Light Bird and Dark Grouch

The Taoist concept of "Yin and Yang" refers to the interconnectedness of lightness and darkness.  One cannot exist without the other.  While this concept had been expanded by other cultures to involve similar dichotomies (good/evil, positive/negative), the core idea that both qualities must exist is essential.

Big Bird could not exist without Oscar the Grouch.  Oscar could not exist without Bird.  And neither could exist without Caroll Spinney.

Light, dark, and the bond that holds them together.

Born on December 26, 1933 (Happy 79th Birthday!), Caroll was so named because it was so close to Christmas.  Like a traditional song, Caroll grew up to be one of the most reliable and trustworthy people to ever go into entertainment.  Caroll's interest in puppetry led him to perform on Bozo's Big Top where he showcased his original puppets, Picklepuss and Pop.

The revamped, Muppetized-versions of Picklepuss and Pop that Spinney later revisited.

Henson admired his work, and asked him for the role on the upcoming Sesame Street.  Spinney wasn't sure what he was getting into, but one does not say no to Jim Henson without a lifetime of regret.  Spinney ended up portraying two characters that would immortalize him forever.  Unlike other Muppet performers, who had a handful of signature characters (and played dozens more), these two were all Spinney needed, and it could have worked out more perfectly.

One was a dim-witted giant, small-headed, yellow bird who would play the fool to the humans on the street (both children and adults alike).  The other was an orange, trash-can dwelling monster who would antagonize the neighbors.  Both characters rapidly evolved into the Big Bird and Oscar we know today, but there was more than just a change in the puppets' appearances.

Eventually, it was decided that having the puppeteer visible was just to unsettling.

Oscar, as we know, was based on a child's tendency to be moody, self-centered, and complaining.  Armed with the voice of an unfriendly cab-driver that Spinney witnessed on the way to the studio, Oscar represented all that was wrong with life.  His pessimistic attitude rained on every pleasant occasion, and only the unwanted and disgusting elements of life gave him pleasure.  This may sound unbearable, but frankly, having someone playing devil's advocate to the bright, sunny world of Sesame Street allowed for intelligent conversations and observations.

We love you, you grubby, filthy, ill-tempered beast!

Big Bird, meanwhile, became less of an imbecile and more of a child.  He lacked knowledge, but he was curious and encouraged other children to persevere.  He became the face of optimism, always ready to sing and be merry.  As a result, troubling instances, such as death, unexpected changes and destruction, would hit even harder for the bird, showing that producers were aware of how to approach sensitive topics.

Big Bird ponders his own existence.

The fact that both of these characters are such permanent fixtures to the show is no mystery.  At times in our lives, everyone can identify with Oscar and everyone can identify with Big Bird.  Both even have their own fan clubs (the Grouchketeers and Birdketeers respectively), implying that neither character is inherently "better" than the other.  If the world were black and white, Big Bird would be the hero, Oscar the villain, and that would be final.  But both need to remain on Sesame Street to give the show its necessary depth.

In 2003, Spinney wrote an autobiography explaining what he has learned about life through the viewpoints of these two characters.  It's called The Wisdom of Big Bird (and the Dark Genius of Oscar the Grouch) and is well worth your time.

Although we rarely see the man behind these characters, it is clear that he is a wonderful human being.  He has landed one of the best jobs in the world and, at 79, he still feels like a kid every day.  In 2013 a documentary titled I Am Big Bird shall premiere, and judging by the trailer, life behind the scenes is just as magical as life in front of the camera.

At a time when all other original puppeteers are retiring, he is remaining strong, vowing to continue playing these characters "as long as [he] can keep [his] hand in the air."  Happy Birthday to this wonderful legend, who reminds us to embrace our inner grouch and our inner child.

A hero in bird's legs.

Follow That Bird, Part 4: Bluebird of Despair

We're almost at the best part of the movie, so I hope you don't mind if I fast-forward a bit.  Because, in all of Sesame Street history, there is nothing quite like the "Bluebird of Happiness" scene.

The rest of the movie can't compete with this image right here.

How does Big Bird get in this position?  Well...*takes a deep breath*...

Super Grover flies/crashes into Gordon's car thinking that it's Big Bird because it's big and yellow...

At least he's safe now.

...everyone ends up in the town of Toadstool where, since Bob, being the expert tracker he is, figured that's where Big Bird would end up and intersect with the paths of the cars (Don't ask me why they had to take separate cars if they were all going to the same place anyway, because I don't know.)...

All roads lead to Toadstool.

...Big Bird ends up in the middle of the Toadstool annual parade and everyone sees him but the parade prevents anyone from getting close enough to catch him (And even if they did, only Miss Finch brought a car that could fit Big Bird. Everyone else's car is full of tag-along puppets that should have stayed home.)...

Why is there always a parade in these kind of movies?

...and to escape Miss Finch, Big Bird hides in the "hiding cage" of a pair of helpful strangers.

Seems legit.

Now that the Sleaze Brothers have finally caught Big Bird, they realize that everyone will become suspicious when they showcase the giant yellow bird that everyone is looking for.  So, they do the only sensible thing and paint him blue. 

This is heartbreaking to watch.

They dub him the "Bluebird of Happiness" and present him to the giant crowd of children waiting to see the rare creature.  For the "show," he is supposed to sing for the kids.  So he sings "I'm So Blue," and it is the saddest song ever featured in a Muppet movie.

In every journey story, the hero has his "I want to go back" moment.  Big Bird sings his melancholy tune as he tries to remain optimistic.  But he knows that he is trapped and escape is utterly hopeless.  He  remains on the verge of tears with each line he sings, as the audience of kids stare in bewilderment.  And these aren't just actors.  These are all extra kids called in to see Big Bird in his brand new movie and he has hit rock bottom.  I have no idea what could possibly be going through their mind or how many had to be reassured after filming that everything is alright and make-believe.

Seriously, the song's ironic take on chasing your dreams is the last thing anyone would expect to see in a Muppet film.  The lyrics are basically the antithesis of "The Rainbow Connection."  Take a look:

I'll never lose my dreams

Even though this time it seems

Like I'm such a long way

From any rainbows that might keep my dreams from fading

In a different context, this could be uplifting.  It could be just what Big Bird needs to pull himself up and get ready to take on the world.  But the world has finally beaten him down.  He has given up.  He has been changed for good.

Tomorrow, we finish the movie on a lighter note as a rescue mission is under way!  So, cheer up!

Follow That Bird, Part 1: Bye Bye Birdie

Before we get started, would you please rise for the Grouch Anthem?

If you politely agreed to that request, then you missed the entire point of the Grouch Anthem.

The existence of a Sesame Street movie creates an odd sensation.  It is common for television shows to be adapted into films, but rarely do we see this with long-running daytime shows that produce over 100 episodes a year.  Just to give you an idea as to how rare this phenomenon is, let me remind you that 2012's Dark Shadows was the first movie ever based on a pre-existing soap opera.

The fact that it is a show for preschoolers makes the leap to screen even weirder.  Try to imagine a property like Mister Roger's Neighborhood getting a theatrical release.  It wouldn't happen because preschoolers are not the target audience for movie producers, but their parents are.  Why would a parent take a harrowing trip to the movie theater to see a show that their kids watch everyday anyway.  It's not like little kids are thinking, "Oh, a movie adaptation of Teletubbies will allow the writers to tackle deeper, harder-hitting issues that the television format doesn't enable them to cover."

So, who is a Sesame Street movie for?  Well, given that Follow That Bird premiered in 1985, 15 years worth of kids would make a nice large audience, and they probably wouldn't mind a trip back to Sesame Street.  But, the tone of the movie would be a little different.  Gone are the blatant educational sketches or whimsical animated inserts.  Instead, we are focusing only on Big Bird as a character who just happens to have been the star of the biggest children's show of all time.  And it was time to teach kids a different kind of lesson.  A lesson about life.

The movie starts with the assumption that you know all about Sesame Street and it's inhabitants, so instead of introducing the existing characters, we meet a group of avian social workers discussing their next case.

Because that's what kids love: meetings!

The head of the Featherd Friends adoption agency informs the board of a troubling situation in which a 6-year-old bird has been discovered living by himself in the middle of an urban city without any other birds to care for him.  It almost seems like a self-parody that the movie's premise is based on an issue that the show never bothers to address because...it's just a magical kids show.

Nope, this movie is going to get heavy.

I've proposed my theory about the history of Big Bird's family and this movie jumps on that assumption and runs with it.  Despite Big Bird's evident contentment for where he is, the board believes birds must be surrounded by their own kind in order to thrive.  In order to save Big Bird from his life of abandonment, the case worker Miss Finch agrees to track him down and place him with a nice family of birds in Illinois so that he can live a better life.

Miss Finch: Worse than Doc Hopper, Nicky Holiday, Jareth, the Skeksis, and the city of New York combined.

This brings us to the movie proper as we see Sesame Street, remade for the big screen!

There are actually buildings across the street now?!

Sesame Street has never looked busier or more realistic as all your favorite Muppet and non-Muppet characters walk around and going about their daily business.  Big Bird enters on roller skates and interacts with a chirping bird, showing that he is just fine exactly where he is.  But shortly after he takes a tumble into Oscar's garbage pile, Miss Finch discovers him, and finds that her assumptions are true: Big Bird is living in filth and needs someone to take care of him.

Enter "Imperial March Theme" here.

She discusses with him the opportunity to live a life with birds, far from Sesame Street, where he can finally have a real family.  Big Bird is unsure at first, but he starts to imagine the perks of having his own mother and father taking care of him.  His fantasy shows that his lack of parents and siblings has bothered him for quite sometime, and finally, his dreams are about to come true!

Big Bird's idyllic family.  In Technicolor.

Big Bird agrees to leave, much to the dismay of all his friends and neighbors.  Despite their suggestion that they are his family already, Miss Finch reminds them that they are not birds and are, therefore, unfit to raise Big Bird.  Big Bird makes his rounds, saying goodbye to all.  He leaves Snuffy in charge of his nest, and promises to write every day.  The simple-minded and loyal Snuffy promises to visit him at his new home, and everybody cries for a bit.

This was when I thought, "What would someone who had never seen Sesame Street before think of this scene?"

After Big Bird promises to write and count and read and breathe and eat, he bids farewell, as Miss Finch coldly tells him to not look back at his old friends.

Why...why would someone say that to a child?

Big Bird flies (by plane) to Oceanview, IL where he meets his new family at the airport, the Dodos.  And much like their name, they are complete imbeciles.  After it takes them a while to accpet that this giant yellow bird is the one they were supposed to meet, they welcome Big Bird to the family, calling him "Big Dodo."

This is not going to end well.

They drive Big Bird to their home out in the suburbs where it's quite easy to tell which house on the block is theirs.

It's the one that says, "Dodos" on the mailbox.

Big Bird writes a letter to his friends back on Sesame Street, explaining all the weird things his new family does.  None of them are actually too weird (except for their daily worm hunt that never results in any worms) but they are too different for Big Bird to handle all at once.

This is ridiculous.

The final and most crucial difference that are shown is Big Bird's adoptive parents finding themselves unable to kiss him good night.  This hits Big Bird the hardest.

He closes his letter, "I should be happy here.  What's wrong with me?"

That's the kind of movie we are getting ourselves into.  Tomorrow, Big Bird decides enough is enough and starts his long journey home.  Adventures will unfold, but there will be a lot of strife along the way.  Get ready to follow that bird.

Random Muppet #3: Granny Bird

On the Muppet Wiki, there is a "Random Muppet" button which sends you to the page of one of the thousands of Muppets in existence. I will press the button and discuss the importance of the Muppet that comes up, no matter how obscure. No skips. No redos. This is the Random Muppet Challenge.

Random Muppet #3: Granny Bird

Big Bird's grandmother and legal guardian.

Performer:  Caroll Spinney

Muppet Universe of Origin:  Sesame Street

Most Significant Appearance:  Sesame Street, Unknown episode that aired between 1992 and 2001

For a majority of the series, Big Bird's relatives were few and far between.  Except for his assorted international "cousins," the audience only heard about Big Bird's family through anecdotes.  And, outside of one early mention during the first year of the show, Big Bird's parents just didn't exist.  There was never any explanation given and one was left to assume that they were either dead or out of the picture.  It wasn't until 1992 (when the cast had a spare Big Bird puppet to remodel) that we finally met someone who helped fill in the blanks in Big Bird's past, Granny Bird.

Granny Bird had been appearing in storybooks since 1980 and had been mentioned in passing various times, but nothing is official until we see it on screen.  Granny Bird's first appearance was a sort of re-telling of "Little Red Riding Hood," in which Big Bird went to visit his grandmother on Grandma's Day.  Upon arrival to her house, he finds a big wolf sleeping in the bed.

My what no beak you have!

After much confusion, Big Bird learned that he had the wrong address, and he had actually barged in on the innocent Granny Wolf.  From this episode, it appears that Granny Bird's house was within walking distance, but as we'd see later, this would not be considered canon.

The more official version of Granny Bird appeared in a later episode, in which it was clear that she lives so far away from Sesame Street that she has to travel by plane to get there.  When her flight gets canceled, Big Bird feels sad, and then flies off into an uncontrollable rage.  When Granny Bird eventually does arrive, Big Bird is still very upset and his grandmother leaves again, thinking it would be for the best.  This causes Big Bird to spiral into a deeper, enraged depression.  Finally, Granny returns to talk with Big Bird, explaining that although she can't always be with him, she still loves him.

And they sing the blues away.

Granny would make occasional visits throughout the series, and her advice would stick with Big Bird, even when she wasn't around.  But at least he felt safer, knowing she was out there.

"Remember to use the force."

Why Is She the Best Muppet?

As a representative of children, Big Bird must deal with some very difficult issues that he barely understands.  He usually remains happy-go-lucky, but he can't always stay positive.  Like many children, Big Bird suffers from parental abandonment issues.  Both of his parents have removed themselves from his life, and the closest relative he knows lives too far away to take care of him.

Granny Bird doesn't show any malice in her actions, but she may not realize the impact her absence has on this young child's life.  In one very important episode that was patterned after the Hurricane Katrina disaster, Big Bird finds his nest destroyed by a storm.  Without a place to live, he calls his grandmother to tell her the news.  She responds with some sagely advice, "Get twigs," meaning it is time to rebuild.  And while that is an important message, perhaps rescuing your newly homeless 6-year-old grandchild may also be on the agenda. 

Oh, so, you're not going to help a child in need?  That's okay, I guess.  Talk to you again soon.

Granny Bird has been removed from Big Bird's life since Day One.  In the prequel series, Sesame Beginnings, Granny Bird delivers a newborn Big Bird to his aunt Nani, who serves has his primary guardian throughout the series.  Taking care of an infant is a big responsibility, and it appears that Granny Bird is just not up to the task.

Nevertheless, Big Bird loves his grandmother unconditionally, and this is why he is driven to such anger when he is deprived of her presence time and time again.  She frustrates him, but also inspires him.  He stockpiles every piece of advice she has ever given him, because she is the one he trusts wholeheartedly.  She may not be aware of the damage she is doing to his psyche and self-esteem, but she tries her best to be a good grandmother when she is present.

This is classic case of a neglectful parent.  But I don't blame Granny for this scenario.  The entire Bird family is filled with hidden issues that are never discussed.  Perhaps she is actually doing her best to see Big Bird whenever she can and it is actually his parents that are causing the distance.  As we stated before, Big Bird's parentage was only mentioned just once.  It was in reference to a gift he received from his mother.  His father is never mentioned.

Because this is a children's show, we must tread carefully.  Sesame Street has dealt with heavy issues in the past, but the mysteries surrounding Big Bird's family may be the heaviest of them all.  His father is completely absent, and perhaps was never known.  His mother is alive, but is never seen and has never visited.  Is she in some sort of correctional facility?  Does Granny have to care for her well-being, forcing her to abandon Big Bird for extended periods at a time?

Not every child has a happy home life.  Many are moved into foster care and halfway houses due to the issues with their parents and family.  They are too young to grasp why life is so difficult for them and they must find makeshift father figures and mother figures in the people the see the most consistently.  Their teachers, their case workers, their neighbors.  Sesame Street may be the best possible setting for Big Bird to grow up in and Granny Bird has placed him there to shelter him from the dangerous truth.

She still loves him, even if she can't always be there.

I'll love you forever.  I'll like you for always.  As long as I'm living, my Big Bird you'll be.

Yes, Big Bird, There is a Santa Claus

"Youth is wasted on the young," - George Bernard Shaw

When we become adults, we look back on our time spent as children, wishing that if we only knew then what we knew now, we would have made the most of our growing years.  This causes a paradox of sorts because the very reason we admired childhood was exactly because we did not know what we know now.  Before we learned the ways of the world, we just had to accept strange phenomena as they occurred.  Magic and reality went hand in hand.  And the reason we thought this was because our parents, who we turned to for education, fed us these stories.

Babies are brought by storks.  The tooth fairy takes our baby teeth while we are sleeping.  Santa Claus...well, is Santa Claus.

When we become new parents, many of us decide to perpetuate these "truths" to the younger generation.  Since we cannot become young again, we must prolong the childhoods of our children so that they may appreciate what we neglected to.  Children live in an interesting state.  Magic continues to be possible even when evidence to the contrary is brought before them.  As a child, I was fully aware that adults did not believe in Santa Claus, and there would come a day when I too would stop.  But even knowing that, I continued believing, like it was my duty to Santa.

Big Bird, the voice of children everywhere, was known for his curiosity.  When children across the world asked questions about life, Big Bird would as well.  On Christmas Eve, Oscar the Heretic Grouch puts a piece of doubt in the bird's stocking by asking a simple question: how does Santa Claus fit down a chimney?

A question that has plagued mankind for centuries.

This devastates the bird to no end.  Not because it convinced him that Santa is fictional, but because he is afraid that it is impossible for Santa to bring presents to Sesame Street, where the chimney's are just tiny pipes.  Big Bird recruits everyone he can find to help solve this puzzle so that his fears will be assuaged. To a person thinking logically, Big Bird's actions present another conundrum.  Whether or not Santa can fit down a chimney, Big Bird knowing the answer won't change what happens at midnight.

But Big Bird lets his emotions get the better of him and does not rest until the truth is revealed.  He turns to Kermit, who decides to launch an investigative report by interviewing kids, since they know the most about Santa.  "Knowing = Believing" and vice-versa for the young children, and what results is a cavalcade of roundabout explanations that only a child could dream up.

None of these answers convince Big Bird, so he takes it upon himself to find out by manning a late night stakeout on the roof of 123 Sesame Street.  Because he is behaving irrationally, he neglects to tell any adult of his plans, prompting everyone (even Oscar!) to start a frantic search for the lost child.  The cold snowy weather is worse up on the rooftops, and it causes the bird to drift in to a hypothermic sleep.  He could very well freeze to death while his guardians have no idea where to search for him, all because they decided to keep the truth about Santa a secret.

Our need to have children believe in magic comes at a cost.  Ignorance is bliss, but it it is also highly dangerous.  Eventually, adults have to teach children the truth.  But wisdom means that childhood is over.  It's not a fair trade.

We can't stay here forever.

Fortunately, Big Bird never has to grow up!  As he is finally found, he is brought inside to discover that all of the presents have been delivered successfully.  Big Bird laments that he failed to witness Santa, but as Gordon explains to him, it doesn't matter because the gifts were delivered anyway.  Whether Big Bird saw it or not, Christmas still came.  So, he had might as well enjoy the mystery for at least another year.  Unlike yesterday's episode of Fraggle Rock where Gobo's lack of faith resulted in a new appreciation for the holiday, Big Bird is allowed to keep living in bliss, while it is the adults around him who have learned to pay close attention to the loved ones in their life.

*      *      *

Christmas Eve on Sesame Street is exactly the kind of Christmas special that Sesame Street deserves.  Unlike the terrible special that would premiere a few days later, this special focuses solely on the Muppet characters instead of phoned-in celebrity cameos.  It presents a natural look at how the inhabitants of this street perceive the holiday.  While Big Bird and Oscar's squabble over the existence of Santa provides the crux of this episode, there are other moments that make it worth checking out.

The special begins with the cast ice skating.  Most of the footage is from the Sesame Street portions of "Ice Follies," a touring ice-skating show.  While the full-sized Muppets' antics are played for humor, there is a tender moment where a little girl teaches the clumsy Big Bird how to skate.

All set to a solemn instrumental performance of Feliz Navidad.

Ernie and Bert completely recreate The Gift of the Magi, selling their prized possessions (Rubber Duckie and a paper clip collection respectively) to Mr. Hooper in order to afford gifts for their best friend.  Ernie saying goodbye to his duck is touching, but they way Bert's voice cracks as he tries to get one last look at his paper clips is downright heartbreaking.

Never have office supplies been so meaningful.

It eventually comes time to exchange the gifts.  After some brilliant slight of hand disguising the fact that the Bert puppet cannot physically open a wrapped present, the realization that terrible mistakes have been made in selling their favorite items sets in.  Fortunately, Mr. Hooper returns with the sold items, presenting them as his own gifts!

Otherwise, Mr. Hooper wouldn't have gotten them anything this year!

Other highlights include:

- Bob wishing Mr. Hooper a Happy Hanukkah with a sly wink, as if Judaism is a secret this year.

We mustn't let the kids learn that there is a holiday that has eight days of presents!

- Oscar singing about how he hates Christmas (which eliminates the need of that other special entirely).

- Cookie Monster's inability to write a letter to Santa without eating his materials.

- Kermit's winter outfit:

- And of course, this girl, who has the best explanation of how Santa works.

She has pushed the button to my heart.

All of these elements come together to create a special that blends the best of Sesame Street with the best of Christmas.  Everyone can become a child again on Christmas Eve.  It is the right place and the right time for true magic to occur.

Although, too much Christmas magic can leave you feeling bloated.

Yucky Christmas Trash

On December 3rd, 1978, Christmas Eve on Sesame Street premiered on PBS.  This wonderful special brought all of our favorite characters together to spend their first Christmas with the American public.  Cute kids, great songs, and tender moments were showcased as Big Bird and his pals awaited the arrival of Santa Claus.  The level of maturity and entertainment we had grown to expect from the show was all present.  It had everything one could possibly want and need out of a Sesame Street Christmas special.

On December 8th, 1978, A Special Sesame Street Christmas premiered on CBS.

You keep using that word.  I do not think it means what you think it means.

Um....what?  We just had a Christmas special on Sesame Street five days ago!  Was it a repeat?  Was it a sequel supposed to take place the day after the first one?  Was this some sort of mistake?  Unfortunately, it was none of the above.

The executive vice-president of the Children's Television workshop at the time decided to allow CBS to produce it's own Sesame Street special on the grounds that having two in production would result in at least one making it to air.  As if the popular kids show needed such help.  What resulted was a low-budget special with forced lessons, a weak story, and enough overacting B-list celebrities crammed in to make the viewers at home appreciate their ability to turn of their television.  Barely half of the human cast even appeared in the special and only three puppets were included: Big Bird, Oscar, and the dog Barkley.  While CEoSS was an ensemble show with multiple stories and opportunities for each character, ASSSC was going to be all about Oscar.

Pictured: Oscar performing a rotten version of "Yakkety Yak."  Not pictured: Entertainment.

Now, there are many great Christmas specials that focus on unpleasant characters.  The Grinch, Scrooge, and Billy Bob Thorton are all classic Christmas villains with great Christmas stories.  And Oscar is a great character who is a lot of fun to watch.  But the problem is that Oscar's personality is set in stone.  Having the plot focus on him changing his anti-Christmas ways means the whole show is ultimately pointless.  Even if Oscar has a change of heart by the finale, he's not going to be all friendly and chummy in the next episode of Sesame Street.  So what we get is an hour of grouching, followed by a minute of "I guess Christmas is okay."  Plus obnoxious musical numbers and pointless cameos.

Oh, the cameos.  Let's just take a look at our all star cast:

Anne Murray as the Ghost of Christmas Past

Imogene Coca as the Ghost of Christmas Present

Dick Smothers as the Ghost of Christmas Future

Ethel Merman as herself, singing "Tomorrow" (which is just the worst)

And Henry Fonda for one line, because why not?

I know!  All of your favorites!

If you haven't guessed by the great outfits, the plot is loosely based on A Christmas Carol.  Special guest star and host Leslie Uggams(!!!) decides to change Oscar's negative attitude by pulling the ol' "let's dress up as ghosts and recreate scenes from Oscar's life" routine.  However, Oscar sees right through the visions saying that he was never pleasant and has always hated Christmas and always will.  The ghosts still scare him though, prompting an appearance by the future King of Pop himself, Michael Jackson!

Don't worry, he doesn't sing at all!  There's no reason to suddenly make this special bearable!

At the center of it all is a crippled alley cat who is named "Tiny Tim" of course.  The adults urge Oscar to share his food scraps with the cat, but Oscar refuses to help.  It is not until he sees the "future" where the cat dies that he decides to change his ways.  I should probably mention that this cat clearly does not want to be involved in this horrid special, as it meows in fear whenever it is placed near Oscar.

If my leg weren't in a cast, I would be out of here so fast.

There is an interesting moment where Oscar starts complaining about the amount of Christmas-related garbage that has been piling up in his can.  Maria is shocked to hear Oscar badmouth trash to which Oscar replies, "I said this was Christmas trash; I didn't select it!"  Here, he is unintentionally commenting on the special itself.

Christmas specials come in many forms.  Those that the public deems worthy get to be repeated year after year.  Each new generation gets to enjoy them just as their older relatives did as children.  But then there is the Christmas trash.  The quickly-made specials hoping to capitalize on the "spirit of the season" without really understanding what made the classic specials work.  They lack the charm, weight, and wit of those that came before them.  On a basic level, the audience will recognize the images and motions that these specials go through, and they may endure them once, but there is nothing for them to hold onto, waiting for them to see it again the following year.  A Charlie Brown Christmas, for example, has become a staple of the Christmas season, merely because it is so different from the others around it.  It maintains a quiet elegance that just paints a picture of a calm pleasant Christmas as a child.  A Special Sesame Street Christmas just fails on many levels.

If you think you can endure the mediocrity, you can watch it here.

The usually bright and lively Sesame Street set seems dark and dead.  Christmas and non-Christmas songs are thrown together at random.  Celebrities appear without explanation and disappear just as suddenly.  The storyline has been done to death and nothing new is added to make it feel fresh.  Only a handful of regular characters appear, and they do not contribute much to the plot.  The fact that Jim Henson, Frank Oz, or any of the rest of the puppeteers were not involved is a big red flag.  The host Leslie Uggams does not warrant the amount of screen time she receives, delivering nothing but boring dialogue and exposition.  Oscar is the only character given enough time to develop and at least he provides humor with his constant complaining, allowing his viewpoint to be felt deeply by the audience at home.  But at the end of the special, I just ended up hating Christmas.  Whoops!

But the worst part is that it followed an absolutely marvelous special by a mere five days!  I could not imagine being a child during 1978, having just watched Christmas Eve on Sesame Street and getting all into the Christmas spirit, only to have it shot down by this insulting mess.

As much as I promote deeper meanings in all works of art, especially at Christmastime, sometimes you can't help but end up with a load of rubbish.

The only good thing to come out of the show was this bitchin' photograph.