SESAME STREET has musical connections that run deep. Throughout the years, the songs have become timeless, and countless artists from all genres have appeared on the long-running series (which airs daily on PBS Kids). As a kid that grew up on it, I’m now a parent that’s raising my own daughters with the “knowledge of The Street.” I’ve become pretty fond of the rock connections over there, and as such I’m always on the hunt for cool merch that also brings the musical connections into play.
What prompted this entry tonight is a couple of posters that I’d run across but hadn’t seen before. Music + Sesame Street = Awesome in my opinion, so I had to highlight these here on The Rock Father, along with some other Sesame Street items that showcase the music of The Street…
SESAME STREET: MONSTERS OF ROCK 24×36 in Poster
COOKIE MONSTER on drums… ELMO rockin’ the strat… GROVER shredding on the Flying V! The concept is solid, but could use some additional band members.
This brings to mind a now-retired “Sesame Street Band” collection of figures that TARGET carried awhile back. My daughter, Addie has the whole set, which were released by Playskool around the same time that LET’S ROCK! ELMO hit the streets.
Cookie Monster on drums… Ernie on keys… Big Bird on Bass… Bert rockin’ the keytar… and Elmo on vocals.
I still think that LET’S ROCK! ELMO should’ve been a massive hit back in 2011, and I still feel kinda swindled for paying full price. I actually did the pre-order at Toys “R” Us and had him reserved months in advance for eventual Christmas gifting. I think he was about $70, plus Addie ended up getting some of the add-on accessories like the Grover Microphone and Cookie Monster Keyboard. Two years later and Elmo still gets play here at Rock Father HQ, so he was still worth it – even though you can find him cheaper these days.
Speaking of “Monsters of Rock,” Stylin’ Online actually has a Sesame Street Monsters of Rock ’87 T-Shirt for kids.
You can also get a full set of wall decals to decorate the kids’ room, complete with Oscar the Grouch (who never gets enough love) rockin’ the turntables, and little Abby Cadabby bringing the low-end with her custom purple bass.
When is the right time to start teaching your kids about the different genres of music? My wife often has to remind me that there are genres other than metal (my three-year-old throws up the horns regularly), and this handy image featuring Sesame Street characters repping their favorite musical styles could be quite the tool for teaching.
I never really thought about it until now, but Ernie really does fit the indie rocker mold – even though he’s usually depicted as more of a drummer (much to Bert’s dismay) on the show. And, is Count von Count responsible for all that Goth and Industrial music I started discovering back in high school? Probably, and I thank him for it. (get the poster here).
How about some Street-style homages to classic albums of the past? Yes, DAVID BOWIE, QUEEN, PINK FLOYD, BECK, THE BEATLES, PRODIGY, GUNS N ROSES, THE CLASH, NIRVANA, THE BEACH BOYS and more get paid tribute on the Sesame Street Classic Albums poster.
And then there’s the DVDs…
The recent SESAME STREET: SINGING WITH THE STARS (featuring Ricky Gervais, Feist, Alicia Keys, more) is a big hit in our house, and then there’s classics like ELMOPALOOZA (with The Mighty Mighty Bosstones, The Fugees, and more), ROCK & ROLL! (The Count in an Elvis jumpsuit), and KIDS’ FAVORITE COUNTY SONGS (feat Garth Brooks, The Dixie Chicks, Johnny Cash, and more).
And then there’s the classic Sesame Street albums… enough to fill a separate blog on it’s own.
What are some of your favorite Sesame Street musical moments?
