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Celebrities know the way to 'Sesame Street'

Posted: Friday, August 01, 2008 6:00 AM by Courtney Hazlett
Filed Under: ,

Full disclosure: I was never a huge fan of "Sesame Street." Though I continue to compare people's behavior, from time to time, to that of Snuffleupagus, I wasn't impressed with the Muppet-driven show when it was age-appropriate for me, and my feelings didn't change when my youngest brother was born more than a decade later and I had a chance to re-formulate an opinion.

Which brings me to my current befuddlement: I cannot believe the caliber of guests that "Sesame Street" has lined up for its 39th season. Jack Black, Feist, Neil Patrick Harris, Heidi Klum, Jenny McCarthy, Will Arnett, David Beckham -- they're all appearing on the show, and that's just the August lineup.

How is this happening? I have fantastically underestimated either the skills of the bookers on the "Street," the strength of nostalgia's pull, or both. So why do I gripe? It's simple. I'm jealous. I might not have a yellow, feathered costume with which to woo an A-lister, but I still think Becks might enjoy my company (professionally of course). Also, these are killer bookings, going to waste. Show me a five-year-old who knows who Shonda Rhimes is (she's appearing later in the fall) and unless you can prove he/she reads Entertainment Weekly at bedtime, I'll show you a kid with an unhealthy and bizarre fascination with "Grey's Anatomy." I think it's safe to assume when it comes to celebrity guests on the show, they're largely interchangeable for the tykes.

So what do you think? I know what you're going to say: the parents/caretakers/humans within earshot of a television blaring "Sesame Street" deserve to be entertained. But really, these celebrities have limited time and they're giving it to a target audience that's largely under three feet tall. Are my feelings misguided, or do pre-schoolers need to know if Heidi Klum thinks they are in or out?

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I understand not enjoying a beloved childrens program; I REALLY hated Mr. Rogers.  I know, it's almost un-American, but I really hated that show.  However, I like seeing celebs on SS because you can tell they enjoy it & it makes me feel good about being a fan of the celeb--if they're willing to come be silly on SS, how bad of a person can they be?
Did anyone see Tina Fey's "Bookaneers - Pirates Who Love Books" skit?  Fabulous!  Trisha Yearwood also did a great spot on The Street.  The SS Christmas Special this year featured many great celebs, but the one I remember best is Brad Paisley.  He was interviewed about why he appeared on the show, and he was so excited that they asked him to be on the special--he couldn't believe he was a big enough star to get on The Street :o)  I love it!!

Amy A., Knoxville, TN (Sent Friday, August 01, 2008 2:51 PM)

I loved Sesame Street as a child!  When I left home and went to college in 1984, my dorm didn't have cable so I only got 4 stations...one being PBS.  I was 18 and remember the "Letter B" song being sung by "Beetles" and "Rebel L" being sung by a muppet Billy Idol.  The day Jim Henson died was truly sad.  How can you be a "hater" of Sesame Street???

Julie, Cincinnati (Sent Friday, August 01, 2008 2:56 PM)

First of all, How can you not like ...let alone LOVE Sesame Street???  There is something SERIOUSLY wrong with you!!!  And good for them to have more power and cache than MTV, HBO and the like with good, wholesome entainment and education for children.

cbd, San Diego, CA (Sent Friday, August 01, 2008 2:57 PM)

At 43, I watched a little Sesame Street as a child, so did my younger brother, sister and my three kids. I am and will always be a huge fan. Yes, the kids are too young to know who Feist is, etc., and maybe the celebs are doing it because there kids watch. It's also good press. You may not be impressed, but there are people out there who will be impressed with these big names taking time out of their busy schedules to do something for kids. Whatever the reasons, it's a win-win-win situation for the kids, the show and the adults.

Mo, Vancouver, British Columbia (Sent Friday, August 01, 2008 2:57 PM)

It's really not that hard to figure out. The majority of the guests on recent episodes of Sesame Street are celebs with kids of preschool age. Jack Black, Heidi Klum, Jenny McCarthy and David Beckham all have young children who probably watch, or have watched, Sesame Street. My son LOVES Sesame Street and if I had the celebrity and clout to appear on the show, you bet I would, just so he could see me on TV! I think Sesame Street does a very good job of integrating celebs into the show in a way that does not fetishize their celebrity or assume that children know who the celebrities are (which they don't, or at least shouldn't). I love Sesame Street and love what it has done for my son, namely, he can recite the entire alphabet and count to 12 at just under 2 1/2.

A. M., Santa Fe, NM (Sent Friday, August 01, 2008 3:07 PM)

I think there are much bigger things to be thinking about than celebrities and sesame street.  Get over it!  :)

Elyse, Radcliff, KY (Sent Friday, August 01, 2008 3:14 PM)

As a mom of an 18-month-old who's just starting to appreciate Sesame Street (and as someone who grew up watching it herself), I'm thrilled that we can spend time enjoying it together.  And I keep hoping that they'll rerun the time that James Taylor sang about "Jelly Man Kelly" (he loves jelly the most!).  Or Robin Williams showing Elmo what all a stick can be.  Or the one with Tony Bennett singing "Slimey to the Moon"...

Shmo, Conway, AR (Sent Friday, August 01, 2008 3:22 PM)

Oh come on...stars have been on Sesame Street for a long time now.  Tell me you don't remember R.E.M. singing "Furry Happy Monsters" back in the day (god that was cute...I still love that video).  
When I was a kid I didn't care who the weird guest stars were - if they came with a fun song or a good performance then that's all I needed.
On a side note, in my personal opinion the two worst things to happen to Sesame Street were Mr. Hooper dying (I bawled for days...then again I was two or three at the time) and Elmo.  I'm sorry, I don't care if he sells toys or if he has his entire own segment on the show now, I think he's positively insipid.

Leslie, Albuquerque (Sent Friday, August 01, 2008 3:32 PM)

'Full disclosure: I was never a huge fan of "Sesame Street."'

I think that says it all, really.  OK, fine, Sesame Street doesn't impress you.  It doesn't have to, and it makes you no worse a person.  But, yes, I agree with those who are suggesting you're out of touch, at least with the modern American child.  Even if you don't get it on a visceral level, one would think that you would understand at least intellectually the fact that appearing on a long-running program which has foreign language spin-offs in the double digits, which has won in impressive stack of educational and artistic awards, and whose characters' faces dominate their particular corner of the culture would be an easy, low-committment (what, maybe an afternoon while they happen to be passing through NYC?) career move for a celebrity, a way for someone to really embrace something they loved as a child, another way for a famous parent to connect to their own children, or some combination of the above.  The problem at the root of this article isn't that you don't love Sesame Street.  It's that you've somehow, and quite bafflingly for someone whose job it is to comment on TV and its surrounding culture, overlooked the fact that everybody else does.  

Prester John (Sent Friday, August 01, 2008 4:03 PM)

I saw an interview one time with a young up-coming celebrity, and he said how he knew he made it big was he'd been asked to make a guest appearance on Sesame Street. I can't remember who it was, but it shows it's a thrill for celebrites to be asked to be on SS.  My son is 5, and we LOVE singing the Aerosmith version of I Love Trash!

Kirsten, Kansas City, MO (Sent Friday, August 01, 2008 4:08 PM)

I've been a fan of SS since the eighties and now that i have my own little girl, I would go as far as to say, as a celebrity, you haven't reached the 'mecca' until you've done Sesame Street! Kids may not recognize everyone, but just for nostaligia, it's awesome to say you've been a part of the biggest show in television history

D. Golden, Cherry Hill, NJ (Sent Friday, August 01, 2008 4:34 PM)



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