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.
Art for children is something intended to bring warmth, joy, love, happiness, and in many ways those artists that can bring this are some of the greatest artists. At the same time however such stories and art that exists should on occasion just as life does offer something a bit more edgy. 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. Beyond this however many stories should as Sesame Street did and as many of the fairy tales 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.

Heffernan, Virginia (2007, Nov 18th) Sweeping the Clouds Away. New York Times retrieve on Nov 20th, 2007 from http://www.nytimes.com/2007/11/18/magazine/18wwln-medium-t.html?pagewanted=1&_r=1

About the author:
Ty Hulse is a children’s artist and psychologists who runs the web site http://www.kayart.net where you can browse new and interesting art for children, nursery decor or get custom works designed for your child’s room.

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