Has anyone here ever watched 'Sesame Street' despite being too old for it?
I don't mean watching it with your kids or something. I mean watching it just to be watching it.
When I was about 10, I used to watch cartoons each afternoon on a local station. But they kept preempting my cartoons for stupid stuff. So I got frustrated and threatened to watch 'Sesame Street' instead. I kept saying, "I'll go back to 'Sesame Street'!" And my mom got really mad because I was too old for 'Sesame Street'. Sometimes, when I was watching my cartoons, a commercial would come on and I'd briefly change the channel over to 'Sesame Street' just because. I burst out laughing.
I wanted to watch the episode where Mr. Hooper died, because Mr. Hooper was just so cool. But my mom wouldn't let me watch it on the big TV in the living room, so I had to watch it on the small set in the den.
The thing about this is, from the time I outgrew 'Sesame Street' when I was about 6 until I was about 9 going on 10, I never thought much about the show. Then all hell broke loose.
Has anyone else had the same experience?
Sesame Street did not premier until I was 6, school encouraged out parents to have us watch it until I was 10. I sure beat the heck put of the "educational" show my mom made me watch every day prior: Edge of Night/Peyton Place.
Quote from: ARMOURERERIC on February 27, 2015, 09:30:20 PM
Sesame Street did not premier until I was 6, school encouraged out parents to have us watch it until I was 10. I sure beat the heck put of the "educational" show my mom made me watch every day prior: Edge of Night/Peyton Place.
I vaguely remember watching 'Popeye' cartoons each afternoon with my brother when I was preschool age. But my brother says this stopped because 'General Hospital' was expanded from a half-hour to an hour, and my mom insisted on watching 'General Hospital' instead.
I kinna like Spongebob Squarepants. It's obviously a kids' show and is marketed as a kids' programme. But as in old Warner Brothers shorts there are some very adult jokes and double entendres in every episode. The adult jokes are often very subtle, and often very blatant. I guess they were put in there so the parent would enjoy watching the show with his kids. The children would be oblivious to the raunchy jokes until they grew up. Cartoons affect adults differently than they affect children.
I'm more of a Pinwheel guy.
Quote from: bugo on February 27, 2015, 10:06:39 PM
I kinna like Spongebob Squarepants. It's obviously a kids' show and is marketed as a kids' programme. But as in old Warner Brothers shorts there are some very adult jokes and double entendres in every episode. The adult jokes are often very subtle, and often very blatant. I guess they were put in there so the parent would enjoy watching the show with his kids. The children would be oblivious to the raunchy jokes until they grew up. Cartoons affect adults differently than they affect children.
There was an episode of 'Sesame Street' where the characters were going through a metal detector to get on a plane to Hawaii. The sequence with the inspection officer pulling the chain out of Oscar's trash can is full of adult jokes.
Doesn't this belong on the "Waaaaaaaaaaay off-topic" category?
Quote from: kphoger on February 28, 2015, 12:07:29 AM
Doesn't this belong on the "Waaaaaaaaaaay off-topic" category?
It belongs in some kind of "Waaaaaaaaaaay off" category, that's for sure.
Is it the weather that's bringing it all out lately?
Given Sesame Street is doing spoofs of things like Homeland, House of Cards, etc that are not only aimed at adults, but are not suitable for children, I doubt there is a "too old for it" age-range.
I'm not too old for this:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YHROHJlU_Ng
I might have some headaches today if I bang my head the Don Music way. ;)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z7adTE0VitQ
If Harvey Kneeslapper continued his pranks today; I guess the big blue mustache guy might snap out of it and lost his temper. :D
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=siGhyctIt4U
Quote from: english si on February 28, 2015, 06:46:41 AM
Given Sesame Street is doing spoofs of things like Homeland, House of Cards, etc that are not only aimed at adults, but are not suitable for children, I doubt there is a "too old for it" age-range.
Let us step back into reality and remember that this is a show designed to provide an entertaining way for children to learn LETTERS AND NUMBERS. The target audience is about three. Is it done intelligently? It is. Are there things in there only the parents will get? Certainly. Does this mean the show is produced also for engaging viewing by adults with no children around? Not by my understanding of "adult."
Next you'll be telling us you watch Teletubbies out of admiration for the costume construction.
Better Sesame Street than the latest war porn.
Quote from: Pete from Boston on February 28, 2015, 01:44:39 PMNext you'll be telling us you watch Teletubbies out of admiration for the costume construction.
Tellytubbies had none of the intellegence though. It is aimed at preschoolers without bothering to appeal to older people (plus it had no variety in costumes, so no one would watch it for the costumes)
Sesame Street might target 3 year olds, but it goes out of its way to appeal to the parents of three year olds (and unlike Tellytubbies, etc not make them want to gauge out their eyes / pop their ear drums). It seeks to be a show aimed at toddlers that no one is too old for.
Yes, of course, the bits teaching numbers and letters in Sesame Street are typically dull if you are over, say, 5 (though I found them boring at 3 and the toddlers I know around that age would also find them boring), but there's more to it than that.
Is it gripping TV for adults - no. Is it rather repetitive - yes. However, is it watchable - yes.
If I had a toddler, I'd be perfectly happy to sit down and watch it with them - unlike Barney, Tellytubbies, etc (though I don't think I'd allow them to watch that rubbish) - but whether as a parent, grandparent, or great-grandparent, I'm not going to be 'too old' for it (unless I'm totally and utterly senile and can't work out what's going on). I'm not going to go out of my way to watch it, and haven't seen anything but the funny videos that do their rounds on the internet for 20 years, but if it was there on the TV, I'd watch it.
I still like to flip on an old episode of Spongebob Squarepants for a good adult laugh, but I never watched Sesame Street. Even at like 6 or 7, I felt too old for it.
Quote from: Pete from Boston on February 28, 2015, 01:44:39 PM
Quote from: english si on February 28, 2015, 06:46:41 AM
Given Sesame Street is doing spoofs of things like Homeland, House of Cards, etc that are not only aimed at adults, but are not suitable for children, I doubt there is a "too old for it" age-range.
Let us step back into reality and remember that this is a show designed to provide an entertaining way for children to learn LETTERS AND NUMBERS. The target audience is about three. Is it done intelligently? It is. Are there things in there only the parents will get? Certainly. Does this mean the show is produced also for engaging viewing by adults with no children around? Not by my understanding of "adult."
Next you'll be telling us you watch Teletubbies out of admiration for the costume construction.
Everyone knows the real reason people have kids is so that they can do kiddy things again without any judgement. Seriously, my favorite part of babysitting girls is being able to play Barbies again in a socially acceptable setting. (I was a very much a tomboy as a kid, except I loved dolls because I could write life stories for them - and did - and then could act them out.)
iPhone
Quote from: bandit957 on February 27, 2015, 09:24:10 PM
Has anyone here ever watched 'Sesame Street' despite being too old for it?
Because I was far beyond its target demographic when it first aired, no.
But to this day, I still enjoy a much less "good" form of programming that was directed at children, Three Stooges shorts, the older the better. This gem from 1941, An Ache in Every Stake (http://www.veoh.com/watch/v500921bMjTt6WH), may be their finest effort.
I remember growing up in the early 80s watching (in this order, Monday thru Friday) Sesame St., Mr. Rogers' Neighborhood, then The Electric Company. It was very entertaining and educational. They even had a song that used signs in the streets of NYC. The only Spanish I know I learned from Luis & Maria (and man was she HOT!! :love: )
How about Capt. Kangaroo? I watched it early in the mornings. Nothing was funnier than watching Mr. Moose dumping hundreds of ping-pong balls on the Captain's head. They had a really cool train video that I think had UP's Big Boy steam engines in it. I explored Youtube and this was all I could find. I know this ain't the video from the show, but it has the actual song: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u3tlCqqg7lw (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u3tlCqqg7lw)
I never watched it even when I was the right age. TV here is flooded with American imports.
Quote from: cjk374 on March 01, 2015, 10:08:24 AM
I remember growing up in the early 80s watching (in this order, Monday thru Friday) Sesame St., Mr. Rogers' Neighborhood, then The Electric Company.
We had this same sequence starting at 4 PM each weekday. I think 'Zoom' may have been on right after 'The Electric Company' for a while around 1977.
Anyone remember 'Zoom' and the "Ubbi-Dubbi" language? It was this ridiculous thing where they'd insert "ubbi-dubbi" into each word. Kind of like Ned Flanders inserting "diddly" everywhere.
QuoteHow about Capt. Kangaroo?
I vaguely remember watching him when I was about 3. I don't remember anything about the show.
Around here, a local station had a children's show called 'Uncle Al'. Local kids would go down to the station's studio and appear on the show.
I have stopped (briefly) on Sesame Street in my channel surfings, and for what I have seen -- including half the show devoted to "Elmo's World" -- the Sesame Street of today is nowhere close to the SS of the 70's.
In fact, I have seen on DVDs for older Sesame Street episodes WARNINGS that state content that was suitable for children back then is NOT suitable for the children of today!
http://www.theguardian.com/culture/tvandradioblog/2007/nov/26/sesamestreetnotsuitablefor
Perhaps these warnings are from kids of that era who were forced to watch Sesame Street and it somehow scarred them for life. The same warnings have been seen on DVD collections of Saturday Morning cartoon sets from the 60's and 70s, so those people really had some mental problems back then and now for trying to deprive future generations of some of the best kids TV ever.
Quote from: bandit957 on March 01, 2015, 11:45:52 AM
Quote from: cjk374 on March 01, 2015, 10:08:24 AM
I remember growing up in the early 80s watching (in this order, Monday thru Friday) Sesame St., Mr. Rogers' Neighborhood, then The Electric Company.
We had this same sequence starting at 4 PM each weekday. I think 'Zoom' may have been on right after 'The Electric Company' for a while around 1977.
Anyone remember 'Zoom' and the "Ubbi-Dubbi" language? It was this ridiculous thing where they'd insert "ubbi-dubbi" into each word. Kind of like Ned Flanders inserting "diddly" everywhere.
QuoteHow about Capt. Kangaroo?
Zoom was boring as hell, IMHO, yet I watched it a lot on the weekends. Go figure. The Captain was cool to watch in the morning in the 70's, with all the little skits they did.
There was a reason why the reboots of Electric Company and Zoom over the last decade or two did not last long...The way they want to teach kids now on TV is dumber than the way the originals did it.
And quite honestly, if the content of the 60's and 70's shows is deemed so questionable now, why did PBS rerun Mr. Rogers for so long after his death? These safe-for-kids TV radicals should have pegged him as the "creepy neighbor" (the show was designed as a daily one-on-one visit with a man who was asking kids to be his friend) looong ago and had his show off the airwaves before any of these other shows or old-school formats, like the original Sesame Street.
And NO, I am not saying that Mr. Rogers was/is a bad influence on children. His show was done in a day when communities were safer and more trusting with everyone.
I liked Mr Rogers, he had that big traffic light in his living room.
What was so bad about early Sesame Street? I never watched it that much except when my sister was a baby (early '80s) so I never watched it in the '70s. I've read that it was "darker". In what ways is it dark/sinister/evil?
Roosevelt Franklin got into trouble and was kicked off the show. Bad stuff all around.
Quote from: bugo on March 01, 2015, 04:21:44 PM
What was so bad about early Sesame Street? I never watched it that much except when my sister was a baby (early '80s) so I never watched it in the '70s. I've read that it was "darker". In what ways is it dark/sinister/evil?
I saw an article a few years ago that said it was mostly because Oscar used to be a lot meaner and the Count used to be a lot scarier.
I actually very much enjoy watching SpongeBob, and has always been a favorite cartoon. I don't watch TV that often anymore, but when I do, I always enjoy watching some SpongeBob, and IMHO, it's one of the only good things left on Disney Channel & Nickelodeon. Patrick's stupidity never gets old. SpongeBob, The Weather Channel, and any Drake and Josh reruns I can come across are about all I watch on TV these days, aside from YouTube, which I watch much more often now (huge collection of road videos, and all sorts of other entertaining stuff).
Quote from: bandit957 on March 01, 2015, 05:56:39 PM
Quote from: bugo on March 01, 2015, 04:21:44 PM
What was so bad about early Sesame Street? I never watched it that much except when my sister was a baby (early '80s) so I never watched it in the '70s. I've read that it was "darker". In what ways is it dark/sinister/evil?
I saw an article a few years ago that said it was mostly because Oscar used to be a lot meaner and the Count used to be a lot scarier.
Oscar originally was orange...Grover was originally Green...Big Bird originally had a pointy head...and Mr. Snuffleupagus used to be invisible to everyone but Big Bird. When Snuffy could be seen by all, that's when SS "jumped the shark".
Sponge Bob is schlock.
There. Someone had to say it.
Early Sesame Street was also quite dark-looking due to popular lighting techniques and film of the time. This is especially true of the cutaway scenes that didn't feature the puppets and main human stars. The men were swarthy and '70s hairy. Like that once scene where a guy gets a '60s Mustang stuck in the mud and is pretty much screwed until someone else comes along and pushes him out as the screen says "Teamwork" at the bottom. Or this one:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FTn9Xr_lyqQ
Look at the related videos for other examples
Quote from: cjk374 on March 01, 2015, 10:08:24 AM
How about Capt. Kangaroo? I watched it early in the mornings. Nothing was funnier than watching Mr. Moose dumping hundreds of ping-pong balls on the Captain's head.
Captain Kangaroo was great. I watched him at irregular intervals through my childhood.
Oh and don't forget 3-2-1 Contact when talking early '80s PBS.
This thread strongly reminds me of the Bloodhound Gang song "Your Only Friends are Make Believe." (http://www.azlyrics.com/lyrics/bloodhoundgang/youronlyfriendsaremakebelieve.html)
Quote from: bandit957 on March 01, 2015, 05:56:39 PM
Quote from: bugo on March 01, 2015, 04:21:44 PM
What was so bad about early Sesame Street? I never watched it that much except when my sister was a baby (early '80s) so I never watched it in the '70s. I've read that it was "darker". In what ways is it dark/sinister/evil?
I saw an article a few years ago that said it was mostly because Oscar used to be a lot meaner and the Count used to be a lot scarier.
The Count is a pimp. Look at him. It's obvious.
Quote from: GCrites80s on March 01, 2015, 10:26:59 PM
Early Sesame Street was also quite dark-looking due to popular lighting techniques and film of the time. This is especially true of the cutaway scenes that didn't feature the puppets and main human stars. The men were swarthy and '70s hairy. Like that once scene where a guy gets a '60s Mustang stuck in the mud and is pretty much screwed until someone else comes along and pushes him out as the screen says "Teamwork" at the bottom. Or this one:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FTn9Xr_lyqQ
The only thing even remotely dark or sinister about this clip is the look on the guy's face.
Quote from: bugo on March 02, 2015, 12:21:23 AM
The only thing even remotely dark or sinister about this clip is the look on the guy's face.
The actor is the late Paul Benedict, who was also known for playing Mr. Bentley on 'The Jeffersons'.
I know a lot of childless people who like to get stoned and watch kids shows. The colors, the sounds, the plotlines a 5 year old can follow, all perfect for chemically-enhanced enjoyment.
Quote from: dfwmapper on March 02, 2015, 08:51:24 AM
I know a lot of childless people who like to get stoned and watch kids shows. The colors, the sounds, the plotlines a 5 year old can follow, all perfect for chemically-enhanced enjoyment.
HR Puffnstuff easily leads the pack for kid shows in that category. I think Sid and Marty Krofft designed all their shows with recreational pharmaceuticals in mind!
Quote from: thenetwork on March 02, 2015, 09:20:25 AM
Quote from: dfwmapper on March 02, 2015, 08:51:24 AM
I know a lot of childless people who like to get stoned and watch kids shows. The colors, the sounds, the plotlines a 5 year old can follow, all perfect for chemically-enhanced enjoyment.
HR Puffnstuff easily leads the pack for kid shows in that category. I think Sid and Marty Krofft designed all their shows while on recreational pharmaceuticals!
FTFY.
I was more of a Mr Rogers guy. My wife teases me about watching 90210. In part because I'm 45 but also because I was 21-31 when it was on.
Quote from: thenetwork on March 01, 2015, 12:04:35 PM
I have stopped (briefly) on Sesame Street in my channel surfings, and for what I have seen -- including half the show devoted to "Elmo's World" -- the Sesame Street of today is nowhere close to the SS of the 70's.
In fact, I have seen on DVDs for older Sesame Street episodes WARNINGS that state content that was suitable for children back then is NOT suitable for the children of today!
http://www.theguardian.com/culture/tvandradioblog/2007/nov/26/sesamestreetnotsuitablefor
We're a bunch of fucking wussies now. We also (GASP!) used to let kids play on their own and roam the neighborhood.
WTF is so wrong with doing that now, in this safer world now, blows my fucking mind.
I know a guy who is 46 and Teletubbies is his favorite show.
Quote from: thenetwork on March 01, 2015, 08:51:32 PM
Oscar originally was orange...Grover was originally Green...Big Bird originally had a pointy head...and Mr. Snuffleupagus used to be invisible to everyone but Big Bird. When Snuffy could be seen by all, that's when SS "jumped the shark".
Wait, everyone can see Mr. Snuffleupagus now? :-o
Quote from: kphoger on March 01, 2015, 09:41:35 PMSponge Bob is schlock.
Absolutely, but it is the highest quality schlock that, as 3yos and 15yos will happily sit there watching it for their enjoyment, Nickelodeon can not only make a butt load of money off marketing, but repeat episodes the same day and save money...
Quote from: kkt on March 02, 2015, 04:03:06 PM
Quote from: thenetwork on March 01, 2015, 08:51:32 PM
Oscar originally was orange...Grover was originally Green...Big Bird originally had a pointy head...and Mr. Snuffleupagus used to be invisible to everyone but Big Bird. When Snuffy could be seen by all, that's when SS "jumped the shark".
Wait, everyone can see Mr. Snuffleupagus now? :-o
Since 1985: http://www.feelguide.com/2010/10/13/the-disturbing-reason-why-sesame-street-producers-finally-revealed-mr-snuffleupaguss-identity/
Quote from: english si on March 02, 2015, 05:24:17 PM
Quote from: kphoger on March 01, 2015, 09:41:35 PMSponge Bob is schlock.
Absolutely, but it is the highest quality schlock that, as 3yos and 15yos will happily sit there watching it for their enjoyment, Nickelodeon can not only make a butt load of money off marketing, but repeat episodes the same day and save money...
Sponge Bob candy is actually worse. It can literally ruin a whole Halloween experience.