What is Helium

Are the early seasons of Sesame Street appropriate for toddlers?

Yes

1 of 3

I am constantly amazed by the fact that shows that I watched as a child are not suitable for today's children. First it was Bugs Bunny, and now, it's Sesame Street. I wonder who decided this? We have gone to extreme measures to be politically correct in every aspect of entertainment for children. For what reasons are these decisions made? Was Oscar a bit too grouchy? Did Burt yell at Ernie too often? Is it because two men lived in the same house? Not one thing about Sesame Street from the seventies is any different from life today. There are people like Oscar in the world. Most people yell at some point in their life. Two men often live in the same apartment. It's all part of the world we live in.

Sesame Street of the seventies was a slice of life that was just a little bit nicer than the life I led as a child. Not that my childhood was bad, it was just a little bit rougher to be a kid on Madison Avenue than a kid who lived on Sesame Street. Sesame Street was punishment free. You messed up, somebody discussed it with you rationally, and then you went on with your life. Nobody got grounded, no one got paddled, and everybody was basically happy. It was like the Brady Bunch with Muppets.

So, what today's audience worried about? Emulating Sesame Street? I didn't want to live in a garbage can. I wanted to visit Sesame Street when I was a kid. I wanted friends like Kermit the Frog, Big Bird, and Oscar. Even Oscar cared about the people in the neighborhood deep down. He wasn't all bad. When Big Bird's feelings were hurt, he got an apology. When one of my friends hurt my feelings, we were rolling in the dirt to see if physical pain was worse then hurt feelings.

In my own opinion, we need a few more shows like Sesame Street. There are a lot of shows on television that are not suitable for teens and are aimed at young children. One example that readily pops into my mind is the Power Rangers. A show with teen-agers that fight with swords and martial arts. The villain is usually a woman in a skimpy outfit which probably draws a few male teenage viewers, but I seriously doubt that the show is aimed only at early to mid teens. There are Halloween Costumes and toys aimed at four to six year olds. Why doesn't anyone protest these shows?

People are too busy blaming cartoons and educational shows for their own inadequacies as parents. I watched Daffy Duck get shot by Elmer Fudd a thousand times, and never shot anyone. I played video games that were violent and have never committed a violent crime. I watched Sesame Street as a kid, and I think I turned out to be a decent man. My parents taught me there were consequences for your actions. Sesame Street taught me that we are all human. Everyone makes mistakes, not everyone is rational, and a little grouchiness and yelling isn't that unusual for an adult. I guess I didn't realize that last part about adults until I had kids of my own. Maybe if parents would sit down and watch Sesame Street with their children, they might learn a little bit themselves.

Learn more about this author, Charley Sutton.
Click here to send Author comments or questions.