Say It Isn't So, Mr. Hooper...

Recently Sesame Street celebrated its 40th anniversary. I love everything about Sesame Street (oh, except for Elmo -- I really don't like Elmo at all. Doesn't it ever bother anyone that he's supposed to be teaching children and yet he refers to himself in the 3rd person?) Anyway, I love Oscar and Big Bird and Snuffleufagus. I love Bert and Ernie and the Tweedlebugs. I love Gordon, Maria, Luis, Susan, David, Linda, Olivia (Gordon's sister, of course). I loved Mr. Hooper and cried when I found out he was gone. I never did get too attached to the new guy, though. I loved learning Spanish and the Ladybug picnic song and Kermit and that guy who would bang his head on the piano when he couldn't think of simple song lyrics. I bought one of my sisters a big Sesame Street encyclopedia once and she says it is one of her favorite books. So, imagine my dismay when I read, this morning, that you can buy early years of Sesame Street on DVD now, HOWEVER, they come with a disclaimer on the outside of the packaging that says, (and I kid you not)"For nostalgia purposes only. These episodes may not meet the needs of today's pre-school child." What???? Are they joking? Apparently not. Apparently there are issues: kids on SS didn't wear bike helmets, Cookie Monster eats unhealthily, Cookie Monster once or twice smoked a pipe when doing Monsterpiece Theatre, so this would seem to advocate smoking. Gordon once gave one of the kids from SS milk and cookies in his home (shocking!) Ernie and Bert live together, etc, etc. The bottom line is that someone, somewhere, thinks that the old SS isn't good enough. Oscar is too grouchy. Big Bird hallucinates an elephant-like friend. Too much violence from the aforementioned piano playing head-banging guy. We should all just try to forget what we learned from our friends at Sesame Street and go watch some more Hannah Montana.