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You've probably seen the ads for the "old school" Sesame Street DVDs of the show's first several seasons. What I didn't know till I slogged through last weekend's NY Times magazine was that these
Sesame Street DVDs are labled not appropriate for children. Look, I'm not a parent, but I do have a suggestion for America: toughen up!
Watching Cookie Monster go through a bag didn't make me reach for the box of Oreos. And in no way did I think Oscar was a model of mental health. And I never though the street was a slum cause it looked something like an actual street. I'm sure today's kids will be ok with the pre-sweetened Elmo, but I'm glad that I got to have the Blutowskian antics of the original Calle Sesamo.
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Nov 21, 2007 10:26 AM
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Hear, hear! Pre-PC Sesame Street isn't Debbie Does Dallas. Deal with it people! These are the same people who insisted that McDonalds coffee come with labels stating, "Caution! Hot coffee!"
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Nov 21, 2007 10:29 AM
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Double post, my bad!
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Nov 21, 2007 10:34 AM
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Wow, that's bizarre. In what way exactly is the Sesame Street that I grew up with not suitable for children? I mean, they taught letters and numbers and had plenty of humor and zany characters. Is it really because Cookie Monster eats so many cookies? What have they changed about it? (Don't have kids so I haven't seen any since about 1985).
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Nov 21, 2007 10:52 AM
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I read an article, well, part of an article about this yesterday and thought was one of the stupidest things I'd ever seen. I don't even know what to say to stuff so ridiculous. seriously people. Aren't there much bigger things and worse stuff to worry about than sesame street?!
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Nov 21, 2007 10:54 AM
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I read this article yesterday and had the same reaction that you all did--seriously? I remembered all the stuff they mentioned in the article (although Snuffleupagus was always visible to everyone for me, but I doubt it would have affected me if he wasn't). Oscar was always mean, there was no Elmo, Bert and Ernie lived in a junky apartment, and Cookie Monster not only ate too much, but I also remember the "Masterpiece Theater" skit where he ate the pipe. Maybe we were smarter than today's kids, but I always thought that part was funny. Believe it or not I have never attempted to smoke anything, let alone eat it when I got finished. Thank goodness we all escaped the horrors of Sesame Street unscathed...
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Nov 21, 2007 10:58 AM
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Hi Hoggle, I don't have kids either, but I do watch Sesame Street sometimes on Saturday mornings when nothing else is on. *smile* A few years ago, someone decided that Cookie Monster's poor eating habits weren't sending the right message, so now instead of gorging on cookies (and pipes, hee!), he eats carrots and things like that.
Thanks for the article link, Leah!
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Nov 21, 2007 11:13 AM
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The milk looks dangerously whole.
BTW, this is my favorite line from the article link Leah posted. Okay, I'm not diminishing the danger of going home with a stranger, even if he just wants to introduce you to his wife and feed you (whole) milk and cookies, but the rest? And even that's not enough to warrant a Parental Guidance warning label.
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Nov 21, 2007 11:20 AM
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I read that just now and am finding it hard to formulate a serious and coherent response. Words like "Wow" and "sheeeit" keep popping into my head.
Aren't there much bigger things and worse stuff to worry about than sesame street?!
We both know that there are. The trouble, I believe, is that people who get behind this kind of falderal are too sure the little tree they are knocking down will not be heard in the forest of serious problems falling all around. And I really don't know why I went that way with my thought process but there you have it.
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Nov 21, 2007 11:27 AM
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And in no way did I think Oscar was a model of mental health.
Seriously? Oscar was my role model! I wanted to be JUST like him. I hope I am! (Shut it Furley!) 
I remember when I was 3 my mom made me a Cookie Monster cake. I use to love him, poor Grover (I still have the book "There's A Monster At The End Of This Book), Oscar, Snuffy and Barkley.
I guess it's not surprising to me. Kids can't loose at games anymore. Everyone gets a trophy and gets picked for the team.
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Nov 21, 2007 11:52 AM
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Ok, so after some further thought, I just want to grumble about this a little more. Getting this out before Thanksgiving ...
First, Oscar taught me that I wanted to be less grouchy, not more.
Second, Bert and Ernie reminded me that while I liked my brother, I really wanted my own room.
The Cookie Monster was sloppy but could be reasoned with, just keep him away from the cookies.
And that's what I learned. Good luck to children today.
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Nov 21, 2007 12:03 PM
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How did we ever make it out of 1975?
Before kneepads and helmets and sharing licks off of one another's lollipops, how did we survive? God gave us intelligence and growing up we instinctively knew falling off of a cliff with an anvil on our heads would cause us to say more than ouch!!! But we still watched and enjoyed Wile E Coyote over and over again.
If they don't want their children to watch Old School Sesame Street - that to me is an element of censorship.
Pre-PC Sesame Street isn't Debbie Does Dallas.
Now here are 2 shows I never thought I'd see together in a sentence
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Nov 21, 2007 12:08 PM
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I'm with Rev, it's amazing any of us survived all the subversive programming we watched growing up. (And I love how Sesame Street and Debbie ended up compared! That is inspired Rev!)
I'm waiting to find out that the endless reruns of I Love Lucy, Gilligan and Star Trek that I grew up with could have caused me to plan dangerous schemes, become lethally clumsy and blow up people who get in my way. Photon torpedoes, Mr. Sulu!
Actually we could use those out here on I-64 in the metro St. Louis area.
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Nov 21, 2007 12:49 PM
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Well, the way I see it, the article was saying that children shouldn't be outside playing or exploring and that Sesame Street is dangerous because it encourages things like that.
But I could be wrong, after all, I loved Cookie Monster, Bert and Ernie and Big Bird. Of course my favorite has been and always will be Grover and not because of the Yoda connection either.
People need to know what is dangerous and what isn't. Sesame Street? What's next? The Gummy Bears?
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Nov 21, 2007 2:02 PM
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I would hate to hear what they would have to say about the Electric Company. I watched both and I feel relatively well adjusted. I sometimes like to gobble my cookies too, but I also know that I have to clean up the mess, so I practice restraint.
Sesame Street taught me to have an imagination, it taught me that not everything is sunshine and light, it taught me how to cope with the loss of a loved one. Who can remember when Mr. Hooper died? Big Bird was inconsolable and didn't understand and it was through him that we as children learned that it was okay to be sad and it was okay to be upset that someone we love dies.
Oh ... and I also learned this thing called letters and numbers and words. Real ones, not the abbreviations that texting is teaching our children today.
Not appropriate for children? Please. *heavy sarcasm here*
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Nov 21, 2007 2:16 PM
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