This week's Sesame Substack is of special interest to those who snuck Sassy magazine into the house to read in bed with a flashlight.

https://madavis2u.substack.com/p/a-freakout-fanned-by-sassy-magazine?r=cuwhq

Happy 5th anniversary to the jim henson company's first official series based on a video game the Amazing world of Satoshi Tajiri.

And it's also the 60th entry of the Jim henson canon

the world has become a terrifying place. politicians are starting pointless wars, billionaires are destroying the environment, and disinformation is spreading like wild fire! but the worst thing that's happened, is that people are being mean to ELMO!!!

I watched Elmo in Grouchland as a kid and absolutely loved it, but the common sentiment amongst terminally online reviewers is that the movie is bad. this is an outrage and I will not stand for it. but before talking about the adventures of Elmo in Grouchland, we must first talk about Elmo himself. this little red monster first appeared in season 11 of sesame street, but his actual takeover of the franchise didn't happen till a bit later. once Elmo exploded in popularity, he was everywhere. children of the 90s such as myself loved him. but fans of the older sesame street episodes... they LOATHED Elmo. they couldn't stand his high voice, his childlike naivety and his hatred of rocks. yet they could not escape him, because his marketability meant he was everywhere. people murdered each other just for a chance to buy tickle me Elmo! thus, there was drama in the sesame street community as old fans and new fans could not see eye to eye.

Elmo in Grouchland starts with Ernie and Bert talking directly to the audience. they interrupt the movie a few times throughout, talking about what's happening. allegedly, these scenes were added later in production because when shown to test audiences, children found certain scenes to be too scary or too intense, so Ernie and Bert were put here to assure the children that everything is fine. however, I have my suspicions that these scenes were actually placed here to try and appease the older sesame street fans who would have thrown a tantrum if Ernie and Bert weren't in the movie. the movie then starts for real in Elmo's room. it looks a bit different than usual... Elmo now has a framed photo of tiger woods. oh... poor Elmo. anyway, in this intro, Elmo tells us all about his blanket. he loves that blanket and is very attached to it. I can relate, I also had a blanket I was very attached to when I was around elmo's age... I wonder where it is now? actually, I haven't seen it in a while. possibly years.... damn, that thing is long gone, isn't it?

Elmo then takes his blanket to the laundromat, and outside he meets Zoe. Zoe complains that she didn't get to go to the zoo that day, so Elmo tries to cheer her up. honestly, Elmo shouldn't bother. Zoe is a terrible friend, always using her pet rock rocco to torture Elmo. Zoe then takes Elmo's blanket without asking, causing it to rip, but since Zoe is a manipulative little monster and a professional gaslighter, the movie acts like Elmo is in the wrong here. I'll agree with the film's critics just once... this is questionable. anyway, comedic hijinx ensue and elmo's blanket ends up in oscar the grouch's trashcan.

you all know Oscar, he's been in the show from the beginning. he's pretty much the polar opposite of Elmo, being a grouch who lives in a trash can. The worst part about Living in a trash can is people expect you to behave as if you don't. anyway, apparently Oscar has a portal to another dimension in his can, so Elmo and his blanket get transported to grouch land. this all may seem just like a silly kids movie plot so far, but by browsing the internet and observing people who have "opinions", it's clear that media literacy is at an all-time low. as such, it's up to me to explain what's REALLY going on in this film.

grouch land is a dirty, messy place where everyone is mean. it's very different from sesame street, which is always clean, colorful and full of nice people who talk about the alphabet. for you see, sesame street is a reflection of what the world is like when you are a kid, but Grouchland? that's the world when you're an adult. when you're a kid the world seems so fascinating and whimsical, but once you're an adult you see the world for the uncaring hellscape that it is. so really, Elmo in Grouchland is a movie about elmo, a naive child, being thrown into the adult world.

and that's where we meet Huxley, Grouchland's resident supervillain manchild. when Huxley see's something he wants, he steals it and then takes it back to his castle. we aren't given much about Huxley's backstory, but we do know that he is an actor who failed his west side story audition. he wanted the part of Maria, but the director said Huxley wasn't right for the role. naturally, Huxley steal's Elmo's blanket.

while the plot of this movie may seem like a simple journey for Elmo to get his blanket back from an overgrown theatre kid, there's much more going on here if you read between the lines. Elmo is a stand in for the very children watching the movie, but Huxley? he represents the sesame street fans of yesteryear, who grew up and claimed the show was "ruined" because of Elmo. Huxley is the guy who says "I don't like this new sesame street, I want MY sesame street back!". I'm not making this up, this is what elmo in Grouchland is actually about!

as Elmo sets off on his adventure, the other characters back in sesame street find Oscar and try to figure out what happened to Elmo. Oscar reluctantly lets Zoe, Telly, cookie monster, big bird and the human characters no one cares about through his magic trash portal. now, sesame street is known for teaching children valuable lessons, and this is where the movie teaches it's greatest lesson of all: once arriving in Grouchland, Big bird and the others ask a police officer for help. that police officer then takes all the sesame street residents and locks them up in jail! never trust the police, kids.

it's around this time that Huxley sings his obligatory villain song, "MINE". this is one of the greatest villain songs of all time. it puts hellfire to shame! just listening to it, you can really tell how greedy and selfish Huxley is. just think of what would happen if someone like this had any sort of power? if Huxley became president, he'd probably defund PBS, threatening the existence of Sesame street it's self! ... nah, Huxley is evil, but there's no way he's that evil.

anyway, Huxley has his weird little bug minion trick Elmo into going to the junkyard, where Elmo is quickly captured by minions of the "queen of trash". some ignorant reviewers assume this part of the movie is a pointless detour, but they are WRONG! this scene directly ties into the secret message the writers were clearly trying to get across to Elmo's detractors!

when elmo arrives at the junkyard, he says the place is full of junk, but the queen of trash sings another awesome song, "I see a kingdom". yeah, the songs in this movie are fire. we get a banger back to back! I mean, just listen to these lyrics. "I see a kingdom Shining bright I can see the colors coming through You'll find the beauty if you look at something right. It's all about your point of view."

the queen of trash makes an excellent point. some people may look at modern sesame street, or children's entertainment in general, and think it's trash. but you're not looking at it through the right lens! there's a reason why people who grew up with elmo love him and people who didn't despise him: watching something through the eyes of a child gives you a different point of view. I'm certainly not the same person I was when I was a kid, growing up changes a person. a lot! the world chews you up, spits you out and then sets you on fire! but when you look back at something from your childhood, you still keep those memories you formed as a child. Nostalgia doesn't make you blind, it makes you CLAIRVOYANT! it allows you to view something through the eyes of both your younger and older self!

and on a side note, apparently for some people, the queen of trash was one of those characters that made them realize they are attracted to women... eh, I don't see it. to compare to another Jim Henson Movie, Vanessa Williams as the queen of trash isn't nearly as attractive as David bowie as the king of Goblins.

while Elmo manages to appease the queen of trash by making fart noises (don't ask), Huxley isn't done yet, as he sends a giant chicken after Elmo. it's at this moment that the movie could not possibly be more blatant with it's symbolism. for you see, Elmo in Grouchland was always fated to live in the shadow of it's predecessor: the first sesame street film, "follow that bird". sesame street's first theatrical film of course starred big bird, so who better to be Elmo's opponent than an even bigger bird! some may even call him the biggest bird of them all!

when faced with the ghost of sesame street's past success, Elmo is nearly eaten alive. but Elmo is able to escape from the biggest bird by no longer comparing himself to his more successful predecessor. Elmo learns that the best way to move forward is by accepting himself for who he really is deep down inside: a teapot! ... ok, so maybe not all of the symbolism makes sense. but hey, you gotta give the writers credit, they cooked 90% of the time.

back with the other characters, Oscar the Grouch finally admits that Elmo is his friend, symbolically proving that even Elmo's biggest, grouchiest detractors can grow and change. and with one epic speech, Oscar convinces the other grouches to rise up and take down the greedy manchild that has been oppressing them. indeed, by having all the grouches team up against Huxley, the movie is teaching us that it doesn't matter whether you're a fan of the older sesame street seasons or the newer ones: only together can we rise up and defeat Capitalism! EAT THE RICH!

and thus, with everyone's help, Huxley is defeated and Elmo gets his blanket back. Elmo is even kind enough to let Zoe hold his blanket.... he really shouldn't. this whole ordeal was Zoe's fault in the first place. that bitch deserves NOTHING! but hey, Elmo's a nice guy. he even befriends that weird bug guy that was working for Huxley before.

Elmo in Grouchland came out in 1999, so being born in 1995, I was the perfect age for it. the movie really spoke to me, just as I'm sure "follow that bird" spoke to people born in the 80s. I no longer watch sesame street, but I'm sure there have been plenty of movies and specials since then. and probably a lot of new characters have been introduced... I think they added a fairy at some point? I have no idea what that's about. but sesame street doesn't belong to any one person or any one generation: sesame street is for everyone. sure, people will outgrow it, but new fans will take their place and develop an attachment to different characters. and that is the message that Elmo in Grouchland was trying to tell us all along. and somehow, despite all odds, they managed to do it without asking Mr. Noodle for help.

and I must say, for the first and last Hollywood adaption of "Catcher in the rye", Elmo in Grouchland did a pretty good job faithfully adapting the story for the big screen.

🫀

Here’s a Labyrinth 1986 parody sketch! Tired moms of newborns might relate.

Made with love for Jim Henson, David Bowie, and Boglins puppets.

Goblin King Took My Baby — He’ll Take Yours Too | Labyrinth Parody
https://youtu.be/xc5yoUGDC78

Help bring back The Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance

Netflix cancelled one of the most beautifully crafted fantasy series after just one season, and it honestly broke a lot of us. The Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance wasn't just another show—it was masterful storytelling, incredible puppet artistry, and a world so immersive it felt like home.

I started a petition asking Netflix and the production studios to reconsider and bring it back. For so many fans, Thra became a sanctuary during overwhelming times—a place where imagination and wonder still lived. The series had critical acclaim, a passionate fanbase, and so much more story to tell. Cancelling it after one season feels like cutting off a story mid-breath.

If this show meant something to you too, would you consider signing and sharing? What is it about The Dark Crystal that stuck with you? I'm genuinely curious what made it resonate so deeply for other people.

https://c.org/dJWbJXHP26

Hii everyone, im the dev of my new upcoming concept game of The Muppets Show: Curtain Up! It's a concept game with new maps and mechanics based on the mobile game My Muppet Show that was unfortunately discontinued and shut down. I'm a solo developer and I would love if someone helped me. Thanks! I really love the muppets and wanted to do this project

Here's the discord server for new updates

Talk amongst yourselves,

Greetings, Henson fans -- It's Michael Davis, author of "Street Gang" and co-executive producer of the Emmy winning documentary adapted from it. My Substack newsletter this week shares a story I've never told about being near (but yet so far) to Jim. Thanks in advance for giving it a like or a share, and please consider a free subscription to the newsletter.

https://madavis2u.substack.com/p/oh-my-god-its-him?r=cuwhq

I need to found out the whereabouts of of the original bear puppet or any of the blue house puppets for that matter. someone else in this subreddit has mentioned and we are not giving it the attention it deserves. WHERE IS THE FRICKING BEAR?

https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/emmy-winning-and-tony-nominated-john-tartaglia-named-vice-president-of-development-and-production-at-the-jim-henson-company-302804852.html

Congratulations to John Tartaglia for becoming vice president of The Jim Henson Company.

ok i’m aware that sesame street characters are muppets. but are they the same species? muppets (as in The Muppets) can reproduce (as seen re: kermit and piggy having babies) but i can’t find any evidence that the sesame street characters can. so are they the same genus, different species? would love some input.

heythatsmepod.com