DefunctTV: The Curse of Sesame Street
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In part two of DefunctTV's Jim Henson series, the origins of Sesame Street, the Muppetland specials, and the failed Muppet pilots are discussed.
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"It will only last a month or two"-Jim Henson
Lasts 49 years
@Cam Ryder i used to watch between the lions when i was young
Cam Ryder I was born a year later, defunct land and gaming historian are the best content creators on TH-cam tbh
...so far.
And it is showing no signs of stopping! 😆
And counting.
When, oh when, will I finally complete MY transformation from abstract monster to frog?
TheNerindil This made me lol! 😂
lol
Shit... did we forget to give you registration letters?
Why would you want to, though? Being an abstract monster sounds awesome. Much more impressive and mysterious than a frog.
Not knocking frogs, mind you. I have great respect for Kermit.
Just keep believing and it will happen!
*drum roll*
“It’s the Defunctland Show, with our permanent guest star, Michael Eisner! Yaaaaaaay!!!”
You been fired.
As a fan of the Muppets, yes to *all of what you just said*
I don't like Eisner at all
It’s time to face the music it’s time to dim the light,
It’s time Stab the few things you love in your life,
It’s time to introduce him, it’s time to sell out right,
It’s time to undersell the muppet show tonight
Our show tonight would feature, someone edgy and cool
But we’re all far too scripted and aimed at teaching schools
So we’ve just sold our business to an evil guy
Who likes to buy up Business
That’s inspirational, sensational muppetstional
It’s now time to sell out the muppet show!!!!!
@@vardiganxpl1698 why? 8 yrs old I don't understand
7:06
“-and they were roommates.”
“Oh my god they were roommates.”
Gotta love those meme references 😂
I meant vine. Wow. I'm dumb lol
“Roommates”
will always appreciate this reference 👌🏻
EVERY. TIME.
Imagine if Sesame Street was actually called *HEY STUPID* today.
Well now that it has been spreading far left propaganda as of late, would be fitting.
@@contessaanthrope5775 why are you bringing political points into a children's show?Like you good? Who hurt you?
@@giannacherry1698 Shhhh..Didn't you hear? Drag queen story time is about to start, with a name like "bottom bitch" you may wanna be front row center.
@@contessaanthrope5775 You sound like you need to go talk a long walk and think about all the choices you made that led you here.
@@jinnyfizz3645 And if that asshole in this thread is referring to the Billy Porter appearence, then in that case Billy isn't a drag queen he was just wear his iconic Oscar outfit. This dingus really needs to go to the Elmo hating hole he came from.
Michael Eisner going from maniacal villain to misunderstood hero is one of the greatest character arcs I've ever seen, and a testament to the long term storytelling potential of youtube documentaries.
Ive never seen an advertisement done with such quality and charm, really speaks to your dedication to your work.
That early Big Bird design was probably wholly acceptable to any audiences who saw it then - kind of cute, even - but knowing the famous silhouette now it looks unsettlingly like when someone sustains a head injury in a horror movie and they VFX the whole back part off
23:13 holy crap its olmec from legends of the hidden temple
he really looked better after he got that weave
Eh, I don't know about that, from what I've read and seen the first season sesame street was really rough and even though it did relatively well for a program format that hadn't been tried before it wasn't an over night success. The puppets were refined over the first couple of seasons and the show didn't really hit it's stride until like the 3rd or 4th season.
@@kandigloss6438 I have a couple DVD sets they released called Old School Sesame Street that features various episodes and segments from 1969-1979. One even has the very first episode of Sesame Street from 1969 that was never broadcast. But you can see how the show evolved during its first decade on these DVDs. They're a lot of fun to watch.
@@warlock1186 In case you didn't know, Olmec is the name of a god of an indigenous American culture, he wasn't an invention of that tv show
"KERMIT, YOU'RE A GENIUS!"
smooch
"yuck"
I like how immediately after he does that Kermit meme scrunch
Bu-
Wh-
Wha-
HOW ARE WE STILL TALKING ABOUT MICHAEL EISNER?
Michael Eisner will never leave. Ever.
All things begin and end with Eisner.
Nothing wrong with more Eisner.
ITS A CURSE
@@Zorilla10 HE IS EVIL, HIS BIRTH THINGAMBOB SAYS SO
Statler: "You know, there's nothing like a good TH-cam video."
Waldorf: "And this one proves there still isn't."
Both: "Doh ho ho ho ho!"
Once again, excellent work.
The Chinese subtitles on the Swedish Chef sketches are backwards too. LOL.
Do they translate to anything?
you know, as much as he succeeded, he also faced _a lot_ of rejection.
it's actually really inspiring.
Well in order to succeed you must fail at first.
Hey, not every work by a person can be successful.
(Though some of Jim's stuff became more popular later on. (Oh, if only he'd lived to see the Dark Crystal, the Storyteller, and Labyrinth's cult status 😢))
@@Jangobadass IKR?!? that would've made Jim sooooooo happy....
Gotta learn to lose to know how to win, according to Aerosmith.
Someone should write a musical.
"Cookie Monster with teeth isn't real, he can't hurt you"
Cookie Monster with teeth:
I have never been happier to see something made of felt without teeth
7:30
he looked better with teeth
No one Who knows about the C.M.’s mercenary days will ever agree with you. C is for cookie that’s good enough for me sends terror down the spine of those in the know.
Back when he was called “Flesh Monster”
Wait-the Squarespace ad was made by y’all?!? I thought it was an official commercial put out by Squarespace itself!!!! Bravo, y’all, it’s really, really high quality!!!
Agreed, reminds me of Kermit's old coffee commercials :)
@@joeytofil2259 Kermit was around, well before the Wilkins Coffee commercials.
@@elizabethalvarado8698 I believe ya, if I understand right Kermit was one of the first ever Muppets :)
Man, do i love the mini series intro.
The music.
The muppets.
The *Feel* .
Its just so great
The quality!
The entrainment!
The history!
The edumacation!
The Eisner!
IT'S ALL HERE
🎶 Won’t you tell me how to get, how to get to De-funct-laaaaand? 🎶
Honestly at some point you have to ask yourself: Am i just making a documentary about the life and business exploits of Michael Eisner?
"This was great news for everyone except Jim Henson."
What a heartbreaking sentence to hear.
I think what's really wonderful is Jim had nothing against kids' entertainment. All the muppet stuff to that point had been clearly 'for everyone' and MEANING everyone. And then later on he'd take to kid stuff on his OWN terms and make Fraggle Rock. The contrast between that and Sesame Street is pretty telling.
@@KairuHakubi Sesame Street and Fraggle Rock are definitely aimed at different ages of kids, though. Sesame Street was basically trying to help poor kids keep up with their peers whose families could actually afford preschool. Fraggle Rock was basically trying to save the world.
tru dat
@@notsusan TBH I never saw sesame Street when I was younger, but I've recently seen few skits from it and it's funny and heartwarming
@@calvinwallace2937
It's always been on HBO, in the US at least. Mainly because they were the ones who helped to fund it in the first place.
I dislike how anything colorful and simple looking is automatically placed in the kiddy pool and not taken seriously.
I look forward to part 2 of this story.
For real, I thought this video stopped halfway through
Me: "Avatar: The Last Airbender and My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic are some of the greatest shows of all time!"
Everyone: "bUt ArEn'T tHoSe FoR kIdS aNd GiRlS"
COPPA and the FTC in a nutshell
This is part 2
Is the Simpsons a kids show?
Love the cameo from Defunctland Season 2's protagonist. This is the beginning of Defunctverse
Eduardo Saviloli Eh, I'd say he goes back and forth between antihero and antivillain.
@@georgeweber5333 "Protagonist" just means lead in the story, it does not designate hero or villain
@@RockNRollHorrorshow I know, but I would argue that he occasionally does act as more of an antagonist.
The production value of this miniseries and your Channel or so good I forgot I was watching TH-cam I thought I was watching PBS it was so good
R.I.P Caroll Spinney 1933 - 2019
Little did jim know back then that every muppet he made is still loved by people today
I was in front of my TV on Day One. I had just turned two. And between Sesame Street and Electric Company I could read by the time I started kindergarten.
Jim Henson is one of the top people that I would give anything to see what he would be doing in present time
Kevin, Dan, everyone:
I'm at a loss for words to praise the work you do. Every shot, every line, every fact and quip and joke just radiates with your passion and talent.
If the talent scouts in production for Netflix, Hulu, Amazon Prime catch wind, I'd expect them to make an offer you can't refuse. Incredible work, as always
I have a word that sums it all. A little bitty word called supercalifragilisticexpectatialadotias
From some of the cast talk videos produced by the Door Monstet TH-cam channel, it sounds like Netflix much prefers potential partners to present a single pilot episode, and then they'll decide if they want to fund the remainder of a season.
That said, having a back catalog of quality content is always a good way to build a resume, and this series is one of the best documentaries I've watched in a long time!
are you also susprised that we can't escape Michael Eisner
@@quinnholloway5400 well, apparently he was a friend of Jim Henson AND Disney executive & if you know this channel then ya know Kevin does a lotta Disney. Make sense?
“Hello there, my name is Jim Henson and I’m a puppeteer. I’m called a puppeteer because I work with puppets.”
Oh reeeaaallly??
I love the irony. Jim's 25-minute-long demo reel featuring American flags and patriotism was rejected by all American networks... but it _was_ picked up by a British producer. XD
My parents say their earliest memory of me being affected by film is me crying at the Big Bird movie. This better not end the same way Kevin :(
I mean I'm okay to end this thing in tears with the emotion you're putting into it, but if Jim Henson gets kidnapped and thrown into a circus I swear...
Thats definetly the one bad thing about this whole series. We all know what happens in the last episode...
Jim died in 1990.
Eddie Miller: I mean, that just makes him being kidnapping and thrown in a circus even MORE concerning.
oh god where they painted him blue??
I'm not sure why but Big Bird's kidnapping and Han Solo getting frozen in carbonite were like my 2 main childhood traumas, and at about the same age...
@@ShootingStarNeo
Don't worry. He was cremated, they can't get him.
12:45 Who's that Pokémon? It's Michael Eisner!
Honestly I’d love a full 2 hour long video on Michael Eisner. His career is so fascinating to me. You have very detailed content that brings so much substance. For me your videos are nostalgic for me. Please keep it up :)
Wow, even Michael Eisner has his hands on the Muppets even before he ran Disney and would later buy the Muppets, except the Sesame Street properties.
Matt R And did something with them. Then came the Iger years.....
kory stephens they barely made the Muppets as popular, Disney has made some hits, but those Muppet movies and especially The Muppets reboot wasn’t that great.
@bigevilworldwide1 the Muppets 2011 wasn’t that memorable, the story felt contrived, the save the theater plot. Also Fraggle Rock is owned by HBO and Brian Henson. Disney could only own the Muppets IP, productions like Sesame Street was owned and produced by Sesame Workshop and PBS.
bigevilworldwide1 Sesame Street and its characters are owned by Sesame Workshop (not PBS), and Fraggle Rock is still wholly owned by the Jim Henson Company.
It all comes together.
Interesting fact: A lot of 60s rock stars were fans of Sesame Street and Jim Henson; a notable case was Dr. Winston O' Boogie, who referenced Cookie Monster in his 1970 song "Hold On" from the Plastic Ono Band Album and "Stepping Out" from Milk and Honey
Not to mention, his pal Richard Starkey - who included a "COOKIE!!" in his song 'Early 1970'!
Only true Jim Henson fans will know what the intro was referencing
Wilkins coffee?
its autumn and the nuts are beginning to fall
So, I guess something like "The Happytime Murders" must've been something like a long time coming that he'll never see
"Muckin' Fuppets" / the moment you realize The Muppet Show lasted longer than John Belushi
TOO SOON!
Brutal, much?
As much as I love the Muppets, I can definitely see where John Belushi is coming from. The Muppets are a totally different brand of comedy from the human segments, and were brought on as a sort of damper to the edgy style of comedy they were going for with the show. Also, with Sesame Street being such a cultural phenomenon he may have thought that the Muppet segments would overshadow the hard work that they went through to make their part of the show. And he could’ve seen Jim Henson’s plan of trying to make Muppets appeal to older audiences, as the show’s producers trying to make SNL appeal to younger audiences.
@@ghouldishanimal Your making him sound like a coward who felt threatened by another type of comedy...John belushi was known jackass on snl sets. I think hes super funny as i can separate the art from the artist. www.looper.com/135637/the-untold-truth-of-john-belushi/
He wouldn't apparently read any female writers lines as he thought women aren't funny. I actually understand there's some truth in every stereo type but I think he probably should have read the lines. That at least actually ''put his money where his mouth is.''.
altrogeruvah LMFAOO 🤣🤣🤣
"Named...Michael Eisner."
*genuine audible gasp from me*
"A young energetic executive at ABC... named...
*Michael Eisner."*
_Dun dun DUUUUUUUUUUUUUN_
Storm clouds form and lightning strikes.
He is inevitable
*wailing spirits erupt from the ground, swirl around for a few seconds, and exit through the ceiling*
12:50
Nobody:
Absolutely no one:
Defunctland: *MICHAEL EISNER*
"Absolutely no one said nothing"
I remember seeing and loving Sex And Violence when it aired. I had just discovered Monty Python on PBS reruns, so the odd pacing, weird editing, and bizarre skits really appealed to me.
Sesamevania 2: Eisner's Curse
Seriously, I THOUGHT WE SLEW THE BEAST
Welcome to the dead house.
"They call me Sir Robin, the brave."
Bravely bold Sir Robin
Rode forth from Camelot.
He was not afraid to die,
Oh brave Sir Robin.
He was not at all afraid
To be killed in nasty ways.
Brave, brave, brave, brave Sir Robin.
He was not in the least bit scared
To be mashed into a pulp.
Or to have his eyes gouged out,
And his elbows broken.
To have his kneecaps split
And his body burned away,
And his limbs all hacked and mangled
Brave Sir Robin.
His head smashed in
And his heart cut out
And his liver removed
And his bowls unplugged
And his nostrils raped
And his bottom burnt off
And his penis-
@@UnprofessionalProfessor That's-- That's, uh-- That's enough music for now lads.
th-cam.com/video/BZwuTo7zKM8/w-d-xo.html
Aaaah! I never made the connection!
He may not be brave, but he IS intelligent.
Let us ride to Camelot!
Your videos are so brilliantly done that at first i thought your sponsor segment was an old tv commercial. You deserve your own show on pbs or something similar. I'd definitely tune it every episode like I do here.
I know it's a meme by now but thinking about it it makes sense Michael Eisner would be the first to understood the Muppets. The guy had a knack for spotting genuine creativity and taking a risk on it - and he must have loved the showbiz framing.
Does this mean Michael Eisner is the embodiment of that quote from the Dark Knight "You either die a hero, or live long enough to become the villain."
Let's all take a moment to thank Henson for allowing puppet productions like Wonder Showzen and Avenue Q to be a thing - both still ahead of their time in some ways, but Henson is the one that pushed for puppeteering to be used for more than just children's shows 💖💖💖💖
the muppets are the original cinematic universe
I freaked out when Michael Eisner popped up. He follows this channel everywhere. I sense a meme coming. But Sesame Street was one of my first shows as a really little kid. Like 3 or 4. I grew up on this show. I’ll never forget the intro song.
He is inevitable
Same here. My parents used to take me to the traveling stage show Sesame Street Live in the 1980's. I had the felt characters they sold with the little stick inside on my wall from 1984 to 1992. Even when I got older and was 7 & 8 yrs old, my friends would pitch me crap they were on my wall but I didn't care. I think they're still in a box somewhere in my mom's house.
warlock 118 I am...Bob Iger.
@@warlock1186 You don't even have a TH-cam channel. And you can't even form proper sentences.
My reaction was OH SHIT
"When the reviews came in, it was clear Sex and Violence had not resonated with audiences."
There is indeed a first time for everything. I think that was the kind of joke Henson was aiming for, well done.
It's 1am in The U.K., looks like I'm off to sleep...
*DefunctLand uploads:* Alright, One more video
Same here bro
Same
same here
Opa
same, and then that ending!!!
Top ten deaths of 2019: Number 1 Guy that got hit 404 times with a shovel at the beginning of The Curse of Sesame Street
12:49
I fell out of my chair. At the risk of sounding like every commenter, ever, is this the most ambitious crossover in history? I think so.
Why
@@mattybrunolucaszeneresalas9072 he was the CEO of Disney
@@RawReviews. ahh
@@mattybrunolucaszeneresalas9072He's been mentioned in A LOT of Defunctland videos and it has sorta become a meme.
Been a fan but this series is amazing. You deserve recognition for how much effort you're putting in. Will definitely share.
The theme song is fantastic, too.
*Sees Eisner* *OH GOD HE"S BACK!*
He'll never leave!
He is inevitable.
@@warlock1186 He is Eisner.
We are Eisner
@@warlock1186 Shut up!
When he showed the silhouette I was like "It's Michael Eisner isn't it."
Rip Caroll Spinney❤️
Big Bird/Oscar the grouch
1933-2019
that one "buy this show" segment was basically the pre-youtube comedy videos
There’s no escaping the Eisner on this channel, is there?
He is inevitable.
lol!
@@warlock1186 WILL YOU STOP!!! Use your brain for once.
Sesame Street is one of the greatest achievements of television ever! It's amazing that Jim Henson accidentally not only became a children's puppeteer but pushed it to something it hasn't been since.
I always found "Sex and Violence" the superior Muppet Show pilot. I almost wish The Muppet Show kept that quick edit pacing. The Valentine special was cute, but lacking. Also, yeah... I mean, even today Sesame Street is the most recognizable Muppet project, but then again, it's been in production continuously for half a century and has co-productions all over the world.
mightyfilm muppet Christmas special
Which one? You mean "Muppet Family Christmas," I assume.
This videos intro credits gave me so much nostalgia, I love it.
I guess we'll never know how to actually get to Sesame Street. Growing up near NYC, I loved as a kid pointing at the TV all the locations I've been to in the show
Apparently, you take the R or V to Steinway, walk west on 34th Avenue, and make a left at 36th Street.
It’s like me watching Dawn of the Dead!
pgj1997 There is no V though
pgj1997 Okay, I’m there....but where is it
@@AverytheCubanAmerican There was from 2001 to 2010
All of these ads (this squarespace one, and the previous) are absolutely gorgeous and capture the initial charm of the original puppetry. Wonderful work!
Ailaxvo64 _ thank you so much!
@@NateBegle No problem! Keep up your amazing work!!
That muppet song parody at the beginning was fire! The transition between Jim Henson saying because I work with puppets straight into the song was great!
Am I the only one who would want Michael Eisner to be a guest star on the Defunctland podcast.
"Sex and Violence" real subtle there, Jim
😳😳😳
He wasn’t wrong I applaud him for the decision
Knowing that Jim Henson wanted an adult version of the Muppets to air makes me enjoy The Happytime Murders even more
We'll miss your creative genius, Jim
It's interesting that Jim Henson did see that having shows air on holidays could help boost the ratings. I wonder if he had thought about the release of his movies in the same way. The labyrinth didn't do well,but I wonder if he took care that it was in theaters on a particular date like holiday weekends.
I love that SNL scoffed at the Muppets, who went on to become a multimedia juggernaut while SNL has had to try their damnedest to even stay relevant anymore.
SNL still is a thing and the Muppets don't have a show, so that kind of blows your theory.
basically John Belushi (and some of the other writers) was an asshole, considering the way he treated Gilda Radner behind the scenes I'm not surprised he had shitty opinions on other things too. Lorne basically IS SNL (look what happened that one disaster season where NBC replaced him) and he was the one who invited the Muppets on in the first place.
It's amazing how long the show has been on, how many huge careers it's launched, and literally every year I've been alive people say it sucks now and it was better in (some other year that people were also saying it sucked and was better before). I don't think I've ever heard anyone say an SNL season was good at the time it was actually running, and I started watching back in the early 90s...
This is better than OTHER Henson documentaries I've seen. Outstanding job!!!! Love the B&W opening segment...you've captured a bit of the Henson magic...
First thing I took from this is that the cookie monster is actually kinda scary with teeth.
Oh god, that was terrifying. I think if you search "cookie monster with teeth" that will show up.
Eisner is like that ex that stalks you everywhere you go.
No, he's the John Ratzenberger of Defunctland.
It's funny learning Jim Henson was trying to get away from children shows, when you always see that PBS commercial where his daughter talks about how much he loved Sesame Street and that he loved teaching children (at least that's what I think I remember her saying).
As I rewatch this, thank you for leading me down NYC Metro Area PBS channel history. I had to pause and rewind when I heard you say what station Joan Ganz Cooney, since I grew up with WNET/13 since the 70s and had never heard of WNDT. I never knew it under the WNDT call sign, and to see when that changed to see which call sign you meant when you correctly said WNDT. (Bonus: I also grew up watching WLIW from Long Island, and just learned WNET and WLIW are sister channels. Very cool.)
I had no idea the 90's singer Jewel worked on so many puppet shows in the early 70's...
Also, "foilage?" Really...?
Sesame Street has a place in the hearts and minds of thousands of kids who loved watching it on TV. The original green Cookie Monster and mustard colored Oscar the Crouch were cool to see too
“It’ll only last about 1or 2 months”
*lasts about 300 times longer*
I believe you forgot to mention that Ernie and Bert are named after police officers in the 1939 movie “It’s a Wonderful Life” starring Jimmy Stewart.
They aren't. It's just a coincidence. At least, that's how I know the story.
@@dollhousemakr Correct! I believe it's confirmed that Henson and Oz knew about IaWL and the similarities to Ernie and Bert, but just commented about them "I just thought he looked like a Bert to me" or something like that while making the puppet. Still, I can see where the confusion comes from...
Vajra Vaporeon Ernie and Bert are two names not really used often, so it would be a huge coincidence if what you say is true.
Jim and Frank both confirmed that it was indeed just a coincidence. The rumor’s been going around for many, many years.
PikaPlayer Gaming The movie is from 1946, not 1939.
How do they not have 1m subs yet... the production on this stuff is amazing
ok at this point every time kevin says someone special or energetic to show up he just means Michael eisner
have I finally reached the point on the Defunctland fandom (following? cult?) where I have to pause and take a deep breath whenever M*ichael Eisn*r is mentioned? Yes. I feel accomplished.
Okay, the pitch with the enthusiastic host had me laughing but then sent me with the AND GOD WILL LOOK DOWN AND SAY LET THEM HAVE A 40 SHARE
too good. It's just too good
"A young executive named....Michael Eisner"
GOD DAMMIT
Who knew Gozo had such deep lore
As a kid I was always confused bc I thought the Muppets were for adults but sometimes I saw Kermit on Sesame Street.
“He thought it only last a month or two” yea, try about OVER FIFTY YEARS!!
Sesame Street died years ago. No longer is it about learning. Luckily, you can find old, good SS for kids online.
I'm waiting for when the Children's Television Workshop will call it quits with Sesame Street and carry on with a half-hour Elmo's World.
They should call it “Terrible Town”.
@@richardranke7878 I'm waiting for them to stop using Elmo too much. It would be even better if they just killed him off.
These kids can't read or write can they? So how's about we call the show, "Hey Stupid"? I laughed so hard.
Been watching the muppets for year and can watch them all day I thought they were amazing growing up
RIP
Caroll Spinney
Kevin: and so we end the Eisner era...
buT WAiT ThErE’s MorE
My friend Josiah's uncle was one of the designers for Henson's Workshop. He also designed the fountain in front of the Muppet Theater at formerly MGM Studios.
The last time I was this early puppets still shilling for Wilkins.
This is the deepest dive I've seen in ever
it's interesting that they wanted a fast paced show where live actors and puppets interacted when Mister Rogers favored slower paced television (and research shows there can be adverse effects when children watch fast paced tv) and made sure to let children know that the puppets are only make believe (research has also shown that it's good for kids when there's no blur between fantasy and reality haha). I love sesame Street btw, that's what I grew up with 🥰🥰
Micheal Eisner shows up
Defunctland: ah s@$t....here we go again
HOW DID I KNOW MICHAEL EISNER WAS GONNA BE INVOLVED 😂
Awesome! Finally a decades long debate with my sister is answered - "Are those real human hands on the Swedish Chef, or Muppet hands?" Well, now I know!