"Meal Or No Meal"

[mcsittel]

My 4-year-old was all excited today to tell me that they played "Meal or No Meal" on Sesame Street today.  Apparently it has something to do with picking something to eat and the baker (clever!) offers increasing amounts of cookies to tempt the contestant not to eat the healthy food.  The host?  Howie Eatswell!

If someone taped this episode (#4138), which apparently premiered today (16 August) on PBS affiliates and PBSprout, please let me know.  My son's asking to see it again but looks like we missed our chance to DVR it this morning, and I don't see the segment on YouTube (yet).  One web site suggests this was the first airing of said segment.

A link to a list of other parodies this season can be found at: http://www.sesameworkshop.org/aboutus/pres...escriptions.php.  I love some of these titles they came up with (esp. "A's Anatomy").

Matt

[That Don Guy]

At one of the DoND contestant searches, they showed one of the people in line with something he called Meal or No Meal - 26 styrofoam containers containing pretty much everything from a potato chip to a steak dinner.

-- Don

[Clay Zambo]

The Sesame version sounds clever as all get-out (as expected).  Meal or No Meal, in Cory's non-Sesame form, is playable here.

[davemackey]

It's nice to hear The Elmo Show (or, as it's legally called, Sesame Street) is still trying to do clever stuff.

[TimK2003]

[quote name=\'davemackey\' post=\'160962\' date=\'Aug 17 2007, 08:40 AM\']
It's nice to hear The Elmo Show (or, as it's legally called, Sesame Street) is still trying to do clever stuff.
[/quote]


I'll stick with the "Sesame Street: Old School" DVD sets, thank you!

/Oscar was ORANGE!?!?!
//Snuffleupagus was invisible to humans?!?!?

[clemon79]

[quote name=\'TimK2003\' post=\'161049\' date=\'Aug 17 2007, 08:18 PM\']
//Snuffleupagus was invisible to humans?!?!?
[/quote]
Yes. And the day he wasn't anymore was the day that Sesame Street jumped the shark.

[aaron sica]

[quote name=\'clemon79\' post=\'161070\' date=\'Aug 18 2007, 05:44 AM\']
[quote name=\'TimK2003\' post=\'161049\' date=\'Aug 17 2007, 08:18 PM\']
//Snuffleupagus was invisible to humans?!?!?
[/quote]
Yes. And the day he wasn't anymore was the day that Sesame Street jumped the shark.
[/quote]

Actually, Chris, on this I respectfully disagree. I, too, was on the "jump the shark" side until I found out the reason (thanks to the "Sesame Street Unpaved" book) why they made him visible to humans. I'm sure you know but I will explain for those who may not. With all the stories about pedophilia and sexual abuse, the writers felt that if children saw Big Bird's claims of Snuffy being laughed off by the adults it may discourage them from telling their parent/guardian if they were in some sort of danger for fear of the adult not believing them.

[NickS]

[quote name=\'clemon79\' post=\'161070\' date=\'Aug 18 2007, 04:44 AM\']
[quote name=\'TimK2003\' post=\'161049\' date=\'Aug 17 2007, 08:18 PM\']
//Snuffleupagus was invisible to humans?!?!?
[/quote]
Yes. And the day he wasn't anymore was the day that Sesame Street jumped the shark.
[/quote]

To you.  Ask the demo it aims for and I think they'll tell you otherwise if they can.

I think Sesame Street has done a fine job adjusting with what society gives it, and as a father of two I have no problem with my kids watching it over some of the dreck they put on tv (i.e. Show me the Money, Set for Life).

/I meant more of the older Nick/Disney Channel set
//Good luck when your daughter loves teh Hannah Montana

[SRIV94]

[quote name=\'aaron sica\' post=\'161081\' date=\'Aug 18 2007, 08:46 AM\']
With all the stories about pedophilia and sexual abuse, the writers felt that if children saw Big Bird's claims of Snuffy being laughed off by the adults it may discourage them from telling their parent/guardian if they were in some sort of danger for fear of the adult not believing them.
[/quote]

That same book also pinpoints another reason--the writers had just about run out of fresh ideas to keep Snuffy hidden.  And after 12 years or thereabouts of trying to do just that, I could see why.

To me, SS jumped the shark when they made the conscious effort to be more pre-school and less adult.  Sonia Manzano (Maria) once said around the time of their 30th anniversary (rough paraphrase), "The writers were told: 'Not only make a show that your kids would want to watch, but make a show that you would want to watch.'"  Once they stopped doing that (I didn't need a 20-minute segment with Elmo every day), that's when I completely lost interest.

[clemon79]

[quote name=\'aaron sica\' post=\'161081\' date=\'Aug 18 2007, 06:46 AM\']
I'm sure you know but I will explain for those who may not. With all the stories about pedophilia and sexual abuse, the writers felt that if children saw Big Bird's claims of Snuffy being laughed off by the adults it may discourage them from telling their parent/guardian if they were in some sort of danger for fear of the adult not believing them.
[/quote]
I actually didn't know that. I humbly retract my statement.

(but at the time, not being anywhere close to a situation like that (fortunately), it pissed me off.)

[mcsittel]

[quote name=\'SRIV94\' post=\'161114\' date=\'Aug 18 2007, 11:54 AM\']
To me, SS jumped the shark when they made the conscious effort to be more pre-school and less adult.  Sonia Manzano (Maria) once said around the time of their 30th anniversary (rough paraphrase), "The writers were told: 'Not only make a show that your kids would want to watch, but make a show that you would want to watch.'"  Once they stopped doing that (I didn't need a 20-minute segment with Elmo every day), that's when I completely lost interest.
[/quote]

My 4-year-old son doesn't even *like* Elmo, so once that starts the channel gets changed.  But he got a kick out of the old segments on Youtube featuring Mr. Bentley from the Jeffersons making "a mustard 3", or the guy dropping all the pies down the stairs.  Those are timeless.

Yesterday I shared with him the classic Bert and Ernie where Bert was trying to watch the "Wonderful World of Pigeons" and the TV set simply kept repeating "H...H...H..." until Ernie pulled out the hat, hamburger, hamster et al.  Now he's running around saying "H...H...H...".  Well done CTW!  

[tvwxman]

[quote name=\'clemon79\' post=\'161133\' date=\'Aug 18 2007, 02:43 PM\']
[quote name=\'aaron sica\' post=\'161081\' date=\'Aug 18 2007, 06:46 AM\']
I'm sure you know but I will explain for those who may not. With all the stories about pedophilia and sexual abuse, the writers felt that if children saw Big Bird's claims of Snuffy being laughed off by the adults it may discourage them from telling their parent/guardian if they were in some sort of danger for fear of the adult not believing them.
[/quote]
I actually didn't know that. I humbly retract my statement.

(but at the time, not being anywhere close to a situation like that (fortunately), it pissed me off.)
[/quote]
Wow. Interesting story.

I, too, felt there was shark jumping with that one. Now I know better!

[rugrats1]

[quote name=\'mcsittel\' post=\'161294\' date=\'Aug 19 2007, 05:28 PM\']
Yesterday I shared with him the classic Bert and Ernie where Bert was trying to watch the "Wonderful World of Pigeons" and the TV set simply kept repeating "H...H...H..." until Ernie pulled out the hat, hamburger, hamster et al.  Now he's running around saying "H...H...H...".  Well done CTW!  
[/quote]

I remember that one, though when the TV was fixed, it started saying "I... I... I...", ad nauseum. Unlike "H", "I" was Bert's favorite "show".