Thanks to my friend Jill for sending me this most excellent link to a New York Times article on the perils of watching early Sesame Street videos.  According to the writer, the first couple of volumes come with an “adults-only” warning. 

I grew up on Sesame Street, well, I grew up watching Sesame Street.  I learned to count (sing with me: one two three FOUR five, six seven eight NINE ten, eleven twe-e-e-e-elve…), spell words, and developed a strong appreciation for pigeons and cookies.  I am disheartened to say that the article states that early Sesame Street contains a host of “no-no’s” for today’s preschoolers, such as:

  • The “closeted Ernie and Bert shared a dismal basement apartment” in a deteriorating brownstone
  • Cookie Monster is on a fast track to diabetes.
  • Oscar’s depression goes untreated
  • “Cows are milked by plain old farmers, who use their unsanitary hands and fill one bucket at a time”

Oh my goodness, for those of you who had fond memories of Sesame Street, you must read this article.  Now you, too, will realize the source of all your problems.  Clearly they were out to make us silly adults with silly ideas. 

Damn PBS.