I don't usually watch Sesame Street, but I'm missing the episode when Big Bird took ballet.

good one, Ingeborg

I´m falling for that subliminal hint in the last line: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 5, 5. :-)

Although I do appreciate your triple-5 vote, that last line wasn't meant as a subliminal message: all I wanted to do was comment on the way Sesame Street is much more focused on "topic of the day" segments (letters, numbers, other categories) than it had been when I was growing up. The fact that older episodes showed characters with interests, feelings and problems unrelated to any overt lesson didn't prevent my learning anything from the show...*shrug*

Relax Ingeborg, I was only kidding about that subliminal thing. That, and coming up with new topic- or parody-related ways to comment and/or saying "You get fives from me" is something we do a lot here. Check out the updated-several-times-an-hour latest comments page. Warning: It´s additive.
http://www.amiright.com/messagehtml/

So I've noticed, Know 1; I've been guilty of tying my comments in to the parody topic myself. When Johnny D posted his "Man In Motion" send-up about the Elmo craze, my comment read "This vote is brought to you by the letters J and D, and by the number 5!" *lol*

The ol' Street's not the same---they used to be really clever in their skits...the original Muppets sketches (such as the Guy SMiley Game Show parodies, the Bert & Ernie chronicles, the continual war between Waiter Grover and the poor guy at the restaurant) were hallmarks of comedy that grownups could enjoy as much as the kids. Then they got even freakier in the '90s--with parodies of high class literature and movies in "Monsterpiece Theater" (including a ROTFLMAO sketch of "Twin Beaks"--with FBI Agent Cookie Monster talking to Diane his tape recorder, and runins with "Laura", "David Finch" and a Lady with a Talking Log!) Elmo killed it all. (sigh)

Parody full of e-mo-tion!
Written by that S.Nord guy!
'bout how Ses-a-me Street to-day makes Elmo mindless!

I'm a gal, actually--but thanks so much for the vote and the compliments. Hopefully I can come up with more parodies that deserve as many fives as yours...

Ooops, sorry about my gender-blunder! Well, some people --- even gals --- will say "guys" when referring to groups of either gender! ;-)

This one was pretty good. I watched sesame street when I was little, but don't remember too much about it since I was so small. I'm 29 now, so I don't watch it. (Although there are a few cartoons I still enjoy. ;D) Anyway, you did a fine job with this, so I'll give you a perfect score.

Elmo should be elected to the annoying-takeover-guy Hall of Shame along with Steve Urkel and Jack McFarland. Only he could make the greatest show in the history of kids' TV jump the (expletive deleted) shark! Who knows, maybe we'll catch a break. Maybe Oscar will shout, "Go away!" and make him cry and actually go away. Or maybe Cookie Monster will eat him. Naw, then we'd have "Law & Order: Muppet Victims Unit." Or "Homicide: Life On Sesame Street." Bobby Donnell of "The Practice" defends Cookie while Jack McCoy of "L&O" prosecutes. McCoy: "Was there or was there not red fur found under your fingernails, Mr. Monster?" Cookie: "Me no have fingernails! Me bite nails!" Donnell: "Your honor, I object! There were no cookie crumbs found at the scene! And what about the corpse? If you can't find where he bit, you must acquit!" The judge: "That is enough, Mr. Donnell! That's one! One night you'll spend in jail for contempt of court! Ah-ah!" Foreman: "We the jury find the defendant not guilty by reason of hunger-induced insanity." Cookie: "And me find the victim de-lish-us! Ha ha!"

I'm sorely tempted to put my next parody into the mouth (no pun intended) of an angry Cookie Monster who's protesting his new role on the show: the newer episodes of Sesame Street have a recurring letter-of-the-day segment where he uses clever tricks to avoid eating a lettered cookie. Come on, the character's name is not Alphabet Monster...and I think he'd say so if he were real. But which song would be best suited for this parody? I've got two possible candidates... (1) "C is for Cookie", from the show itself; and (2) "ABC" by the Jackson Five. (I'd almost considered Len Barry's "1-2-3"...but one of the regulars has already used that for a Sesame Street parody, and I don't want to put that song on the "overdone" list. Any constructive suggestions?

Probably not your style of music, but you´d make our resident rap endorsers/enforcers EthanM and Luke Brattoni very happy with a parody of Coolio´s "1-2-3-4" which I think is quite underdone compared to his "Gangsta´s paradise".

I don't normally listen to rap, you were right about that...best to stick with the soft rock and "traditional" tunes I grew up hearing, or my pacing may be thrown off badly. Anything in the 60s-80s range (non-rap, please!) that seems appropriate?

If only there were more songs with words in the title that rhyme with "Grouch." (Couch? Pouch? I've tried.)

Ingeborg - happy to see you've started writing, too: you've left too many comments with too much thought behind them for you not to have caught the bug by now. I've never been much of a Sesame Street watcher (fortunately my children never took to it; unfortunately, it was teletubbies ;-) ), but enjoyed this nonetheless.

PS Michael - ouch, slouch, crouch, vouch... is that enouch, er.. enough?

I Agree with you the Classic Sesame Street is better than the recent Sesame Street

very nice and I agree with you I like Sesame Street from the 60s 70s and 80s better than the Sesame Street from the 90s and the 2000s

Lee: When I'm only nine months older than Sesame Street I feel as though a childhood icon is being mangled out of shape nowadays: I thought Elmo's use of "Jingle Bells" for the topic tune was cute when his segments first aired during the holidays, but when it became a year-round shtick I got inspired to show people just HOW annoying that toy-piano arrangement of a Christmas refrain could be. Basing my protest parody on a song that was itself being recycled on the new episodes may be slightly hypocritical, but it gets the point across! Phil: you thought of three more "grouch" rhymes than I could remember off the top of my head. If I ever get stuck for an appropriate rhyme on my next submission, mind if I ask your help on the boards?

Of course I don't mind - though you could always try www.rhymezone.com first (I've even set up Opera to be able to right-click a word and find rhymes). Incidentally, I'd say basing a protest parody on a song that's used on the show makes it somehow more satirical - gives it more "punch".

I almost did a parody of the Sesame theme song itself, partly based on the rewritten lyrics that the cast sang on "trip episodes" during the 70s and 80s: "Here we go/bollixing up the show..." at the beginning, and "it's a sad, sad, sad, sad day/for the fans of Sesame Street" at the end; between those bits I got stuck for something appropriate/

Have you ever talked to Tokusou Sentai Blessranger?

Not talked to, no--but I've seen his stuff; judging by his parodies about violent video games/anime and about killing Sesame characters, I'd be afraid to talk with him.

Elmo used to be good... What happened? On a Christmas episode, Elmo was given three Christmas wishes by Santa. The first thing he wished for was a glass of water. When a confused Santa asked why he wished for a glass of water, Elmo simply responded "Because Elmo was thirsty." Since then, Elmo, as well as the show has taken a turn for the worst... However, Oscar will ever be the most awsome muppet for once calling Gordon "chrome dome".