I'm Going to Miss You, Mister Looper. That's Hooper, Big Bird, Hooper.
Everything I Needed to Know About Life, I Learned From Sesame Street (and Mister Hooper)
Sesame Street's anniversary makes me grin and shake my head and realize that I'm getting old. I grew up on Sesame Street. To really get an understanding of how much Sesame Street, 3-2-1 Contact, Electric Company and Mister Roger's Neighborhood meant to me, I need to explain where I grew up and what little exposure to the outside world I had.
I lived out in the middle of bumfuck. We had 20 acres, most of which went back to woods with deer that would walk around our orchard looking for fruit. We had a garden that was a few acres big and we, for the most part, grew all of our veggies and fruit. We made our own jelly, canned our own tomatoes and I cannot tell you how awesome it was to steam up our own asparagus.
My driveway was half a mile long and we owned a snowplow that broke more often than it worked. We lived in a huge dip in the road and that dip resulted in me, literally, walking uphill both ways to school. In the snow. My walk to the school bus was over a mile long. One year, for Girl Scouts, as part of our environmental awareness campaign, we had to count the cars that drove past a major intersection near our houses at rush hour. I had 3. All day. For sitting at that intersection for 4 hours.
So all this is to say that there's a reason we only got three stations, the local ABC affiliate, the local NBC affiliate and PBS. Cable? HA! We would've had to pay for the poles to go down our street and our driveway!My family and I devoured the PBS because it was either that or movies (rented from the nearest movie rental place that was a 30 minute drive away and was a mom-and-pop store) as far as young children went. We watched everything. 3-2-1 Contact was huge in our house. I learned about electricity and helping others and science. Mister Roger, on the other hand, scared me. It had something to do with the changing the sweaters and the shoes. IDK, my little kid brain was weird. Or, god, Captain Kangaroo. That show ROCKED.
But, by and far, the most popular show in my house was Sesame Street. I remember Gordon, Luis, Maria, Linda, and Bob. I remember signing along with the songs and dancing about as Big Bird and Oscar taught me about caring and sharing. I remember learning a bit of Spanish and that pinball routine where they taught you to count. (and I might still sing it) here is a link and you'll be singing it for hours afterwards. It's addictive.
I remember learning about death when Mister Hooper died (offscreen) of a heart attack. I remember my mum and dad sitting down with my older sister, my older brother and me and talking to us about how sometimes, when people get old, their hearts give out. I remember crying and wondering where Mister Hooper was because who was going to run the store and sell paperclips to Bert if Mister Hooper wasn't there.
I just rewatched it again and, I'm not ashamed to admit, I still teared up and sniffled.
God, I cried for weeks after, always searching for Mister Hooper. And, to add to my chaos and confusion on death and the permanence of death, we watched Christmas Eve on Sesame Street. Mister Hooper was right there! So my mum had to go over it again.
I like that the episode doesn't talk down to the kids. It doesn't make it cutesy or illusionary. It doesn't preach and prattle. It simply says "here it is and there's no explanation, sometimes". There are honest emotions from the cast. I like that the men were tearing up, not just the women. Boys can cry and that's all right. It's awesome.
In all the years then and since, Mister Hooper has remained a pivotal character for me not just because of that first learning of death, not just because he showed me that you can sometimes be grumpy and still care but because he showed me generosity and how to embrace differences.
I didn't really know what it meant to be "Jewish". I was a white Catholic kid. I hung out with other white Catholic kids. I went to Catholic school. So, in Christmas Eve on Sesame Street, my mum got an opportunity to explain both the Jewish faith and how it differed from Catholicism. We went over holidays, celebrations and beliefs. My mum did a great job in explaining how it was all right that we believed different things as long as we treated one another with respect.
Mister Hooper did that. In the movie, Bert sacrifices his paperclip collection to get Ernie a soapdish for his rubber duckie. Meanwhile, unbeknownst to Bert, Ernie sacrifices his rubber duckie to buy Bert a box for his paperclip collection. When they exchange gifts, it crushes both of them to realize what they've lost but they're happy for the other. Then Mister Hooper knocks at the door, gives them both a gift and explains that he doesn't celebrate Christmas but he understands the concept of the season. After all, it's better to give than to receive. As a kid, I was happy when I saw that Bert and Ernie got their paperclips and rubber ducky back. I didn't realize that I was learning the "give than receive" through multiple formats but now, as an adult, I appreciate the way that it was handled.
I highly recommend the movie for everyone with little kids. My family and I, even though we're in Philadelphia and Tucson, still watch the movie every year. It's a tradition in my family. It tackles a wide variety of things from the spirit of the season, trying new things, respecting differences, dealing with name-calling, santa claus, traditions, running away, believing in yourself and others, and more.
It's a bit dated with the clothing but, IMHO, still better than any other holiday special out there. The music is catchy, the lessons are subtle and it's got Mister Hooper. What more do you need?
Watch it on Youtube but buying it helps support PBS.
Sesame Street, IMHO, is what's great about children's programming. It doesn't whitewash issues that kids confront day in and day out. It doesn't hammer them over the head with the moralistic choice. It's not heavyhanded or simplistic or a series of easy choices. It deals with things head on and realistically. Death is taught in a believable way that I can't see Dora the Explorer ever really doing. Handicapped children are shown to be as active and dynamic as they actually are, playing in realistic manners rather than being pushed off-screen or having their disability blown off. Race issues are confronted head on with Gordon talking to Big Bird about why his skin is darker than Bob's. Big Bird loses his house in a weather-related catastrophe and there was no instant fix.
I appreciate that. I think we should all appreciate that whether we're parents or not. Teaching children that their concerns are valid and that there are no instant fixes for issues help children learn to think for themselves and realize that they aren't always going to get what they want. I like to think that there are members of fandom that would do well to watch Sesame Street more and learn from it.
What's your favorite episode of Sesame Street? What do you remember from it? What's your favorite muppet?
My favorite guest appearance is Johnny Cash. Two appearances :P. Don't Take Your Ones To Town and the best one evah. This one launched my love of Johnny Cash.
and oooh!
Sesame Street's anniversary makes me grin and shake my head and realize that I'm getting old. I grew up on Sesame Street. To really get an understanding of how much Sesame Street, 3-2-1 Contact, Electric Company and Mister Roger's Neighborhood meant to me, I need to explain where I grew up and what little exposure to the outside world I had.
I lived out in the middle of bumfuck. We had 20 acres, most of which went back to woods with deer that would walk around our orchard looking for fruit. We had a garden that was a few acres big and we, for the most part, grew all of our veggies and fruit. We made our own jelly, canned our own tomatoes and I cannot tell you how awesome it was to steam up our own asparagus.
My driveway was half a mile long and we owned a snowplow that broke more often than it worked. We lived in a huge dip in the road and that dip resulted in me, literally, walking uphill both ways to school. In the snow. My walk to the school bus was over a mile long. One year, for Girl Scouts, as part of our environmental awareness campaign, we had to count the cars that drove past a major intersection near our houses at rush hour. I had 3. All day. For sitting at that intersection for 4 hours.
So all this is to say that there's a reason we only got three stations, the local ABC affiliate, the local NBC affiliate and PBS. Cable? HA! We would've had to pay for the poles to go down our street and our driveway!My family and I devoured the PBS because it was either that or movies (rented from the nearest movie rental place that was a 30 minute drive away and was a mom-and-pop store) as far as young children went. We watched everything. 3-2-1 Contact was huge in our house. I learned about electricity and helping others and science. Mister Roger, on the other hand, scared me. It had something to do with the changing the sweaters and the shoes. IDK, my little kid brain was weird. Or, god, Captain Kangaroo. That show ROCKED.
But, by and far, the most popular show in my house was Sesame Street. I remember Gordon, Luis, Maria, Linda, and Bob. I remember signing along with the songs and dancing about as Big Bird and Oscar taught me about caring and sharing. I remember learning a bit of Spanish and that pinball routine where they taught you to count. (and I might still sing it) here is a link and you'll be singing it for hours afterwards. It's addictive.
I remember learning about death when Mister Hooper died (offscreen) of a heart attack. I remember my mum and dad sitting down with my older sister, my older brother and me and talking to us about how sometimes, when people get old, their hearts give out. I remember crying and wondering where Mister Hooper was because who was going to run the store and sell paperclips to Bert if Mister Hooper wasn't there.
Click to viewI just rewatched it again and, I'm not ashamed to admit, I still teared up and sniffled.
God, I cried for weeks after, always searching for Mister Hooper. And, to add to my chaos and confusion on death and the permanence of death, we watched Christmas Eve on Sesame Street. Mister Hooper was right there! So my mum had to go over it again.
I like that the episode doesn't talk down to the kids. It doesn't make it cutesy or illusionary. It doesn't preach and prattle. It simply says "here it is and there's no explanation, sometimes". There are honest emotions from the cast. I like that the men were tearing up, not just the women. Boys can cry and that's all right. It's awesome.
In all the years then and since, Mister Hooper has remained a pivotal character for me not just because of that first learning of death, not just because he showed me that you can sometimes be grumpy and still care but because he showed me generosity and how to embrace differences.
I didn't really know what it meant to be "Jewish". I was a white Catholic kid. I hung out with other white Catholic kids. I went to Catholic school. So, in Christmas Eve on Sesame Street, my mum got an opportunity to explain both the Jewish faith and how it differed from Catholicism. We went over holidays, celebrations and beliefs. My mum did a great job in explaining how it was all right that we believed different things as long as we treated one another with respect.
Mister Hooper did that. In the movie, Bert sacrifices his paperclip collection to get Ernie a soapdish for his rubber duckie. Meanwhile, unbeknownst to Bert, Ernie sacrifices his rubber duckie to buy Bert a box for his paperclip collection. When they exchange gifts, it crushes both of them to realize what they've lost but they're happy for the other. Then Mister Hooper knocks at the door, gives them both a gift and explains that he doesn't celebrate Christmas but he understands the concept of the season. After all, it's better to give than to receive. As a kid, I was happy when I saw that Bert and Ernie got their paperclips and rubber ducky back. I didn't realize that I was learning the "give than receive" through multiple formats but now, as an adult, I appreciate the way that it was handled.
I highly recommend the movie for everyone with little kids. My family and I, even though we're in Philadelphia and Tucson, still watch the movie every year. It's a tradition in my family. It tackles a wide variety of things from the spirit of the season, trying new things, respecting differences, dealing with name-calling, santa claus, traditions, running away, believing in yourself and others, and more.
It's a bit dated with the clothing but, IMHO, still better than any other holiday special out there. The music is catchy, the lessons are subtle and it's got Mister Hooper. What more do you need?
Watch it on Youtube but buying it helps support PBS.
Sesame Street, IMHO, is what's great about children's programming. It doesn't whitewash issues that kids confront day in and day out. It doesn't hammer them over the head with the moralistic choice. It's not heavyhanded or simplistic or a series of easy choices. It deals with things head on and realistically. Death is taught in a believable way that I can't see Dora the Explorer ever really doing. Handicapped children are shown to be as active and dynamic as they actually are, playing in realistic manners rather than being pushed off-screen or having their disability blown off. Race issues are confronted head on with Gordon talking to Big Bird about why his skin is darker than Bob's. Big Bird loses his house in a weather-related catastrophe and there was no instant fix.
I appreciate that. I think we should all appreciate that whether we're parents or not. Teaching children that their concerns are valid and that there are no instant fixes for issues help children learn to think for themselves and realize that they aren't always going to get what they want. I like to think that there are members of fandom that would do well to watch Sesame Street more and learn from it.
What's your favorite episode of Sesame Street? What do you remember from it? What's your favorite muppet?
My favorite guest appearance is Johnny Cash. Two appearances :P. Don't Take Your Ones To Town and the best one evah. This one launched my love of Johnny Cash.
and oooh!