Sesame Street Becomes Part of 2012 Elections Picture | 'Sesame Street' Through Its 43 Years - ABC News ABC News 'Sesame Street' Through Its 43 Years + − Sesame Street Becomes Part of 2012 Elections A woman wearing a costume of "Sesame Street" character Big Bird holds a sign in support of public broadcasting during the "Million Puppet March" in Washington Nov. 3, 2012. Nicholas Kamm/AFP/Getty Images Sesame Street Becomes Part of 2012 Elections A woman wearing a costume of "Sesame Street" character Big Bird holds a sign in support of public broadcasting during the "Million Puppet March" in Washington Nov. 3, 2012. Nicholas Kamm/AFP/Getty Images Sesame Street Becomes Part of 2012 Elections Members of the Iowa Citizens for Community Improvement Action Fund dressed in "Sesame Street" costumes hold a protest next to supporters of Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney outside a campaign stop for Romney in Van Meter, Iowa, Oct. 22, 2012. Charlie Neibergall/AP Photo Muppet Mania!

'Sesame Street' Takes Over 'GMA' Kevin Clash, the master puppeteer behind the lovable and popular "Sesame Street" character Elmo, holds a picture of the original character sketch. The only description written on the "First Sketch for ELMO" drawing was that the little monster be "short, red." "Elmo used to be much wider," Clash said. ABC News Muppet Mania! 42 Years of 'Sesame Street' The "Sesame Street" muppets took over the "Good Morning America" Times Square studio Sept. 20, 2011. Grover, Elmo and Rosita hopped into the anchor chair alongside Robin Roberts and Josh Elliott at 8 a.m. when George Stephanopoulos had to leave on an assignment. Lou Rocco/ABC Muppet Mania! 42 Years of 'Sesame Street' Rosita got to work behind the scenes in our Times Square studio. Lou Rocco/ABC Muppet Mania! 42 Years of 'Sesame Street' Elmo joined the anchors on the couch. The "Sesame Street" gang visited "GMA" to celebrate the start of their 42nd season.

Lou Rocco/ABC Muppet Mania! 42 Years of 'Sesame Street' Elmo snuggled up to Robin Roberts and gave our anchor a kiss. Lou Rocco/ABC Muppet Mania! 42 Years of 'Sesame Street' Oscar the Grouch interrupted Sam Champion's weather forecast. Lou Rocco/ABC Muppet Mania! 42 Years of 'Sesame Street' Cookie Monster joined "Chew" co-host Clinton Kelly and "GMA's" Lara Spencer in the kitchen to whip up some delicious fall desserts. Lou Rocco/ABC Muppet Mania! 42 Years of 'Sesame Street' Lara Spencer shares a sweet treat with Cookie Monster. Lou Rocco/ABC Sesame Street 40th Anniversary Bert and Ernie Two of television's most famous roommates, Bert and Ernie, were the only muppets created by Jim Henson to appear in the pilot episode of "Sesame Street." Ernie was originally performed by Henson and his affectionate song about his squeaky toy duck, "Rubber Duckie," became a modest hit, reaching No. 16 on the Billboard chart.

Here are some other famous faces that have appeared on "Sesame Street." TM and © 2009 Sesame Workshop. All Rights Reserved. Sesame Street 40th Anniversary Season 1 cast The original 1969 cast of "Sesame Street" would soon become household names. They included Gordon, Susan, Mr. Hooper and Bob, played by Bob McGrath, who remains a member of the cast today. Other familiar faces include Bert, Ernie and Big Bird. TM and © 2009 Sesame Workshop. All Rights Reserved. Sesame Street 40th Anniversary Diane Saywer Diane Sawyer appeared on a 2003 episode of "Sesame Street" and sang "It All Adds Up," accompanied by Elmo the muppet at first -- and eventually joined by a whole cast of muppets. TM and © 2009 Sesame Workshop. All Rights Reserved. Sesame Street 40th Anniversary Barbara Walters Barbara Walters appeared in "The Sesame Street Special," a.k.a. "Put Down the Duckie," in 1988. TM and © 2009 Sesame Workshop. All Rights Reserved.

Sesame Street 40th Anniversary Mad Men Season 40 of "Sesame Street" featured a parody of the AMC program "Mad Men," a period drama about the world of advertising on New York City's Madison Ave. in the 1950s. TM and © 2009 Sesame Workshop. All Rights Reserved. Photo Credit: Richard Termine, 2009 Sesame Street 40th Anniversary orginal oscar A bit of trivia for "Sesame Street" fans: the original Oscar the Grouch was not green. As seen in this photo from the first season, Oscar was gold. TM and © 2009 Sesame Workshop. All Rights Reserved. Sesame Street 40th Anniversary oscar Oscar the Grouch, in all his natty green glory. TM and © 2009 Sesame Workshop. All Rights Reserved. Photo Credit: Richard Termine Sesame Street 40th Anniversary Adam Sandler Comedian Adam Sandler shared a big cookie with Cookie Monster when he guest-starred last season. TM and © 2009 Sesame Workshop. All Rights Reserved.

Photo Credit: Richard Termine Sesame Street 40th Anniversary Julia Roberts Before she even had children, actress Julia Roberts was a fan of the show. In 1990, she made an appearance with Elmo. TM and © 2009 Sesame Workshop. All Rights Reserved. Sesame Street 40th Anniversary Stevie Wonder Musician Stevie Wonder hung out with muppet Grover in an episode from the early 1970s. Wonder performed his hit "Superstition." TM and © 2009 Sesame Workshop. All Rights Reserved. Sesame Street 40th Anniversary Sarah Jessica Parker In a "Sesame Street" episode called "Waiting for Something Big," a parody of "Sex and the City," Sarah Jessica Parker patiently waits for her friend Big Bird. TM and © 2009 Sesame Workshop. All Rights Reserved. Photo Credit: Richard Termine, 2009 Sesame Street 40th Anniversary Michelle Obama First lady Michelle Obama plants a garden with Big Bird, Elmo and some kids. Obama participated in the filming of the 40th anniversary episode of the popular children's show.

TM and © 2009 Sesame Workshop. All Rights Reserved. Photo Credit: Richard Termine, 2009 Sesame Street 40th Anniversary palestine A sign for the Palestinian version of the show says "Shariah Simsim" -- "Sesame Street" in Arabic. Atop the sign are the numbers 1,2 and 3. TM and © 2009 Sesame Workshop. All Rights Reserved. Sesame Street 40th Anniversary Abby Cadabby, Zoe and Rosita Abby Cadabby, Zoe and Rosita sing about the number seven as part of Sesame Street's 40th season. TM and © 2009 Sesame Workshop. All Rights Reserved. Photo Credit: RIchard Termine Sesame Street 40th Anniversary Season 1 cast The cast of the 40th season of "Sesame Street." In the background is Hooper's Store. TM and © 2009 Sesame Workshop. All Rights Reserved.

Photo Credit: Richard Termine, 2009 Sesame Street 40th Anniversary google On the 40th anniversary of the children's program "Sesame Street," Big Bird's legs graced Google's home page. google.com Sesame Street 40th Anniversary Cookie Monster Google Ahead of the Nov. 10 premiere of the 40th season of "Sesame Street," Google.com Thursday featured Cookie Monster in the "Google Doodle," the icon on the site's home page. google.com Sesame Street 40th Anniversary Robin Roberts Diane Sawyer GMA's Robin Roberts and Diane Sawyer, along with some special little friends, congratulate the cast of Sesame Street on the show's 40th anniversary. Hanging out with Robin and Diane are Zoe, Grover, Abby Cadabby and their human pal Gordon.

Steve Fenn/ABC 'Sesame Street' Through Its 43 Years Photos - ABC News ABC News 'Sesame Street' Through Its 43 Years + − Sesame Street Becomes Part of 2012 Elections A woman wearing a costume of "Sesame Street" character Big Bird holds a sign in support of public broadcasting during the "Million Puppet March" in Washington Nov. 3, 2012. Nicholas Kamm/AFP/Getty Images Sesame Street Becomes Part of 2012 Elections A woman wearing a costume of "Sesame Street" character Big Bird holds a sign in support of public broadcasting during the "Million Puppet March" in Washington Nov. 3, 2012. Nicholas Kamm/AFP/Getty Images Sesame Street Becomes Part of 2012 Elections Members of the Iowa Citizens for Community Improvement Action Fund dressed in "Sesame Street" costumes hold a protest next to supporters of Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney outside a campaign stop for Romney in Van Meter, Iowa, Oct. 22, 2012. Charlie Neibergall/AP Photo Muppet Mania!

'Sesame Street' Takes Over 'GMA' Kevin Clash, the master puppeteer behind the lovable and popular "Sesame Street" character Elmo, holds a picture of the original character sketch. The only description written on the "First Sketch for ELMO" drawing was that the little monster be "short, red." "Elmo used to be much wider," Clash said. ABC News Muppet Mania! 42 Years of 'Sesame Street' The "Sesame Street" muppets took over the "Good Morning America" Times Square studio Sept. 20, 2011. Grover, Elmo and Rosita hopped into the anchor chair alongside Robin Roberts and Josh Elliott at 8 a.m. when George Stephanopoulos had to leave on an assignment. Lou Rocco/ABC Muppet Mania! 42 Years of 'Sesame Street' Rosita got to work behind the scenes in our Times Square studio. Lou Rocco/ABC Muppet Mania! 42 Years of 'Sesame Street' Elmo joined the anchors on the couch. The "Sesame Street" gang visited "GMA" to celebrate the start of their 42nd season.

Lou Rocco/ABC Muppet Mania! 42 Years of 'Sesame Street' Elmo snuggled up to Robin Roberts and gave our anchor a kiss. Lou Rocco/ABC Muppet Mania! 42 Years of 'Sesame Street' Oscar the Grouch interrupted Sam Champion's weather forecast. Lou Rocco/ABC Muppet Mania! 42 Years of 'Sesame Street' Cookie Monster joined "Chew" co-host Clinton Kelly and "GMA's" Lara Spencer in the kitchen to whip up some delicious fall desserts. Lou Rocco/ABC Muppet Mania! 42 Years of 'Sesame Street' Lara Spencer shares a sweet treat with Cookie Monster. Lou Rocco/ABC Sesame Street 40th Anniversary Bert and Ernie Two of television's most famous roommates, Bert and Ernie, were the only muppets created by Jim Henson to appear in the pilot episode of "Sesame Street." Ernie was originally performed by Henson and his affectionate song about his squeaky toy duck, "Rubber Duckie," became a modest hit, reaching No. 16 on the Billboard chart.

Here are some other famous faces that have appeared on "Sesame Street." TM and © 2009 Sesame Workshop. All Rights Reserved. Sesame Street 40th Anniversary Season 1 cast The original 1969 cast of "Sesame Street" would soon become household names. They included Gordon, Susan, Mr. Hooper and Bob, played by Bob McGrath, who remains a member of the cast today. Other familiar faces include Bert, Ernie and Big Bird. TM and © 2009 Sesame Workshop. All Rights Reserved. Sesame Street 40th Anniversary Diane Saywer Diane Sawyer appeared on a 2003 episode of "Sesame Street" and sang "It All Adds Up," accompanied by Elmo the muppet at first -- and eventually joined by a whole cast of muppets. TM and © 2009 Sesame Workshop. All Rights Reserved. Sesame Street 40th Anniversary Barbara Walters Barbara Walters appeared in "The Sesame Street Special," a.k.a. "Put Down the Duckie," in 1988. TM and © 2009 Sesame Workshop. All Rights Reserved.

Sesame Street 40th Anniversary Mad Men Season 40 of "Sesame Street" featured a parody of the AMC program "Mad Men," a period drama about the world of advertising on New York City's Madison Ave. in the 1950s. TM and © 2009 Sesame Workshop. All Rights Reserved. Photo Credit: Richard Termine, 2009 Sesame Street 40th Anniversary orginal oscar A bit of trivia for "Sesame Street" fans: the original Oscar the Grouch was not green. As seen in this photo from the first season, Oscar was gold. TM and © 2009 Sesame Workshop. All Rights Reserved. Sesame Street 40th Anniversary oscar Oscar the Grouch, in all his natty green glory. TM and © 2009 Sesame Workshop. All Rights Reserved. Photo Credit: Richard Termine Sesame Street 40th Anniversary Adam Sandler Comedian Adam Sandler shared a big cookie with Cookie Monster when he guest-starred last season. TM and © 2009 Sesame Workshop. All Rights Reserved.

Photo Credit: Richard Termine Sesame Street 40th Anniversary Julia Roberts Before she even had children, actress Julia Roberts was a fan of the show. In 1990, she made an appearance with Elmo. TM and © 2009 Sesame Workshop. All Rights Reserved. Sesame Street 40th Anniversary Stevie Wonder Musician Stevie Wonder hung out with muppet Grover in an episode from the early 1970s. Wonder performed his hit "Superstition." TM and © 2009 Sesame Workshop. All Rights Reserved. Sesame Street 40th Anniversary Sarah Jessica Parker In a "Sesame Street" episode called "Waiting for Something Big," a parody of "Sex and the City," Sarah Jessica Parker patiently waits for her friend Big Bird. TM and © 2009 Sesame Workshop. All Rights Reserved. Photo Credit: Richard Termine, 2009 Sesame Street 40th Anniversary Michelle Obama First lady Michelle Obama plants a garden with Big Bird, Elmo and some kids. Obama participated in the filming of the 40th anniversary episode of the popular children's show.

TM and © 2009 Sesame Workshop. All Rights Reserved. Photo Credit: Richard Termine, 2009 Sesame Street 40th Anniversary palestine A sign for the Palestinian version of the show says "Shariah Simsim" -- "Sesame Street" in Arabic. Atop the sign are the numbers 1,2 and 3. TM and © 2009 Sesame Workshop. All Rights Reserved. Sesame Street 40th Anniversary Abby Cadabby, Zoe and Rosita Abby Cadabby, Zoe and Rosita sing about the number seven as part of Sesame Street's 40th season. TM and © 2009 Sesame Workshop. All Rights Reserved. Photo Credit: RIchard Termine Sesame Street 40th Anniversary Season 1 cast The cast of the 40th season of "Sesame Street." In the background is Hooper's Store. TM and © 2009 Sesame Workshop. All Rights Reserved.

Photo Credit: Richard Termine, 2009 Sesame Street 40th Anniversary google On the 40th anniversary of the children's program "Sesame Street," Big Bird's legs graced Google's home page. google.com Sesame Street 40th Anniversary Cookie Monster Google Ahead of the Nov. 10 premiere of the 40th season of "Sesame Street," Google.com Thursday featured Cookie Monster in the "Google Doodle," the icon on the site's home page. google.com Sesame Street 40th Anniversary Robin Roberts Diane Sawyer GMA's Robin Roberts and Diane Sawyer, along with some special little friends, congratulate the cast of Sesame Street on the show's 40th anniversary. Hanging out with Robin and Diane are Zoe, Grover, Abby Cadabby and their human pal Gordon. Steve Fenn/ABC Sesame Street (Series) - TV Tropes Sesame Street You need to login to do this. Get Known if you don't have an account Share Timeline "Can you tell me how to get, how to get to Sesame Street?" — Opening themenote The official location is in Manhattan, New York City .

It is unclear where in Manhattan the street is, though. Joan Ganz Cooney of the Children's Television Workshop (now Sesame Workshop) created this hour-long PBS series in 1969. Initially, it was created as a means of preparing young inner-city children for kindergarten. Instead, it got to everybody and became one of the all-time great educational shows. The show teaches literacy, counting, simple logicnote "Which key fits" and the What Happens Next machine (see below) demonstrate tools of logic and reasoning such as trial and error, process of elimination, and cause and effect, and social skills through a kaleidoscopic mix of puppetry, animation, and short films. In a radical departure for the time, it was designed to deliberately mimic the fast pace and style of TV advertising in order to "sell" learning to kids: An Aesop -friendly story featuring the recurring characters on the Street would be intercut with rapid-fire "commercials" for that day's "sponsors" ("Sesame Street has been brought to you today by the letters A and S, and the number 7...").

The show was—and still is—also revolutionary in having an elite squad of educators and child psychologists pore over every single aspect of every segment in the whole show. Sesame Street has been called a living laboratory, and the show has been constantly tweaked to introduce new curriculum and improve its educational value. The show was completely Retooled in 2002 to respond to new child development research. As per The Other Wiki : Sesame Street underwent an obvious, dramatic makeover... The new format emphasized rituals and repetition, featured brighter, more cartoon-colorful real-life characters and sets, and more exaggerated, simplistic mannerisms in addressing the screen and seeking viewer interaction. Regular segments...are almost identical from one episode to the next, with only minor story details changing between shows. The set has expanded and contracted over the years but in classic form is a typical New York cul-de-sac, with a brownstone apartment block, a convenience store, a boarded-off vacant lot, and a big open area at one end used as a playground. This urban setting, multiracial human cast (plus guest stars, including Jesse Jackson and Bill Cosby ) and multicolored Muppets added to the hip, inclusive feel.

Although aimed at preschool children, Sesame Street deliberately includes enough mainstream pop culture references to entertain older children and parents as well, the better to encourage family involvement in the learning process. A cameo appearance on the Street quickly became celebrity chic , showcasing such diverse stars as Stevie Wonder , R.E.M. , Madeline Kahn, the Star Wars droids, Paul Simon , Mel Gibson and Patrick Stewart . All of this has had the side benefit of the show developing a very strong adult fanbase over the decades, as the original audiences have grown up and introduced the show to their children. On November 11, 2009, Sesame Street celebrated its 40th anniversary, making it the longest-running and most successful children's show in American TV history. For the sake of education, we hope it stays around for at least 50 more.

The human cast has varied over the years, but for many years the core remained relatively stable: black married couple Susan and Gordon (and later their adopted son Miles), who work as a nurse and a junior-high science teacher, respectively; Puerto Rican college student Maria; black student and store clerk David (until 1989); white freelance musician Bob; his deaf librarian girlfriend Linda (until 2003); Hispanic "Fix-It Shop" owner Luis, who later married Maria, and they have a daughter, Gabriella. These characters have gradually been phased out of the show, and currently the main humans on the show, as of 2016, are Nina, Alan and Chris. When Will Lee—who played crotchety storekeeper with a heart of gold Mr. Hooper—died mid-season in 1983, the show tackled the character's death head-on , with honesty, dignity and respect, in what is still considered a milestone of children's programming. His store's ownership has changed hands a number of times—Mr. Hooper left the store to his assistant David, who sold it to black retired firefighter Mr.

Handford following his own departure, who handed over ownership to Japanese-American Alan in 1998—but the store retains Mr. Hooper's name to this day. Various specialized Muppets , created and performed by Jim Henson and his crew, star alongside the humans. The Sesame Muppet characters were initially intended as parts of the "commercial" shorts that would only air on occasion, but they became such a hit that the show was tweaked very early in the season to include them into the core structure. They were developed separately from the rest of the Henson stable and are now the property of Sesame Workshop; with the exception of Kermit the Frog, they only very rarely cross over into the Muppet Show universe. note The Sesame Muppets were originally owned by the Henson Company and licensed to CTW/Sesame Workshop, with Henson and CTW splitting merchandise revenue equally. Sesame Workshop bought the characters in 2001. Disney 's acquisition of the Muppet Show characters in 2004 means even Kermit can't be used in new Sesame Street footage without permission; since then he has made only a single cameo outside of the archives, in a 2009 episode.

(Though, interestingly, the film Muppets Most Wanted shows a brief clip of "Sesame Street Kermit" in a montage.} Starting in 2016, due to PBS having trouble paying the show's licensing fee , the show will air first on HBO , whose deep pockets even allow increasing the episode count to 35 per season, before airing on PBS a few months later. Additionally, as of September 2015, the show no longer airs on the former PBS Kids Sprout (now merely Sprout ) due to their contract with PBS Kids expiring at that time. Another noteworthy fact is that Sesame Street is being broadcast in more than 100 countries in the world. Some of these countries have their own localized adaptations. These localized adaptations usually create entire new scenes with their own human characters, along with dubbed scenes originating from the American version, which feature only Muppet characters. Notable adaptations are the German and Dutch versions, which both ran uninterrupted from 1973 and 1976 to this day respectively. Please also see the pages for Being Elmo: A Puppeteer's Journey and I Am Big Bird .

Memorable Muppets include: Kermit the Frog, seen most often in the guise of a trenchcoat-sporting roving reporter, whose "fast-breaking exclusives" on fairy tales and other Street developments tended to run into the same problems as Wally Ballou's ; Sweetly naive Big Bird, developmentally age six but physically eight-foot-two, who makes his nest in the vacant lot and is "parented" by the human characters; Giant...Hawaiian woolly-mammoth-type-thing...Mr. Snuffleupagus, Big Bird's not-so-imaginary friend, originally always just out of visual range of the grownups but eventually revealed a decade or so in, out of fears that he was teaching kids they wouldn't be believed if they had something important to tell; Odd Couple roommates Bert and Ernie, the former a seriously uptight fan of pigeons and oatmeal and the latter an imaginative dreamer and prankster; Green and flamboyantly grumpy trash-can resident Oscar the Grouch, designed as a way to gently mock bad attitudes —not, as is sometimes claimed, as a cute'n'fuzzy homeless person; Cookie Monster, the googly-eyed personification of appetite ("Me want COOKIE!!

OMNOMNOMNOM!!!") much to the consternation of whoever was currently trying to teach him Valuable Lessons (counting, sharing etc.) using a plateful; Prairie Dawn, a pretty, prim, sometimes bossy little overachiever, who gets a lot more facetime lately thanks to being one of very few major female Muppets in the cast; Count von Count, a vampire ( or possibly not, depending on who you ask ) who pursues his numerical fetish to the point where his victims would probably be thrilled with requests for their blood instead ("One! One irritated person! Two! Two irritated people! AH AH AH AH AH!

"); "Lovable, furry old Grover", a blue monster whose endless enthusiasm and good intentions repeatedly run up against a less-than-impressed universe (especially when he puts on a cape and helmet and, er, "flies" as Super-Grover); Various other fuzzy monsters, notably Telly, a neurotic worrywart with a strange enthusiasm for triangles; Herry, an athlete who Does Not Know His Own Strength ; the gibberish-talking Two-Headed Monster who sounded out words, and Zoe, a ballet-dancing preschooler added in later years; Abby Cadabby, a pink-and-purple "fairy-in-training" who—despite having a cell phone for a wand—is perpetually wowed by basic learning concepts in the human world ("That's so magical!"); Elmo, a cutesy-voiced red monster with a "psychological age" of three and a half and a distinctive habit of referring to himself in the third person ("Elmo not sure this good idea..."). A later addition to the cast who became Urkel -level ubiquitous after the spinoff "Tickle Me Elmo" toy proved a mega-hit for Christmas 1996.

(As a public television broadcast in a country whose government does not fully fund public broadcasting, the show is heavily dependent on merchandising revenues, so...) He was eventually given his own regular 15-minute segment, Elmo's World , soon spun off into a series in its own right outside the US. Whether all this is a good thing or not is the subject of much adult skepticism—to put it kindly—especially among fans of the show's earlier years. Christmas Eve on Sesame Street (1978) A Special Sesame Street Christmas (1978) Big Bird In China (1983) Don't Eat the Pictures (1983) Big Bird In Japan (1989) Big Bird's Birthday or Let Me Eat Cake (1991) ‘Sesame Street’ Elmo Puppeteer Kevin Clash On Leave Amid Underage Sex Allegations | Deadline ‘Sesame Street’ Elmo Puppeteer Kevin Clash On Leave Amid Underage Sex Allegations Sesame Street Sesame Street ‘s signature character Elmo will probably soon sound a little different.

Kevin Clash , the puppeteer who has performed as the beloved red monster for the past 27 years, has been put on leave by Sesame Street producer Sesame Workshop over allegations he had a sexual relationship with a teen boy. The move comes on the heels of Sesame Street becoming a symbol of the campaign to defund PBS following Mitt Romney’s Big Bird comments during the first Presidential debate. In a statement released this morning , Sesame Workshop said it was approached by a 23-year-old man in June who alleged that he had had a relationship beginning when he was 16 years old with Kevin Clash . The company met with the accuser twice and met with Clash, who denied the accusation. “We also conducted a thorough investigation and found the allegation of underage conduct to be unsubstantiated,” the company said. Sesame Workshop said that it has granted Clash a leave of absence to “protect his reputation” against what Clash describes as “false and defamatory” accusations. Clash is only the fourth puppeteer to play Elmo and the one most closely identified with the character having performed him for almost three decades, far longer than anyone else.

“Elmo is bigger than any one person and will continue to be an integral part of Sesame Street to engage, educate and inspire children around the world, as it has for 40 years,” Sesame Workshop said. Sesame Street | News Corpse Sesame Street Fox News Freak Out: Sesame Street Introduces Afghan Girl Muppet Posted by Mark NC on April 9, 2016 at 12:52 pm. 6 Comments : This week the venerable PBS children’s program, Sesame Street, made a historic addition to its cast of lovable characters. For the first time in its decades long run an Afghan girl will join the Muppets for its broadcast in the Afghanistan version of the show. Zari is six years old and is excited about the opportunities she will have to learn and make new friends. But not everyone feels the same way. The news of Zari’s debut has produced the all too predictable rash of bigotry that we’ve all come to expect from the conservative hate mongers who believe that all Muslims are terrorists. Apparently this also applies to cloth puppets of children on educational TV.

What they are afraid of was announced by the producers in this press release and video: “Sesame Workshop unveiled today its first Afghan Muppet, Zari, a curious and eager six year-old girl, who will make her debut in season five of Baghch-e-Simsim—the local co-production of Sesame Street. Zari, whose name means “shimmering,” will be featured in new, locally produced segments that focus on curriculum topics like girls’ empowerment, national identity, physical health, and social and emotional well being.” Sounds terrifying, doesn’t it? What’s more, Sherrie Westin, Executive VP of Sesame Workshop, told reporters that Zari “is modeling for young girls that it is wonderful to go to school and that it’s OK to dream about having a career.” In a country where girls are often discouraged, or even forbidden, to attend school, this should be welcomed as progress toward a more inclusive society. It’s an example of American media having a positive influence on some of the more oppressive cultural aspects of other countries. Unfortunately, the hatred that infects the right-wing in this country is at least as oppressive as the Taliban.

A few of the headlines generated by conservative media include knee-jerk condemnations like “Sesame Street Uses New Muslim Muppet, Zari, To Indoctrinate Kids,” “Sesame Street Goes Halal, Incorporates Sharia Law & Islam Into New Episodes,” and “Sesame Street Afghanistan Gets New Female Muslim Puppet: ‘Asalaam Alaaikum'” Of course, much what they allege is simply untrue. Zari is identified as Afghan, not Muslim. And there is no indication that religion or Sharia Law will play any part in the character’s role on the program. Some of the more heated criticisms of Zari are centered on what the wingnuts regard as hypocrisy for having a girl represented on the program despite the sexism that exists in that part of the world. This is an utterly absurd argument. First of all, if they were really worried about the place of women in Afghan society they should be thrilled that a TV show is working to improve the situation by advocating for more education and opportunity for girls and women. Secondly, it’s the wingnuts who are the hypocrites. They are as dismissive of women as many of the Muslims they castigate.

Take a look at the type and tone of complaints they level at American women in politics, including Hillary Clinton. For the record, a ranking of the proportion of legislative seats held by women in 213 countries puts Afghanistan at 49. The United States is 94th – below Kenya (93), Saudi Arabia (92), and Pakistan (83), to name a few. Nevertheless, the rightist bigots are flying off the rails with vile insults directed at a make-believe character in the form of an adorable puppet. They make insinuations about her being fitted with a suicide vest or preparing to engage in a jihad. This sort of xenophobic zealotry was particularly notable at the home of brain-dead bias, Fox Nation. As usual, the commenters there spoke for the community of American bigots with their customary flare for blind hatred (see The Collected Hate Speech Of The Fox News Community ). How Fox News Deceives and Controls Their Flock: Debate Wrap-Up: Obama Limps, Romney Lies Posted by Mark NC on October 4, 2012 at 10:56 am.

6 Comments : The first debate of the 2012 election is history and the way the press covers it will tell us a lot about whether they are more interested in style or substance. In a couple of snap polls last night, Romney came out on top with a big 2-to-1 advantage. It’s important to note however, that these polls only surveyed people watching the debate, not the electorate at large. Most Americans were not watching the debate and will develop their opinions from the media coverage. In 2008 about 52 million people watched the Obama/McCain debate, but more than 133 million people voted that year. Even so, in CNN’s poll a plurality (47%) of those surveyed said that the debate would not change how they planned to vote. Of the remaining respondents 35% were swayed to Romney and 18% to Obama. What is most significant is the difference between the candidates in terms of substance. While Obama missed several opportunities to raise pivotal issues like unions, women’s rights, Bain Capital, tax returns, or immigration, he was cogent and factual.

Romney, on the other hand, avoided any specifics (as he has done throughout the campaign) and left a trail of lies . For instance: his insistence that his tax plan would not result in a $5 trillion dollar deficit; his claim that his health plan would not raise costs for seniors or affect anyone over 55 years old; his denial that his Medicare plan was a voucher program; his assertion that he would not reduce the taxes on the rich; and many more. HIGHLIGHTS Most Hypocritical Moment: Is this the same media that is “in the tank” for Obama? Most Delusional Moment: Mitt Romney asserting that he was a bipartisan governor in Massachusetts. That is not how Democrats recall it. He was considered to be aloof and dismissive. He couldn’t remember the names of legislators much of the time. And he reserved one of the elevators in the state house for his exclusive use. I guess he didn’t even want to ride up to his office with those peons. Saddest Moment: When Romney reiterated his determination to kill Big Bird by defunding public television. This is something he has said repeatedly, despite the fact that it would only reduce the deficit by a tiny fraction.

I analyzed this last May in a column where I wrote that… “Despite his denials, killing off Big Bird is precisely what his plan would accomplish. There is a reason that commercial TV does not produce the sort of programming seen on PBS. For-profit networks have to cater to advertisers in order to stay in business. By necessity they are more concerned with generating profit than with quality programming.” That was followed with a glimpse of the programming on cable networks that were supposed to compete with PBS. It is “a jumble of insipid reality programs that repeat ad nauseum.” Truly embarrassing fare like Top Chef, Toddlers & Tiaras, and Real Housewives. Not exactly educational TV. Obama’s Best Moment: “I think the American people have to ask themselves is the reason that Governor Romney is keeping all these plans to replace secret because they’re too good?” What occurs in the press for next few days will have a bigger impact on the election than the actual debate. Since most voters did not watch the debate, their impressions of the encounter will come from the media analysis. Will the media focus on style, where Obama seemed to be less aggressive and engaged? Or will they focus on substance, where Romney loaded his performance with falsehoods and contradictions?

Time will tell. Share this: Mitt Romney Still Trying To Kill Big Bird And PBS Posted by Mark NC on May 24, 2012 at 1:15 pm. NO Comments : In Mitt Romney’s recent interview with Time’s Mark Halperin , he reprised his attack on one of his favorite targets: PBS. Romney listed public television as one of the first cuts that would come during a Romney administration. In his remarks he even managed to insinuate a commie angle to continued support for the network of Sesame Street. “I like PBS. I’d like my grandkids to be able to watch PBS. But I’m not willing to borrow money from China, and make my kids have to pay the interest on that, and my grandkids, over generations, as opposed to saying to PBS, look, you’re going to have to raise more money from charitable contributions or from advertising.” What Romney didn’t say is how that cut would impact the federal deficit. The Corporation for Public Broadcasting is the agency that receives congressional funding for a variety of projects of which PBS is just a part. The entire allocation to the CPB represents about 0.00014 percent of the federal budget.

That’s not going to make much a dent in the deficit. But it will have a severe impact on public broadcasting. This is not the first time that Romney has taken swipes at PBS. Last year he said that he would stop all subsidies to PBS. Here is how I responded at the time: When Romney says that he wants to “stop certain programs…even some you like,” he is referring to programs that are of significant value to average Americans, but that he can live without because his quarter of a billion dollar net worth enables him to acquire whatever he wants. Romney demonstrates how pitifully out of touch he is by proposing to eliminate funding for PBS, a network that provides educational programming that is not available anywhere else, certainly not in commercial television. He is explicit in what he plans to do: “We subsidize PBS. Look, I’m gonna stop that. I’m gonna say that PBS is gonna have to have advertisements. We’re not gonna kill Big Bird, but Big Bird’s gonna have advertisements.” Despite his denials, killing off Big Bird is precisely what his plan would accomplish. There is a reason that commercial TV does not produce the sort of programming seen on PBS.

For-profit networks have to cater to advertisers in order to stay in business. By necessity they are more concerned with generating profit than with quality programming. Take a look at tonight’s primetime schedules of the cable nets that were supposed to compete with public television: Bravo: 8:00pm Top Chef: Texas; 9:00pm Top Chef: Texas; 10:00pm Top Chef: Texas Discovery: 8:00pm Sons of Guns; 9:00pm Sons of Guns; 10:00pm Moonshiners Learning Channel: 8:00pm Toddlers & Tiaras; 9:00pm Cheapskates; 10:00pm Toddlers & Tiaras That’s not exactly entertainment designed to enrich America’s children. It’s a jumble of insipid reality programs that repeat ad nauseum. It’s Real Housewives, Swamp Loggers, Hoarders, and info-mercials. If Big Bird were required to rely on advertisers for funding it would not be long before Sesame Street was just another avenue on the Jersey Shore. That’s the free market model for public broadcasting that Romney and the right advocate.

It’s a model that would replace Bert and Ernie with Kim and Chloe. Is that really the example we want to set for our kids? And is that really the kind of leadership we want for America? Share this: Mitt Romney Takes Pot Shots At Big Bird And PBS Posted by Mark NC on December 28, 2011 at 3:13 pm. 4 Comments : One of the right’s perennial targets has been public television and programs that benefit the arts. They have relentlessly criticized these institutions and sought to deny them federal funding. They have even accused them of being socialist vehicles intent on indoctrinating America’s young . Now Mitt Romney joins the battle with a pledge to stop funding PBS and the National Endowment for the Arts (video below). When Romney says that he wants to “stop certain programs…even some you like,” he is referring to programs that are of significant value to average Americans, but that he can live without because his quarter of a billion dollar net worth enables him to acquire whatever he wants. Romney demonstrates how pitifully out of touch he is by proposing to eliminate funding for PBS, a network that provides educational programming that is not available anywhere else, certainly not in commercial television.

He is explicit in what he plans to do: “We subsidize PBS. Look, I’m gonna stop that. I’m gonna say that PBS is gonna have to have advertisements. We’re not gonna kill Big Bird, but Big Bird’s gonna have advertisements.” Despite his denials, killing off Big Bird is precisely what his plan would accomplish. There is a reason that commercial TV does not produce the sort of programming seen on PBS. For-profit networks have to cater to advertisers in order to stay in business. By necessity they are more concerned with generating profit than with quality programming.

Take a look at tonight’s primetime schedules of the cable nets that were supposed to compete with public television: Bravo: 8:00pm Top Chef: Texas; 9:00pm Top Chef: Texas; 10:00pm Top Chef: Texas Discovery: 8:00pm Sons of Guns; 9:00pm Sons of Guns; 10:00pm Moonshiners Learning Channel: 8:00pm Toddlers & Tiaras; 9:00pm Cheapskates; 10:00pm Toddlers & Tiaras That’s not exactly entertainment designed to enrich America’s children. It’s a jumble of insipid reality programs that repeat ad nauseum. It’s Real Housewives, Swamp Loggers, Hoarders, and info-mercials. If Big Bird were required to rely on advertisers for funding it would not be long before Sesame Street was just another avenue on the Jersey Shore. That’s the free market model for public broadcasting that Romney and the right advocate. It’s a model that would replace Bert and Ernie with Kim and Chloe. Is that really the example we want to set for our kids?

Share this: Fired Big Bird / Mitt Romney Hates Big Bird | Know Your Meme Fired Big Bird / Mitt Romney Hates Big Bird Updated Aug 11, 2015 at 02:27AM EDT by Brad . Added Oct 03, 2012 at 11:08PM EDT by FirinMaLazah . Like us on Facebook! PROTIP: Press 'i' to view the image gallery, 'v' to view the video gallery, or 'r' to view a random entry. This submission is currently being researched & evaluated! You can help confirm this entry by contributing facts, media, and other evidence of notability and mutation. Status 2012 Presidential Debate Tags Meme Generator Overview Fired Big Bird refers to a series of online satires surrounding a budget cut proposal on the Public Broadcasting Service (PBS), which runs the children’s television series Sesame Street, introduced by Mitt Romney during the U.S. presidential debate against President Obama in early October 2012. On the Internet, the quote was quickly taken out of the original context and turned into a joke that Mitt Romney Hates Big Bird, the protagonist of Sesame Street.

Background On October 3rd, 2012, the first 2012 U.S. presidential debate between Mitt Romney and Barack Obama was held at the University of Colorado in Denver, moderated by the renowned PBS journalist Jim Lehrer. During the course of the debate, Mitt Romney remarked that he “[will] stop the subsidy to PBS” in order to reduce the national deficit despite his self-declared affection for Big Bird, a protagonist of the children’s television show Sesame Street. “I’m sorry Jim, I’m gonna stop the subsidy to PBS, I like PBS, I love Big Bird, I actually like you too, but I am not going to keep spending money on things to borrow money from China to pay for.” Notable Developments Online Reactions Minutes after Romney’s comment went on air, several Twitter accounts, including #FiredBigBird and #BigBirdRomney, were created, along with thousands of tweets criticizing Romney for his PBS budget cut proposal and the implied firing of Big Bird. By the end of the debate at 10:30 (ET), the hashtag #SaveBigBird climbed to the fourth-highest trending topic on Twitter.

Among the most notable reactions on Twitter came from American astrophysicist Neil deGrasse Tyson , who compared Mitt Romney’s PBS budget cut proposal to “deleting text files to make room on your 500GB hard drive.” Tyson’s Twitter post gained nearly 62,000 retweets and more than 12,200 favorites. Cutting PBS support (0.012% of budget) to help balance the Federal budget is like deleting text files to make room on your 500Gig hard drive — Neil deGrasse Tyson (@neiltyson) October 4, 2012 Meanwhile on Reddit and Tumblr, humorous image macros portraying Big Bird as an unemployed job seeker quickly began pouring in, as well as catchphrase slogans like “Save Big Bird,” “Don’t Mess with Big Bird” and “Mitt Romney Hates Big Bird.” Furthermore, dozens of Facebook fan pages carrying pro-PBS and anti-Romney slogans began to surface on the social networking site.

News Media Coverage Romney’s “Big Bird” remark and the online reaction were covered by virtually all mainstream news outlets in the United States, including the New York Times [5] , Washington Post [1] , Chicago Tribute [2] and Boston Globe [3] among many others. While the majority consensus in the news media and public polls pointed to Mitt Romney as the victor of the night, the “Big Bird” ultimately emerged as the most memorable moment from the debate. Official Responses On the following day, PBS released a lengthy official statement defending its values and federal subsidy of the network, while expressing disappointment at Mitt Romney’s remark during the debate: We are very disappointed that PBS became a political target in the Presidential debate last night. Governor Romney does not understand the value the American people place on public broadcasting and the outstanding return on investment the system delivers to our nation. We think it is important to set the record straight and let the facts speak for themselves.

In addition, Sesame Workshop [4] released a statement of its own to stress the program’s non-partisan stance in the election: “We do not comment on political campaigns, but we’re happy we can all agree that everyone likes Big Bird.” Barack Obama’s Campaign Ad The “Big Bird” fiasco soon spilled onto the campaign trail with President Obama drawing a reference to Romney’s remark on the Sesame Street character during a rally outside of Washington D.C. in which he was quoted as saying “[Romney] is getting tough on Big Bird. Wall Street can run wild again, but he’s bringing the hammer down on Sesame Street.” On October 9th, Barack Obama’s reelection campaign team released a new TV advertisement starring the Sesame Street character as its central figure. Produced in the typical fashion of a negative political ad, the faceless narrator attacks Mitt Romney’s preoccupation with PBS subsidies while turning a blind eye on the Wall Street. Search Interest The Colbert Report | Muppet Wiki | Fandom powered by Wikia Description March 31, 2006 In the last day of Women's History Month, Stephen introduces a segment which was to have paid tribute to women all over the world.

The video opening features images of strong women in history, including a prominent spot for Miss Piggy . April 18, 2006 Stephen presents his regular "Threat Down" where he lists the top 5 threats to America . The number one threat (as usual) is bears, mainly Winnie the Pooh . Stephen urges parents to keep their kids away from "this bear-friendly propaganda masked as entertainment." He continues his rant telling parents to "go into your children's room and remove anything with Fozzie Bear , the Berenstain Bears, Sugar Bear, Yogi and Boo-Boo, the Care Bears, the Snuggle Bear and, of course, Huggy Bear." A picture accompanies each name. April 26, 2006 While discussing his feelings on the national anthem being sung in Spanish, Stephen shares the day's installment of "The Word," which in this case is "English." Stephen says that the pro-Spanish agenda is even targeting our children. A clip from Plaza Sésamo is played, after which Stephen states "It's called Plaza Sésamo.

And I, for one, don't want to know how to get there." June 19, 2006 The Daily Show concludes with a brief check-in with Colbert at The Colbert Report. Colbert's show description paid homage to The Muppet Show , including a video clip of Sam the Eagle from episode 104 . Stewart: Welcome back to the program. Before we go we're going to check in with our good friend Stephen Colbert at The Colbert Report. Stephen? Colbert: Thanks Jon. Up next on a very special episode: space travel, sure it's possible, but for pigs ? An update on Scandinavian cuisine with our in-house chef , and then our very special guest star Harry Belafonte will lead Fozzie and the gang in a chaotic, and hilarious, version of the " Banana Boat Song "...Day-O! It's so good even Statler and Waldorf will allow themselves to smile. All that plus a final off-key trumpet note from Gonzo . Jon? Stewart: Stephen, it sounds like you have a dubious collection of guests there. Sam Eagle: (clip from The Muppet Show) With a few exceptions, the characters on this program are weird and peculiar and not to be trusted.

Stewart: That's our show, join us tomorrow at 11. Here it is, your moment of Zen. November 9, 2006 In the episode's teaser, Stephen signals the opening title sequence with "Sorry Cookie Monster , C is for Colbert. This is the Eponymous Report!" November 11, 2006 In the opening of the episode, Stephen announces his interview with PBS ' Jim Lehrer stating "the interview will be brought to you by Archer Daniels Midland, the letter R and viewers like you" (referring to the letter/number sponsors on Sesame Street and the underwriters who fund PBS programming). January 27, 2007 The Daily Show concludes with a brief check-in with Colbert at The Colbert Report. Jon attempts to embarrass Colbert by showing a clip of Stephen as the letter Z in All Star Alphabet . Colbert: Schumer is our guest next week. Smart move, Chuckie, saving the best for last. Stewart: Yes, yes, you do occasionally go last. Am I right, my friend? Colbert: What do you mean? Stewart: Well, I was browsing the kids aisle at the video store last week and...um..

(clip from All Star Alphabet is shown) Stewart: You know, Stephen, when I watched that I really believed you were alphabetically last. Colbert: Yeah, you know what Z stands for, Jon - Zrevenge! I will have my zvengeance! April 19, 2007 Colbert and guest Sean Penn partake in a "Meta-Free-Phor-All" mock game show in response to Penn's criticism of George W. Bush. In between each question, a computer seemingly randomizes the next topic as displayed on a projection screen with images shuffled by in roulette style. One of these images is Cookie Monster, remaining on screen for only a second. April 25, 2007 During the installment of "The Four Horsemen of the A-pop-calypse," Colbert attacks Albert Einstein and his theory of relativity stating that "'C' does not stand for the speed of light. 'C' is for cookie , and that's good enough for me.

If you have a problem with it, take it up with Professor Monster ," followed by a clip of Cookie Monster singing "C is for Cookie." July 17, 2007 The episode begins with Colbert's teaser of material to come later in the show. Segment subtitles shown on-screen often involve wordplay. For the forthcoming interview with ant expert Mark Moffett, the subtitle reads " The Great Moffett Caper ." July 31, 2007 Colbert continues his coverage of Hollywood's "wrist violence" in addendum to his own wrist injury the previous week. Included in a montage of clips are scenes from Harry Potter and The Empire Strikes Back amongst others which feature some form of wrist injury. After Colbert emerges from his hiding position, he urges viewers to write Congress about this travesty, if not for themselves, then at least for the children. A scene from The Muppets Take Manhattan follows, with the doctor twisting Kermit 's wrist around to test for signs of amnesia.

Colbert remarks, "Stay strong, Kermie." August 16, 2007 Colbert announces himself as the winner of the 2007 Iowa Straw Poll , but concedes that Mitt Romney was actually the "numerical winner." A Sesame Street segment with Guy Smiley appears to represent Romney January 16, 2008 Guy Smiley footage is again used, this time to illustrate Mitt Romney's victory during the Michigan Republican primary . On this occasion, a clip from a Beat the Time segment with Grover is used as Stephen states that "time is running out for the Romney campaign." January 17, 2008 Colbert closes the show saying "Goodnight, Mr. Snuffleupagus ." January 28, 2008 Guy Smiley footage appears yet again when Colbert assumes that Mormon Thomas Monson could have "killed" Gordon B. Hinkley (due to lack of a cause of death) in order to control Mitt Romney.

Colbert then claims that it would be "so easy to see Monson turn Romney into his puppet." February 11, 2008 For perhaps the last time, Guy Smiley is seen at the end of a montage celebrating Mitt Romney's campaign for President of the United States , following news that the former Massachusetts Governor would be suspending his campaign. February 26, 2008 Coverage of the Academy Awards opens with an "Oscars That Are Destroying America" graphic depicting other famous Oscars, including Oscar de la Hoya, Oscar de la Renta, and Oscar de la Grouch. March 17, 2008 Samantha Power appears as a guest for her first interview since she was dismissed from Barack Obama's presidential election campaign for calling Hillary Clinton a monster. Colbert asked her to clarify what kind of monster she meant, and suggested that there's a way to make it positive: "What about a good monster, like Cookie Monster ? [laughter and applause] And her campaign slogan -- I'm helping you out here!

-- the campaign slogan could be ' C is for Clinton: that's good enough for me'." March 31, 2008 Introducing architect Michael Reynolds: "My guest tonight builds houses out of garbage. Big deal, Oscar the Grouch has been doing that for years." April 29, 2008 John McCain's superstitions are discussed in an article published by the Washington Times, leading to a list of some lucky items the U.S. Senator carries around with him, including a feather. According to the article, during McCain's run for the presidency in 2000, he once misplaced his feather which resulted in a panic until his wife discovered the item in one of his suits. Colbert suggests that McCain only told her it was indeed his lucky feather to cover up for having been seeing another tall blonde. A picture of Big Bird is displayed alongside Cindy McCain.

May 28, 2008 Colbert opens saying, "Tonight's show was brought to you by the number 1 and the letter me." June 16, 2008 In memory of Tim Russert, footage is shown of Colbert's 2007 Meet the Press appearance in which Russert commented on the fact that Colbert changed his name's pronunciation from "Khol-bert" to "Khol-bear." Holding up a Bert doll, Russert comments, "On Sesame Street , there are two characters, Ernie and..." Colbert responds, "Bert." Russert asks, "B-E-R-T. So why aren't you Col-bert?" Looking at this footage, Colbert comments, "This supposedly objective interview show was clearly brought to you by the letter T ." July 29, 2008 Colbert covers New York's 14th Congressional District in his recurring "Better Know A District" series. Colbert comments, "The district extends across the East River into Queens, home of Kaufman Astoria Studios , where Sesame Street is filmed," at which point a picture of the cast is shown.

Stephen continues, "Due to rising property values, Oscar the Grouch now sublets his garbage can for $4,000 a month" (accompanied by a picture of a couple living in the can). September 2, 2008 In reference to Colbert's months-long challenge to his viewers to make John McCain interesting by manipulating his image against a green background, the show's teaser provides a title screen that reads " It's Not Easy Being Greenscreened ." September 25, 2008 In response to claims made by both John McCain and Barack Obama that they represent the "party of Roosevelt" ( Franklin Delano Roosevelt was a Democrat, Theodore Roosevelt a Republican), Colbert sets out to decide which was the greatest Roosevelt. After examining each man's credentials and coming up with a tie, Colbert declares his own personal favorite the winner: Roosevelt Franklin , who he describes as "Sesame Street’s borderline racist Muppet from the 1970s." As an example of his oratorical skills, a clip is played of Roosevelt Franklin leading his class in a recitation about loud and soft.

Colbert submits that the character "is the Roosevelt for our times: for he represents blue states and red states, in that he's purple." October 16, 2008 Marking the show's third anniversary, Colbert lists meeting Cookie Monster among his greatest achievements of the past year. In archival footage taken at the Smithsonian Institution from his original coverage in January, Colbert attempts to get Brent Glass to add a portrait of Colbert to the Smithsonian's collection. In footage not shown in the previous segment, standing in front of a Kermit the Frog puppet in the Smithsonian's collection, Colbert asks, "My portrait has been on television, and so has Kermit. So do you begin to see the value of having my portrait in here?" October 22, 2008 Commenting on John McCain and Sarah Palin's personification of the middle class as personalities with children's character-like names such as "Joe the Plumber," Colbert quips, "These are the people in your neighborhood. They're the people that you meet when you're walking down the street.

They're the people that you meet each day." October 30, 2008 Deciphering his own word association code to determine the outcome of the upcoming presidential election, an image of Guy Smiley is used to connect "white guy" and "smiley face." November 3, 2008 In a list of Winners and Losers throughout the 2008 presidential campaign, Colbert declares Numbers as a big winner, citing that they've been used everywhere in the media. A montage of clips follow in which candidates and news reporters use numbers to back up their facts. The last three clips are from Sesame Street, ending with the Count at the beginning of Episode 0666 . A still shot of the Two-Headed Monster follows as Colbert states, "Clearly Sesame Street had the most balanced of election coverage. Their lead anchor really gave equal time to left and right." January 15, 2009 In a retrospective of George W.

Bush's relationship with the press, after commenting on the revelation that reporter Jeff Gannon was both a planted reporter and a former gay escort, Colbert comments, "Unfortunately, some people in the Press Corps weren't puppets, they just looked like them- like Helen Thomas, long-time lover of both Statler and Waldorf . One of the freakiest three-ways imaginable." February 4, 2009 During the segment "Who's Not Honoring Me Now", Colbert complains about the second place winner of the Bocuse d'Or cooking competition, Jonas Lundgren of Sweden. Colbert then shows a clip of Lundgren, which is footage of the Swedish Chef singing his theme on The Muppet Show. "I don't even think that's Swedish," remarks Colbert. February 12, 2009 Playing word association to predict the winners of the Oscars, Colbert uses Oscar the Grouch to connect Oscar Wilde with trash cans. February 23, 2009 Oscar is again referenced in the teaser for Colbert's Academy Awards coverage.

April 28, 2009 In the segment "Who's Not Honoring Me Now?," Stephen chastises the Pulitzer Prize Committee who awarded Steve Reich for his 2007 composition "Double Sextet." After listening to a sample, Colbert says, "That is what I call head-banger music; in that it was clearly written by someone banging their head against a piano. I believe we have footage of Mr. Reich composing." A clip follows of Don Music exclaiming "I'll never get it!" as Reich's piece substitutes the sound effects from Music's head striking the keyboard. May 5, 2009 When describing Ronald Reagan's nominee Robert Bork for Supreme Court Justice in 1987, Colbert calls the vetting process history's gold standard. It included "a fiery speech by Ted Kennedy, an anti-Bork commercial narrated by Gregory Peck , and this scathing editorial..." A clip of The Swedish Chef on The Muppet Show follows with captions for Chef's dialogue as he sings his theme. "A far-right originalist has been nominated for the Supreme Court. He must be stopped. His name is Bork! Bork!

Bork!" Colbert remarks, "Poor guy never knew what Borked him." May 20, 2009 Promoting DonorsChoose.org, Colbert goes through a list of schools around the country who need various types of school supplies. Mrs. G in Texas is asking for an "Elmo Visual Presenter" to enhance their multimedia learning. Colbert: "Now, for your information, the Elmo Company has nothing to do with Elmo from Sesame Street. And just so there's no more confusion, I suggest they change their name to the Multimedia United Projection Plan for Education and Teachers, or M.U.P.P.E.T. Should clear things right up." Earlier in the show, Colbert remarks "House Speaker Nancy Pelosi is up to her Elmo -sized eyeballs in media guano over what she did or did not know about waterboarding." June 1, 2009 The return of Guy Smiley as Mitt Romney is used in a piece about Chief Justice nominee Sonia Sotomayor.

"You don't think his judgement and empathy were forged by long, hard days working at his family's mayonnaise farm?" June 29, 2009 Discussing the census, Colbert states that we have to attack counting. "Counting uses Arabic numerals, and it is a known associate of vampires." A picture of Count von Count accompanies the statement. July 1, 2009

Question: What Sesame Street character featured in anti-Romney advertising in the 2012 US election?
Answer: Big Bird