Sesame Street has been through a lot of turmoil in 2012, first with Mitt Romney and the Republican Party’s promise of cutting funding for PBS (which led to a massive campaign online to bash Romney for Muppet hating) as well as the recent news that the puppeteer behind Elmo, Kevin Clash, was accused of an unspeakable crime.  In fact, the latest news from the “block” (as in the street of Sesame) is that Elmo’s creator is taking a leave of absence.

However it appears that Clash is not necessarily fired, but is merely being given time to sort out his legal problems.  Sesame Workshop also went on record to say “Elmo is bigger than any one person and will continue to be an integral part of ‘Sesame Street’ to engage, educate and inspire children around the world, as it has for 40 years.”

So while Elmo is not in trouble, it is safe to say that Sesame Street may be feeling a bit frazzled after a tumultuous year.  (This was also the year Jerry Nelson, who voiced The Count, passed away) Of course, teaching children to slow down in adversity has never been in Sesame Street’s curriculum.  So it should surprise no one that the show must go on.  And the “show”, as in the live Broadway show of Sesame Street, has never been better!

One of the most successful shows the team has done has been “Elmo Makes Music”, an episode featuring Jenny, who shows her new Sesame Street friends that ordinary household items can be used to create musical instruments.  She then invites the audience to help sing along.  The show also features appearances by Cookie Monster, and Burt and Ernie, who do a 1970s spoof of “Saturday Night Fever Bert.”  And of course, it wouldn’t be Sesame Street without Big Bird who comes along for the ride.

Why not treat the whole family to Sesame Street?  Like any American Institution, Sesame Street keeps surviving through thick and thin, as it has transcended a show and become a part of the culture.  Perhaps like George Lucas’ Star Wars (recently purchased by Disney) or Fox’s The Simpsons, Sesame Street is simply too popular and beloved to ever stop entertaining!

This entry was posted on Saturday, November 10th, 2012 at 6:50 pm and is filed under Concerts. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed.