Tuesday, November 10, 2009

Happy Birthday Sesame Street!

One of my favorite shows is 40 today! There is something older than me :)

I read this article last Thursday and I admit I was teary by the end.

Sesame Street is one of the first shows I ever remember watching. Reportedly my Grandma bought my family a little black and white TV so that we could watch it when I was younger.

There are so many happy memories wrapped up in those crazy characters. The Tweedle Bugs, Bert & Ernie, even Oscar makes me smile.

The many people characters have come and gone but a few have stuck around, some even played the original people. Gordon is still around and looks just the same but man did Bob get old while I was in high school and at college! Hooper's Store is still Hooper's Store, even though Alan runs it, and Big Bird still has that picture he drew of Mr. Hooper hanging next to his nest. Gina who worked at the store in high school went to college to be a vet and she's still there taking care of the animals and her baby Marco she adopted a few years back. There are many other new faces but the old characters pop up every once in a while to reassure co dependent people like me things haven't changed all that much.

Music is such a huge part of my life and honestly the music on Sesame Street is second to none. Rubber Ducky, C is for Cookie, I'd like to visit the moon, Things that I remember, and the list goes on. Touching, simple and a pure delight. I have Sesame Street music on my ipod just for me.

All 3 of my girls will still sit and watch an entire episode. I do have to admit some of the changes over the last 26 years (the part that I remember) aren't my favorite. Like the way the opening music was revamped recently and Elmo, Abby Cadabby, and Baby Bear can often grate on a tired Mommy's nerves.

There are sayings that will forever be inside jokes with my family, "a stick of butter, a container of milk, and a loaf of bread ... I remembered!!" will get a smile out of most of them at any time.

And in my book an actor/actress hasn't truly "arrived" until they appear on Sesame Street. My friend Tom, Brian Williams, Ken Jennings, R2D2, C3PO, Kofi Annan, and well, that list is longer that I could ever remember.

Sesame Street is childhood. And it's nice that every once in a while I can sit down and share some of that simple happiness with my kids.

Here's to another 40 years!

6 comments:

Kathy said...

I didn't have T.V. that much as a kid, but I remember Sesame Street. I am always sad that it played during my kids' nap time. They never really watched it-unless they were up at 4 a.m.

An Wanna said...

On the radio the other day they replayed an interview with the guy who wrote lots of the music an they mentioned Rubber Ducky and one of the others was a top 40 hit. And they played an old interview with Frank Oz apparently he not only was the voice of Miss Piggy he created her personality. She was just a back up singer pig until one day he had her romantically attack poor Kermit. And I know she isn't on Sesame Street but she is related to it....

Le said...

Oh and Sesame Street needs to be careful who it associates with. The other day my Hulu show was brought to me by Sesame Street "healthy eating" and the first commercial was an OBNOXIOUS one with Elmo and Michelle Obama and the next one was Hillshire farms brats with the Miller High Life grilled in..... Not so healthy, tsk tsk Sesame Street.

Karen Valinda said...

Yes, Grammy Aldine was concerned about you and Brent and purchased a small black and white TV to make sure you could watch Sesame ST.
I loved it when Snuffy was only Big Bird's imaginary friend... at least that is what the rest of the cast believed... I think he became 'real' to the others after the show spent time in Hawaii.
xoxoxox

Emily said...

What fun memories!

Katie Pearce said...

I remember going to SLC with the fam & while Mom & Dad were out house hunting, Heidi & I got to watch the other 3 (Em was a baby with Mom)in Dad's small SLC apartment. He only got one channel...and you guessed it...it only showed Sesame Street all day. However, the shows didn't change it was the same episode all day long!!!! What a fun memory....even now when I see big bird or Bert & Ernie or Oscar the Grouch I get a little sentimental!!! Hey, it's only 3 years older than me :)