Sesame Street. It's been a part of my life for the last 27 years, and hopefully will be for 27 more. It's astonishing how much of my world has been shaped by this program, which started back in 1969. There have been definite changes, more in the last 5 years than in the previous 25. Changes for good or ill is up for debate, but I would like to see a return to the earlier format.

Here's what I enjoy and have enjoyed about Sesame Street (still a place I'd rather live than any other place in the world).

1) The characters. Of course I love the Muppets (Epinions ID is JediKERMIT), and there are few dearer to me than the Classic Sesame Characters: Bert, Ernie, Grover, Cookie Monster, Big Bird, Oscar, Count, Kermit, Sherlock Hemlock, Guy Smiley, Twiddlebugs, Prairie Dawn, Snuffleupagus...if you're anywhere near my age, you know most of these characters, and hopefully have good memories of all of them. Kermit's news reports, Guy Smiley's game shows, Ernie's pranks--these are all warm memories for me, and my young life was richer for seeing them.

The Muppets aren't the ONLY characters on Sesame Street, though--the Human characters who live on Sesame Street are just as important. Remember Gordon, Susan, Maria, Bob, Luis, David, Mr Hooper, Linda? Growing up in Salt Lake City, I honestly think the only minorities I "knew" were those who lived on Sesame Street. My exposure to them helped my understanding of differences in culture and background, and I think made me more accepting of those differences. Most of these actors have been playing the same characters for the last 25-32 years, and I still love them like my own family.

The newer characters (for me, "Newer" is since 1985 or so) are also welcome, and some are growing on me, but aren't always a part of my "family" like the Classic Characters. Elmo, Zoe, Baby Bear, Rosita, Stinky the Plant, Tara, Miles, Gabi, Gina, Alan....they have potential, if they get the chance to grow.

2) Sesame Street is still very educational, and has covered everything from the ABCs and counting to divorce and death. Once, children starting kindergarten didn't have the basics, now most of them do. I was reading at the age of three, and I credit that mostly to my parents, but partially to Sesame Street. The curriculum is in a three-year rotation, which lets new "generations" of children learn the same things their older siblings did.

3) The Music. People, I have 32 different Muppets and Sesame Street CDs. Really. And there are some rocking tunes. Of course, I'm a @!!@#$ hippie, but still. Songs like "C is for Cookie" and "Rubber Duckie" are just the tip of the iceberg. Those Muppets have some pipes.

So what's wrong with Sesame Street these days?

1) Too much Elmo. In 1990, I was his number one fan. I loved him. Of course, he wasn't in every single segment every single day. I still like him, but I can only take him in small doses. He's still adorable, but he's "always ON". Even Ernie calmed down from time to time. Just chill.

2) Not enough Classic Bits. Children of 2001 would still love the Bert and Ernie segments, and the Cookie Monster and SuperGrover and Guy Smiley things, but they never get the chance to see them. If you happen to have Noggin (I don't) then you can see tons of classic Sesame Street. It would be nice if they'd introduce some of those clips into rotation on the Regular Sesame Street.

3) "Elmo's World". They've changed the format of Sesame Street so it's about 45 minutes of Sesame and 15 Minutes of Elmo's World. Elmo's World is Elmo's own little show, which covers one topic in depth like "hats" or "dancing" or "flowers". Which is fine, and pretty educational, but it's ALWAYS Elmo. And it's the same episode all week, which may be educational, but wears on the adults, who have to hear about hats again for the fifth time by Friday. I think it's ultimately hurting Sesame's ratings, and could make parents switch over to Blue's Clues or other shows, which are good programming, but will hurt Sesame Street.

All in all, Sesame Street is still a wonderful show, and has more history than any other Children's Show, and is still entertaining for children and adults. But they're slipping. To shore up their viewer support, they'd be wise to look at some of the classic episodes, figure out what was right with that format, and return to it.

Recommended: Yes

Type of Program: Educational
Program Quality: Entertaining, but not intellectually or emotionally engaging
Best Suited For: 3 to 5 Years