NEWS: Sesame Street: Viewer Discretion Advised

CULTURE: Sesame Street: Viewer Discretion Advised

Is it possible that all of us Gen-X folk are grouchy, love cookies and have lived in many small apartments with unsuitable roommates because we watched "Sesame Street" before we could walk?

We'll never really know, I guess. But thank God the next generation of children will be protected from Big Bird and the bunch.

The first episode of "Sesame Street" aired in 1969. Should we change the year on the box just in case kids see a 6 and a 9 together? 69! Noooooo!

Show of hands. How many of you have ever eaten a pipe?

Oscar the Grouch's character has not been touched but Carol-Lynn Parente points out:

I'd like to think that Johnny Cash would never have sung a duet with Elmo.

One woman who owns the "Sesame Street: Old School" DVD collection wrote on Amazon.com:

Now, this one makes sense. Obviously no one wants to teach their kids to go to a stranger's house. But I saw this episode of "Sesame Street" and I never went to a stranger's home. My dentist tried to drive me home from school one time because he saw me walking in the rain. I would not get into his car even though he was a family friend. My parents drilled it into my head that getting into a non-family member's car = me, decapitated in the woods.

On the flip side, my mom used to take me ice skating when I was five but she was afraid to get on the ice. I used to skate around with an old man that we met at the rink. He was really sweet. I have more memories of him than of my grandfather. I suppose nowadays that would seem creepy. We don't have that same sense of community anymore.

Another owner of the "Old School" DVD collection wrote on Amazon.com:

This "Sesame Street" mini-doc about the origin of milk has got to be the sweetest, most innocent and melancholy thing ever. And this might not fulfill the needs of today's preschool children? I suppose because it's too long. But where else do these kids have to be? Most of them can't even walk yet without falling over.

This Ernie and Bert sketch where Bert says "kinky" is admittedly a little homoerotic. God Bless old school "Sesame Street."

I can't believe they phased out Bert. New seasame street is like new coke.

People have spent so much time trying to protect kids from every little thing, and then we wonder why we have problems in education, behavior and more...

I like the bit where Johnny says "Now here's the best part, it's about a girl named Nasty Pearl" and Oscar says, "She sounds okay, too" and Johnny grins at him.

DIRTY!

I think a lot of the confusion would stem from the fact that Oscar started out orange with no arms.

The continued pussiefication of kids

Yes, lets blame Sesame Street for parents not doing the job of teaching their kids. Good idea. Eventually, we can remove all responsibility from parenting.

Did you notice that Bert lies on that clip? He says "I'm about 6'2", blonde hair . . . I dont' think we should meet, though." See, even though he lies, he teaches kids to NOT meet strangers they have only talked to on the phone (or by modern reference, they met on Myspace). Good lesson, that.

Is there anything that's still considered suitable for children these days?

I eat pipes. Daily.

I actually loved the Monsterpiece Theater sketch... Cookie Monster, Oscar, and Grover were my absolute favorites, and they're all gone, now (I don't consider the PC versions the same thing...)

This makes me sad. But at least I can own it on DVD, I suppose... which is good, because I can't STAND Elmo, and wouldn't be able to watch the new shows with my hypothetical children.

"Isn't Oscar mean kids?"
"Yeah, Oscar, you're a grouch!"
"Bitch, I live in fucking trashcan...I'm the poorest n* on Sesame Street, ain't nobody helpin' me!"

If you're the PTC: no.

If you're a rational, sane human being: tons of things.

Does anyone else think that Bert sounds like Christopher Walken?

Joy of Joys, and am SO Netflixing this

Only Adults should find that dirty. If parents did their jobs right then a child would see nothing sexual about that.

I learned more from this than Sesame St. could have ever taught me.

Whoops here we go.....

This news actually makes me ill.

It's really kind of sad how sensitive we've become.

I really hope none of these crazy censorship people come to the summer camp I've worked at over he years. I think they would have a heart attack, kids shooting arrows, playing football and soccer without pads, zip lining 150ft 50ft up in the air. Not to mention the camp songs, four of which end with the main characters dieing, one goat gets run over by a train, another is about a cannibal king who eats his family, another is about a shark attack, and another is about a moose that drowns(I think, that song is a little vague).

I grew up on sesame street and loony tunes and I'm a pretty sensible law abiding citizen that has not murdered anyone. Nor do I eat pipes or have a lisp and hunt rabbits with a double barrel shotgun.

- i thought seseme street was stupid. when i was 4
- that's not where milk comes from

its mindless entertainment. big whoop. pretty much all tv should have an adults only label on it... or at least a 6 and over label.

Who decides this stuff? And what crazy world did they grow up in that they don't have an automatic warm, nostalgic feeling for Sesame St?

its probably a good idea to keep kids away from tv until theyre a little older anyway, but i cant stand that people out there actually think that this childrens show isnt suitable for children. i agree that anything adults will find dirty, kids wont. or they shouldnt.

this is a parenting issue, not a sesame street issue.

Then again, if you'd watched the show maybe today you could punctuate sentences properly. Maybe even spell. Swings and roundabouts, eh ??

Sesame Street ruled. 'C' is for 'cookie', that's good enough for me...

You know there are other questionable references that Sesame St. has. Especially with Bert and Ernie.