Lordie, Lordie, Look Who's 40!

Happy Birthday Sesame Street!!

Who knew that Sesame Street and I were born the same year?  As far as I knew, Sesame Street had always been there.  I vaguely remember watching as a kid.  However, there were many years that our home was TV-less, so unfortuately Grover and Cookie Monster did not do much forming for me in my formative years.

Oddly enough the most vivid memory of Sesame Street from my childhood was from when I was about 10 years old.  For whatever reason we had a TV repairman in the house (I guess the TV had been reinstated at this point), and he was doing some tweaking to the picture with my brother and I looking on in eager anticipation of a working television.  As the guy is working away, up pops a picture-perfect image of Big Bird, and the repairman turns to my brother and I and says in his best "baby talk" voice:  "Who is that? *gasp* Is that Big Bird?  Do you like Big Bird?"

And we were all "Dude we are 9 and 10 years old,  Big Bird is sooo pre-K".   Obviously the guy didn't have kids.

By the time was son was born in 1989, Sesame Street was celebrating its 20th Birthday.  I can tell you this, Sesame Street was HUGE in my house in the early 90's.  How do you think mommy had time to talk on the phone clean house and cook if not for the magic of the gang from NYC?  My son was hooked.  h.o.o.k.e.d.  When he was a toddler all toys and gifts were Sesame Street related.  Here is a photo of him from Christmas 1990 receiving Dress Me Up Ernie.  From that day forward to be forever known as "Ernie Baby".  He went everywhere with us, and become his best bud.

Ernie-Baby even slept with him at night.  He was propped up on the pillow against the wall as the official bottle holder.  The bottle. Full of orange juice.  Yeah, ok? What was I thinking?  Nothing like letting my two-year old suck on a sugar filled, acid beverage all night long?  Eck. 

Funny thing is, he's got the best teeth ever!  All of his teeth were in at age 8, including his 12 year molars!  He rarely had a cavity growing up and never needed braces either!  Maybe I found the answer to perfect teeth, OJ.  Who knew?

Anyway, here's wishing Sesame Street a very Happy 40th Birthday!

Thank you for teaching my son that spelling, counting, and reading can be fun!

Oh yeah, and watching TV too!