Dec 21, 2003
Muppet Book Club
"I Can't Wait Until Christmas"
Book : Part 1 -- Part 2 -- Part 3
Commentary : Part 4 -- Part 5 -- Part 6
For
unto us a child is Bird
Cathy Whitlow:
Is Big Bird really all that surprised when he opens the baseball bat from Granny? I mean, he asked for one. Does he suffer from short term memory loss, or is that his way of acting surprised for Granny's sake?
Sometimes I'm concerned for Big Bird's well being. What if one day he accidentally leaves the iron on when he leaves the nest, or forgets that you shouldn't drink bleach?
Ian:
Moreover, is that the kind of kid that you want to be giving a baseball bat to? Methinks Hooper's is going to have to invest in some new windows.
John:
"Granny Bird lives in a charming, well-furnished house, with a dining room and a kitchen. Big Bird lives in a trash-filled, snow-covered alley behind an apartment building. How is this even remotely acceptable?"
Indeed! A feeling of melancholy washed over me as I wondered where Granny Bird was supposed to sleep while staying in BB's meager digs. He must have been so embarrassed.
Say, if BB has a Granny Bird, where are Mom and/or Dad Bird? Why can't they visit? What's the deal there?
Danny:
Yeah, where are Big Bird's parents? Did they just fly south one winter and never come back?
If Granny Bird is BB's only relative, why doesn't he live in her house? Why is she counting on the good people at PBS to raise him?
Anthony:
Big Bird is an orphan. He's raised by everyone on Sesame Street. They made a whole movie about this.
Mike:
And don't you remember The Muppet Movie? By choice, Big Bird left the nest to get into public television. He probably figured he can use this naive boyish charm to help educate millions of children -- and, well, it works, doesn't it?
Danny:
Oh, yeah. I forgot about The Muppet Movie, and Follow That Bird.
Wait a second. How could I forget about The Muppet Movie and Follow That Bird? That doesn't sound like me.
John:
It was an honest mistake. I did the same thing!
Danny:
Well, at least I'm not alone. John and I will be over there if you need us.
Jess:
Has Granny ever been to Sesame Street? Does she even know Big Bird's Street family? Where was she during the hurricane?
These are the things that I wonder when I'm thinking about Sesame Street at midnight...
Scott:
Others would know better than I, but this picture shows that she's not just a book character...
Ryan:
During the hurricane story, Big Bird called Granny for advice on how to rebuild his nest. She didn't offer to come help, but she did give the essential advice to... "LOOK for twigs!"
Ian:
Of course, she couldn't just say, "FIND a rent-controlled apartment." Granny couldn't risk Big Bird having a nicer place than her own.
Unless, of course, there's a reason for this self-inflicted alleyway lifestyle. Perhaps Big Bird is going for some sort of journey of self-discovery, or he's training to be a Hollywood writer who's writing a screenplay about "hobo birds on the street."
Jess:
Or maybe he's writing a book.
"Broke Like Me," guaranteed to be a hit with sociologists and ornithologists alike.
Book : Part 1 -- Part 2 -- Part 3
Commentary : Part 4 -- Part 5 -- Part 6
Muppet Book Club: "The Great Twiddlebug Mystery"
Muppet Book Club: "The Case of the Missing Mother"
Muppet Book Club: "Cookie Monster and the Cookie Tree"