SESAME STREET Years It Aired: 1969+ Years I Was Into It: 1983-1992 I don't exactly remember when I began watching Sesame Street. I'm sure I was pretty little. I remember my parents taking me to see Sesame Street Live when I was about three, and I grew bored halfway through and we had to leave. But before we did, my parents bought me a felt poster of Oscar The Grouch, which was displayed on my wall and proceeded to terrify me. It was then passed on to my younger brother, who had no apparent fears of green monsters in garbage cans. My brother, the brave one. I had some of the Sesame Street Fisher Price Little People. I had Big Bird and Bert and Ernie. Strange that Ernie got all the bite marks, since I liked him better than Bert. I also had one of the Count. He grossed me out. I thought his monocle was a bubble. Nobody should have a bubble over their eye; that's gotta be a sign of leprosy or something. My three favorite things about the show were: #1--The theme song. I loved the kids climbing over rocks or running across fields to get to Sesame Street. It was like, hey, ANYONE can come to Sesame Steet, you just have to get off your behind! #2--The number pinball segments, like this one and this one! #3-- THIS: The episodes would often just end with the CTW logo, but sometimes they'd have this sequence with Barkley -- and I loved it when they did. It was akin to opening up a Wonka Bar and finding the golden ticket. For years I was mystified as to how they got so many kids to hide behind that tree! What else? Oh yes, I loved the two monsters who were stuck together. (Or was it a two-headed monster?) I was a big fan of the humans on the show. Cookie Monster was great, if not a little crazy. Snuffleupagus was slightly disconcerting to me. And Elmo? Oh, Elmo, Elmo, Elmo... Here's what wikipedia has to say about the red monster: Criticism and controversy * Some longtime fans of the series, particularly those who had begun watching it prior to Elmo's introduction, resent his now-prominent status, which has caused some older characters (such as Oscar the Grouch, Big Bird, The Count, Prairie Dawn, Grover, and Cookie Monster) to see reduced roles. THANK YOU. I am one of those who resented the Rise of Elmo. It seemed like he came out of nowhere, and shoved most of the other Sesame Street characters into the land that time forgot. Today I lump him in the same mental group as Dora the Explorer and Hannah Montana. I think they'd all get along, I do. * Some people believe that Elmo's characteristic of referring to himself and others in the third person will teach children improper English usage. In its FAQ, the Sesame Workshop responds to this accusation, stating that this behavior "mimics the behavior of many preschoolers." More like it mimics the behavior of many mommies. I can't tell you how many mothers of preschoolers I know who talk like this: "Jaydynn, Mommy doesn't like it when Jaydynn hits. Please don't hit Mommy. Does Jaydynn want a lollipop?" I may not like Elmo, but let's find something else for which to blame him. Such as famine. And Paris Hilton. I hear that Sesame Street nowadays is quite different from how it was when I was a kid. I can't bear to try watching the new episodes. Just give me DVDs of episodes from the 70s and 80s and I'll be a happy camper! Leave A Comment! Return to the My TV Top 40 8/13/2009 (c)2009 AlligatorJuice.com