Elmo Tells it Like it is Concerning "Tough Times"

by Katy on September 9, 2009 · 6 comments

Public television’s irrepressible red giggling puppet has undergone a change in his family and he wants to tell you all about it. Because you see, Elmo’s mom has lost her job.

Sesame Street has put together a prime time special titled, “Families Stand Together” that will run tonight on the subject of how to stay strong when a family member loses their job. In the television special, Elmo and family have to learn the difference between wants, (toys) and needs, (food.)

I think these lessons hold value for any child, even if all the adults are gainfully employed. After all, how many of us have not been the target of a child whining that “But Mom, (Dad, Grandma, Grandpa, Aunt Katy, etc) I neeeeeed that toy?”

Unfortunately, it does not appear to be airing here in Portland, Oregon, although the video below gives a very good overview of the show. Hopefully, PBS will make this show available to watch online.

Update: Click here to watch the program in it’s entirety.

Katy Wolk-Stanley

“Use it up, wear it out, make it do or do without.”

{ 6 comments… read them below or add one }

Mandy - Birmingham, AL September 9, 2009 at 1:22 pm

I can’t beging to tell you how much I praise Sesame Street (and I don’t even have kids). Sesame has done so much for the world wide community, that it just astounds me.

There is a wonderful documentary about Sesame Street (The World According to Sesame Street) that I checked out from my library. It was so touching that I cried my eyes out. I reccomend it to anyone.

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Becky September 9, 2009 at 6:25 pm

My heart will always belong to Elmo! Thank you Sesame Street for talking about a tough subject and bringing the focus to the children in these tough economic times. And Thank You, Katy, for bringing such a variety of topics to your blog. I found you a couple of months ago through The Frugal Girl and I am hooked!

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Jinger September 10, 2009 at 5:01 am

Katy…I needed to watch this clip today as I face some tough issues here in my little family. It reaffirmed my values and made me smile this morning. Thanks!

PS…I remember watching Sesame Street with my son, daughter and granddaughter, starting about 38 years ago!

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Angela September 10, 2009 at 11:44 am

Oh, I love it! It made me cry. Thanks for posting, I may have to try posting my very first video.

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Sesame Street Toys September 10, 2009 at 5:12 pm

They did a great job with this special.

The way Sesame Street tackles tough subjects is simply amazing. They don’t get enough credit for it. When you look back on their 40! years, they have been doing tough topics the whole time.

They have managed to stay independent through sales of Sesame Street Toys and private donations. So they have no outside agendas or limitations on their their creative genius.

We forget or don’t notice the difficulty of the topics they touch on because they do it so well.

The show and additional resources are available on their website here: http://www.sesameworkshop.org/toughtimes. (Check out the Tool Box on the right side of the page.)

So if you missed it, you can still watch it with the family.

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thenonconsumeradvocate September 10, 2009 at 11:37 pm

Mandy,

Thanks! I put “The World According to Sesame Street” on hold at the library. I’ll make sure to pre-hydrate. 😉

Katy Wolk-Stanley
The Non-Consumer Advocate

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