New York Times reviewer Michiko Katukani writes that there's still room for a good history of Sesame Street, because Michael Davis' Street Gang: The Complete History of Sesame Street ain't it. Which is too bad, because I've been waiting for someone to explain to me how it was that a show that started off so good got so... well, not bad, exactly, but so thoroughly diminished in its aims and accomplishments.
Sesame Street's first decade was marked by a confidence in children's critical thinking skills, even those in pre-literate age groups. They believed that children could participate in the creation of meaning.
There is a level of respect for the intelligence of a young viewer in enacting a story like the one below. It counts on them to enter the world, gather information about what is going on, and then enjoy the outcome.
They explored ways of showing as a form of telling.
Spontaneous, unscripted riffs were filmed and respected. They provide space for a child's own thoughts.
The world of today's Sesame Street is dominated by figures who are stand-ins for the viewers themselves. Children explore a world through them, identifying with their motivations, and perhaps engaging in a bit of real or mental dialogue.
I'm not saying your child doesn't, or shouldn't, love the new Sesame Street. "Elmo's World," as a permanent feifdom established within Sesame Street's running time, was designed for younger children, added when producers learned that the show's audience base was shifting towards younger audiences. But Elmo's superstardom has made him the center of the show, and other, similarly oriented characters have followed in his footsteps.
When the educational value of a program is defined strictly in terms of the acquisition of skills and appropriate attitudes, some things get lost. One of those things is the ability to participate in, and do mental work associated with, a story that requires you to orient yourself to its conventions.
Another is the experience of exploring nuanced topics like character, emotion, and motivation from an extrinsic perspective, without empathy or self-judgment. Elmo, star of the updated Sesame Street, is a little red ball of emotions - he wears them on his sleeve. He asks you how you feel, and plaintively makes his needs known. He helps you explore your own feelings. But the world of adults, and even of other children, is populated by signs we must interpret and react to. In the wrong context, they can be frightening or frustrating. In the right one, they are fascinating, funny, and inviting.
You can get most of the good stuff in the Sesame Street: Old School DVDs. I've only seen bits and pieces of them, but if I were buying I'd go with Sesame Street Old School Vol. 2, which covers 1975-1979. - Jeremiah
This is so the case for many kids shows these days. Same thing happened with Blue’s Clues. It was a simple, cute show, one of the first that cued viewer interaction and now it is awful. Blue has somehow transformed into a walking, talking, live action MALE canine when in the cartoon she is a girl. What are the producers thinking when they change shows like SStreet and BClues? Why meddle with a good thing? I have a lot of complaints about these programs...but I guess that is another post. Thanks for the great summary on this story...great comparisons. Thanks!
2. KGS [1/19/09]
Wow, I had no idea the “old school” DVDs existed! I just ordered Vol. 2, I can’t wait to watch it with my daughter.
Very accurate. Sesame Street was a better show during its early days. I don’t think I can add to what you have written here, or CarolineD’s simple, frank, no-apology assessment. The swarm of Elmo faces on the cupcakes in the photo also serves as an excellent visual summary of the problem: What has happened is Sesame Workshop’s naked desire to shift maximum units of a red doll has supplanted any original goal to entertain and educate preschoolers. And there you have it.
It happens my company produces a competitor to Sesame Street titled Sunshine Again. Although we will offer toymakers to make dolls based on the show’s characters, we will not allow it to get out of control and the dolls become the main focus of and reason for production.
Jim Henson observed an unspoken rule at CTW: no one Muppet should ever be given more airtime or marketing attention than the others. Muppets were a democracy. Elmo has become the whole being of Sesame Street. But that’s fine, because it has provided Sunshine Again an audience. Sesame Workshop became greedy and careless, and we are going to do what any red-blooded American competitor would do in a free market capitalist society:
Compete against and outsell them with a better product that gives the public what it wants.
The public wants an oldschool, quiet, intelligent, retro children’s show with puppets who appear in an egalitarian framework, and with no one puppet character dominating airtime from them rest. Sesame Street failed its audience. Sunshine Again is coming fast on its trail and has delivered the goods. Generation X customers so far are raving. Every review has been five stars, and we can prove it. To see a DVD of the show, check our website.
4. Anitra [1/28/10]
Sesame Street is good for younger viewers now, but even with them, it makes some major mis-steps. Elmo’s World is 20 minutes long! My toddler likes Elmo, but she doesn’t pay attention for more than 5 minutes before she’s bored and wants to do something else. And the newest season has even more long segments than it did a year ago!
They still play some of the old segments, but mostly only the ones that are directly teaching about a number or letter. It’s a shame.
I can’t see a school-age child (even a kindergartener) watching Seseame Street in its current incarnation; it’s too babyish.
I have to agree with you. We focus group tested modern Sesame Street and found opposite results to what Sesame Workshop is claiming. Preschool and kindergarten-age children tune out very quickly on today’s version of Sesame Street. They are not impressed by all the technology, the computer-generated claymation, the brightness, the noise, etc.; they also have become disenchanted with Elmo, the one-time top seller to preschool viewers, and tune out rapidly on his very long segment. On the other hand, focus groups of preschoolers to age six who watched Sunshine Again were mesmerized. Several became very upset when informed the test was over and they had to stop watching and go home. I guarantee your toddler will love Sunshine Again. It’s designed to capture and recapture the attention of her cohort, then entertain her while educating her. Give it a try then post here. I think Punnybop’s reader base would probably be very interested to know whether a new show for toddlers will really hold their attention while getting them ready for school. Sunshine Again can and does.
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New York Times reviewer Michiko Katukani writes that there's still room for a good history of Sesame Street, because Michael Davis' Street Gang: The Complete History of Sesame Street ain't it. Which is too bad, because I've been waiting for someone to explain to me how it was that a show that started off so good got so... well, not bad, exactly, but so thoroughly diminished in its aims and accomplishments.
You can get most of the good stuff in the Sesame Street: Old School DVDs. I've only seen bits and pieces of them, but if I were buying I'd go with Sesame Street Old School Vol. 2, which covers 1975-1979. - Jeremiah
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This is so the case for many kids shows these days. Same thing happened with Blue’s Clues. It was a simple, cute show, one of the first that cued viewer interaction and now it is awful. Blue has somehow transformed into a walking, talking, live action MALE canine when in the cartoon she is a girl. What are the producers thinking when they change shows like SStreet and BClues? Why meddle with a good thing? I have a lot of complaints about these programs...but I guess that is another post. Thanks for the great summary on this story...great comparisons. Thanks!
Wow, I had no idea the “old school” DVDs existed! I just ordered Vol. 2, I can’t wait to watch it with my daughter.
Very accurate. Sesame Street was a better show during its early days. I don’t think I can add to what you have written here, or CarolineD’s simple, frank, no-apology assessment. The swarm of Elmo faces on the cupcakes in the photo also serves as an excellent visual summary of the problem: What has happened is Sesame Workshop’s naked desire to shift maximum units of a red doll has supplanted any original goal to entertain and educate preschoolers. And there you have it.
It happens my company produces a competitor to Sesame Street titled Sunshine Again. Although we will offer toymakers to make dolls based on the show’s characters, we will not allow it to get out of control and the dolls become the main focus of and reason for production.
Jim Henson observed an unspoken rule at CTW: no one Muppet should ever be given more airtime or marketing attention than the others. Muppets were a democracy. Elmo has become the whole being of Sesame Street. But that’s fine, because it has provided Sunshine Again an audience. Sesame Workshop became greedy and careless, and we are going to do what any red-blooded American competitor would do in a free market capitalist society:
Compete against and outsell them with a better product that gives the public what it wants.
The public wants an oldschool, quiet, intelligent, retro children’s show with puppets who appear in an egalitarian framework, and with no one puppet character dominating airtime from them rest. Sesame Street failed its audience. Sunshine Again is coming fast on its trail and has delivered the goods. Generation X customers so far are raving. Every review has been five stars, and we can prove it. To see a DVD of the show, check our website.
Sesame Street is good for younger viewers now, but even with them, it makes some major mis-steps. Elmo’s World is 20 minutes long! My toddler likes Elmo, but she doesn’t pay attention for more than 5 minutes before she’s bored and wants to do something else. And the newest season has even more long segments than it did a year ago!
They still play some of the old segments, but mostly only the ones that are directly teaching about a number or letter. It’s a shame.
I can’t see a school-age child (even a kindergartener) watching Seseame Street in its current incarnation; it’s too babyish.
@Anitra
I have to agree with you. We focus group tested modern Sesame Street and found opposite results to what Sesame Workshop is claiming. Preschool and kindergarten-age children tune out very quickly on today’s version of Sesame Street. They are not impressed by all the technology, the computer-generated claymation, the brightness, the noise, etc.; they also have become disenchanted with Elmo, the one-time top seller to preschool viewers, and tune out rapidly on his very long segment. On the other hand, focus groups of preschoolers to age six who watched Sunshine Again were mesmerized. Several became very upset when informed the test was over and they had to stop watching and go home. I guarantee your toddler will love Sunshine Again. It’s designed to capture and recapture the attention of her cohort, then entertain her while educating her. Give it a try then post here. I think Punnybop’s reader base would probably be very interested to know whether a new show for toddlers will really hold their attention while getting them ready for school. Sunshine Again can and does.