Old-school episodes of Sesame Street now come with an "only for grown-ups" disclaimer. We asked all of you to weigh in on the matter and an overwhelming majority deemed the warning unnecessary. A questionable song just surfaced that might warrant a change of mind. The song, titled "I Want a Monster to Be My Friend," was actually banned from Sesame Street in 1984 when a mother complained about a few of its lyrics:
If I make friends with a friendly monster,
I'll let him bounce me on his knee.
I'll let him do whatever he wants to,
Especially if he's bigger than me.
Is the message shocking? Or, when considered in context, do you find it harmless? Listen to the full song below and let me know whether you think the ditty is just plain silly or scandalous.
Nine West
Moschino
Fendi
I think it is silly but I am not so fond of this sentence "I'll let him do whatever he wants to". In any type of context, a child shouldn't do whatever anyone wants them to.
1that make them uncomfy or would get them hurt or in trouble.
2I agree with kiwi on this one.
3Silly! They are puppets people. Monster puppets at that. I watched this show everyday of my life as a kid and I turned out just fine. I never got in trouble once at school. It's the parent's job to teach their children..not Sesame Street. I hate when people read way more into kids stuff than they should. I have to rent the old Looney Tunes off netflix for my kids to watch because they don't play them on TV anymore. You know, because people like Yosemite Sam and Elmer Fudd shoot at the rabbit. Oh did I say people? I meant cartoon's. My kids are not dumb enough to think they are real and running around town shooting their guns in the air.
4I guess I just get upset over this kind of stuff because it comes down to the innocence of kids. They can't do anything anymore these days without having to worry about a negative influence somewhere somehow. I just want my kids to be kids for as long as possible and not have worry about silly stuff.
5See.. It's all this retardation and people getting all in aflutter because their perverted mind reads more into a cartoon then a kid would..
It's because of this that all the cartoon and shows for kids that are on today are so watered down and PC they're barely tolerable..
I have already started purchasing DVD of old 80's cartoons for my kids when I have them.. that way they don't have to watch the crap that's on tv now
6i think banning old Sesame Street episodes and adding disclaimers is ridiculous. however, after reading the lyrics to this monster song, i wonder if the person who wrote it did have some ill-intention in mind. i think a monster is an okay friend for a kid (a furry one) but i'd get rid of those four lines ... it gives me the creeps!
7is it known who wrote this song? bet it was a creepy guy who's probably on the megan's law list now.
8I don't think little kids would associate friendly puppet monsters with creepy older people, or at least the child version of me wouldn't have made the association. When I was a kid we were taught about what grown ups shouldn't be doing and I don't really think that's television's responsibility. I have to admit I get annoyed when people try to censor what everyone can watch (when it comes to adult shows that aren't meant for kids to begin with) because they can't be take any time to be responsible for monitoring what their own kids are watching.
9An adult disclaimer is ridiculous but WTF??? Who wrote this???
10I would say it has a sexual innuendo, but nothing scandalous or that a child would understand (obviously).
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