Christmas Eve on Sesame Street

The weirdest thing was that Bert procrastinated.  He ain't usually like that.

Click to view... (I could not find the Christmas clip itself, but this is still really good.)

Bert seems like a person that would have all of Ernie's rubber ducks in a row.  I mean what, THOSE two couldn't think of Christmas presents for each other?

Next question, are birds able to freeze to death?  I guess nobody really knows, including "him."

(santa)

The best part of this was obviously the children.  They are both beloved and hilarious.

Click to view... "and THERE you have it."

So what else?  OH YEAH!  Why was Bob not at all surprised to find his home full of people when it was not any official kind of surprise party? Had he just learned to return to his house every day and not care who was hanging out?

Click to view... all through the year.

Death of Mr. Hooper

Probably the most noteworthy scene in the history of Sesame Street featured the human adult characters attempting to explain to the child-like Big Bird that Mr. Hooper was gone forever and never coming back.

They chose to air this episode on Thanksgiving Day of 1983.  I imagine that the reasoning must have been that children would be home from school that day with their parents.  Personally, I missed it.  I knew that he had died because my mother read it in the newspaper and told us.  But on THANKSGIVING DAY itself we were sort of doing other stuff.  So I missed the actual broadcast.

Mr. Hooper was able to tolerate Big Bird.  He could help Ernie and Bert get along.  He could give Cookie Monster things to eat.  He could give the Count things to count.  He was smart enough to help Sherlock Hemlock solve crimes, and charitable enough to give David a job.  He probably overpriced expired food on purpose just to give Oscar a reason to complain.  (Oscar enjoyed complaining.)  He was a friend to Bob and an enemy of Captain Vegetable.

When he died, EVERYONE was sad.

Click to view... Just because.

The previously unaddressed

As we wind this project down I apologize for not being able to get around to everybody.  Here are some important afterthoughts.

#1 David

Maria's original boyfriend that was ultimately supplanted by Luis, but the two of them seemingly remained friends, at least for awhile.  He originally was studying to be a lawyer, but wound up inheriting ownership of Mr. Hooper's Store instead.  David eventually had to leave town to go live on a farm, because that's where everybody goes when they leave town.

I wonder what the breakup was like?

Maria: I thought you were going to be a lawyer!

David: I was, but making ice cream sodas at the Store has become my PASSION.

Maria: Well I don't like this at ALL.

David: I don't need a law degree, I'm providing candy and soda!  What's more important?  I mean ask yourself, which is REALLY more important?

Maria: Well good luck to you, I guess.  I hope we can still be friends.

David: We can.  We can ALWAYS be friends.

Maria: I'd like that.

David: Me too.  That'll be 75 cents for the soda, by the way.

Oscar the Grouch: Heh heh heh.


#2 Olivia

Gordon's younger sister who was somewhat unrealistically full-time employed as a photographer.  I guess ballerina would have been too ridiculous.  Olivia was not known for much else besides liking to sing.  Most other residents of the Street liked to sing, too.  I guess it was like how they also all liked to count, but "The Count" REALLY liked to count.  Anyway, she lived there for 12 years and never did much.

Click to view... It Feels Good When You Sing a Song


#3 Two-Headed Monster

I gotta say that other than the Little Red Menace himself (you know who I mean), the right half of the Two-Headed Monster (our right, their left) may very well be the Street's most annoying resident ever.  and he has someone else physically ATTACHED to him.  Imagine THAT guy's annoyance threshold.

"YOU HAVE GO BATHROOM AGAIN?  WE JUST START WATCHING TV."

#4 Willy the Hot Dog Guy

Not too many people remember Willy, but he pushed a hot dog cart up and down Sesame Street for years.  I don't recall too many people eating the hot dogs.

David: Hey Maria, how about lunch?

Maria: Oh that would be wonderful!

David: I just saw Willy at the corner with his hot dog cart.

Maria: ...oh.

David: You have money, right?


Click to view... Remembering.

Education

As much as we have all been charmed by the residents of the Street, they aren't there just to be our TV friends.  They are there to TEACH!

Mostly letters, numbers, People In Your Neighborhood, and what happens on a farm.  Sometimes though, now and then, there would be these scenes that were very entertaining, but I'm not sure what exact lesson we were supposed to learn from them.

First example:

Click to view... The funniest thing she EVER saw.

What is this supposed to teach children?  Don't try to dump confetti on people or it could happen to you too?  I GUESS there's a lesson to be learned there, but it seems a bit more like something that Jesus should be teaching as opposed to Harvey Kneeslapper.

(Sorry Harvey but it's true.)

Ernie and Bert have always been the show's most entertaining tandem, and often good at teaching essential life points as well, but this one stretches it a bit too far:

Click to view... Something is not right.

It IS very necessary for children to know and understand what the parts of the face are. However, pulling off your roommate's nose to put it on your unfinished sculpture sends kind-of a contradictory message.  At least ONE kid in the viewing audience had to be like "Whoa, can that HAPPEN?"  (No way would Ernie realistically be able to create a sculpture like that either.)

and now here is one of the CUTEST things ever, but what exactly is it meant to teach?

Click to view... No cookie for the Monster.

"Babies are adorable and Cookie Monster really likes cookies" I guess.

a fine lesson.

Click to view... learn something.

a-la peanut butter sandwich!

I have a difficult time picturing the Amazing Mumford being content with his life.  He clearly craved the entertainment spotlight, but wasn't exactly Guy Smiley.  Did he have a day job?  His own apartment?  Grover should have been his roommate.

Click to view... Amazing Mumford does not have much time.

There is a person in every home, school, or workplace that is always running up to harass someone out of boredom.  Sesame Street had Grover.  When it wasn't "Hey Froggy baby!" it was Super Grover literally crashing out of the sky in an attempt to mediate a household argument.  Did he ever get involved with Ernie and Bert when they were fighting in the middle of the night?

He also apparently liked to interfere with the business of magicians, I guess when it was his day off from the restaurant.

Click to view... Rabbit out of a hat.

Was Grover ever USEFUL?

"Hey Count, let me help you count."

"Hey Forgetful Jones, I'll help you try to remember where you left your horse."

"Luis, do you need help fixing that typewriter?  It's been in your window forever."


What was Amazing Mumford's deal?  His tricks seemed to kind-of work, but isn't magic really just illusion?  Were his magic powers ACTUAL?  I sure hope not.  The thought of that is kind of scary.  Imagine if he was having a bad day and decided to walk around the Street making trouble for everybody.  Oscar is suddenly sealed in his can and can't get out.  Big Bird's nest is on fire, except not really.  It just looks like it is, and everyone is momentarily terrified for no good reason.  Susan is fooled by a joke pregnancy test.

Click to view: Long and short.

Favorite songs

All fans of the Street have their favorite characters, moments, and especially SONGS.  Most Sesame Street songs are composed by the resident songwriting guild.

But then there are these other songs that everybody loves, and no one is quite sure where they came from.  Ladybug Picnic, for example.

Click to view... Everybody's favorite.

That's a really good song, and nobody really ever got any credit for it.  Doesn't anybody else WORRY about these things?
 

Well, besides you, Bert.

 

Here's another good one.  Kind of gross, though.

Click to view... B is for Bubble.

I remember that there were Sesame Street music albums with Cookie Monster singing disco music and Oscar the Grouch singing about loving trash.  Is it possible to obtain recordings of the legitimately good SONGS, though?

Some really stellar ones:

Click to view... Two Little Dolls.

Click to view... We All Sing the Same Song

Click to view... It's a Rainy Day

No wonder Don Music was under so much pressure.  His songs were bad.

Sorry Don, but it's true.


Click to view... a much better song.

Why IS Big Bird so big?

He doesn't fit anywhere, besides in his super-huge nest.  How did he build that thing?  There's very few trees on the Street, and he also doesn't fly.

Big Bird has the mind of a child, but the body of an 8-foot-tall humanoid vaguely resembling a bird.  He also does not have a name.  Not a proper one, at least.  He just gets called what he is, kind of like Cookie Monster, whereas puppets like Oscar and Grover get NAME-type names.  Kermit is an animal too, but he gets to be "Kermit THE Frog."  What's the difference?  The human characters should have quibbled over what to name Big Bird, like happened with Barkley/Woof Woof.

"Name him BIRDEY!"

"NO!  Name him Walkie the Bird."

At least part of the time, Big Bird must have been like "The dog gets TWO names and I don't even get ONE?  Maybe I'll go talk to Oscar, he's always naming people."


Big Bird was friends with people and puppets of all sizes, but his BEST friend was Mr. Snuffleupagus, who was also enormously huge.  Not only did Mr. Snuffleupagus get to have a NAME, but also the distinction of being called "Mr."  So evidently he is a fellow of some dignified importance, although doesn't he still live with his mommy?  At any rate, the original versions of both of them were fairly nightmarish.

Big Bird has a nice home for himself but doesn't seem to need too many furnishings.  Just his nest and a bunch of cool-looking barrels.  Does he play with them?  Throw them around like animals in the zoo?  Probably not.  Big Bird never gets violent.  and good thing!  Imagine if Oscar picked on him one too many times.  Big Bird could probably really ring his neck, if he could catch him.  Oscar was quick about ducking down into his can, and no way was Big Bird following him.  Again, he'd never fit.

Click to view... cheap.