TSSR- Season 8 (1976-1977)
Oh boy. Season 8. I was really looking forward to covering this season because I already knew how awesome it was prior to starting this retrospective. It has some of the best bits, some of the best street stories, and it felt like a different experience when I was watching episodes of it for the first time. And re-visiting it for this retrospective has only made me love it more.
Also, after season 1, season 8 is probably the season with the most content I’ve had to watch so far. So strap yourselves in, because we’ve got a LOT of ground to cover.
Production History
Once again, filming a new season was business as usual for the Children’s Television Workshop, and nothing really noteworthy happened while making the eighth season of the show. Except for one thing.
While Sesame Street was incredibly progressive, especially for its time, at this point, it was still getting a bit of flack for really having only two girls among its main cast, so to remedy this, the show decided to put more focus on the girls/women of Earth, and how they mattered just as much as the boys did, and you’ll see how as we continue.
Overview
You know, what I’ve slowly started to realize is that each season so far builds upon the greatness of the previous one. Sesame Street feels more real in season 8 than it ever has before. Many of the street stories take the characters to new heights and have them do new and exciting things we’ve never seen them do before. And like always, the writers know how to blend the lessons and educational values they want to teach to their young kids, with entertaining qualities that make nearly every bit timeless and rewatchable.
But what makes these ventures so exciting is not just because the characters have such defined personalities, but also because they have natural and enjoyable chemistry with each other. You can pair anyone up with anyone and the scene will be entertaining and natural as the cast is just great at playing off of each other and acting like real people.
Adding to that is how they manage to include whoever’s watching in on the action in ways that aren’t forced or super-extra corny, but like we’re actually a part of their neighborhood. Like in the first episode, where we help Grover surprise the rest of the cast, Maria invites us to hang with her on the fire escape in one episode, and in another, we spend the early morning with Bob listening to the sounds that fill this place we’ve gotten to know for eight years at this point.
Speaking of real, another thing that helps this season excel is how attached to the real world it is. Many times we see the characters leave the comfort of their street set and venture out into actual outdoor settings. There’s an episode where Big Bird, David, and Maria go to a place called City Island, there’s a segment about Gordon riding his bike, the street gang goes camping in one episode, some segments and songs take place at the beach, the show was starting to rely more on outside sources for this season and it’ll only get better as we continue.
But enough about that, let’s get into the characters because I have QUITE a lot to say about them.
Characters
This was really when the show leaned into being an ensemble show because ALL of the characters have something to do in this season. None of them feel overshadowed or singled out by each other.
But at the forefront, as usual, is our big yellow Big Bird, and he really came into his own around this time. Big Bird was a hit with kids, not just because he was a giant yellow creature covered in 4,000 to 6,000 feathers, but because he’s essentially the same as them in age, personality, and outlook on the world. He makes every interaction and reaction he has in every episode he’s in.
Mr. Hooper also got a significant amount of attention and accomplishments this season. From celebrating the 25th anniversary of his store to completing night school to managing an even bigger supermarket downtown, good ol’ Mr. H really got to prove his worth and that he still had it after all these years.
But like I said at the beginning, this season put a lot more focus on the ladies of the world, in the form of several returns and introductions to the cast roster.
First off, I want to confess that I kind of lied in my season 3 installment when I said Linda was a main cast member since season 3. She was really more of a recurring guest. But starting with this season, Linda was pushed more to the forefront, appearing more often alongside David, Maria, Gordon, and especially Bob.
Speaking of Gordon, we got to meet his little sister, Olivia, a photographer who moved to the street this season and instantly made a great impression. While Olivia’s not really my favorite human, she’s still awesome. She can sing, she has great chemistry with her brother, her sister-in-law, and their friends, and just like them, she rides that line of being a happy, friendly, kiddie actor, and a real person flawlessly.
But if I had to pick the human MVP in season 8… it would be Buffy.
Buffy didn’t really get that much to do in season 7. Not the case with season 8. Buffy probably gets the most to do here than any other season afterward. A big factor in this development was that her real-life husband Sheldon, and her real-life son Dakota, or Cody for short, appeared alongside her as supporting characters. They were good additions and helped give Buffy more things to do, most notably nursing Cody, in the first time Sesame Street, or quite possibly any TV show publicly showcased breastfeeding.
But I think we all know, Buffy’s best moments were with Big Bird. Something about these two together just works. But I wanna highlight a certain episode in particular that I think is their best interaction so far, and one of my favorite interactions in the show, period.
In episode 1028, Big Bird arranges for Buffy and Snuffy to meet each other at a dinner party he’s arranged, which Buffy agrees to do, despite the rest of the grown-ups’ chastising. But, as you’d expect, Snuffy doesn’t show up, leaving Big Bird justifiably frustrated at another failed attempt to prove to the adults in his life that he’s not crazy. And you would expect Buffy to chide BB for wasting her time with his imaginary friend like everyone else. But no, she doesn’t do that at all. She says that if Big Bird says that Snuffy is real, she believes in him, even if she might never see him, because friends believe each other.
And let me tell you, when I saw this scene play out, I stood up and applauded. It actively made me want to shout “Why can’t you guys be more like Buffy?!” to the other grownups. After this episode, Buffy not only solidified herself as one of my favorite human characters on the show but she instantly shot up to higher moral ground than the rest of the human cast put together. Seriously, after five and a half seasons worth of Big Bird’s parents beating into his head that his best friend in the world is insignificant and meaningless, the fact that Buffy understood how important Snuffy was to Big Bird, and took his word that he just didn’t show up, was a fantastic and satisfying thing to see. I do not blame Big Bird for claiming Buffy as his second best friend. I would too.
Someone else I wanna mention is the great Judy Collins. I know she’s not technically a member of the cast, but with how much she appeared in this season she might as well have been. In my last installment, my good pal, Joseph Scarbrough commented and told me about how before she went on Sesame Street, she was a suicidal alcoholic (Which I think we all can agree is a TERRIBLE combination), and essentially the CTW saved her from ending it all. And with that fact in mind, it just makes all of her appearances so much more heartwarming. If you ask me, Judy should have become part of the cast roster. At least for a few seasons.
When it comes to new Muppet characters, there was really only one to speak of. More specifically, The Count got himself a new boo in the form of Countess Natasha Von Numeral. A spitting image of our purple arithmomanic friend, who loves counting just as much, if not even more than he does. I highly recommend you watch the episode where he wins her over. It’s quite an experience. But speaking of episodes…
My Top 5s
I’m just giving you guys all a heads-up, I had a VERY hard time picking only five favorite street stories for this list, because almost all of them were amazing and enjoyable, but I’m pretty confident with my selection, so let’s get into it.
My Top 5 Favorite Street Stories
#5: (Episode 930) The One On Linda’s Birthday: I’ve already talked about why this episode is so good in my top 55 Sesame Street moments, so here’s the gist: I love this episode because it showcases a real misunderstanding by a kid who wanted to get a nice present for his friend, and a deaf lady not letting her disability keep her from enjoying said present.
#4: (Episode 957) The One Where Olivia Meets Oscar: This one is just enjoyable to watch, because of how natural and genuine the characters are with each other. Aside from the funny shenanigans with Oscar, I adore the part at the end, where Olivia is sad, and immediately everyone pitches in to cheer her up, with Bob listening to her grievances, Mr. Hooper serving up lemonade, and Big Bird and the kids making some art for her. This is what helps give Sesame Street its wide appeal: It’s a community of characters who love one another and will do whatever they can to help each other out.
#3: (Episode 1028) The One Where Buffy Believes In Snuffy: See my earlier paragraph in the character section on why this is a great twist on a tiring formula, and makes Buffy 10x more likable than she already is.
#2: (Episode 1052) The One With Big Bird’s Amateur Show: This episode is essentially Big Bird and Friends pulling a Muppet Show. That description alone should tell you how fun and awesome it is. My only complaint is that I wish some of the other characters like Cookie, Ernie, Bert, Oscar, Grover, Linda, and Buffy were included.
#1: (Episode 954) The One Where Oscar’s Brother, Ernest Visits: This is one of the few episodes I actually remember watching WAY before deciding to do this retrospective and it holds up extremely well. Seeing Oscar and his brother continuously try to out-nice each other is downright hilarious to watch, and Jerry Nelson does such a great job with Ernest. Definitely check this one out if you haven’t already.
Honorable Mentions: Episode 926, Episode 946, Episode 950, Episode 961, Episode 1006, Episode 1032, Episode 1035, Episode 1037, Episode 1045, and Episode 1048
My Least Favorite Street Story: (Episode 1040) The One Where Big Bird Acts Like Oscar: I like the idea of Big Bird getting grouch lessons from his polar opposite, but the way that concept gets set up is treading old ground. Big Bird just decides to do it after Buffy chastises him for not being more accommodating to Cody. We’ve already seen Big Bird jealous of Cody in episode 1037, and I think it was handled a lot better in that episode than this one. (It certainly didn’t need to have Big Bird insulting Cody’s name.)
My Top 5 Favorite Songs
There is so much to talk about with this season, starting with the biggest one for me: the introduction of Olivia. What's interesting for me is that even though she was no longer living on the street by the time I was born (Alaina Reed having left the show the year before), I still grew up with her as a character during my informative years, because I had a number of the MY SESAME STREET HOME VIDEO tapes, not to mention a VHS copy of FOLLOW THAT BIRD, and the fact that insert material with her continued to be featured on the show through the early 90s (such as "Singing in the Shower"). One thing that I find interesting about Sonia Manzano's commentary on Episode 1316 is that once she and Alaina began to develop a rapport with one another, they modeled the dynamic between Maria and Olivia after Lucy and Ethel . . . I kinda don't quite see it myself, but then again, any actual interactions I've seen specifically between Maria and Olivia have been few and far between. Your note about how the cast members feel so real and believable together calls to mind a criticism I've had with the show in recent years (that I blame more on the direction than the cast members themselves), and that's how they really don't feel like real people anymore; they feel like hammy kiddy show entertainers than they do people you'd meet and greet around your own neighborhood. I miss when they felt more warm and down-to-earth, especially considering when I met Alan Muraoka, Roscoe Orman, Emilio Delgado, and Bob McGrath in 2017, it really hit me how they all felt exactly like the same people I had known only through the TV screen growing up; each of them really made me feel like I was seeing my old neighbors and friends again.
ReplyDeleteAs I commented last time, the Feminist Movement was really gaining traction in the 70s, so it's not surprising that there was a greater focus placed on girls and women with this season to reflect that; it was something that even the Dutch co-production SESAMSTRAAT was reflecting, though theirs was more specifically on Female Emancipation, which is why their first attempt at introducing a female Muppet (a poodle named Troel) was actually unsuccessful, as she was seen as too girly and feminine to the point that she defeated the purpose of girls and women being able to take their place in a man's world.
I'm familiar with some of your episode selections . . . but from later seasons, such as Linda's birthday being celebrated in Season 30 (later recycled in Season 32) with Snuffy conducting others singing the "Happy Birthday Song" to her with his Snuffle, or Big Bird acting more like Oscar from Season 21, but as we know, with a show that has been going strong for over 55 years, certain plots and storylines are bound to be recycled and repeated, such as the major hurricane arc of Season 32 actually being something of a remake of a 2-parter from Season 22, so it's always interesting to see earlier takes on said plots and storylines to see all of the differences and similarities. In the case with Linda's birthday, Episode 930 sounds like it has more poignancy to its plot. One thing I'll also say about Episode 1052 is I remember "That Furry Blue Mommy of Mine" being included as part of the MONSTER HITS tape, and as a little kid, I was always driven crazy as to why the arbor fence was so busted up in that song . . . turns out it was because from this very episode, Herry busts through the fence to make his big entrance, lol.
To continue from my previous comment due to the character limit. . . .
ReplyDeleteGetting back to the subject of material being recycled and remade several years later, I recall a version of "Different People, Different Ways" being sung to Baby Bear in Episode 4056, when he's convinced with all of the attention Curly Bear has been getting at home that Papa Bear will have no time or love left for him. The first time I heard this original version was when Episode 1037 was highlighted in A WALKING TOUR OF SESAME STREET, and I have to say, that version is definitely a product of its time: it has that soft psychedelic sound to it that you would come expect from a song from the 70s. That being said, I will also admit that there are a couple of your honorable mentions that I would have included in my own person Top 5 for this season, those being "I Love a March," but especially "This Frog," I have always loved how Kermit channeled his inner Frank Sinatra with that song. "Cookie Disco" is okay, but I have a stronger preference for "Me Lost Me Cookie at the Disco."
I will also add that "Bus Trip with Dad" always sticks out in my mind, because it was still being used on the show up into the early 90s, and I've had it on a tape since before I even knew how to operate a VCR all by myself, so it's been engraved in my memory as long as I can remember - I can even hear the opening notes to the music scoring in the back of my mind even as I type this review of your review. Your inclusion of "Frog Makes it Choir Practice", "Alley Cats Harmonize", and of course "Pinball Number Count" really calls attention to how the animated bits really popped in this season as well - not that they didn't have any great animated bits before, but these definitely had a bit more going for them, just in terms of overall animation quality, these are almost the quality we would have gotten from cartoon shows on commercial television.
I suppose one other thing to point out too was that there was an even bigger misfortune in terms of a grown-up not being able to see Snuffy aside from Buffy, and that was Mr. Hooper, who sadly died before the big reveal - I know Big Bird really developed a meaningful friendship with Buff during this period in the show's history, but we all know that Mr. Hooper was the grandfather of the street, and there was no one to whom he was truly a grandfather figure more than Big Bird, and it's such a shame that he didn't get to live to see Snuff for himself, because I feel like that would've been especially important to Big Bird in that respect.
I know Season 9 is coming up next, but after mentioning A WALKING TOUR OF SESAME STREET, I have to admit, I'm a little more interested to see what sort of a retrospective you will write in coverage of the street's first decade. Oh, and thanks for the mention in this one; appreciate it!