Target age for SS vs. actual age of audience?

[Hays]

Just rented Zoe's Dance Moves for my son, and was kind of amazed and dissapointed at the same time. I can't imagine that any two or three year old would be physically able to copy the dance on the show, no matter how many times they watched it.

My son is three, and despite my rabid fandom shows signs of growing out of Sesame Street (tho he still likes the music!) My question is, does Sesame Workshop have an accurate picture of the age range of it's audience, or are they just vainly aiming their programming at older preschoolers? For those of you who have kids who are big SS fans, how old are they? Just curious what the percentage of twos & threes vs. fours & fives there are.

I should state here that I'm NOT hoping SS will "dumb down" for my kid. Both he and I like that it's challenging.

 

[Hays]

OK - anybody KNOW preschool- or school-age kids who watch SS? What ages are they?

 

[Thijs]

The problem with your thread is that at the moment, most of the muppet-fans complain about the fact that SS is getting more babyish. I don't know what ages watch SS in the USA, because I live in Holland, and our SS is less babyish then the USA version.

 

[Hays]

The problem with your thread is that at the moment, most of the muppet-fans complain about the fact that SS is getting more babyish. I don't know what ages watch SS in the USA, because I live in Holland, and our SS is less babyish then the USA version.

I agree that SS is getting babyish and I dislike this. I think that they can and should do shows that appeal to two and three year olds without babyfying them.

Two and three year olds aren't stupid! Just younger!

So what's the target age in Holland?

 

[Thijs]

I'm not sure. From three to six I think. The dutch skits are very mature. And they still show old skits with characters like Kermit, wich are more mature then characters like Elmo and Baby Bear (who I have never seen in Holland).

 

[CookieFan]

I believe my daughter is probably the "target" age. She just turned 2 and has been watching SS since she was 18 months. By 20 months she could identify all her letters and numbers, count to 20, and identify a triangle, circle and square, and knows the Spanish Words of the Day. All thanks to SS!

I wish they would do some phonics, too, tho. She's already got all the basics down! Maybe it's already time to move her on to Between The Lions.

 

[Frazzle]

Just rented Zoe's Dance Moves for my son, and was kind of amazed and dissapointed at the same time. I can't imagine that any two or three year old would be physically able to copy the dance on the show, no matter how many times they watched it.

My son is three, and despite my rabid fandom shows signs of growing out of Sesame Street (tho he still likes the music!) My question is, does Sesame Workshop have an accurate picture of the age range of it's audience, or are they just vainly aiming their programming at older preschoolers? For those of you who have kids who are big SS fans, how old are they? Just curious what the percentage of twos & threes vs. fours & fives there are.

I should state here that I'm NOT hoping SS will "dumb down" for my kid. Both he and I like that it's challenging.

I think they are targeting children as young as a year to four now. Back when I used to watch the show, Sesame Street used to teach children up until they were about six. I have watched the show at a VERY young age, & my parents credit my ability to speak in full sentences at the age of 12 months to SS. I am 23 now & I see my younger cousins watching the show, & it is not as strong on educational value, but on an entertainment value. I also dislike that Elmo speaks in third person. It is not the best habit to teach a young child. They have taken Muppets out of the show for causing negative influence. (Don Music's infamous banging of his head against his piano) I think it is time for SS to target age groups up until they are in kindergarten, & hope that toddlers catch onto it & develop early like I have.

 

[Hays]

I really miss some of the "older" stuff I think my son would like, like the Muppet Newsflashes, and the story-telling time they used to do - it was kind of like Fractured Fairytales.

I just don't get why the only "girl" video they put out has, as its focus, a complex dance number I couldn't do if I tried, much less my three-year-old. Plus it wasn't very engaging in general...