Season 27 (November 20, 1995 – May 17, 1996)
Ah, Season 27 of Sesame Street. Now we’re getting into my territory, folks. Rewatching these episodes, I was surprised how much I remembered them, considering I probably hadn’t watched them since, I dunno, I was 5 years old in 1996. In particular, I had such a strong sense of SIRE during an episode where Luis hatches a Honker egg that I temporarily blacked out and hallucinated I was in my parents’ house, sorting plastic animal figurines on the carpet. But Sesame Street always does that, you know? It’s all about the powerful emotions that the Muppets can evoke in you.
And powerful emotions feel like the main theme of Season 27, because the episodes I watched were chock-full of them. One thing that interested me was how nuanced these were. For instance, in an episode where Big Bird has a sleepover with Gabi, he is frightened by Gabi saying “wubba wubba” (like monsters do, of course), then realizes there’s nothing to worry about, then realizes he’s still scared but being scared is fun. That’s pretty sophisticated, when you start to think about it. Big Bird experiences a more complex emotional arc because someone says “wubba wubba” than Hawkeye experiences in 22 Marvel movies.
No one’s emotions are more powerful this season than Oscar’s, however. In what is unquestionably the most classic episode, Oscar and Grundgetta spend an entire show on the Sally Messy Yuckayel talk show, sorting through their failing relationship. Why is their relationship failing, you ask? Well, because Oscar said he loved Grundgetta. He sang the most millennial love song imaginable, “Love in the Junkyard.” He kissed her! What’ll happen to these Grouches Who Love Too Much? Folks, I was still deeply invested in this conflict 23 years later, and I remembered every word of “Love in the Junkyard,” despite not hearing it in forever. That’s the secret of good drama: it always takes us back to our youth.
MVH & MVL (Most Valuable Human & Most Valuable Lamb): I’d be remiss if I didn’t discuss the season finale, in which Shari Lewis and Lamb Chop themselves come to visit Sesame Street. The duo spend the entire street story with Big Bird and a pig character named Suey, teaching kids about self-love and making new friends. It’s on YouTube and worth watching, if only to remember how legitimately hilarious Lamb Chop is. Gotta figure out if Tough Lambs exists, so I can chronicle this in more detail.
MVM: Rewatching 90s Sesame Street has helped me gain a new appreciation for Rosita, who has legitimately become one of my favorite Muppets. Rosita just feels all emotions so strongly and has a unique physicality–grabbing, shaking, and hugging the other characters in ways that take advantage of how much larger she is than Elmo. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, that niña is going places.
Classic Song Debut: Folks, in the early 90s, there was no bigger get than the Spin Doctors. Their Sesame version of “Two Princes” is a lot of fun, and you can tell they’re enjoying themselves. Works for me.
Notable Puppeteer Departure: Muppet Wiki tells me this was the last season to feature Camille Bonora. While she never had a main character on Sesame Street, she was a valuable addition to a team that had way too few female puppeteers, and it’s a shame she had to go. (Of course, her best role was Jojo the Dog from The Jim Henson Hour, but that’s for a different article set.)
Notable Character Debut: An incredibly important group of Muppets are introduced in the season finale. I’m speaking of course of Mean Old Zostic from the Planet Enormous, and the Super Morphin Mega Monsters he opposes. That’s right, kids around the world were finally able to watch Elmosaurus, Zoeceratops, Telly Dactyl, and Rosita Raptor stop Zostic from turning kids around the world into selfish jerks.
This really happened on Sesame Street, folks. There were three Super Morphin Mega Monsters segments that appeared occasionally throughout the 90s, and they remain one of the weirdest parts of Sesame Street’s legacy. Sesame Street had a villain, folks, and his name was Zostic.
Click here to sort through your failing relationship on the Tough Pigs forum!
by Evan G
