakout star. But Murray's not ready for it. It's forced. And this is because Murray isn't fleshed out enough as his own character. He's not "finished"; it's like the internal equivalent of throwing a puppet on the screen that still has holes in it exposing the hand inside, or not yet given its eyes or something. Even despite the scenes with Ovejita, the audience does not know Who Murray Is. We see his face and hear his voice (CONSTANTLY!) but he's still a stranger. He's the news reporter there pointing his microphone at everyone else but staying very detached from the story. Joey, for Frog's sake, get over your fears and insecurities of developing Murray as an actual character in the Muppet universe and let the character free to evolve and develop. Let him play with his friends...let him HAVE friends! Until he can be with the other Muppets, he'll be severely amiss that special spark that makes a Muppet gel and a character thrive.

 

[minor muppetz]

And here is the heart of why Murray-as-host fails. Besides what's already been touched on; that it's too much focus on a single character when SST works best as an ensemble piece chockful of different varied characters - it's yet more of Murray by himself. The Word of the day intros and the Murray/kid moments from past seasons and all the Murray-as-host segments all place Murray as a totally-seperate-from-the-rest-of-the-Sesame-cast character. What made Murray Has a Little Lamb work and a great segment was the interplay between Murray and Ovejita.

I know that Joey actually likes Murray that way. He felt uncomfortable the couple times they used Murray in the street story, but sorry, Joey, sometimes "uncomfortable" is good. It means your character is being stretched and more fully realized. Maybe as a performer it felt unusual but on the other side of the screen, it was terrific. Murray was a really funny HIGHPOINT of The Golden Triangle of Destiny. Muppets work best when they play off each other. Take the other well-known Muppet host, Kermit. What made the character work on both Sesame and later TMS was his relationships with other characters. Sure he had his Kermit/kid moments but most of the time he was interviewing other Muppets in the News sketches or having to deal with monsters in his lectures. Even Elmo's World allows Elmo to interact with other Muppets and various times in the segment - it's not all Elmo talking to the camera (and Dorothy) - he gets emails from other Muppets or takes videos of them, he talks with Muppets representing the subject of the day at the end...even Mr. Noodle is a quasi-Muppet. Murray is just out there by himself save for his interactions with Ovejita in MHALL. It doesn't work and it gets real old real fast. I'm already SO OVER Murray and am watching Season 40 largely feeling "let's get this over with and move on to Season 41 which will hopefully be different". Murray is too isolated from the rest of the cast and seems like he just doesn't belong - and when he's then thrust into the role of host and comes back on the screen over and over AND OVER, massive fall-flat-on-face FAIL.

I just gotta say, if Murray is going to be hosting the show, then there'd better be some Murray merhcandise by the time the next season begins. Maybe a toy, or a direct-to-DVD starring him, or a book focusing on him (has he appeared in any books yet?). Heck, he's been in every episode for the last three years.

The only other "major" character that i remember being so isolated from the rest of the cast was Roosevelt Franklin. This always bothered me about the character as a kid - i could care less about his ethnicity and how it was being represented (we've all heard why it was felt the character didn't work and was dropped). Roosevelt NEVER interacted with the other Muppet cast members except in books. He was always with his mother or his own group of friends at the School. They finally came up with the Headball segments towards the end of the character's run where you at least SAW him with other SST Muppets but still not really interacting with them. As a viewer, you felt like he was from a different show. You'd get the hand puppet or the Little People figure and didn't play with it much because it was weird to have him doing scenes with your other puppets/Little People not because of his perceived race but because he didn't seem to have any relationship with the rest. But the difference between RF and Murray was at least he still had other Muppets to interact with even if they were pretty much his own posse. Murray is this anomoly on his own not seeming to belong yet still taking up all this screentime.

There were a few times when Roosevelt was with othe rmajor characters, such as the openign scene from episode 406. And oddly enough, some of Roosevelt's friedns (Hard Head Henry Harris and Smart Tina) appeared alongside the cast in an audio recording of The Twelve Days of Christmas.

Other characters more-or-less in this category include Simon Soundman and Harvey Kneeslapper.

 

[RyGuy]

I agree fans are asking "Muarry?" who is Muarry. we see him host the program, yet we don't know him . He doesn't have the "typicials" yet ( his own song, his favorite things. )He seems very used to talking to human in the "Word on The Street "segments. "so why not have him interact with someone like Gina or Gordon t, since he does seem comfortable talkingto humans hen he can progress to talking to the muppet gang" Gordon could say "Here comes Big Bird, he may be big and tall, but he's a nice friend "

With Muarry, it will take more time for him to warm up to talking with the SS muppet gang, that's all . He will get there .

 

[Drtooth]

I missed the last 2 episodes no thanks to having to sleep through it with this WRETCHED cold. Heck, Monday I couldn't even stand up until 3 in the afternoon.

So, I missed out on Changing seasons, and only caught 5 minutes of the Y Quest before I got too dizzy to even bother, but thankfully, I got to see one of the best street stories so far this season. And Lemme tell you, I'm glad they pointed out that the 4 bears never hibernated before... that would have been a major plot hole (they celebrate Hanukkah, remember?) I really dig these Baby Bear/Telly plot lines, and this was no exception. And I really liked the Howard Huge-like Max Bear. Was the song supposed to be a parody of something,... seems like it very well could be.

So, we're already into Abby re-runs, are we? I'm not surprised at all. This was a lean season for SS, firing some of their workforce, relying on foreign segments... Rewatching this one though makes me glad that they actually paid attention to what genies are. they aren't the cute, cuddly Robin Williams types that give you exactly what you want... they work around the parameters of what you say so you get a twisted version of what you asked for. Even a supposedly friendly one like Gene.

And I just LOVED the Special K commercial. Love how they made fun of the old 1980's marketing campaign, and not the fat-a-phobic "instead of this, eat a bowl of cereal" junk they're talking now.

And Ernie and Bert... Can't really say more than I've already said, love this segment, bet it's a big hit in Germany (where Ernie and Bert are very popular)...

I just gotta say, if Murray is going to be hosting the show, then there'd better be some Murray merhcandise by the time the next season begins. Maybe a toy, or a direct-to-DVD starring him, or a book focusing on him (has he appeared in any books yet?). Heck, he's been in every episode for the last three years.

Two words: Telly Monster.

 

[minor muppetz]

And I just LOVED the Special K commercial. Love how they made fun of the old 1980's marketing campaign, and not the fat-a-phobic "instead of this, eat a bowl of cereal" junk they're talking now.

I didn't watch the whole episode, but this was the highlight of the episode I saw. Very funny.

When Murray was asking people to name K words, I wondered if we'd get a second Kermit surprise this season... We didn't.

 

[Oscarfan]

And seeing the "Guess the Season" song with Rosita, Abby, and Zoe just totally multiplied my dislike for miniZoe. (or as i'm hereby referring to it, "WTFZoe") Seeing it right up in the camera and in relation to the other puppets, it really looks just plain awful. How anyone thought using that hideous thing as a replacement Zoe puppet would be a good idea (and how other people went along with it instead of politely telling them to take their pills or get some rest) is beyond me. RealZoe is such a BEAUTIFUL puppet (and i've seen it up close in person - simply stunning!) - there were a couple years a while back when the pupil placement was off and mucked up the look a little but it eventually got fixed. The eye focus is horrible on WTFZoe but it's just one of MANY things that doesn't work. I hope that everyone realizes that the replacement failed BIG TIME and that's why Fran's using RealZoe for promotional appearances; that they'll go back to it now. How can kids even like it? It looks like the real puppet is being replaced with a cheap made-for-kids toy puppet! Little Kid d.w. would watch the show and be upset that something was wrong with Zoe.

I agree. When I saw the small Zoe at the NJ event, it didn't look as horrible as it did in that song. This new small one doesn't even look female to me! If it weren't for her tutu, I'd mistake her for some kind of small monkey or rat.