November 2009 / vol. 6 issue 3
| One second, two second, three second, ah, ah, ah. Illustration by lewis chang |
Mature Muppets
PBS takes on adult themes, and it works
For the past three decades, children have enjoyed watching multicolored felt characters roam the streets of New York City searching for lessons on Sesame Street. After a long-standing reputation for inventive and attentive programming for children, the show has been directed by the media market towards more mature teaching methods. Because younglings are now exposed to adult shows and movies at earlier ages, Big Bird and friends are broadcasting watered-down versions of such cutting-edge series as Mad Men and Desperate Housewives.
Some think such adaptation is an abomination, believing that a children’s show should remain true to its moral ground and not tailor its content to the growing immorality in media. However, if executed with prudence, those parodies will be a revolutionary positive step in integrating children into society.
By building a bridge between kids and adults with adapted portrayals of mature media, Sesame Street can teach the complexities of the emotions evident in the angst of primetime dramas and the social complexities of the situations in comedies in a gradual manner that eases children into adolescence.
To understand the educational possibilities, consider the history of the show. Sesame Street, at its roots, was always an outrageous idea. Before the late 1960s, using television to teach children basic knowledge and values seemed inherently contradictory. Yet the components of the show meshed together so well that the show received high ratings and strong parental approval. The unique mix of humans and animal-like characters and the melting pot of races among the actors on the show represented the diversity that all children would encounter in the real world.
Beyond that, basic school knowledge (especially grammar, math, and languages) were thrown into the mix of a vivid, G-rated neighborhood lifestyle. The framework of Sesame Street came to be regarded as one of the most brilliant ideas in television. The characters followed specific plotlines but never failed to teach the kids watching at home as many lessons as possible within the span of a half-hour.
However, despite solid ratings and heavy merchandising (remember the Tickle Me Elmo craze in the early 1990s?) Sesame Street has been forced to change its direction. When shows such as Family Guy openly broadcast the theory that Bert and Ernie are gay, one knows that social norms and the reputation of the children’s show are changing. Confronted with that pressure to adapt, the show has adopted very creative versions of some the most watched, overtly provocative programs on the air.
Take, for example, the interpretation of Mad Men. We see Muppets interacting in the meeting room of a newspaper, though the misogyny and poor workplace etiquette of the adult show are absent. Rather, the show serves as a setting for discussing the differences between feelings of anger, sadness, and happiness. What a wonderful parallel — a show that adults watch as an escape from the blue or white collar serves as the textbook for childhood behavior.
The possibilities for this practice are vast. A version of How I Met Your Mother can explain the process of making friends, and an episode of 30 Rock can expound wisdom about teamwork. In different world regions, the show has taken on various costumes to teach lessons relevant to regional situations.
In Africa, for example, characters with AIDS teach children how to cope with the realities of the disease. Because of Sesame Streets’s more mature programming, the wealth of knowledge already accessible to adults is now open for children to learn.
Though it could be argued that Sesame Street’s straying away from its traditional methods hurts the educational value of the show and introduces situations too complex for children, it must be noted that morality is still upheld and learning is still of utmost importance. Sesame Street has exercised great tact in its parodies, mixing them with educational elements to a perfect degree.
We should not consider the movement of children’s programming towards the status quo of media as a defeat, but rather a healthy compromise — as a result we have new, more relevant ways to help our kids understand the world around them. 
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