Not a sunny day
July 28, 2016 12:11 PM Subscribe
HBO has fired Gordon, Bob, and Luis from Sesame Street. But not Susan, apparently. My childhood has officially been stabbed to death. HBO and Sesame Street previously.
Also: the article has an error: Alan Muraoka is NOT an "original cast member."
Also: the article has an error: Alan Muraoka is NOT an "original cast member."
There are a handful of execs at HBO that need to be dragged out into the street and have the sunny day sweep their jobs away.
posted by tclark at 12:12 PM on July 28, 2016 [30 favorites]
posted by tclark at 12:12 PM on July 28, 2016 [30 favorites]
This is bewildering. Those people taught me how to read; they are national treasures.
posted by obloquy at 12:14 PM on July 28, 2016 [15 favorites]
posted by obloquy at 12:14 PM on July 28, 2016 [15 favorites]
How did I not know that HBO owned sesame street?
posted by Annika Cicada at 12:16 PM on July 28, 2016 [3 favorites]
posted by Annika Cicada at 12:16 PM on July 28, 2016 [3 favorites]
I am absolutely furious about this, and hope social media picks this up and runs with it. Its a travesty and HBO should be ashamed of themselves. (Also, I suspect that if Sesame Workshop had gone the route of crowdfunding/fundraising for their programming funds vs. selling out to HBO they would have done ok -- certianly better than they are now. But I digress.) I fully expect that Sesame Street will end its run within the next five years. Sesame Workshop will likely still exist, but the transfer to HBO has really killed the program.
posted by anastasiav at 12:16 PM on July 28, 2016 [5 favorites]
posted by anastasiav at 12:16 PM on July 28, 2016 [5 favorites]
... WHAT.
posted by suelac at 12:17 PM on July 28, 2016 [1 favorite]
posted by suelac at 12:17 PM on July 28, 2016 [1 favorite]
How did I not know that HBO owned sesame street?
It just happened last year. Article.
posted by anastasiav at 12:18 PM on July 28, 2016 [1 favorite]
It just happened last year. Article.
posted by anastasiav at 12:18 PM on July 28, 2016 [1 favorite]
I love how the show is changing its focus to topics such as “self-regulation” and “executive function." Gee, that sure sounds like entertainment.
posted by My Dad at 12:18 PM on July 28, 2016 [6 favorites]
posted by My Dad at 12:18 PM on July 28, 2016 [6 favorites]
The article also captions the first image as the cast from 1969, but I think that's wrong. Current Gordon and Luis are in it.
Also, this news sucks and makes me feel sad.
posted by condour75 at 12:20 PM on July 28, 2016
Also, this news sucks and makes me feel sad.
posted by condour75 at 12:20 PM on July 28, 2016
"In other words, though a fan's knee-jerk reaction may be to blame HBO, Sesame Street took pains to emphasize that this was not the network's decision."
posted by Brandon Blatcher at 12:20 PM on July 28, 2016 [12 favorites]
posted by Brandon Blatcher at 12:20 PM on July 28, 2016 [12 favorites]
As a 41 year old childless man, how dare Children's Television Workshop not pander to my nostalgia?
But seriously, I was upset about this this morning until I was talked down. Bob (the character) is like an invisible gay icon from my youth. (Unmarried white dude teaching piano in 1970s NYC - connect the dots people.)
posted by MCMikeNamara at 12:21 PM on July 28, 2016 [23 favorites]
But seriously, I was upset about this this morning until I was talked down. Bob (the character) is like an invisible gay icon from my youth. (Unmarried white dude teaching piano in 1970s NYC - connect the dots people.)
posted by MCMikeNamara at 12:21 PM on July 28, 2016 [23 favorites]
Sesame Street was never supposed to be about entertainment first. It was supposed to be about helping low-income kids grow up into functional adults. Self-regulation and executive function are a huge part of that and entirely appropriate lessons. New episodes being produce primarily for a cable audience and getting rid of most of the older faces on the show are, however, not at all in keeping with that mission.
posted by Sequence at 12:21 PM on July 28, 2016 [37 favorites]
posted by Sequence at 12:21 PM on July 28, 2016 [37 favorites]
"You see this letter 'D'? That letter 'D' cost more than your tricycle. That's my fucking name!"
posted by thelonius at 12:22 PM on July 28, 2016 [25 favorites]
posted by thelonius at 12:22 PM on July 28, 2016 [25 favorites]
I love how the show is changing its focus to topics such as “self-regulation” and “executive function." Gee, that sure sounds like entertainment.
Sesame Street has always focused on developmental milestones as much as academic ones. The biggest reason of success was that it was science based educational programing that was actually engaging, creative and entertaining. Sesame Street's audience has gotten younger over the years (with it started it focused more on early elementary aged children than preschoolers) but those sorts of developmental topics have always been a focus. (see, for example, Oscar the Grouch). There are whole books on this if you want to learn more.
posted by anastasiav at 12:23 PM on July 28, 2016 [16 favorites]
Sesame Street has always focused on developmental milestones as much as academic ones. The biggest reason of success was that it was science based educational programing that was actually engaging, creative and entertaining. Sesame Street's audience has gotten younger over the years (with it started it focused more on early elementary aged children than preschoolers) but those sorts of developmental topics have always been a focus. (see, for example, Oscar the Grouch). There are whole books on this if you want to learn more.
posted by anastasiav at 12:23 PM on July 28, 2016 [16 favorites]
HBO doesn't own Sesame Street per se - they signed an exclusive deal with Sesame Workshop for streaming rights. HBO may be involved but it's the same production team as always.
Video and then DVD sales used to make up the majority of Sesame Workshop's revenue and when those went away they simply weren't replaced - before the HBO deal they were flat-out losing money and in a very dangerous situation. As unappealing as the HBO deal is the alternative was the death of Sesame Street altogether.
posted by GuyZero at 12:24 PM on July 28, 2016 [3 favorites]
Video and then DVD sales used to make up the majority of Sesame Workshop's revenue and when those went away they simply weren't replaced - before the HBO deal they were flat-out losing money and in a very dangerous situation. As unappealing as the HBO deal is the alternative was the death of Sesame Street altogether.
posted by GuyZero at 12:24 PM on July 28, 2016 [3 favorites]
I fucking hate this and I don't like it.
/me throws her chubby baby hands down on her Oscar the Grouch plate, catapulting her green peas to the floor.
posted by Annika Cicada at 12:24 PM on July 28, 2016 [19 favorites]
/me throws her chubby baby hands down on her Oscar the Grouch plate, catapulting her green peas to the floor.
posted by Annika Cicada at 12:24 PM on July 28, 2016 [19 favorites]
Twitter is PISSED.
posted by a fiendish thingy at 12:24 PM on July 28, 2016 [3 favorites]
posted by a fiendish thingy at 12:24 PM on July 28, 2016 [3 favorites]
HBO had nothing to do with it. And blaming Sesame Workshop is just blaming the messenger; the real culprit here is time's arrow.
posted by Shmuel510 at 12:25 PM on July 28, 2016 [10 favorites]
posted by Shmuel510 at 12:25 PM on July 28, 2016 [10 favorites]
Honestly, the biggest loss from the HBO fallout is head writer / head Murray Joey Mazzarino. His description of, basically, losing the battle for the "heart and soul" of Sesame Street is heartbreaking.
That said... the show is, this season, more or less what it was last season. Half the segments (or more) are recycled from previous seasons. I assume the sort-of-obnoxious "Smart Cookies" segment will run its course, but it's certainly no worse than Abby's Flying Fucking Fairy School. And the hour-long episodes, at least the recent ones, were too long anyhow, as far as I could tell.
The show has changed this season, for sure, but I'm not entirely sure, yet, that it's for the worse. The recent Boo-Boo Busters episode is a favorite of toddlerozzy, who is really into whether people are feeling sad or not, and how Oscar might feel about getting a boo-boo / stinky-fish bandage.
The nostalgia people are feeling is for a Sesame Street that really hasn't existed for a while, so far as I can tell.
posted by uncleozzy at 12:25 PM on July 28, 2016 [14 favorites]
That said... the show is, this season, more or less what it was last season. Half the segments (or more) are recycled from previous seasons. I assume the sort-of-obnoxious "Smart Cookies" segment will run its course, but it's certainly no worse than Abby's Flying Fucking Fairy School. And the hour-long episodes, at least the recent ones, were too long anyhow, as far as I could tell.
The show has changed this season, for sure, but I'm not entirely sure, yet, that it's for the worse. The recent Boo-Boo Busters episode is a favorite of toddlerozzy, who is really into whether people are feeling sad or not, and how Oscar might feel about getting a boo-boo / stinky-fish bandage.
The nostalgia people are feeling is for a Sesame Street that really hasn't existed for a while, so far as I can tell.
posted by uncleozzy at 12:25 PM on July 28, 2016 [14 favorites]
elmo leans back in the chair
rich leather brushes against felt and fur
vengeance
he says
vengeance is mine dorothy
the curtain starts to speak
but he tells it to shut it
the room goes dark
outside
across the street
abby cadabby hovers
watching
your time will come too
old man
she promises
posted by robocop is bleeding at 12:27 PM on July 28, 2016 [27 favorites]
rich leather brushes against felt and fur
vengeance
he says
vengeance is mine dorothy
the curtain starts to speak
but he tells it to shut it
the room goes dark
outside
across the street
abby cadabby hovers
watching
your time will come too
old man
she promises
posted by robocop is bleeding at 12:27 PM on July 28, 2016 [27 favorites]
Abby's Flying Fucking Fairy School
Think that's the version shown on Cinemax, not HBO.
posted by praemunire at 12:27 PM on July 28, 2016 [9 favorites]
Think that's the version shown on Cinemax, not HBO.
posted by praemunire at 12:27 PM on July 28, 2016 [9 favorites]
Also, for the people saying this wasn't about HBO-- that's not the perception of the cast:
"At a Q&A event at the Florida Supercon on July 2, Bob McGrath, a.k.a. “Bob,” informed the audience that he, Emilio Delgado (who played “Luis”) and Roscoe Orman (“Gordon”) were all released from the show as part of its re-tooling for HBO.
“As of this season, I have completed my 45th season this year. And the show has gone under a major turnaround, going from an hour to a half hour. HBO has gotten involved also. And they let all of the original cast members go, with the exception of Alan Muraoka — who is probably 20 years younger than the rest of us — and Chris Knowings, who is also young,” McGrath said."
posted by a fiendish thingy at 12:29 PM on July 28, 2016 [7 favorites]
"At a Q&A event at the Florida Supercon on July 2, Bob McGrath, a.k.a. “Bob,” informed the audience that he, Emilio Delgado (who played “Luis”) and Roscoe Orman (“Gordon”) were all released from the show as part of its re-tooling for HBO.
“As of this season, I have completed my 45th season this year. And the show has gone under a major turnaround, going from an hour to a half hour. HBO has gotten involved also. And they let all of the original cast members go, with the exception of Alan Muraoka — who is probably 20 years younger than the rest of us — and Chris Knowings, who is also young,” McGrath said."
posted by a fiendish thingy at 12:29 PM on July 28, 2016 [7 favorites]
we never really grow up
posted by Foci for Analysis at 12:29 PM on July 28, 2016
posted by Foci for Analysis at 12:29 PM on July 28, 2016
Say what now?!
I hope they get an episode where they explain to Big Bird why they won't be around any more.
posted by Gelatin at 12:29 PM on July 28, 2016 [4 favorites]
I hope they get an episode where they explain to Big Bird why they won't be around any more.
posted by Gelatin at 12:29 PM on July 28, 2016 [4 favorites]
they signed an exclusive deal with Sesame Workshop for streaming rights
Not just streaming rights, I think -- don't the new shows play first on HBO and then move to PBS about a year later? (Not that it really matters, because Netflix and YouTube, but still...)
posted by anastasiav at 12:30 PM on July 28, 2016
Not just streaming rights, I think -- don't the new shows play first on HBO and then move to PBS about a year later? (Not that it really matters, because Netflix and YouTube, but still...)
posted by anastasiav at 12:30 PM on July 28, 2016
So are these programs actually still available to low-income kids? Otherwise, I see no point in continuing.
posted by selfnoise at 12:32 PM on July 28, 2016 [4 favorites]
posted by selfnoise at 12:32 PM on July 28, 2016 [4 favorites]
Per Sesame Street's twitter feed, it's not HBO's fault.
posted by turtlebackriding at 12:32 PM on July 28, 2016
posted by turtlebackriding at 12:32 PM on July 28, 2016
So are these programs actually still available to low-income kids?
If by "low-income" you mean kids who can afford an HBO subscription or who can accept watching the programs on PBS with a nine-month embargo, then yeah, they're available.
posted by blucevalo at 12:37 PM on July 28, 2016 [5 favorites]
If by "low-income" you mean kids who can afford an HBO subscription or who can accept watching the programs on PBS with a nine-month embargo, then yeah, they're available.
posted by blucevalo at 12:37 PM on July 28, 2016 [5 favorites]
So are these programs actually still available to low-income kids? Otherwise, I see no point in continuing.
HBO produced shows air on PBS nine months later. My local PBS station also still shows episodes from recent prior seasons a couple of times a day. However, my middle class kid certainly watched more Sesame Street on YouTube than anything else. Their YouTube channel is broad and deep.
posted by anastasiav at 12:37 PM on July 28, 2016 [1 favorite]
HBO produced shows air on PBS nine months later. My local PBS station also still shows episodes from recent prior seasons a couple of times a day. However, my middle class kid certainly watched more Sesame Street on YouTube than anything else. Their YouTube channel is broad and deep.
posted by anastasiav at 12:37 PM on July 28, 2016 [1 favorite]
Sesame Street has always focused on developmental milestones as much as academic ones. The biggest reason of success was that it was science based educational programing that was actually engaging, creative and entertaining.
I grew up watching Sesame Street in the early 70's. I really doubt that television has the ability to teach developmental milestones. It's ridiculous and simultaneously both a paternalistic and neoliberal notion. You need parents, grandparents, and teachers to do it. Just because there are marginalized communities in the United States without this proverbial village does not mean that Sesame Street is somehow going to teach kids to eat carrots instead of cookies.
These underserved communities need help to survive within the neoliberal framework, but television is not the tool to help them.
posted by My Dad at 12:39 PM on July 28, 2016 [4 favorites]
I grew up watching Sesame Street in the early 70's. I really doubt that television has the ability to teach developmental milestones. It's ridiculous and simultaneously both a paternalistic and neoliberal notion. You need parents, grandparents, and teachers to do it. Just because there are marginalized communities in the United States without this proverbial village does not mean that Sesame Street is somehow going to teach kids to eat carrots instead of cookies.
These underserved communities need help to survive within the neoliberal framework, but television is not the tool to help them.
posted by My Dad at 12:39 PM on July 28, 2016 [4 favorites]
The New Yorker article posted above by uncleozzy is fantastic, by the way. Thank you for sharing that.
posted by anastasiav at 12:40 PM on July 28, 2016
posted by anastasiav at 12:40 PM on July 28, 2016
Interestingly, the article about the battle for the soul of the show seems to be a battle between making a show that's actually for small children and making a show that the grown-ups who make the show like. And the 'make a show for small children' side won. I can't help but think that's actually the right outcome.
posted by jacquilynne at 12:40 PM on July 28, 2016 [12 favorites]
posted by jacquilynne at 12:40 PM on July 28, 2016 [12 favorites]
the 'f' and 'u' title was better
posted by j_curiouser at 12:40 PM on July 28, 2016 [8 favorites]
posted by j_curiouser at 12:40 PM on July 28, 2016 [8 favorites]
I hope they get an episode where they explain to Big Bird why they won't be around any more.
He'll be trying to convince everybody that all these people used to exist, but no one will believe him.
posted by Celsius1414 at 12:42 PM on July 28, 2016 [18 favorites]
He'll be trying to convince everybody that all these people used to exist, but no one will believe him.
posted by Celsius1414 at 12:42 PM on July 28, 2016 [18 favorites]
I have no idea whether there was still a genuine need for these characters or not, particularly given the reformatting/reworking/whatever of the show. It could very well be that these characters are no longer required.
That said, it's a spectacularly poor exercise in public relations. This explosion of outrage was inevitable given the cultural plinth Sesame Street occupies. It would have been far better for some other creative solution, like them being 'promoted' to 'cast members emeritus' or something, who would have been on only occasionally, if at all. The cast deserved it, the public deserved it, and the showmakers wouldn't have unleashed a holy shitstorm on themselves.
posted by Capt. Renault at 12:42 PM on July 28, 2016 [19 favorites]
That said, it's a spectacularly poor exercise in public relations. This explosion of outrage was inevitable given the cultural plinth Sesame Street occupies. It would have been far better for some other creative solution, like them being 'promoted' to 'cast members emeritus' or something, who would have been on only occasionally, if at all. The cast deserved it, the public deserved it, and the showmakers wouldn't have unleashed a holy shitstorm on themselves.
posted by Capt. Renault at 12:42 PM on July 28, 2016 [19 favorites]
I really doubt that television has the ability to teach developmental milestones..
Self regulation and executive functioning are hugely important things to teach children, so if you're going to try to teach them anything through Sesame Street I don't see what the possible objection could be to teaching those things specifically. Maybe it doesn't work, but I'd rather Sesame Street try than not try.
posted by Bulgaroktonos at 12:44 PM on July 28, 2016 [9 favorites]
Self regulation and executive functioning are hugely important things to teach children, so if you're going to try to teach them anything through Sesame Street I don't see what the possible objection could be to teaching those things specifically. Maybe it doesn't work, but I'd rather Sesame Street try than not try.
posted by Bulgaroktonos at 12:44 PM on July 28, 2016 [9 favorites]
IS THIS BECAUSE OF THE ALL-FEMALE GHOSTBUSTERS??????
posted by saladin at 12:46 PM on July 28, 2016 [8 favorites]
posted by saladin at 12:46 PM on July 28, 2016 [8 favorites]
turtlebackriding: "Per Sesame Street's twitter feed, it's not HBO's fault."
Man there are a load of angry muppet reaction images i didn't know about
posted by boo_radley at 12:49 PM on July 28, 2016 [4 favorites]
Man there are a load of angry muppet reaction images i didn't know about
posted by boo_radley at 12:49 PM on July 28, 2016 [4 favorites]
These underserved communities need help to survive within the neoliberal framework, but television is not the tool to help them.
Yeah, it's only the primary form of culture that the vast majority of Americans consume. It certainly can't teach lessons.
posted by Etrigan at 12:51 PM on July 28, 2016 [12 favorites]
Yeah, it's only the primary form of culture that the vast majority of Americans consume. It certainly can't teach lessons.
posted by Etrigan at 12:51 PM on July 28, 2016 [12 favorites]
Also I love and will miss Telly. He is my spirit muppet. There's actually a new-season episode where Telly gets all worked up because Abby is using all the art supplies "wrong" (building with crayons, painting with rubber chickens), and I looked at it and said, that's me. Sometimes I catch myself being Telly and know I need to take a deep breath.
posted by uncleozzy at 12:51 PM on July 28, 2016 [13 favorites]
posted by uncleozzy at 12:51 PM on July 28, 2016 [13 favorites]
I really doubt that television has the ability to teach developmental milestones.
This has been studied - there's evidence that good quality television designed to educate can support educational outcomes:
"Children age 3 to 5 who watched Sesame Street had larger vocabularies in high school than those who watched other television programming, or even no television at all. The effect could not be explained by gender, family size, or parents' education. Preschoolers from lower income neighborhoods, in particular, who watched Sesame Street were more prepared for school than their peers who did not watch Sesame Street. Kids who watched Sesame Street had higher grades in science and English, had higher total GPA, read more books, placed more value on achievement, and were rated as more creative, compared with their peers. Boys who watched Sesame Street in preschool were rated as less aggressive in high school; girls were more likely to participate in extracurricular art classes."
Lots more summarized here.
I'm absolutely with you that we can't rely on tv to replace support from family and community, but it's part of the puzzle.
posted by une_heure_pleine at 12:52 PM on July 28, 2016 [38 favorites]
This has been studied - there's evidence that good quality television designed to educate can support educational outcomes:
"Children age 3 to 5 who watched Sesame Street had larger vocabularies in high school than those who watched other television programming, or even no television at all. The effect could not be explained by gender, family size, or parents' education. Preschoolers from lower income neighborhoods, in particular, who watched Sesame Street were more prepared for school than their peers who did not watch Sesame Street. Kids who watched Sesame Street had higher grades in science and English, had higher total GPA, read more books, placed more value on achievement, and were rated as more creative, compared with their peers. Boys who watched Sesame Street in preschool were rated as less aggressive in high school; girls were more likely to participate in extracurricular art classes."
Lots more summarized here.
I'm absolutely with you that we can't rely on tv to replace support from family and community, but it's part of the puzzle.
posted by une_heure_pleine at 12:52 PM on July 28, 2016 [38 favorites]
I mean - it's sad, but I can imagine after all these years maybe it was felt kids could relate better with less of an age gap between them and the adults on the show. On the other hand, remember when Mr. Hooper's death was deemed needing special attention because they thought kids would wonder why he wasn't around anymore? Aren't kids gonna be asking "what happened to Luis? And Gordon? And Bob?"
posted by dnash at 12:54 PM on July 28, 2016 [1 favorite]
posted by dnash at 12:54 PM on July 28, 2016 [1 favorite]
Sesame Street was pretty much dead to me when they went to the All Elmo, All The Time version. Poor grammar, frenetic, shrill, hyperactive, irritating. Everything that Sesame Street used to avoid, it has become. And now it's apparently age-ist (whether they are or aren't, they've done a good job of making it look that way). Sure, they can't keep the original cast members forever, but still, let them decide when they're ready to go, sending them off right before the HBO transition was a shit move no matter what the reason, and it will never play well with the long-time supporters.
[Jesus christ the autoplaying video on the Today link is 95% of the way down the page - I had to scroll for a long damn time before I could find it and kill it. Warning please?]
posted by caution live frogs at 12:56 PM on July 28, 2016 [11 favorites]
[Jesus christ the autoplaying video on the Today link is 95% of the way down the page - I had to scroll for a long damn time before I could find it and kill it. Warning please?]
posted by caution live frogs at 12:56 PM on July 28, 2016 [11 favorites]
Also I love and will miss Telly. He is my spirit muppet.
The Two-Headed Monster for me. Come to your own conclusions.
posted by Capt. Renault at 12:57 PM on July 28, 2016
The Two-Headed Monster for me. Come to your own conclusions.
posted by Capt. Renault at 12:57 PM on July 28, 2016
the real culprit here is time's arrow
Martin Amis, you shall pay!!!
posted by GenjiandProust at 12:58 PM on July 28, 2016 [5 favorites]
Martin Amis, you shall pay!!!
posted by GenjiandProust at 12:58 PM on July 28, 2016 [5 favorites]
Hi, I'm Murray from Sesame Street, and I'm looking for... the Word on the Street! Today's Word on the Street is neoliberal. Keep listening for the word today on Sesame Street!
posted by griphus at 1:02 PM on July 28, 2016 [18 favorites]
posted by griphus at 1:02 PM on July 28, 2016 [18 favorites]
Sesame Street was pretty much dead to me when they went to the All Elmo
Our daughter's diapers come with Sesame Street characters on them, and my wife has Opinions about which one of us applies which characters. She gets ALL the Cookie Monsters while she skips Elmo and leaves them for me. This despite the fact that I am the one with Cookie Monster pajamas, as if she doesn't care at all about Daddy/Daughter matching jammy/diaper time. Sometimes I sneak in a forbidden Cookie Monster diaper, but I always hear about it.
posted by Bulgaroktonos at 1:02 PM on July 28, 2016 [27 favorites]
Our daughter's diapers come with Sesame Street characters on them, and my wife has Opinions about which one of us applies which characters. She gets ALL the Cookie Monsters while she skips Elmo and leaves them for me. This despite the fact that I am the one with Cookie Monster pajamas, as if she doesn't care at all about Daddy/Daughter matching jammy/diaper time. Sometimes I sneak in a forbidden Cookie Monster diaper, but I always hear about it.
posted by Bulgaroktonos at 1:02 PM on July 28, 2016 [27 favorites]
Street Gang: The Complete History of Sesame Street by Michael Davis is a useful read, because it covers some of the other format retooling Sesame Street has undergone over the course of its run. There have been tensions between the creative, research and development teams before; it's an incredibly complicated show to put together.
There are things I don't love about the HBO retooling of the show. Specifically, I hate the credits. They're a sharp break from the tradition of showing real children interacting with adults, muppets, strangers and friends on the real streets of NYC. Those old credits always showed children the message, "You are a part of the world and you can learn how to be part of the world. You belong in the wide world." The new credits are all glamor shots of the Muppets, and I hate how both the children and the real-world setting have been eliminated. I dislike that the ethos of the show I watched in the 1970s -- you are part of a neighborhood, and you can be part of the world -- has been replaced by something where children are largely audience members to Muppet antics & the kids' activities confined to stoop-sitting or game-playing.
But I watch my 5 year old watch the show & she thrills to figuring out that the "What's the Number?" segment's lyrics change depending on the number -- "The rhyme gives you a clue to the number!" she shrilled one day, pleased to have figured that out. And I love watching her sing along to the closing song, "You're getting stronger, smarter, kinder." I like that emotional awareness and regulation are part of it now.
I like that her Sesame Street is not my Sesame Street. So long as the show gives children some of the happy memories and the confidence that they can learn, I'm fine with how it changes in response to the times.
ETA: To this question, "Aren't kids gonna be asking "what happened to Luis? And Gordon? And Bob?"" ... if my sample size of one is any indication, she's much more into Alan, Chris and Neela. They're more relatable to her. They could be her babysitters or teachers.
posted by sobell at 1:08 PM on July 28, 2016 [11 favorites]
There are things I don't love about the HBO retooling of the show. Specifically, I hate the credits. They're a sharp break from the tradition of showing real children interacting with adults, muppets, strangers and friends on the real streets of NYC. Those old credits always showed children the message, "You are a part of the world and you can learn how to be part of the world. You belong in the wide world." The new credits are all glamor shots of the Muppets, and I hate how both the children and the real-world setting have been eliminated. I dislike that the ethos of the show I watched in the 1970s -- you are part of a neighborhood, and you can be part of the world -- has been replaced by something where children are largely audience members to Muppet antics & the kids' activities confined to stoop-sitting or game-playing.
But I watch my 5 year old watch the show & she thrills to figuring out that the "What's the Number?" segment's lyrics change depending on the number -- "The rhyme gives you a clue to the number!" she shrilled one day, pleased to have figured that out. And I love watching her sing along to the closing song, "You're getting stronger, smarter, kinder." I like that emotional awareness and regulation are part of it now.
I like that her Sesame Street is not my Sesame Street. So long as the show gives children some of the happy memories and the confidence that they can learn, I'm fine with how it changes in response to the times.
ETA: To this question, "Aren't kids gonna be asking "what happened to Luis? And Gordon? And Bob?"" ... if my sample size of one is any indication, she's much more into Alan, Chris and Neela. They're more relatable to her. They could be her babysitters or teachers.
posted by sobell at 1:08 PM on July 28, 2016 [11 favorites]
Funny, I always kind of enjoyed putting the Elmo diapers on my son... so he could poop in them
posted by caution live frogs at 1:08 PM on July 28, 2016 [5 favorites]
posted by caution live frogs at 1:08 PM on July 28, 2016 [5 favorites]
(juvenile, yes, but cathartic)
posted by caution live frogs at 1:09 PM on July 28, 2016 [1 favorite]
posted by caution live frogs at 1:09 PM on July 28, 2016 [1 favorite]
Can't they at least have some sort of Red Wedding first to write the characters out?
posted by mbrubeck at 1:18 PM on July 28, 2016 [5 favorites]
posted by mbrubeck at 1:18 PM on July 28, 2016 [5 favorites]
Martin Amis, you shall pay!!!
Surely you mean that he has already received payment.
posted by Etrigan at 1:19 PM on July 28, 2016
Surely you mean that he has already received payment.
posted by Etrigan at 1:19 PM on July 28, 2016
Meh. It was a big part of my childhood, but half of it was watching it with my mom and that show died anyway when Elmo was forced down the throats of America's toddlers. 45 years is a great run, and you will forever be embedded in the subconscious of Generation X, the millenials, (and the Baby Boomers to some extent who were busy snorting coke and plopping their kids in front of the TV).
My kids never got into Sesame Street retooled and there is SO MUCH great kids TV now, so thanks for that too CTW.
I hope they get kick ass gold watches.
posted by Slarty Bartfast at 1:20 PM on July 28, 2016 [1 favorite]
My kids never got into Sesame Street retooled and there is SO MUCH great kids TV now, so thanks for that too CTW.
I hope they get kick ass gold watches.
posted by Slarty Bartfast at 1:20 PM on July 28, 2016 [1 favorite]
Who's gonna make me birdseed milkshakes and tell me stories?
TOO SOON.
posted by Mr. Bad Example at 1:25 PM on July 28, 2016 [11 favorites]
TOO SOON.
posted by Mr. Bad Example at 1:25 PM on July 28, 2016 [11 favorites]
I always wondered what kind of contracts the live performers got on Sesame Street. If they got any kind of residuals or a piece of merch money, I could see HBO gently hinting that they could maximize their "financial support" of the production by axing them in favor of puppets who work for cheap.
posted by dr_dank at 1:26 PM on July 28, 2016
posted by dr_dank at 1:26 PM on July 28, 2016
Wow. Did they really not know they were going to get a shit-ton of bad PR for this? Abruptly firing Bob, Gordon and Luis is a move worthy of Bill Murray in Scrooged.
posted by Ursula Hitler at 1:29 PM on July 28, 2016 [4 favorites]
posted by Ursula Hitler at 1:29 PM on July 28, 2016 [4 favorites]
I was upset about this in the morning, less so now. The actors that play Bob, Gordon, and Luis are getting old. Maria retired on her own volition. Maybe it's better to let these icons fade away. The Mr Hooper Died episode was a high water mark for the show, that may never be reached again. Having to do something similar for these older characters would probably miss the mark, or feel cheap.
However, Sesame Street could have handled the PR around this better - given them a big send-off, run a one-hour special where the three share their memories - and any negative press damages the brand.
posted by jazon at 1:47 PM on July 28, 2016 [4 favorites]
However, Sesame Street could have handled the PR around this better - given them a big send-off, run a one-hour special where the three share their memories - and any negative press damages the brand.
posted by jazon at 1:47 PM on July 28, 2016 [4 favorites]
I hear they fired half the Muppets and now Ernie has to do his job AND Bert's.
posted by PlusDistance at 1:56 PM on July 28, 2016 [5 favorites]
posted by PlusDistance at 1:56 PM on July 28, 2016 [5 favorites]
This is bad and they should feel bad for this no good, very horrible decision. Get off my lawn, HBO. (But kids, feel free to hang out on the stoop.)
posted by smirkette at 2:00 PM on July 28, 2016
posted by smirkette at 2:00 PM on July 28, 2016
I don't have much to add other than to fondly recall the time my entire family bumped into Bob McGrath in an airport, probably 8-10 years after my younger sister had outgrown Sesame Street. My siblings and I are pretty spread out agewise, and it was pretty great for my mom to be able tell Bob how much all three of her kids had learned from the show from the very beginning, with all three of us right there. He was just as sweet and kind as you would imagine him to be, and I felt like a little kid when I shook his hand and said thanks.
posted by usonian at 2:04 PM on July 28, 2016 [6 favorites]
posted by usonian at 2:04 PM on July 28, 2016 [6 favorites]
I mean - it's sad, but I can imagine after all these years maybe it was felt kids could relate better with less of an age gap between them and the adults on the show.
I think this is relevant. When I watched Sesame Street as a child in the early 80s, most of the adults on the show seemed like they were the ages of my parents and my friends' parents. If those same adults are still on the show, they would no longer seem to be the age of parents, but of grandparents. I'm sure they've added other, younger characters, but if they need to focus the cast, then it makes sense to focus on parent-aged cast with a sprinkling of older, rather than an older cast with a sprinkling of younger.
posted by jacquilynne at 2:09 PM on July 28, 2016 [6 favorites]
I think this is relevant. When I watched Sesame Street as a child in the early 80s, most of the adults on the show seemed like they were the ages of my parents and my friends' parents. If those same adults are still on the show, they would no longer seem to be the age of parents, but of grandparents. I'm sure they've added other, younger characters, but if they need to focus the cast, then it makes sense to focus on parent-aged cast with a sprinkling of older, rather than an older cast with a sprinkling of younger.
posted by jacquilynne at 2:09 PM on July 28, 2016 [6 favorites]
They could at least have had a clumsy baker fall down some steps carrying the three of them.
posted by delfin at 2:57 PM on July 28, 2016 [2 favorites]
posted by delfin at 2:57 PM on July 28, 2016 [2 favorites]
I AM SPLUTTERING LOUDLY AND ANGRILY ON A TRAIN NOW
I was an on-set intern at Sesame in 2004. Given the fact that every republican administration tries to kill the show (among their complaints in the distant past: it had women working outside the home, it had Pete Seeger and he was a communist, it promoted race mixing), the atmosphere has long been very tense. The axe always felt like it was swinging. The only people who really seemed to be having much fun were those who, like the original cast, had been around forever.
But the original cast and some of the older music staff were delightful, kind, hard-working people. I particularly remember watching Roscoe Orman work overtime on a full day of shooting Trash Gordon bits, which were very unrewarding -- just him in front of a green screen doing the same bits over and over, barely taking a break. Not a single word of complaint, though he looked very tired by the end. I went up afterward and thanked him for raising me, and he gave me a huge hug.
I guess everyone has to move on someday, but I wish this had been at their discretion.
posted by gusandrews at 3:02 PM on July 28, 2016 [16 favorites]
I was an on-set intern at Sesame in 2004. Given the fact that every republican administration tries to kill the show (among their complaints in the distant past: it had women working outside the home, it had Pete Seeger and he was a communist, it promoted race mixing), the atmosphere has long been very tense. The axe always felt like it was swinging. The only people who really seemed to be having much fun were those who, like the original cast, had been around forever.
But the original cast and some of the older music staff were delightful, kind, hard-working people. I particularly remember watching Roscoe Orman work overtime on a full day of shooting Trash Gordon bits, which were very unrewarding -- just him in front of a green screen doing the same bits over and over, barely taking a break. Not a single word of complaint, though he looked very tired by the end. I went up afterward and thanked him for raising me, and he gave me a huge hug.
I guess everyone has to move on someday, but I wish this had been at their discretion.
posted by gusandrews at 3:02 PM on July 28, 2016 [16 favorites]
blucevalo: "If by "low-income" you mean kids who can afford an HBO subscription or who can accept watching the programs on PBS with a nine-month embargo, then yeah, they're available."
Is a nine month delay really any sort of concern in this case? It's not like the show is especially 24hr cycle topical.
posted by Mitheral at 3:06 PM on July 28, 2016 [5 favorites]
Is a nine month delay really any sort of concern in this case? It's not like the show is especially 24hr cycle topical.
posted by Mitheral at 3:06 PM on July 28, 2016 [5 favorites]
Many years ago... at this point... I knew Bob. Bob lived down the street from me. When I was 14 or 15, Bob sang "The Dishwasher is a Person in your Neighborhood" to me. Bob was a class act. A stand up guy. As nice in real life as he was on the show.
posted by Nanukthedog at 3:19 PM on July 28, 2016 [12 favorites]
posted by Nanukthedog at 3:19 PM on July 28, 2016 [12 favorites]
For those wondering about developmental stuff and Sesame Street, as someone said earlier, the show does seem to have had an impact, though it's always been a rising tide that raised all ships -- improving the school preparedness of both poor and well-off students. In planning the show they do a tremendous amount of testing to make sure kids are learning from it and the lesson content isn't going over their heads. The hard-to-find book Children and Television: Lessons From Sesame Street by Gerald Lesser documents the creation of the show with great thoroughness.
But Sesame stopped doing as much about phonics and numbers years ago. They no longer aim to prepare kids for kindergarten. The reason for this is that parents are putting their kids in front of the show younger and younger -- their audience was more and more often two-year-olds and younger. And this means kids would get bored and not learn anything, abandoning the show when they reached the target age.
So since at least when I was there in 2004, the show has been focusing on "soft skills" like sharing. It's a shame, because the original show filled an important need, and I'm not altogether convinced that soft skills can really be taught out of social context.
posted by gusandrews at 3:21 PM on July 28, 2016 [3 favorites]
But Sesame stopped doing as much about phonics and numbers years ago. They no longer aim to prepare kids for kindergarten. The reason for this is that parents are putting their kids in front of the show younger and younger -- their audience was more and more often two-year-olds and younger. And this means kids would get bored and not learn anything, abandoning the show when they reached the target age.
So since at least when I was there in 2004, the show has been focusing on "soft skills" like sharing. It's a shame, because the original show filled an important need, and I'm not altogether convinced that soft skills can really be taught out of social context.
posted by gusandrews at 3:21 PM on July 28, 2016 [3 favorites]
I am a man in the full flower of middle age. If you have had the same job longer than I've been alive, you've had a pretty good run. If you've had that job on television, the odds against that are astronomical. Everything changes eventually, and that's healthy, even for the very best things.
posted by Horace Rumpole at 3:44 PM on July 28, 2016 [5 favorites]
posted by Horace Rumpole at 3:44 PM on July 28, 2016 [5 favorites]
I've watched a LOT of Sesame Street, for most of my life. And my kid liked it, and I was happy to watch it with him.
That said - Bob has barely been on the show for what feels like a long time. Gordon has been on the show less and less in recent years. Luis, however has been a mainstay. With Maria retired, I can see why they "retired" Luis too.
(Susan is supposedly retained, but I can't recall seeing her on any new episodes in a long, long, very long time.)
My unproven theory is that the show concentrates on things like self-regulation, as more and more children are being diagnosed as on the spectrum.
posted by 41swans at 3:52 PM on July 28, 2016
That said - Bob has barely been on the show for what feels like a long time. Gordon has been on the show less and less in recent years. Luis, however has been a mainstay. With Maria retired, I can see why they "retired" Luis too.
(Susan is supposedly retained, but I can't recall seeing her on any new episodes in a long, long, very long time.)
My unproven theory is that the show concentrates on things like self-regulation, as more and more children are being diagnosed as on the spectrum.
posted by 41swans at 3:52 PM on July 28, 2016
Is a nine month delay really any sort of concern in this case? It's not like the show is especially 24hr cycle topical.
Is HBO's nine months worth of streaming profits an sort of concern in this case? It's not like Sesame Street is going to really juice the Q1 report.
Seems petty and anti-democratic.
posted by j_curiouser at 3:52 PM on July 28, 2016
Is HBO's nine months worth of streaming profits an sort of concern in this case? It's not like Sesame Street is going to really juice the Q1 report.
Seems petty and anti-democratic.
posted by j_curiouser at 3:52 PM on July 28, 2016
I'm not so sure this really counts as "being fired". Bob McGrath is 84. Roscoe Orman is 72. Emilio Delgado is 76. It's more like retirement.
It makes sense that there should be one or two senior citizens in a show intended for preschool kids, but not majority of the cast!
posted by Chocolate Pickle at 4:53 PM on July 28, 2016 [5 favorites]
It makes sense that there should be one or two senior citizens in a show intended for preschool kids, but not majority of the cast!
posted by Chocolate Pickle at 4:53 PM on July 28, 2016 [5 favorites]
I was just talking about these characters a few days ago, this makes me feel sad and old. Sesame Street has been gentrified.
posted by reedcourtneyj at 4:58 PM on July 28, 2016
posted by reedcourtneyj at 4:58 PM on July 28, 2016
"If Mr Hooper's death was a high point, offing three characters will be through the roof!" an HBO person said to a Sesame Street person, probably.
who then said to a Sesame Street social media person, "tweet that it's not HBO's fault"
posted by zippy at 5:52 PM on July 28, 2016 [2 favorites]
who then said to a Sesame Street social media person, "tweet that it's not HBO's fault"
posted by zippy at 5:52 PM on July 28, 2016 [2 favorites]
They're just being transferred. They're going to come back as white walkers.
posted by amtho at 6:22 PM on July 28, 2016 [4 favorites]
posted by amtho at 6:22 PM on July 28, 2016 [4 favorites]
I'm not so sure this really counts as "being fired". Bob McGrath is 84. Roscoe Orman is 72. Emilio Delgado is 76. It's more like retirement.
Retirement is when you say "I have decided that I've worked here long enough." Fired is when someone else says it for you.
posted by delfin at 6:31 PM on July 28, 2016 [15 favorites]
Retirement is when you say "I have decided that I've worked here long enough." Fired is when someone else says it for you.
posted by delfin at 6:31 PM on July 28, 2016 [15 favorites]
"If Mr Hooper's death was a high point, offing three characters will be through the roof!" an HBO person said to a Sesame Street person, probably.
That's taking the Game of Thrones puppet parody a little too far...
posted by madajb at 7:53 PM on July 28, 2016 [1 favorite]
That's taking the Game of Thrones puppet parody a little too far...
posted by madajb at 7:53 PM on July 28, 2016 [1 favorite]
Brought to you by the letters F and U.
posted by wats at 7:54 PM on July 28, 2016 [1 favorite]
posted by wats at 7:54 PM on July 28, 2016 [1 favorite]
Horace Rumpole: "I am a man in the full flower of middle age. If you have had the same job longer than I've been alive, you've had a pretty good run. If you've had that job on television, the odds against that are astronomical. Everything changes eventually, and that's healthy, even for the very best things."
I agree. These folks have had a great run. They are in their 70s and 80s now. Even if they were fired and not retired, they did something they apparently loved for four and a half decades! We should all have such a career.
Working for a PBS show, they were probably not paid as much as for commercial TV, but I bet they did ok for themselves financially too.
I just got off the phone with my mother who is Bob's age btw. She said I watched Sesame Street in 1969 and 1970 when it first came out. She reminded me that I actually met Jim Henson in the 70s when I went on Wonderama.
posted by AugustWest at 8:40 PM on July 28, 2016 [1 favorite]
I agree. These folks have had a great run. They are in their 70s and 80s now. Even if they were fired and not retired, they did something they apparently loved for four and a half decades! We should all have such a career.
Working for a PBS show, they were probably not paid as much as for commercial TV, but I bet they did ok for themselves financially too.
I just got off the phone with my mother who is Bob's age btw. She said I watched Sesame Street in 1969 and 1970 when it first came out. She reminded me that I actually met Jim Henson in the 70s when I went on Wonderama.
posted by AugustWest at 8:40 PM on July 28, 2016 [1 favorite]
She reminded me that I actually met Jim Henson in the 70s when I went on Wonderama.
I grew up with Wonderama and Sesame Street; was this as awesome as it sounds?
posted by zippy at 9:01 PM on July 28, 2016 [1 favorite]
I grew up with Wonderama and Sesame Street; was this as awesome as it sounds?
posted by zippy at 9:01 PM on July 28, 2016 [1 favorite]
Wow. Did they really not know they were going to get a shit-ton of bad PR for this?.
I think they did, which is why they announced them all at the same time. This way they're all in the same news cycle.
Skewing the show younger to match demographics seemed like the death knoll to me and this is one of those times I hate being right. They risked losing both their original vision and the older demographics to cater to a market that they already had.
posted by dances with hamsters at 10:03 PM on July 28, 2016 [1 favorite]
I think they did, which is why they announced them all at the same time. This way they're all in the same news cycle.
Skewing the show younger to match demographics seemed like the death knoll to me and this is one of those times I hate being right. They risked losing both their original vision and the older demographics to cater to a market that they already had.
posted by dances with hamsters at 10:03 PM on July 28, 2016 [1 favorite]
For me, the old characters and worn chestnut bits they'd pull from the archives were the bridge between my time growing up with Sesame Street and my kids' and made it something to stick around for. No matter what else changed, Bob, Luis, Susan and Maria were still living on the block and brought some continuity. It was reassuring to know they were still there the intervening years when I didn't care so much. A win for parental involvement.
Sad news. Perhaps it can become a teachable moment about rent control and gentrification. The new neighbors force Oscar out because street grouches hurt the property values. Thanks for the sunny days, friendly neighbors where we meet.
Please let's have Caroll Spinney stay with us a little longer. The fact he created the yin and yang of Oscar and Big Bird never ceases to charm me.
(It was a wonder to discover with more worldly eyes how drag campy the cows were.)
posted by Ogre Lawless at 11:01 PM on July 28, 2016 [5 favorites]
Sad news. Perhaps it can become a teachable moment about rent control and gentrification. The new neighbors force Oscar out because street grouches hurt the property values. Thanks for the sunny days, friendly neighbors where we meet.
Please let's have Caroll Spinney stay with us a little longer. The fact he created the yin and yang of Oscar and Big Bird never ceases to charm me.
(It was a wonder to discover with more worldly eyes how drag campy the cows were.)
posted by Ogre Lawless at 11:01 PM on July 28, 2016 [5 favorites]
.I have many feels about the Muppets. The one I have about this story is very sad indeed.
posted by SecretAgentSockpuppet at 11:32 PM on July 28, 2016 [1 favorite]
posted by SecretAgentSockpuppet at 11:32 PM on July 28, 2016 [1 favorite]
Working for a PBS show, they were probably not paid as much as for commercial TV, but I bet they did ok for themselves financially too.
I really hope they did OK for themselves financially. I'm not confident that they would have, honestly. But they so, so, so deserve to be very comfortable in their retirement, at the very least.
posted by needs more cowbell at 12:12 AM on July 29, 2016 [1 favorite]
I really hope they did OK for themselves financially. I'm not confident that they would have, honestly. But they so, so, so deserve to be very comfortable in their retirement, at the very least.
posted by needs more cowbell at 12:12 AM on July 29, 2016 [1 favorite]
if kids can accept watching the programs on PBS with a nine-month embargo
Right, small children DEMAND first runs only!!!!!
posted by listen, lady at 4:54 AM on July 29, 2016 [3 favorites]
Right, small children DEMAND first runs only!!!!!
posted by listen, lady at 4:54 AM on July 29, 2016 [3 favorites]
What happened to Telly? Did he retire? Was he 'let go'? Did they just not re-up his contract?
posted by newdaddy at 5:07 AM on July 29, 2016 [2 favorites]
posted by newdaddy at 5:07 AM on July 29, 2016 [2 favorites]
Telly was traded in the off-season to Don't Hug Me I'm Scared for Duck Guy and a puppet to be named later.
posted by delfin at 5:27 AM on July 29, 2016
posted by delfin at 5:27 AM on July 29, 2016
This is slightly off topic, but from what I'm understanding, you could start a 2-3 year old on the current episodes, then at the age of 4-6 show them the older ones. That way, by the time they are actually forming concrete, definitive memories, they will be seeing the older, more realistic Sesame Street.
It might work.
posted by Hactar at 7:13 AM on July 29, 2016 [5 favorites]
It might work.
posted by Hactar at 7:13 AM on July 29, 2016 [5 favorites]
This is slightly off topic, but from what I'm understanding, you could start a 2-3 year old on the current episodes, then at the age of 4-6 show them the older ones.
"Mommy, why do people on TV age backwards?"
posted by Etrigan at 7:18 AM on July 29, 2016 [6 favorites]
"Mommy, why do people on TV age backwards?"
posted by Etrigan at 7:18 AM on July 29, 2016 [6 favorites]
For me, the old characters and worn chestnut bits they'd pull from the archives
My sister and I have almost nothing in common, but on the rare occasions we see each other we'll break out "Capital I" and "Lower Case N" and "D is such a very nice letter" and ...
(It was a wonder to discover with more worldly eyes how drag campy the cows were.)
Appropriate, seeing as how Richard Hunt was the voice (and died way too young).
posted by Melismata at 7:25 AM on July 29, 2016 [2 favorites]
My sister and I have almost nothing in common, but on the rare occasions we see each other we'll break out "Capital I" and "Lower Case N" and "D is such a very nice letter" and ...
(It was a wonder to discover with more worldly eyes how drag campy the cows were.)
Appropriate, seeing as how Richard Hunt was the voice (and died way too young).
posted by Melismata at 7:25 AM on July 29, 2016 [2 favorites]
"This is slightly off topic, but from what I'm understanding, you could start a 2-3 year old on the current episodes, then at the age of 4-6 show them the older ones. That way, by the time they are actually forming concrete, definitive memories, they will be seeing the older, more realistic Sesame Street."
My data point of one is that this can really work. We recently discovered that my 5-year-old, who is only slightly interested in modern Sesame Street, will gladly watch old episodes of the show from the 70s and 80s. Maybe it's because it reminds her of Mr. Rogers' Neighborhood, which is another show she likes. I'm sure she wouldn't have cared for either show when she was a toddler or younger pre-schooler, but now that she's a bit older, both shows have a sweet, almost "other-wordly" atmosphere to them because of the outdated clothes, slower speaking styles and the magical muppets/puppets. She truly does not like some aspects of new Sesame Street at all, which bums be out a bit because I love Sesame Street! The Mad Men parodies were terrific. But when that music to Abby's flying fairy school comes on, we turn it off instantly. She's legitimately scared of that segment and I have no clue why! The Count also freaks her out a bit, but she can still watch him. Elmo is just a non-starter now that she's older and considers him "babyish." So in summary: Elmo is for babies, Abby fairy school is weirdly scary, 70s tv still trippy and engrossing.
posted by areaperson at 8:57 AM on July 29, 2016 [1 favorite]
My data point of one is that this can really work. We recently discovered that my 5-year-old, who is only slightly interested in modern Sesame Street, will gladly watch old episodes of the show from the 70s and 80s. Maybe it's because it reminds her of Mr. Rogers' Neighborhood, which is another show she likes. I'm sure she wouldn't have cared for either show when she was a toddler or younger pre-schooler, but now that she's a bit older, both shows have a sweet, almost "other-wordly" atmosphere to them because of the outdated clothes, slower speaking styles and the magical muppets/puppets. She truly does not like some aspects of new Sesame Street at all, which bums be out a bit because I love Sesame Street! The Mad Men parodies were terrific. But when that music to Abby's flying fairy school comes on, we turn it off instantly. She's legitimately scared of that segment and I have no clue why! The Count also freaks her out a bit, but she can still watch him. Elmo is just a non-starter now that she's older and considers him "babyish." So in summary: Elmo is for babies, Abby fairy school is weirdly scary, 70s tv still trippy and engrossing.
posted by areaperson at 8:57 AM on July 29, 2016 [1 favorite]
Guys, I'm really serious. If something happened to Telly, you have to tell me!
posted by newdaddy at 10:54 AM on July 29, 2016
posted by newdaddy at 10:54 AM on July 29, 2016
Re: the scariness of Abby, areaperson, is it just the music and setting or does Abby just freak her out? I wonder if Abby falls on the wrong side of some uncanny valley, being more human-form than most monster Muppets...
posted by gusandrews at 11:27 PM on July 31, 2016
posted by gusandrews at 11:27 PM on July 31, 2016
Appropriate, seeing as how Richard Hunt was the voice (and died way too young).
I know this is an old comment now, but why does Hunt = appropriate for drag queeny cows? I know he was openly gay, but did he have some drag history or something? (Context: I am a drag queen and an old school Muppets fanatic. If I found out Hunt had been a drag queen at some point I would think that was neat.)
posted by Ursula Hitler at 2:23 AM on August 1, 2016
I know this is an old comment now, but why does Hunt = appropriate for drag queeny cows? I know he was openly gay, but did he have some drag history or something? (Context: I am a drag queen and an old school Muppets fanatic. If I found out Hunt had been a drag queen at some point I would think that was neat.)
posted by Ursula Hitler at 2:23 AM on August 1, 2016
Gusandrews, I think there's something about Abby that creeps her out. And the music for "Flying fairy school" is a signal that there's going to be a lot of Abby coming on. It's strange because she otherwise loves anything with fairies and would seem to fall squarely in the Abby super fan demo.
posted by areaperson at 7:14 AM on August 1, 2016 [1 favorite]
posted by areaperson at 7:14 AM on August 1, 2016 [1 favorite]
Update: Fans successfully rally to bring back three 'Sesame Street' cast members
posted by usonian at 1:27 PM on August 1, 2016 [2 favorites]
posted by usonian at 1:27 PM on August 1, 2016 [2 favorites]
I don't know, it sounds like HBO is THINKING about bringing the guys back in some reduced capacity, and only because they were shamed into it.
Huge Balls and Odiousness.
posted by Ursula Hitler at 2:15 PM on August 3, 2016 [1 favorite]
Huge Balls and Odiousness.
posted by Ursula Hitler at 2:15 PM on August 3, 2016 [1 favorite]
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