Sesame Street Week
If you have visited Google over the past week you will be aware that its main page has been taken over by the characters of Sesame Street, in honour of the seminal kids show's 40th anniversary. I didn't even know people still used the main page - don't they use Google toolbar? Come on people! - but I have had to check it out every day to share in the awsomeness.
Like most people born in the past 40 years, Sesame Street played a huge part in my young life (and, let's be honest, beyond). It is fair to say I was quite obsessed. My first concert was Sesame Street Live In Concert (although as far as "live" goes, I have a feeling they may have have pre-dated Britney in the old miming department), and I had several of the brilliant albums featuring songs from the show (more on that to come!). I just remembered being most offended when some "big kids" on the bus once asked me if I had gone to see Follow That Bird (Big Bird's feature film debut) and I was all "I'M NOT A BABY!" Turns out I was five. Huh, go figure (and, yes, of course I had seen it). Below you'll find some of my all-time favourite moments from the show (that I could find).
In my research I have found out several startling things, such as the fact that Herry Monster, who is like family I never visit, has not been seen in the street since 2004! 2004! BRING BACK HERRY!
Wait, it gets even worse; Barkley the dog - giant, orange, and endlessly confusing to me as he was much larger than any dog I had ever seen before - has "rarely" been seen since the late '90s! HE IS THE BEST DOG IN THE WORLD (RIP Bouncer) BRING BACK BARKLEY! (I also found out that Barkley was originally called Woov-Woov, but Gordon decided to change his name one day. "I don't like it," he said to Bob of the doggy's name, and then just changed it. Whatever, he's always been Barkley to me)Anyway, enjoy now some classic Sesame moments. In this special birthday week, we will be bringing you EVEN MORE Sesame Street, because let's face it, you can never have enough.
This first clip is from what I have been assured was a woeful 1978 Sesame Street Christmas Special. But never mind that, Michael Jackson meets Oscar The Grouch!
A moment that just blew my mind was when C3PO and R2D2 visited Sesame Street. As I was obsessed with Star Wars and Sesame at the time, it was like Christmas. In this rare clip we get to meet R2's Earth girlfriend.
One of the all-time most powerful Sesame Street moments was when Mr Hooper died. Will Lee, who played the street's wise shop keeper, had died in 1982 and the following season it was decided it should be written in to teach kids about death. He was pretty much the first person I knew who had died so it was pretty shocking when Big Bird was told the news. I may have gotten some pesky dust in my eyes when I watched this again. (Even though the way they keep saying "death" and "dead" all the time - in true Sesame style - is creepy). It also occured to me while watching that I think Gordon and Susan are my black parents. Watching them immediately makes me feel calm and looked after. (Maria, on the other hand, I thought I would one day marry)
The classic '70s/'80s closing credits feature Barkley playing in Central Park with a group of kids. I could never work out how they hid from him behind that tree!
Scott Keenan
BRING BACK BARKLEY! o'clock
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