Sesame Street: View at Your Own Risk
I now know who to blame for the error of all my ways.
No, not my parents (though they get to share in it). It was Bert and Ernie.
Because as it turns out, "Sesame Street" -- back in the early days, when I was a subject of their evil experiments -- was totally inappropriate viewing fare for preschoolers.
According to a warning on the DVDs for Volumes 1 and 2, "Sesame Street: Old School" is adults-only:
These early 'Sesame Street' episodes are intended for grown-ups, and may not suit the needs of today's preschool child
Why? According to executive producer Carol-Lynn Parente, for one thing, there was a repeated vignette where Cookie Monster would gobble a pipe.
That modeled the wrong behavior -- smoking, eating pipes
I've always wondered why whenever I see a pipe, I have an odd urge to eat it. Now I know.
The Cookie Monster has other issues. He's obviously got some kind of eating disorder. Oscar the Grouch needed a major time out -- like for the rest of the season. Big Bird doesn't even have a real name. The Count has serious OCD.
But Bert and Ernie being gay? That's actually quite progressive for the 1970s.
Sweeping the clouds away [New York Times]
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