Nov 22, 2011

It's Time to Get Things Started!

You may have heard it's time to play the music.
You may have heard it's time to light the lights.
Are you putting on make up?
Are you dressing up right?

It's probably pretty safe to say you know there's a new Muppet Movie coming out. Well, allow me to let you in on a little secret: I love the Muppets. So what better time to do a few posts on the most influential pop culture characters to come out of your television?

Some people may divide the Muppets into the Sesame Street gang and the Muppet Show/Movies gang. Not me. A Muppet is a Muppet is a Muppet! But for today, I'm takin it to the Street.
Last year I got the above book and it really gave me a whole new level of love and respect for everyone involved. A lot of people grew up with Sesame Street and much like Doctor Who or Star Wars, you usually gravitate towards the first version you were exposed to. In reading this book I got to know the new gang that had moved into my old neighborhood as well as get reacquainted with some old friends. It's very interesting to see the evolution of the show.
Over the years, the show has tackled some heavy stuff for such a young audience, from the passing of Mr Hooper to introducing an HIV-positive Muppet. The book also shows how the show is tweaked around the world to better reflect the viewing country's culture. Some countries do their own co-productions creating something that would be both familiar and new to long time US viewers. After reading the book, there is no doubt in my mind that Sesame Street is the single most important television program. Ever.

There are too many skits to even start paring them down to a list of favorites, so here's a few that may bring back some memories...



Look, it's Bentley from the Jeffersons!



2 comments:

  1. One of my all time favorites is there's a hole in the bucket! Followed by the Martian's. I remember crying my heart out when Mr. Hooper passed.

    ReplyDelete
  2. I remember The Count the most. But did you ever see the movie 'Follow that Bird'? I still like it :)

    ReplyDelete