Celebrating Sesame Street In Stories, Song… and Video!

If you’re under the age of 45 or so, then your earliest memories of television probably include some images, songs, and characters from Sesame Street. The Children’s Television Workshop (CTW) stated their goal in creating the show was to “master the addictive qualities of television and do something good with them,” and they succeeded: millions of kids learned their letters and numbers, expanded their vocabularies, and learned pro-social values. Many of us even learned how to read by watching Sesame Street – myself included.

This week, we’re featuring Sesame Street products on our website, and we asked the people on our staff to tell us about some of their favorite memories of Muppets, songs, skits, stories, and all things Sesame. And because we live in the digital era, it wasn’t hard to track down these moments on Youtube – so watch the videos with the kids and enjoy!

My favorite memory, by far was the video they would show of how crayons were made.  For a kid, seeing the creation process for a plaything that I used everyday, and had a fondness for, was captivating.
– Kevin, Assistant Manager, Hingham
Watch the video of How Crayons Are Made here!

My Mom used to paint a lot and she painted all of the characters on this giant 4-panel wooden room divider for me and my sister. It had everybody on it. Count, Oscar, Cookie, Grover, Bert, Ernie, Big Bird… everyone! Speaking of Big Bird, Carroll Spinney (who plays him and Oscar) is a frequent customer of the dry cleaners that my grandmother owns in my hometown so every once in a while my Mom would come home with some signed postcard or a book for my sister and I and tell us that “Big Bird was in the Cleaners today!”. It wasn’t ’til much later that I realized he didn’t actually come in full costume. Having a young son now, I’ve learned to appreciate the show so much more. Going back and rediscovering greats like “Do De Duck” through my son’s eyes has been a great experience. Even watching the newer seasons and seeing that Elmo isn’t all that bad has been great, too. It made me understand how important the show is to all generations.
– Jesse, Sales Associate, Cambridge
Watch the video and Do De Duck with Ernie in the bath here!

One of my favorite parts was the Count and Oscar the Grouch! I loved Oscar because he’s green and that was often my nickname as I was a pouter! We usually got to watch Sesame Street at Grandma’s house and I had a “pouting step” – so as long as I sat there, that was my name.
– Erin, Sales Associate, Wellesley
Watch Oscar sing “I Love Trash” here!

In one of the movies, Big Bird and Snuffy are trapped in a museum with the ghost of some Egyptian prince.  At the end, they weigh the prince’s soul against the weight of a feather to see if he can move on to the afterlife.  It was a pretty cool scene that always stuck with me.
– Dave, Warehouse Staff
Watch this scene from “Don’t Eat the Pictures” here!

And of course, I have a few favorites of my own:

The Pointer Sisters teach you the numbers from 1-12, with pinball animation!

The Yip-Yip Martians discover a clock!

Ernie demonstrates the correct way to catch fish: yelling, “Here, fishy fishy fishy fishy!”

And don’t forget – many of these Sesame Street classics are also available on DVD. The Sesame Street 25th Anniversary: A Musical Celebration DVD is our favorite compilation of classic moments, perfect for sharing with your kids.

What fond Sesame Street memories have you shared with your kids? Which scenes do your kids watch over and over again? Tell us about it!

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