Possibly just because I've been exposed to a lot of Sesame Street lately. Also I have a growing hatred for Elmo. posted by Artw at 11:14 AM on May 7, 2008 [1 favorite]
My mom used to tell me that if I ate in the bed, the cookie monster would come to devour the crumbs and I would get eaten along with them.
The whole premise of the joke is flawed. By Muppet canon, Grover is indeed a monster, as are Elmo and Telly. In fact, there's a whole slew of monsters on Sesame Street. (Oscar the Grouch, however, is not a monster, but a Grouch.) posted by Faint of Butt at 11:19 AM on May 7, 2008 [3 favorites]
orange swan - you have reached the start of the internet. posted by Artw at 11:40 AM on May 7, 2008 [4 favorites]
The whole premise of the joke is flawed. By Muppet canon, Grover is indeed a monster, as are Elmo and Telly. In fact, there's a whole slew of monsters on Sesame Street. (Oscar the Grouch, however, is not a monster, but a Grouch.)
posted by Faint of Butt at 2:19 PM on May 7
They are all monsters, that's the point. The show is for children, don't forget. They are monsters the kids don't have to fear. The show's message for kids was "We know you're sometimes afraid of monsters, but not all monsters are bad.
Sometimes monsters can be cute and cuddly and quirky and funny. Elmo's a monster and he has such a cute giggle!. These are the good monsters.
Not like the monster sitting next to you on the sofa, watching the TV. Not like the monster WHO TOLD YOU FOR THE LAST TIME TO STOP CRYING.
Not like the monsters who kick your toys and curse under their breath. Not like the monsters who say you stole their youth and take pills because YOU'RE DRIVING ME CRAZY. Not like the monsters who meet strange men at the door and leave you home alone. Not like the monsters who hit with their hands, or their words. Not like the monsters who come into your room at night stinking of whiskey and sweat, with madness in their eyes and a belt in their hands.
On Sesame Street, the monsters have not HAD ENOUGH, and they aren't doing it FOR YOUR OWN GOOD.
Your monsters are not brought to you by the number 4 or the letter M. Your monsters don't want you to come and play, they want you to LEAVE THEM ALONE.
Cookie monster is safe, and so are Elmo and the Count. Even Oscar and Bert are your friends even if they are bit grouchy or fussy. Your monsters think our monsters are harmless.
To them.
Your monsters bought you a Tickle-Me Elmo doll, didn't they? They bought it to JUST SHUT YOU UP ALREADY. So they let you play with Elmo and make him laugh and giggle. But Elmo doesn't just laugh and giggle. Elmo loves you, and he listens.
Something I've always wondered: What exactly is the educational value of monsters that don't have a good grasp of (any, in Elmo's case) pronoun use? And why only some monsters? Are the public schools on Sesame Street poor, and the rich monsters (I'm looking at you, Zoe) are able to afford private education? Cookies are a Sometimes Food, but Decent Grammar should be an All The Time Thing.
Did you ever see that episode of the Muppet Show where Bert and Ernie were "guest stars"? ...they have the same voices as Kermit and Fozzie. I was inconsolable for the longest time. (This happened about a month ago.) posted by giraffe at 12:16 PM on May 7, 2008 [2 favorites]
Did you ever see that episode of the Muppet Show where Bert and Ernie were "guest stars"?
Yeah, with the "Some Enchanted Evening" number. That's a great bit. posted by Faint of Butt at 12:35 PM on May 7, 2008
Affected much by TV show? posted by Cranberry at 12:42 PM on May 7, 2008
For a single-link post pointing to a McSweeney's article from two years ago, this thread is way less snarky than I'd expect.
You all deserve cookies. posted by PM at 12:46 PM on May 7, 2008
Hmm. This forum is Cookie Monster colored. And it certainly seems to require cookies, after putting about 30 on my computer. posted by jabberjaw at 12:48 PM on May 7, 2008
Impossible to read without the voice of Cookie Monster in your head. posted by paddysat at 1:00 PM on May 7, 2008
Oddly enough, I had the voice of Walter Kronkite in my head. posted by Koko at 1:07 PM on May 7, 2008
I move to change the MetaTalk line to "Note: everyone needs a cookie." posted by desjardins at 1:13 PM on May 7, 2008 [1 favorite]
Meet the Feebles takes every 'Muppet personalities don't map very well onto psychologically-rounded human beings LOL' joke and fuses them all together into one, gigantic, horrendous, hilarious ball of wrongness. There can be no poetry after MtF. posted by RokkitNite at 1:18 PM on May 7, 2008 [1 favorite]
What exactly is the educational value of monsters that don't have a good grasp of (any, in Elmo's case) pronoun use? And why only some monsters
A show where everyone uses correct grammar is a show full of older kids and adults talking to one another. A show where some characters seem remarkably unfamiliar with much of the world and tend to speak more simply and break some grammatical rules (but predictably so, with an underlying logic) while asking the more experienced characters lots of questions? That's your world, 4 year old viewer. That's you in the show. posted by Tehanu at 2:02 PM on May 7, 2008 [2 favorites]
It's been an absolutely lousy few weeks in almost every respect and this post has been one of the first things to make me really laugh out loud. Thank you, WCityMike. posted by hrbrmstr at 6:33 PM on May 7, 2008
McSweeneys rocks. There are three sites I hit daily, and McSweeneys is one of them. posted by tadellin at 7:55 AM on May 8, 2008
(Slightly off topic)
Those of you who hate Elmo should check out Eddie Loves You (NSFW) an award winning short that transforms America's favorite giggling muppet into a maniacal knife wielding, surprisingly lusty, toy that refuses to be thrown away. posted by miss-lapin at 1:33 PM on May 8, 2008 [1 favorite]
Well, whatever, just as long as everyone knows that I'm cooler than them.
posted by shakespeherian at 11:09 AM on May 7, 2008 [4 favorites]