The brilliance that was the Dark Fairy Tales and Sesame Street

 
             The original “ Sesame Street ” is a dark and often gritty show, with mentally depressed homeless creatures like Oscar the Grouch, and poor people living in run down apartments. Heffernan (2007) writes that “These early ‘Sesame Street’ episodes are intended for grown-ups, and may not suit the needs of today’s preschool child.” The reasons forwarded that they would not suit the needs of today’s children is that as gritty dark shows they do not show the happiness nor the sterile environment handed to children today, so the show was changed, giving us an Oscar who is more annoyed then upset, an overly energetic and giggly Elmo, and an overall cleaner look. This has occurred many times with many stories and art intended for children, Little Red Riding Hood is saved at the last minute, all three of the three little pigs now survive, and in general the fairy tales are so happy now that one of the most feared creatures of the past the fairy is now cute and cuddly.

            Its important to understand that such fairy tales and Sesame Street sprung into being not to connect with a happy world but to connect with a sad and horrifying reality, dark and dingy ghettos where children had to talk with grouches, where people lived in run down apartments and children played in filthy streets. Just as with many of the early children’s stories the purpose was both to amuse but also to help children deal with the harsh reality of life, because no matter what we do this harsh reality exists. Our stories can ignore death but life does not, children’s dogs die, their grandparents will often die when they are still young, and sometimes their best friends can pass away. By sugar coating everything for them perhaps we are making them less able to deal with life later on. Just as many doctors now think that the rise in Asthma is due to the sterile environment where kids are exposed to fewer bacteria any number of problems could occur from the sterile emotional environment in which many children live.

            I have of course stated before that art for children, is intended to bring joy to people, that the emotions of love and happiness are the most powerful and important emotions there are.  At the same time however such stories and art that exists should on occasion just as life does offer something sadder and darker. This is because no matter how much we wish it where so not everybody can be as happy or as fulfilled as they want to be, they must be happy and must survive regardless of this however. However its important to remember at all times that life is not about being sad and most emotions are not sad, nor even if they where should such emotions be a focus especially with nursery wall art as this is the art your child will look at every day. It is true after all that we create our feelings in part with our surroundings.

            This is what was so brilliant about many of the fairy tales and about Sesame Street, because while gritty they did allow children to see joy and happiness in every situation, so that the world in which they live is not so bleak but is rather a happy place where no matter what happens people love them, and they have people to love. Where there are games and fun, success and heroics, and where there is always potential, potential to find some type of happiness and love no matter the circumstances.