DefunctTV: The Curse of Sesame Street 

"It will only last a month or two"-Jim Henson Lasts 49 years

That Muppet's name? Michael Eisner.

Imagine if Sesame Street was actually called *HEY STUPID* today.

*drum roll* “It’s the Defunctland Show, with our permanent guest star, Michael Eisner! Yaaaaaaay!!!”

So far this series has solidified that Kevin is no longer "guy making theme park videos on RU-vid" but "Documentary Filmmaker"

How is it that no matter what Defunctland talks about, Michael Eisner somehow manages to come into the picture almost every time?

I said the softest "No" when Eisner was revealed and I think that is very telling on how much Defunctland I watch.

"It would only last a month or two", Jim said about the program that has lasted for 50 years, is still on the air and is making new episodes today.

Okay, I was not expecting Micheal Eisner to show up here. Seriously, does he just follow you everywhere? At this rate I’m convinced he’s your freak’n roommate!

"Why don't you call it "Hey, Stupid!?" Pretty accurate to how TV execs saw kids back then.

The important thing you failed to mention about the history of Sesame Street is that “the children” who couldn’t read where black and Hispanic kids in NY city. They were falling behind with reading and math and life skills. That’s why the cast was so ethnic, it was made FOR the ethnic children in New York. That’s why it got so much backlash

Good god, that Muppet pitch has to be one of the funniest things I've ever seen. Its desperation is just so *real.* Henson was really a genius.

When, oh when, will I finally complete MY transformation from abstract monster to frog?

So crazy seeing a puppet I built over 8 years ago end up in a commercial for my best friend’s RU-vid channel... performed by another one of my best friend’s. Wild world full of magic destiny. Hahaha.

"These kids can't read or write, can they?" "No." "Then let's call the show, 'Hey Stupid!'"

So Gonzo is a "Frackle?" And Frackles are the predecesors of the Fraggles? So Gonzo is an ancestor of the Fraggles?

Seriously this is a Netflix quality documentary series, we should be paying for content this good

“It will only last a month or two” ~ Jim Henson November 10, 1969 - present 4,481 episodes AND COUNTING

"Luckily, Jim would eventually convince one of the suits; a young, energetic executive at ABC: Michael Eisner." Me: _Bursts into laughter_

7:06 “-and they were roommates.” “Oh my god they were roommates.”

Today’s Defunctland episode is brought to you by the letter “M.” M for Michael Eisner.

Bu- Wh- Wha- HOW ARE WE STILL TALKING ABOUT MICHAEL EISNER?

"I was with Jimmy Dean but nobody remembers me anymore" That is really a sad line, especially since it has been said that Rowlf was more of a reflection of the real Henson than Kermit. Henson had many great successes and was by no means in the realm of "defunct"; but it is remarkable to consider what more he could have achieved had others had more open minds, and had his own creative instincts been a bit more disciplined. There is much cause for celebration, but also for some melancholy.

Rip Carroll Spinny. He was my grandmother's first cousin, I got to meet him once & have a feather straight from the costume 😊

A young suit named **It won't be Michael Eisner. It can't possibly be Michael Eisner.** Michael Eisner **It was Michael Eisner**

I look forward to the day when Kevin triumphantly declares that he found JFK's real killer: Michael Eisner.

"KERMIT, YOU'RE A GENIUS!" smooch "yuck"

"Who's that leathery muppet?" "That's not a muppet, that's Michael Eisner."

you know, as much as he succeeded, he also faced _a lot_ of rejection. it's actually really inspiring.

Michael Eisner going from maniacal villain to misunderstood hero is one of the greatest character arcs I've ever seen, and a testament to the long term storytelling potential of youtube documentaries.

The quality! The entrainment! The history! The edumacation! The Eisner! IT'S ALL HERE

honestly . . . . this whole story makes me have a whole lot more respect for the movie Happytime Murders. once you understand how badly Jim Henson wanted to break out of the kids programming thing bubble he'd been forced into, the idea of his son directing an adult oriented puppet film seems a lot more apt.

So this was actually also a part of the Micheal Eisner cinematic universe, huh.

That early Big Bird design was probably wholly acceptable to any audiences who saw it then - kind of cute, even - but knowing the famous silhouette now it looks unsettlingly like when someone sustains a head injury in a horror movie and they VFX the whole back part off

I was born in the 70's, my brother was born in the 80's and my sister was born in the 90's. All 3 of us grew up watching this incredible show.

It's crazy how the original puppeteers are like household names at this point.

Amazingly, psychologists told SS that the muppets and live actors should *not* interact! However, when SS measured children's reactions to the show, they noticed that children watched more when the live actors and muppets interacted. Thank goodness they paid attention to the kids and not the adults! (: Thanks for the video!

Wow, Micheal Eisner is like the Forrest Gump of defunctland lol.

8:27 - 9:00 An December 8th, 2019 we lost the original Bird and Grouch. R.I.P. Caroll Spinney.

"Cookie Monster with teeth isn't real, he can't hurt you" Cookie Monster with teeth:

My dad worked in the props department of Saturday night live and when they were renovating the men’s bathroom in the early 2000‘s they removed some drywall and discovered that Jim Henson had done this big doodle all over the piping and the woodwork. He must’ve done it while he was briefly on Saturday night live. It was so cool to see and now they put a plexiglass up so everybody can see it

I used to think that Jim Henson would've been rolling over in his grave over The Happytime Murders. Now I think that if he were still alive he would've helped make it.

Rolf: Kermit! You're a genius! **BIG SMOOCH** Kermit: _Yuck!_

*Wilkins:* Do you want some Wilkin's Coffee? *Wonkins:* No! I don't ne-- *Wilkins:* [snaps with the Infinity Gauntlet] *Wonkin:* _Uh, Mr. Wilkins, I don't feel so good._

"This was great news for everyone except Jim Henson." What a heartbreaking sentence to hear.

"It would probably only last a month anyway" *Goes on for 50 years*

R.I.P Caroll Spinney 1933 - 2019

I think I had a heart attack when Eisner's name popped up. I thought Kevin killed the beast after Defunctland's Season 2 finale. Why the hell is he everywhere?!

Ive never seen an advertisement done with such quality and charm, really speaks to your dedication to your work.

Honestly at some point you have to ask yourself: Am i just making a documentary about the life and business exploits of Michael Eisner?

I was in front of my TV on Day One. I had just turned two. And between Sesame Street and Electric Company I could read by the time I started kindergarten.

The Chinese subtitles on the Swedish Chef sketches are backwards too. LOL.

Statler: "You know, there's nothing like a good RU-vid video." Waldorf: "And this one proves there still isn't." Both: "Doh ho ho ho ho!" Once again, excellent work.

12:45 Who's that Pokémon? It's Michael Eisner!

Little did jim know back then that every muppet he made is still loved by people today

I dislike how anything colorful and simple looking is automatically placed in the kiddy pool and not taken seriously. I look forward to part 2 of this story.

“A charming woman had brains too” Yup, it’s the 70s alright...

I love the two old guys. They’re humor is easy to replicate, so they’re like the only old characters that never die.

RIP Caroll Spinney you will be missed P.s great video dude

"Luckily, Jim would eventually convince one of the suits. A young energetic executive at ABC named: MICHAEL EISNER" WHAT!? #Top10AnimePlotTwists

When I was studying Arabic in college, the teacher showed us episodes of the Arabic Sesame Street, called Iftah Ya Simsim, which translates to Open Sesame. Yes, Sesame Street is a global phenomenon that transcends all cultures and borders. Quite an achievement.

1st Longest Running Show: (50 Years) Sesame Street. 2nd Longest Running Show: (30 Years) The Simpsons. 3rd Longest Running Show: (20 Years) Spongebob Squarepants.

“Hello there, my name is Jim Henson and I’m a puppeteer. I’m called a puppeteer because I work with puppets.” Oh reeeaaallly??

12:49 The greatest plot twist in cinematic history.

🎶 Won’t you tell me how to get, how to get to De-funct-laaaaand? 🎶

Me: There can’t possibly be a villain in a show about theme parks. Michael Eisner:

10:58 DAMN! I've never realized that Gonzo was just a blue "Fraggle" until now!

If Eisner used Squarespace, Westcot would be a thing

Jim Henson: The Worlds' First RU-vidr. Seriously though, if he was alive and a much younger man, I could actually see him being a for real RU-vidr. Seeing the examples of his humor very much strike me as sort of a pre-youtube style. Cool beans

My dad was about 3 years old when Sesame Street aired. A childhood dream of his was to meet Big Bird, and his wish came true when we went to Sesame Place and got a picture with him.

Only true Jim Henson fans will know what the intro was referencing

Wait-the Squarespace ad was made by y’all?!? I thought it was an official commercial put out by Squarespace itself!!!! Bravo, y’all, it’s really, really high quality!!!

"Another fraggle, would later evolve with a knack for adrenaline" Me: GONZOOOOOO!!!!!!

So, I guess something like "The Happytime Murders" must've been something like a long time coming that he'll never see

Sesame Street was never shown in Denmark, since it was obviously in English and aimed at a completely different audience. Instead we got our own children shows inspired by amongst others Jim Henson's work. One of these featured 'Kaj og Andrea', a puppet frog and parrot who sometimes interacted with humans, and varied between being skits and edutainment. Big Bird was the obvious inspiration for 'Kylling', a very similar giant yellow bird, who first appeared alongside 'Bamse', a big teddybear, as side characters on a kid's show called 'Døren går op...' (translates to "The door opens" with an implied "and then"), which was pure entertainment and mostly served as lead-in and -out for various cartoons and other programs, like the various Astrid Lindgren series. These two characters became very popular amongst preschoolers, so the show evolved into 'Bamse's Billedbog' ("Bear's picture book") which despite being popular amongst the smallest kids, was a terrible and stupid show - literally everything Sesame Street set out not to be. The show became infamous amongst parents and older kids for making kids dumber, largely because they failed to speak proper Danish - thus kids learned incorrect grammar and non-existent words which severely hurt their school performance - and everything that happened on the show was dumb skits completely void of any educational value. Despite of the harsh criticism the show carried on for many more years than it deserved before it was finally dropped when it was decided they shouldn't spend money on producing entertainment for kids. These shows were all produced by the national Danish television as before 1987 it was illegal for anyone else to broadcast television in Denmark. It's worth noting that while all this went on we also had the Muppet Show and Fraggles on TV The most interesting part of this is that these Danish puppet shows were aimed at older kids - teens and pre-teens - while the people sized characters were aimed at the youngest kids, which somewhat fit with Jim Henson's idea that the muppets should target an older audience. For some reason Danish television felt kids were incapable of assimilating knowledge before they were 10, so the little kids' show was void of intelligence, while the show for older kids taught you science and explained rather complex principles.

"Named...Michael Eisner." *genuine audible gasp from me*

I think the reason the Muppets work so well is because their humor can be applied for all audiences. While it is targeted at toddlers, what adult doesn’t get a chuckle out of some of Sesame Street’s movie and TV parodies? Admit it folks, Grover in Game of Thrones was hilarious! Heck, I remember watching The Muppet Show when I was younger and laughing just as hard now. Younger viewers can enjoy the charm and chemistry of the colorful characters while mature watchers can appreciate their witty delivery for phenomenal punchlines. That, and everyone loves explosions. It’s why I thought that last ABC Muppet series didn’t work. It tried to hard to be adult and it showed in the final product. Meanwhile shows like The Muppet Show, Fraggle Rock, and especially Sesame Street are still fondly remembered today. Seriously, it’s been 50 years, how do we get to Sesame Street already!? AND WHAT’S THE NAME OF THAT SONG!?!

I always love that when there is footage of Henson talking to his cast it is never him talking to the puppeteers but to the puppets directly and the puppets responding

I got literal chills at the reveal of Michael Eisner...’s haircut

Man, do i love the mini series intro. The music. The muppets. The *Feel* . Its just so great

"A young energetic executive at ABC... named... *Michael Eisner."* _Dun dun DUUUUUUUUUUUUUN_

I saw someone call this the Micheal Eisner Cinematic Universe and that will now forever stick with me

Given how much I chuckled at the Sex and Violence title, and the statement 'which seemed to be more funny to him than anyone else', I understand I think why I admire Jim so much.

12:50 Nobody: Absolutely no one: Defunctland: *MICHAEL EISNER*

a powerful rat named Micheal entertainment Eisner

I remember seeing and loving Sex And Violence when it aired. I had just discovered Monty Python on PBS reruns, so the odd pacing, weird editing, and bizarre skits really appealed to me.

Hearing Carol Spinney 's name now was pretty sad, but hope isnt all lost

Love the cameo from Defunctland Season 2's protagonist. This is the beginning of Defunctverse

Rest In Peace Jim Henson! You will definitely be missed :(

I learned so much in this segment! Jim Henson changed the world in spite of all the rejection that he faced. Such inspiration and fortitude!

_""a grumpy, trash dwelling orange monster""_ me

"Muckin' Fuppets" / the moment you realize The Muppet Show lasted longer than John Belushi

So Micheal Eisner pretty much shaped film and television for the latter half of the 20th century.

This Series is amazing. This is hands down the single Best Jim Henson/Muppets Docuseries I've ever seen....and take that from a Fan of Jim since I was a child in 1981.

ok that square space ad in the start was actually very fucking good. I usually hate sponsor ads (I don't hate on youtubers for doing them tho, gotta chase that bag and yaknow, be able to eat), but this one was short, sweet, and completley fits the video.

Michal Eisner need to be in the credits with how much he appears. I wonder if he knows about this channel?

Sesamevania 2: Eisner's Curse Seriously, I THOUGHT WE SLEW THE BEAST

That opening sponsor ad was just about the best and most-subject-appropriate ad I've ever seen on a youtube video. Fantastic work!

Thank god the Brits found Henson and loved him, even if we apparently didn't

Wow, even Michael Eisner has his hands on the Muppets even before he ran Disney and would later buy the Muppets, except the Sesame Street properties.