We've just put the kids to bed after eagerly tearing open our latest aquisition: Sesame Street Old School Volume 1: 1969-1974. We figured we'd just watch a little bit with the kids and wound up watching the entire first episode of Sesame Street. THE FIRST EPISODE. Yes, I did some squealing. And got teary.

The bizarre thing was that the DVD opens with an animated character named Bob (who I distinctly recall as being named Christopher Clumsy, but I digress) talking about how this is nostalgia and not for today's preschoolers. Paul and I exchanged surprised glances over the kids' heads: what the hey? But after seeing 4 straight minutes about milk and where it comes from, I remembered that yes, this Sesame is nothing like today's Sesame. And darnit, I MISS IT. I will confess something here - I never stopped watching Sesame Street. I watched it from babyhood through high school, college, and in the mornings when I was getting ready for work. So after 35 straight years of Sesame Street, I know what I'm talking about.

My kids were delighted to see that at the end of the show, Sesame Street was brought to you by the letters W, S, and E, and by the numbers 2 and 3 - not the measly one letter and one number they get today. My kids love Sesame Street today with a passion, and it has its moments, but some of the charm is missing today from what it was. Whether it's the changing of the guard or the fact that the format changed, the zaniness and spirit is just not the same.

Read more about it:
Die hard fans weigh in here.
Review here.
And if you need further incentive to buy it, rumor has it that it's Elmo-free. No red menace!
Buy it here - if you buy through Muppet Central (on Amazon) supposedly you can save 25% off the regular price. And you're going to get The Electric Company sets too, aren't you? :)