The New York Times has posted an article about the release of Sesame Street on DVD. Although it may not interest everyone to buy and own for their own collection, the fact that this DVD has been labled as "Adults Only" may turn some heads.

Apparently, there's even more controversey surrounding what used to my favorite children's show beyond the "homosexual exploits" of Bert and Ernie, and the diabetic antics of Cookie Monster. Apparently, puppets smoking and eatting pipes are also bad influences on children.

What do you guys think about Sesame Street? Harmless childrens entertainment, or entertainment menace?

How about "a show that tried to be both entertaining and educational, and what they wanted to teach has changed with the times?"

The "Adult Only" label is a bit much, but you have to admit, its a great marketing gimmick.

I'm actually waiting for the day when Bert and Ernie will finally tell the world the truth. WE KNOW WHAT YOU TWO DO!!! DON'T HIDE IT ANYMORE!!!

But an Adult lable? Pish! Come on! There's TONS of shows out there that shows a lot of adult stuff, drugs, and cussing, and only get Teen lables. I don't think Sesame Street needs a lable at all.

crazyninny
I'm actually waiting for the day when Bert and Ernie will finally tell the world the truth. WE KNOW WHAT YOU TWO DO!!! DON'T HIDE IT ANYMORE!!!

But an Adult lable? Pish! Come on! There's TONS of shows out there that shows a lot of adult stuff, drugs, and cussing, and only get Teen lables. I don't think Sesame Street needs a lable at all.

Bert and Ernie made me a yaoi fan from a young age! =D they were so cute together...

but yeah...... I agree with you. adult label for that show?? Honestly, I think some parents will get WAY too offended for anything......

What do you guys think about Sesame Street? Harmless childrens entertainment, or entertainment menace?

Its the adults who want to turn sesame street into gangsta stuff. Not children. At least its better than stuff from North Korea or Iran that directly tell the kids to hate those Jews and Americans.

Yeah, seeing puppets smoking is a bad influence. And seeing their parents smoking is any better? It come down to the fact that if parents aren't teaching their kids right in the first place about all this stuff, then theres the problem. Not to mention, I don't even remember any of them smoking. Which ones was (were?) it?

Aurora Moon

crazyninny
I'm actually waiting for the day when Bert and Ernie will finally tell the world the truth. WE KNOW WHAT YOU TWO DO!!! DON'T HIDE IT ANYMORE!!!

But an Adult lable? Pish! Come on! There's TONS of shows out there that shows a lot of adult stuff, drugs, and cussing, and only get Teen lables. I don't think Sesame Street needs a lable at all.

Bert and Ernie made me a yaoi fan from a young age! =D they were so cute together...

but yeah...... I agree with you. adult label for that show?? Honestly, I think some parents will get WAY too offended for anything......

Even at a young age, I knew there was something between them going on. The classic, Cute and Sweet/Steern and Stric relationship I belive.

Thanks to parents, we can't see the good old Bunny cartoons on TV... Aaahhh, those were the days...

I thought it was understood thatBert is evil [bertisevil.tv].

http://www.bertisevil.tv/img/bert5.gif [bertisevil.tv]

Well, you know since Elmo's shooting rampage the street just ain't been the same...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w-pBrD7TPjg&feature=related

Both of these are for mature audiences -

Dave Chappelle has some thoughts on it that I laugh at:



And of course this classic parody:

Big Brother's protective tags have gone way too far!!!!
There are really bad but very smart people out there that prey on the system buy using stupid made up reasons and winnig millions of dollars in court. You know if there was no lable on this, some mother of an obese child will say "cookie monster made my fat ass kid eat more cookies than normal".
Like the stupid tags on all other products, the manufacturers are trying to cover their asses from stupid law suits.

My friends (and real life couterparts to comic characters) Chuck and Becky recently had a baby. I bought for them OldSkool Seseme Street vol. 1 amoung other things. I couldn't help but watch it first for the nostalgia trip

The A/O message was on that one too, it seemed ridiculous to me, and is. Seseme street isn't like old warner brothers cartoons, with excessive violence, or inappropriate sterotypes. Ernie and Bert aren't actually gay. They're charactures of the Odd Couple used to teach kids about numbers in a funny way. As our increasingly gay-aware society has grown, it's easy to see why that would be so easy to add to it. They're puppets, and their sexless. Plus, why is it so hard to beleive that two friends of the same gender could live together and not be gay? (Incidentally how does jerry faliwell out the purple teletubby and spongebob squarepants, but overlook bert and ernie?)

The "smoking" references are their, i guess, but it's always a pipe and it's always for characterization, like sherlock hemlock, or the alligator king (and his seven sons). It's not promoting tobacco usage, its employing centuries old depictions of regal, older or smarter people. Its just like The Count isn't promoting capes so much as he's a count and count's wear capes, it's the easiest way for kids to make the distinction quickly.


The whole political correct crap has gone way too far. A little Warner Brothers senseless violece is good for kids, at least it starts to prepare them for the fact that life isn't all flowers and carebear, and it doesn't in a way that doesn't scare them but makes them laugh.

I hope i don't get to be so uptight when I'm a dad.

kingofsnake
Plus, why is it so hard to beleive that two friends of the same gender could live together and not be gay?

Yeah...it's called "college."

And speaking of college, I lived with a gay guy for 2 years. Did that magically make me gay in any way? I like to think not, but I didn't care - he's a cool guy, and he's my friend. Also, I have a crap-ton of lesbian friends that may or may not necessarily live together. I also lived with a lesbian for a while too...does that make me a lesbian?

According to the people who think Bert and Ernie are gay, I think it might.... :P

trevoramueller
What do you guys think about Sesame Street? Harmless childrens entertainment, or entertainment menace?

Sesame Street is great for kids and is a great resource for kids. But although it sounds ridiculous, from what I've read the "Adults Only" label I thought referred to references to smoking, the out of control eating of the Cookie Monster (yeah, silly PC perhaps, but in an age of obesity does make sense to rethink what you show to kids), and apparently there's a plot where a young girl can't find her parents so a strange man comes up to her and offers to help her find the parents so she takes his hand and goes with him. In this case, the old man was good ol' Mr. Hooper, so that turned out ok. But I can understand that you may not want to teach kids to grab the hand of any adult stranger that happens by and go with him. But overall, Sesame Street one of the (if not THE) best thing out there for kids, no doubt.

Sesame Street had a profound effect on me when I was little. It caused me to be obsessed with the alphabet, and I could recite it forward and backwards at the age of 3. I could read at 4. I'd definitely think it's not only harmless children's entertainment, it's helpful.

One other effect it had on me (and this is just a theory) is that it caused me to not question race. There was such a generous mix of races in the show that I never thought, "These people are different and we treat them differently". They were just more kinds of people. And friendly people. As I grew up I became surprised that people were racist.

I wish I could have the same amount of praise for today's Sesame Street. It's increasingly evident that Children's Television Workshop is quite aware of what a cash cow the show is, and they seem to be positioning the profitable characters more prominently. It's like they're sending us toy advertisements thinly veiled by educational programming.

Hawk
....It's increasingly evident that Children's Television Workshop is quite aware of what a cash cow the show is, and they seem to be positioning the profitable characters more prominently. It's like they're sending us toy advertisements thinly veiled by educational programming.

I have mixed feelings about this. After all, public television depends on donations and the goodwill of viewers, along with grants from corporations. However, the crass commercialism of Sesame Street is one of the few ways public television can fund these and other children's programs by other means. So although the commericialism does seem to taint the whole product, I don't blame PBS and the Children's Television Workshop to try to get funds to support programming.

I also think there's a "chicken and egg" issue with having profitable characters more prominent. If kids really respond to Elmo, then of course Elmo will get featured more. And then with the commercialism, Elmo will be more popular and get sold more. And as kids enjoy their Elmo toys, he'll be more popular, get more airtime, more commercialism, etc. I have no insight into the backdoor deals at PBS, but given its history of creating educationally sound material for children, I'd like to believe that they are continuing that tradition amidst the commercialism.

arteestx
I'd like to believe that they are continuing that tradition amidst the commercialism.

I'd like to believe that too, since I still hold the show in pretty high regards.

Sesame Street's commercialism has attracted a bit of controversy. They actually make enough money from merchandise to run the show just fine without the funding they receive. Some people feel upset that their tax or donation money goes to something that doesn't really need it.

I don't mind Sesame Street being profitable so long as the educational quality doesn't dip.

It would be nice if PBS could use some of that $$ from merchandising to fund the show, and to float some of the other childrens programming on their network.

I confess not to know if CTW is a truly seperate entity, and makes the money independant of PBS, if that's the case it's too bad.

Hell, I loved Sesame Street, and I still get laughs, when I watch the old stuff. I mean, whatever content one might find "offensive" may actually be quite helpful for our children. They represent the fact that certain life choices are okay in our free society. Now, I don't know if Bert and Ernie, or Big Bird are gay or not, but if they are, that is an educational breakthrough. To teach at such a young age that being gay is okay, and that it's a right that we should respect and cherish is totally awesome. Muppets smoking may not be the best influence, but it does show that smoking is a choice, and it is the choice of you and you alone whether or not you will do it or not.

These shows are meant to educate and teach values to our children, so are we gonna let them, or are we going to hold back our children, preventing open mindedness. Are we really gonna take society down a notch for the sake of a few pissed off parents and their dogs!? If they really want their families to be perfect and safe from danger, we had damn well better teach our children to tolerate differences, so that they don't harm your's because of their differences. These people, who claim to be so "adult" and "mature" have some growing up to do, themselves. Maybe they should watch a little Sesame Street, and soak in it's messages. Good times.

Sherlock Hemlock made me a smoker.
Bert and Ernie turned me gay.
Cookie Monster made me fat.
Elmo made me annoying.
The Count made me a vampire.

The sooner this trash is off the television, the sooner our kids can begin learning from the only source of morals out there, talking Christian vegetables.

KomradeDave
Sherlock Hemlock made me a smoker.
Bert and Ernie turned me gay.
Cookie Monster made me fat.
Elmo made me annoying.
The Count made me a vampire.

The sooner this trash is off the television, the sooner our kids can begin learning from the only source of morals out there, talking Christian vegetables.

Wait a sec...Bert and Ernie are GAY!?!

Has anyone told Tinky Winky???

This kinda stuff annoys me, adults think its bad for children without asking the children