Sesame St inappropriate for children

[jonottawa]

Sunny days, sweeping the clouds away ...

 

Perish the thought.

 

http://www.nytimes.com/2007/11/18/magazine...n-medium-t.html

 

"Sunny days! The earliest episodes of “Sesame Street” are available on digital video! Break out some Keebler products, fire up the DVD player and prepare for the exquisite pleasure-pain of top-shelf nostalgia.

 

Just don’t bring the children. According to an earnest warning on Volumes 1 and 2, “Sesame Street: Old School” is adults-only: “These early ‘Sesame Street’ episodes are intended for grown-ups, and may not suit the needs of today’s preschool child.”

[mike777]

Sunny days, sweeping the clouds away ...

 

Perish the thought.

 

http://www.nytimes.com/2007/11/18/magazine...n-medium-t.html

 

"Sunny days! The earliest episodes of “Sesame Street” are available on digital video! Break out some Keebler products, fire up the DVD player and prepare for the exquisite pleasure-pain of top-shelf nostalgia.

 

Just don’t bring the children. According to an earnest warning on Volumes 1 and 2, “Sesame Street: Old School” is adults-only: “These early ‘Sesame Street’ episodes are intended for grown-ups, and may not suit the needs of today’s preschool child.”

As I recall one of the early scenes involved going home with a stranger for milk and cookies. Ahhh the good old days.

[luke warm]

Sunny days, sweeping the clouds away ...

 

Perish the thought.

 

http://www.nytimes.com/2007/11/18/magazine...n-medium-t.html

 

"Sunny days! The earliest episodes of “Sesame Street” are available on digital video! Break out some Keebler products, fire up the DVD player and prepare for the exquisite pleasure-pain of top-shelf nostalgia.

 

Just don’t bring the children. According to an earnest warning on Volumes 1 and 2, “Sesame Street: Old School” is adults-only: “These early ‘Sesame Street’ episodes are intended for grown-ups, and may not suit the needs of today’s preschool child.”

As I recall one of the early scenes involved going home with a stranger for milk and cookies. Ahhh the good old days.

you mean you don't still do that? after a play, for example? ;)

[Winstonm]

I am sure that Sesame Street is irreducably complex and thus the product of Intelligent Design and there should be a play written about it - just don't post it on the watercooler because it's been closed. ;)

[han]

I have never seen American Sesame Street but I loved the Dutch version, especially Bert and Ernie. I do think of Bert and Ernie as quite grown-up humor. They are funny for children as well but they don't catch all the jokes.

[keylime]

Sesame Street is adult-only? What the hell - did Dave Chappelle imposed his skit onto the episode?

 

I can hear it now..."...where's my money....you've been late I've been counting....one, two, two smacks ack ack ack...." or maybe this gem..."hello bbbiiirrrddddd, I need some smmacckkk bbbiirrrdddd...."

[Winstonm]

I have never seen American Sesame Street but I loved the Dutch version, especially Bert and Ernie. I do think of Bert and Ernie as quite grown-up humor. They are funny for children as well but they don't catch all the jokes.

I have no proof, but I think this has long been part of U.S. programming intent, that with children's shows and cartoons quite often adults were captive participants and thus much of the humor was adult-orientated.

 

A classic example was Rocky and Bullwinkle, the cartoon show.

[matmat]

i prefer the muppet show... frankly, sesame street has always freaked me out... what age group is it currently designed for?

[gwnn]

i prefer the muppet show... frankly, sesame street has always freaked me out... what age group is it currently designed for?

aren't the two the same? B)

[barmar]

I have never seen American Sesame Street but I loved the Dutch version, especially Bert and Ernie. I do think of Bert and Ernie as quite grown-up humor. They are funny for children as well but they don't catch all the jokes.

I have no proof, but I think this has long been part of U.S. programming intent, that with children's shows and cartoons quite often adults were captive participants and thus much of the humor was adult-orientated.

 

A classic example was Rocky and Bullwinkle, the cartoon show.

There's certainly some of this in Sesame Street. For instance, would a pre-schooler really know that there's an adult program called "Masterpiece Theatre", hosted by Alistair Cooke, and that "Monsterpiece Theatre" and "Alistair Cookie" are spoofs of them?

 

However, some of the other complaints raised in the article seem to reflect a misunderstanding of whether the show is promoting certain activities or simply reflecting real life? For instance, does Cookie Monster gobbling up cookies teach kids to overindulge in sweets? Kids don't need anyone to teach this, it's natural. Children were begging their parents for cookies, candy, and ice cream, and avoiding vegetables, long before Sesame Street came along. At worst it reinforces a natural desire.

 

Big Bird is supposed to be the ultimate innocent kid -- he represents the children in the audience. They created Snufflupagus as his imaginary friend, because many children have imaginary playmates. This was intended to reassure them. And parents should see BB's dilemma, and understand what their children are going through.

 

Of course, anything can seen as subversive if you look at it the right way. I've heard of retellings of the Grimm's Fairy Tales that turn them into horror stories of child abduction and abuse.

[han]

Big Bird is supposed to be the ultimate innocent kid

Uhuh, and you believe that? Maybe when the camera is running, but in real life...

[hrothgar]

Of course, anything can seen as subversive if you look at it the right way. I've heard of retellings of the Grimm's Fairy Tales that turn them into horror stories of child abduction and abuse.

I assume that this is some kind of joke...

 

My mother had us read the original "Kinder- und Hausmärchen". The versions that made their way past the Victorians and Walt Disney have really been bowderized.

[joshs]

I have never seen American Sesame Street but I loved the Dutch version, especially Bert and Ernie. I do think of Bert and Ernie as quite grown-up humor. They are funny for children as well but they don't catch all the jokes.

Classic Bert and Ernie:

 

 

Bert: "Hey, you've got a banana in your ear!"

Ernie: "What?"

Bert: "I said, YOU'VE GOT A BANANA IN YOUR EAR!"

Ernie: "What? I can't hear you; I've got a banana in my ear!"

 

 

Another Classic:

Ernie walks in and sees Bert and a Pigeon in front of a checkers board.

 

Bert: "What are you doing?"

Ernie" I am teaching the pigeon to play checkers"

Bert "Wow thats amazing, that must be the smartest pigeon in the world"

Ernie" No he is not that smart, we have already played 10 games, and he has only won twice...."

 

 

B)

Jim Henson was a genius!

[sceptic]

neither of these two jokes are Jim Hensons, I have heard variations of both, from old films and variety acts, still he made good puppets