Sesame went down hill when Elmo came on the scene

[zrs70]

I know this opinion will be unpopular, BUT....

Back in the 70's, SS was such a brilliant show. The humor was at an adult level. It was not a "cutsie" type of thing. Ernie and Bert had chemisty. Kermit had decorum. Grover had charm. Guy Smiley had arrogance. Don Music had irony. Prarie Dawn had direction. Oscar had depth of emotion. Etc.

But Elmo..... elmo is cutsie. Not much else. And the little kids love him. But does he appeal to adults at any level? That's the original brilliance of SS. That it spoke to multiple levels. But I feel that Elmo lowered the bar.

I can't sit thorugh an episode without getting annoyed!

 

[SillyJoeBob]

It more went downhill when "Elmo's World" came on the scene

I'm only 15 years old, but I still know what you're talking about! The humor of SS was also pretty brilliant in the late 80's and early 90's (when I watched it). Elmo himself didn't necessarily make the show go downhill, in my opinion, but "Elmo's World" sure did. Once that segment of Sesame Street came along, it began to stoop down to the level of more modern-day little kid's shows (ugh!) By the time the 2003 season came along, (or was that late 2002), the show seemed to be nearly UNBEARABLE! What's up with that :?? And what the heck has happened to "Monsterpiece Theater", the rock and roll parodies (i.e., Bruce Stringbean, the Beetles, etc.), the game show parodies (in particular "Squeal of Fortune"), and everything else that made the show ENTERTAINING?! Oh well .

SillyJoeBob

 

[Gonzo]

I know this opinion will be unpopular, BUT....

...unpopular?

I think that opinion is probably that of the majority of the readers of the site!

I think Elmo's ascendancy coincided with a few things, which led him to being the King of the Mountain.

1) He's a good character to begin with. He's undeniably cute and loveable, and I love him in small doses. SMALL DOSES.

2) The "Educational TV Market" exploded from 1985 - 1995, and it reshaped the way "Sesame Street" worked, and their target audience dropped in age from about 5-6 to about 3-4 years old. Which makes a difference. Kids were learning the alphabet and reading younger, so they needed someone who could speak to that audience more directly than Bert and Ernie.

3) Jim Henson died, and Frank Oz's directing career took off, leaving Sesame Street without several key players; remember, Steve Whitmire didn't take over Ernie for many years after Jim died. So there was a void to be filled, and Elmo filled it very well.

I do think the last two years have been a marked improvement, with Bert, Ernie, Big Bird, Grover, Cookie Monster and Count all getting more screen time than in the last ten years--but there's still a ways to go yet. I'd love to see more interaction of those characters, and some more classic characters like Sherlock Hemlock who shouldn't ever be put out to pasture.

I think I'm done talking now.

 

[ssetta]

What exactly do you mean by "exploded in 1985?"

 

[scarecroe]

What exactly do you mean by "exploded in 1985?"

Someone lit a firecracker under its' butt

 

[SillyJoeBob]

Gonzo,

I agree with the majority of what you are saying, but I don't think the Educational TV Market "exploded" in 1985. It was more like 1992 (or whenever it was that "Barney" aired). I think it was in excellent shape up until then. That's all.

SillyJoeBob

 

[Erine81981]

Same here. Why not bring back chacacters that have been not to cute now its Zoe and Elmo. Did u know that Rostia had a gruff voice when she begain now I like it when she was just another monster now shes a cute monster not that she had a gruff voice its just she didn't seem so spainsh back then just another girl monster that hung out w/ telly alot. Bring back some. We need Sherlock, Barkley, Alice, Biff and Sully, Rosavalt Franklin, Guy Smiley, Forgetful Jones, Fluffy, Grungita, Clintime, more barn animals, More Grover then just Global Grover, More Cookie then just Letter of the day, more Count Von Count then # of the day, more Kermit (since hes hasn't been on Sesmae Street for awhile) more Oscar w/ Big Bird, Bruno w/ Oscar, more Harry Monster, more Hoots, more Wolfgang, less Elmos world, One thing I would love to see is some muppet characters interact w/ Sesame Street characters they come to visits them Since the (whats his name) does Grover why not see Fozzie and Piggy there or Gonzo w/ Oscar or something like that. I'm going to do a show thing that ya'll do alot here. Called "Muppets come to Sesame Street."

 

[Gonzo]

What exactly do you mean by "exploded in 1985?"

Well, I said 1985-1995.

Meaning that the Children's TV Market was enormously different in 1995 than it was in 1985. In 1985 it was pretty much PBS, and only a few shows at that. By 1995, you had Disney Channel, Nickelodeon, and many other cable stations all vying for a chunk of that market with some shows like Blue's Clues that are really good shows, but they diluted the available audience for Sesame Street.

I'm not trying to get all scientific with it, but that same time period is the time that Elmo went from New Kid on the Street to the guy running the show.

 

[Janice & Mokey's Man]

Elmo does indeed suck.

 

[Erine81981]

Nickalodeon came around 1979 or 81 but thats it was called something before it got its name Nick.