The Great Link Anthology

Today marked the start of the 37th season of Sesame Street. For several weeks, I've been looking forward to what the new season had in store, not only for my children, but also for me, a parent who grew up with this show. With an impressive celebrity line-up (including Amy Sedaris, Jamie Foxx, and Matt Lauer), some spot-on pop culture parodies, and the introduction of the first new female muppet in 13 years, the 37th season has a lot to offer.

For the last several years, Sesame Street has subtly acknowledged that its earliest viewers (those of us born in the mid to late 1960's) are now the parents of pre-schoolers, and the show's creators have made us feel like an important part of the audience. I think this first started when REM performed "Furry Happy Monsters" back in 1998 - possibly even earlier. The new season seems to go even further, by clearly drawing in parents with parodies like “Law & Order: Special Letters Unit;” “Scramalot;” “The Breakfast Club;” “Survivor: Musical Chairs,” complete with a Jeff Probst look-alike Muppet (Guy Smiley for a new generation); and “Outrageous Makeover: Home Edition,” with Grover as a furry blue Ty Pennington.

Sesame Street is also reaching out to Gen X parents (I say reaching out; a more cynical person might say target marketing) with a Sesame Street Nostalgia box set, due out in October. Schoolhouse Rock, The Electric Company, After School Specials, numerous Sid and Marty Krofft shows, and now Sesame Street - it seems that the industry has caught on to the fact that Gen X-er's enjoy having their childhood TV memories re-packaged neatly into DVD's and box sets. But aside from being a true example of marketing genius, the Sesame Street Nostalgia box set is really a historical marker (perhaps a few years overdue), signaling that our generation is now officially grown up. The fact that the release date for the Sesame Street Nostalgia box set happens to be the week of my 38th birthday makes it just a little bit more, well, nostalgic for me.

And did you see the first episode of Season 37 today? I loved, loved, loved "Law & Order," especially the Richard Belzer Muppet - genius, I say! Also, there was Kristin Chenoweth as Mr. Noodle's sister (Ms. Noodle), and John Legend doing a number with Hoots the owl. Great stuff.

But I asked you - all you moms and dads with your blogs - to weigh in. I posed a more general question: What television, music, movie or book from your childhood are you excited about sharing with your own children?

The responses have been incredible. You've given me, and each other, so much to think about. Several of you discussed Sesame Street. And some of you mentioned other television shows.

A surprising number of you (surprising to me, anyway) talked about books. (By the way, there's a thesis or a dissertation here for someone interested in further exploring The Impact of Young Female Characters in 1960's and 1970's Children's Literature on Mothers of Daughters in the Early 21st Century. Kind of writes itself, huh?)

Not as many of you mentioned music or movies, perhaps because the offerings from our childhood in these areas seem weak in comparison to current options - like They Might Be Giants or all the fabulous Pixar movies. Can The Computer Wore Tennis Shoes really stand the test of time? Evidently not.

And some of you brought perspectives on this from outside the U.S. That was especially interesting.

If you're wondering about my response to the question - look here or here. My short answer - Christmas specials like The Year Without a Santa Claus and Rudolph have been wonderful to share. Also, we've enjoyed introducing our sons to Dr. Seuss books, Curious George books, all of the Muppet movies, and, of course, Sesame Street.

And now, on to the Big Extravaganza of Links! All of your responses are listed below, in kind-of-reverse-order-received, as Title of Post (Name of Blog). Now that we're past 40, I've stopped counting. And just so you know, that's how I plan to deal with my age, too. Here you go - the newest ones received are at the top:

La Spades (Roola Lenska)
Showing My Age: Kid Lit Pics from the Johnson Era (The Silent "I")
Follow the Leader (Issa's World)
Joy For All (Cheese Party)
Block Party! (I Love This Boy)
80's Flashbacks! (A Mommy Story)
If You Are a Dreamer, Come In (Mayberry Mom)
Sesame Street and Other Fond Childhood Memories (Life as I Know It)
As We Relive Our Lives in What We Tell You (The Onymous)
Conjunction Junction, What's Your Function (Sarah and the Goon Squad)
From My Childhood (Keep Up With Me)
A Sentimental Journey (Mom 101)
Brought to You by the Letter W... (Half of the Sky)
Near and Dear (Crabby Chic)
When the Grandparents Are Away... (Making Things Up)
TV Dad (Within the Woods)
Sesame Street - The Next Generation (Compost Happens)
Passing it On: My Favorite Books from Childhood (Three Kid Circus)
Most Sensational, Inspirational, Celebrational... (Her Bad Mother)
Quality Music, TV Shows, Books, and Movies (Feminist Moms)
37 Years (Jane M. Says)
Passing the Torch - The One Powered by The Electric Company (MotherGooseMouse)
Left on Sesame Street, Right Down Memory Lane (No Limits Ladies)
People, Let Me Tell You 'Bout My Best Friend (Siftin')
Chitty Chitty Bang Bang (Out With the Kids)
The Hobbit Habit (Lady M)
The Otter at the End (Spotted Dog Turn)
This Post Brought to You by the Letter O (Mom Writes)
Sharing a Piece of My Childhood (It's My Life)
This Post is Brought to You by the Letter A (Mom, Ma'am, Me)
Sesame Street Live Comes to Costa Rica (¡Masala Fabi, Pura Vida!)
Street Smarts (Ralph's World)
The One With All the Books (Table for Five)
From the Mixed-Up Files of Mr. Basil E. Frankweiler (A Readable Feast)
What From Your Childhood.... (Mistress of Dorkness)
And the Letter of the Day Is... (Silicon Valley Moms Blog)
Everybody Say "Hi" to the New Kid (Head, Shoulders, Knees and All That)
Me 'n Harriet (Under the Mad Hat)
Sharing My Childhood in a New Meme (Purple Moon Garden)
Sesame Street is Turning 37! (For Rattle)
What am I excited about sharing with Arun? (Rancid Raves)
It's a Magic Carpet Ride (The Mouse's Nest)
Memory Lane (Poot and Cubby)
Childhood Redux (A Mom, A Blog, and the Life in Between)
Ramona Quimby, Age Timeless (A Question of Degree)
Sesame Street (Cool Tunes for Kids)
For Mrs. Davis (CRUMLEYdotORG)
Sunny Day, Chasing the Clouds Away (The Diary of Mrs. X)
Anastasia (Radioactive Girl)
Things I Can't Wait to Share with Isadora (Where the Moss Grows)
Happy Birthday Sesame Street! (Confessions of a Drama King)

Also, a few bloggers helped to spread the word and got some fun comments on the question. You might want to take a look:
Can You Tell Me How to Get....How to Get to Sesame Street? (BlogHer)
It's Elmo's World, We Just Live In It (Mom's Daily Dose)

Nice work, people! We have put together our very own compendium of nostalgic children's media. What a way to mark this occasion - the start of Sesame Street's 37th season.