How to Get to Sesame Street…
Tuesday, November 13, 2007
Today's Guest Rambler: Scott Heffernan
Relation to Aimee: Hubby
Notes from Aimee: Love being married to a kid at heart. Enjoy.
Best kids show…ever! Can I get an “amen!”? The show has been going for 38 seasons. 4,160 episodes. It has shown in 180 different countries. And it has won 109 Emmy Awards, more than any other television series. Holy Smokes! Lets be honest, Sesame Street is brilliant.
(For this post I would like to ignore the present state of the show, namely that education and quality entertainment seem to be taking a back seat to marketing—Elmo has lost touch with “the people” and has totally sold out.)
Let us remember the good old days...Who didn’t get down to the Pinball Number Count? Who didn’t love trash along with Oscar? And who didn’t want to visit (but not live on) the moon with Ernie. Aaron Neville’s (pre facial tattoo) duet with Ernie on this one truly touches my heart. And, I’ve got to be honest here, I desperately wanted to join the ladybugs at their picnic.
Sesame Street gets the best guest appearances. From Johnny Cash to Norah Jones, Hilary Clinton to Kofi Annan, Natalie Portman to Conan O’Brien. Even Max Headroom took time out of his busy schedule to make an appearance or two. For a complete list, click here. (One day I will be on that list!)
Here is some Sesame Street Trivia you might not have known:
- Oscar the Grouch’s fur was orange in the first season. In the second season it was changed to green.
- The character of Oscar the Grouch was inspired by a nasty waiter that served Jim Henson at a restaurant called Oscar’s Tavern.
- The Count was born on 9 October 1,830,653 B.C.
- Sing a Song was originally slated to be the show's opening theme song.
- Before trying cookies for the first time, Cookie Monster’s name was originally Sid.
- This song was banned due to some questionable lyrics.
- Bert and Ernie are not gay. Nor have either of them been killed off. Click here to read more.
How Crayons are Made
We All Sing with the Same Voice (My Name is You)
Madrigal Alphabet
Please comment and share with us some of your favorite Sesame Street moments, songs, characters, and memories. This post has been brought to you by the letters S and H, and the number 8.
-Scott Heffernan
21 Comments:
AMEN! Hurray for guest ramblings. I really love that Cookie Monster's name was originally "Sid." And the video clips. You've outdone yourself, Scott. 'Member the baker who would always walk out the door and say "8 vanilla creme pies" or whatever and then he'd drop them all? So I always do that at work when I'm carrying out the pies, but no one gets it. It's kind of awkward.
I am so glad to see those 3 little moments from my all-time favorite show from childhood. I have to ditto all 3 of those. My other two favorites are:
1. The "Milk, mi-hilk, milk" song and how milk comes to be. Remember that one?
2. "Gallona milk, loafa bread, sticka butter" and that little kid tries to remember everything his mom wants him to get at the store, but he gets distracted? I love that one too.
Thanks, too, Scott for the mention of ladybug picnic and I still to this day, at least once a week, am singing, 123...45...678...9 10...11,12!
Oh, Sesame Street... won't you tell me how to get, how to get to Sesame Street?
Let's try this again! (I keep getting Blogger errors when I attempt to leave a comment. :( )
What a fun post! It's crazy how much I've forgotten about the Sesame Gang, and I could've sworn I watched this show almost everyday! I'll just say, as I can't remember much, that my favorite character was Grover... such an endearing character.
(I got a blog error too)
Scott, Bravo! I loved all the trivia on Oscar. How funny you posted this I was just at the library yesterday wondering what the Sesame Street video was called that we used to watch with David --Aimee do you know? I'd love to check it out. Aimee you better watch out before Scott kicks you off of your own blog! He's doing a good job. I love love love the typewriter guest rambling symbol. (now that I'm a blogger I notice these things -- where did you get it flickr)?
P.S I, like Brooke also loved the gallon o milk, loaf o bread, and stick o butter.
Also, so cleaver on the this post is brought to you by the letter S and H (I get that) is 8 your favorite number...so cute! I tell you Aimee watch out!
I thought of another one....la de da de dum la de da de dum what's the name of that song...it goes la de da de dum something something nice....la di da de dum I think it repeats itself twice :)
right: just because Bert and Ernie are two grown men who live with each other, have never dated women, dress well, sing homoerotic songs together in the bath, have short index fingers, and show up on everyone's gaydar, doesn't mean that they are gay. How could anyone think that?
-Dan
Amen, Scott. Thanks for being my first guest rambler! The things you do for your wifey. You must really love me.
Lisa - I would love to see you at work doing that. I have a visual now and it is cracking me up.
Brooke - I am so glad you remembered stick o butter. I love that one too. You always wanted him to remember the butter but he forgets! Oh the joy.
Lacey - I forget sometimes too but I married a man who hasn't and he always talks about it so I remember now.
Shan - Flickr??? NO! We designed that banner... well, Scott did most of it but I helped with ideas. Isn't it the best ever. Guest ramblers will get the banner every time they post so you can all know we have someone special joining the blog. Each guest may even get their own background color! Scott won't kick me off. But he can guest ramble anytime for your enjoyment.
Dan - men can love each other as friends. I think that is what Bert & Ernie were to each other. Who needs a women when you have a best friend in each other?
I loved the crayon one and the music that goes along with it is super rad. I remember the second one also but not the third. I also, like everyone else, loved the stick o budda. I still use that one to this day. We had the coolest stuff growing up, I hope our kids feel that same way too. You made a guest rambling with a bang Scott.
What about, "Two little girls, two little dolls, two little cats and a little doll house..?" I always pictured that those girls were me sisters and I.
That's what I'm saying, Aimee: who needs a woman when Bert and Ernie are as close as they are?
p.s. I loved this post because it reminded me of a time, long ago, at the Heffernan house Scott was having a conversation with his brother, sister and dad about SS. If I remember correctly, they all agreed that the jokes were often meant for an adult audience.
Dan, I see your point but I think our society doesn't allow room for basic male friendships. Everyone has to go on speculating about their relationship. Why do we have to "read through the lines" and try and figure out if there are women in Bert & Ernies lives? Can't they be just what they are without everyone getting in their business?!
Maybe Jim Henson just wanted them to be college roommates and have them not age like The Simpson family. Maybe he saw that our world needed to see healthy male frienships. Maybe they are gay and Jim wanted to show the world a healthy gay couple. So what?
I'm talking to society here (not Dan): LEAVE BERT AND ERNIE ALONE.
We love them. They are a part of us so quit reading into the relationship and let them be our loveable, coordinated friends.
Dan - I'm very, very disappointed in you. Have you become a right-wing fundamentalist Christian? Are you going to go after Harry Potter next? I don't think Bert and Ernie even have working bits. Maybe you didn't read the article. Bert and Ernie's creators/puppeteers/voices came out and said that they weren't gay (not that there's anything wrong with that). I think they would know. There are actually two occasions where Burt sings about girls. Here's another article for you...
http://www.snopes.com/radiotv/tv/gaymuppet.asp
Lisa - I almost put on "Two Little Dolls in a Little Doll House".
It's not a bad thing, in my opinion, for people to (mis?)interpret Bert and Ernie as a gay couple. If anything, it shows that children are in sore need of popular GLBT role models. How is society going to work past its misconceptions of homosexual relationships if there are no positive examples for young children in the media?
This may sound crazy, but I think the show's creators missed an opportunity to promote tolerance. SS has always been about diversity: all of the puppets are different colors and the humans come from many different backgrounds. Why not claim that Bert and Ernie are gay, even if they weren't conceived to be originally? The only reason, from my perspective, is that PBS fears what might happen to the show's ratings if they were to portray Bert and Ernie as gay in future episodes.
I started out joking, but now I'm really thinking. Thanks for getting the conversation going.
dan, my thoughts exactly. glad we have come to a place of agreement on this.
appreciated the comments from all!
thanks for showing love to the first guest rambler.
more interesting ramblers to come...
AMEN! It is like the only thing I let robbie watch.
Soooo funny! Love it. It's even wierder when you sit down to watch it with your kids. The new ones have newer clips mixed in with the older clips. Saw a newer one the other day with Cam and they had a character on named Donald Grump. So fitting don't ya think? And Bob and Maria and the gang are still around and kickin'.
And I'm so thrilled to find out that The Count and I share a birthday. My birthday will never be the same. One. . . ah, ah ah.
Scott,
Just a followup (one that finally doesn't have to do with the sexuality of Bert and Ernie): I randomly discovered that Ryan Heffernan (presumably not THE Ryan Heffernan) is involved in photographing Sesame Street characters in far off places. Random:
http://www.ryanheffernan.com/html/without.htm
Dan
How did I miss this post???? Scott I love you! Any guy that can post about Sesame Street is worth keeping!
I love Sesame Street!!!! PBS was the only channel we were allowed to watch growing up.
When I was a nanny (at 20) I used to get really excited in the morning in anticipation of my favorite show. But you are right Scott, it has become such a Marketing Machine. With Elmo's World and all the other spin offs.
I cried when Mr Hooper died. I wanted a dog just like Barkley. I also wanted a pet elephant -- Snuffy was the absolute cutest elephant on the planet.
I miss Sesame Street. Luckily, I have come full circle and soon I get to start watching it again! Lucky for me!
Great post Scott!
Thanks for your comments everyone! Great memories! Here are a few more links for your viewing pleasure:
A loaf of bread, a container of milk, and a stick-a-buddah...here
Two little girls and a little dollhouse...here
On Mr. Hooper's death...here
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