A Classic that Showcases "Good"
Written: Nov 06 '00
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Product Rating:
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Pros: Education with a Postive Attitude
Cons: What happens when a child misses a couple of days? Numbers are skipped??
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| jsmorris's Full Review: Sesame Street |
Over 30 years later, audiences in over 140 countries are still wowed by Sesame Street. Considering the target audience is toddlers and preschoolers wowing them is not an easy task! And at times adults, teenagers and preteens that tune in outnumber the target audience.
The mission of Sesame Street has stayed the same - it's basic principals of teaching children the alphabet, how to count, how to view things objectively, and how to be a friend, are encouragingly simple, yet could have a huge impact on society.
The show's executive producer, Michael Loman, has said it best, "I think the most important thing that we do is, we show children a wide variety of people living together in a neighborhood, all races, all cultures, all monsters, a little girl in a wheelchair. And I think that shows children that different is not something to be frightened of, and that all kinds of different people live together and support each other." Wouldn't it be a wonderful world if adults could get along this well?
Sesame Street was developed by Joan Ganz Cooney in 1969 and broadcast on the Children's Television Workshop. The show mixed human characters with a new type of puppets (eventually called muppets). Big Bird, Cookie Monster, the Count and Oscar the Grouch were among some of the original muppets and are still going strong today. This mixture of humans and puppets blended imagination with real life and I feel attributes to Sesame Street's success.
One of the difficulties encountered early on with this show was how to make the show interesting to both a two-year-old and to a five-year-old. With segments geared towards younger children, and skits for older children, it worked. Lessons for each group meets the basic criteria yet the older children's lessons may be a bit more involved.
Sesame Street hasn't been one to stand on it's laurels and has continued to change with the ever-changing world around. In fact, the commercial-free broadcasts have come to an end much to the criticism of advocates like Ralph Nader. Without any financial options left, the producers of Sesame Street found it necessary to now have the show sponsored by Discovery Zone and not the letter "M". Even though the sponsorship has changed, the show will still hold to its mission statement and teach children letters, numbers and how to be nice.
Many worried that the death of muppet creator, Jim Henson, would stifle the creativity of the show, but Sesame Street has continued to expand to new characters and new horizons. Maybe Henson's belief that with the use of his puppets, world peace could be achieved, is also shared by Sesame Street creators and is part of the reason behind its success.
Each day a new set of numbers is introduced - Monday could be 1, 2, 3; Tuesday would be 4, 5, 6; etc. And a new letter of the alphabet on each day will be established. Each day another new, small set of "new concepts" is introduced so the young mind can grasp the new idea and run with it.
With Big Bird and company singing, dancing and just having a good time with the new information, how can a child not be intrigued? The fame of these puppets have spawned many movies, spin-offs (such as The Muppets), and a slew of merchandise.
The success can be attributed to fun ideas and a basic "good intention" carried out each and every show. Even the most die-hard critics of Sesame Street are hard pressed to find fault with it. A great concept: Education with a positive outlook towards others.
One of my favorite jokes revolved around Sesame Street and was on one of Bill Cosby's shows. I remember a little girl counting to ten when she skips 4, 5, 6. Bill Cosby asks, "what happed to 4, 5, and 6?" She responds, "I was sick those days." Hmmm, this might be something that Sesame Street writers need to look at - are there make up days for sick time? Even with this possible negative aspect, it's a fantastic show for preschoolers (and I find my preteen watching just so she can see Elmo!).
Recommended:
Yes
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jsmorris
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Member: Susie Morris
Location: Southern California
Reviews written: 682
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Broken hearts sometimes don't mend...but life goes on.
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