SALON

Tuesday, Oct 12, 2010 3:05 PM UTC

The viral genius of “Sesame Street”

With its clever riffs on popular culture, the 41-year-old children's show has become hipper than ever

By

Topics: PBS, Internet Culture, Television,

The viral genius of "Sesame Street's" parody of the recent Old Spice commercial

Few among us can glide into middle age with finesse; even fewer can do it while still maintaining any kind of youthful appeal. But “Sesame Street,” which launched its 41st season in September, has watched decades of Barneys and Teletubbies go in and out fashion, and is somehow cuter than ever.

Just weeks ago, it looked like the preschool set’s most diverse, desirable zip code may have lost its cool. In a surprise outburst of Not-In-My-Backyard-ism, the Street deemed friend of Elmo Katy Perry’s playtime version of “Hot N Cold” a little too much of the former and not enough of the latter for the Cheerios set. After releasing a sneak peek of Perry’s visit online, the show pulled modestly back, with producers declaring, “In light of the feedback we’ve received on the Katy Perry music video which was released on YouTube only, we have decided we will not air the segment on the television broadcast of ‘Sesame Street,’ which is aimed at preschoolers.” Translation: Katy Perry’s cleavage was getting some of the dads a little too riled up. This, by the way, from the people who are this Halloween peddling a “sassy” women’s Elmo costume replete with mini dress and red knee-highs.

After Perry-gate, those of who still haven’t fully unclenched our teeth since “Sesame Street” rolled out its first female monster in ages four years ago — giving the world the irritatingly frou-frou Abby Cadabby — were beginning to wonder if the Street had lost its touch. The innocent genius of the show is that it never tries too hard, not like those Williamsburg-ready, Coachella-invading jerks from “Yo Gabba Gabba.” Its wry humor, urban sensibility and easy appropriation of pop culture were always what made it so appealingly accessible for kids – and tolerable for bleary-eyed parents.

So it was encouraging when the series, which in years past has given us such viral hits as Neil Patrick Harris as a fairy, dished up cool homages to “Mad Men” and “30 Rock” (featuring a real pile of rocks and a Liz Lemon played by… a lemon) and even referred to the “trashy” news on “Pox,” quickly asserted its groove right out of the new season gate.

There has already been a hilariously broody rhyming sketch involving “True Mud”  and an exuberantly wonderful song from will.i.am, in which The Black Eyed Pea and a coterie monsters affirm that “What I am is thoughtful, what I am is musical, what I am is smart, and what I am is brave.” It’s as lovely and positive as anything from the vintage “Being Green” era, and could bring tears to the eyes of every parent of a child who will, in the blink of an eye, be going off to face the horrors of middle school. But the crowning moment of the season thus far arrived last week, when Grover invited us into his bathroom. “Look down. Back up. Where am I?” he asked, and a nation well over the age of five giggled in pure delight. Demonstrating the wonders of the word “on,” Grover deftly gave Isaiah Mustafa a run for the money as the coolest, bluest guy ever to get on a horse. I mean cow.

The generations who grew up confident in the knowledge that “C is for Cookie” understand that “Sesame Street” wasn’t designed to amuse aging hipsters (and if that’s what you need, “Fraggle Rock” is now on DVD, so go nuts). It remains – as it was in 1969 — one of the smartest, sweetest, most innovate children’s programs around. It doesn’t have to be cool — but it just is anyway. As will.i.am. would put it, “Sesame Street,” what you are is magical. What you are is super.

Mary Elizabeth Williams

Mary Elizabeth Williams is a staff writer for Salon and the author of "Gimme Shelter: My Three Years Searching for the American Dream." Follow her on Twitter: @embeedub. More Mary Elizabeth Williams.

Next Article

You Might Also Like

More Related Stories

Featured Slide Shows

The week in 10 pics

close X
  • Share on Twitter
  • Share on Facebook
  • Thumbnails
  • Fullscreen
  • 1 of 11
  • Serena William in an emotional moment during the final women's French Open match against Russia's Maria Sharapova. Williams won 6-4, 6-4, while Rafael Nadal defeated fellow Spaniard David Ferrer 6-3, 6-2, 6-3 in the men's finals on Sunday.
    AP/David Vincent

  • Ongoing anti-government protests at Taksim Square. Five people have died and thousands have been injured since the protests began on May 31. On Friday, Turkey's government agreed to suspend redevelopment plans for Gezi Park, which initially sparked the protests, until a court rules on its legality.
    AP/Vadim Ghirda

  • Billy Porter is all heart and "sole" at a performance of the Cyndi Lauper-scored "Kinky Boots," which won the Tony Award for Best musical on Sunday night.
    AP/The O+M Company, Matthew Murphy

  • A chemical plant explosion and fire in Louisiana on Thursday morning killed a 29-year-old and injured 73 more. The cause of the fire is still undetermined.
    AP/Gerald Herbert

  • So much for pie-throwing loyalty. Media Mogul Rupert Murdoch and third wife Wendy Deng announced they are filing for divorce on Thursday after 14 years of marriage. The pair are pictured at the 69th Annual Golden Globe Awards in Los Angeles this year.
    AP/Matt Sayles

  • Ariel Castro, accused of holding three women captive in his house for roughly a decade, walks into a Cleveland courtroom on Wednesday. Castro, 52, pleaded not guilty to hundreds of charges that include rape and kidnapping.
    AP/Tony Dejak

  • Supporters of Iranian presidential candidate, Hasan Rowhani, campaigned with banners on the streets of Tehran on Wednesday in anticipation of the Iranian presidential elections on Friday.
    AP/Ebrahim Noroozi

  • People watch from the side of the road as a flame-fighting plane passes over the Black Forest area north of Colorado Springs. A raging fire which has been burning since midweek has destroyed more than 360 homes and killed two.
    AP/Brennan Linsley

  • A restaurant in Dunabogdany, Hungary, is roof-deep in floodwaters spilling from the River Danube. Heavy rainfalls this week continued to flood major rivers and lakes in Germany, Austria, Switzerland the Czech Republic and Hungary.
    AP/MTI, Balazs Mohai

  • A gas mask-sporting demonstrator walks past Portuguese graffiti on a bank which reads "Fascist government." Thousands took to the streets São Paulo, Brazil, on Thursday to violently protest a 10-cent hike in bus and subway fares, while similar protests took place in Rio de Janeiro, Brasilia and Porte Alegre in southern Brazil.
    AP/Brennan Linsley

  • Recent Slide Shows

  • Share on Twitter
  • Share on Facebook
  • Thumbnails
  • Fullscreen
  • 1 of 11

Related Videos

More Related Stories

Comments

 17 Comments

Comment Preview

Your name will appear as username ( settings | log out )

You may use these HTML tags and attributes: <a href=""> <b> <em> <strong> <i> <blockquote>

follow salon

Most Read

Video of the Day

Watch More Here »

Popular on Reddit

links from salon.com

From Around the Web

Presented by Scribol
listener_new_rect The Listener: "We Are All Completely Beside Ourselves": Growing up primate

Recommendations