Sesame Street & Manhunt: Together At Last

Season 44 of Sesame Street launched on Monday, so the ever-alluring Henry Cavill stopped by to talk with Elmo about the word “Respect” (and to teach some respect to the Big Bad Wolf).

Isn’t that charming? I mean, there’s something there for everyone; references to Aretha Franklin, small, hilarious pigs, focusing on what it really means to respect someone, Henry Cavill.

But wait, this isn’t the first time they’ve done something like this! Here’s Jude Law talking about the word “Cling” a while back:

Here’s Colin Farrell talking about the word “Investigate”:

And here’s Jon Hamm talking about “Sculpture”:

We could go on like this for a long time.

I don’t mind admitting that not only did these videos clarify the definitions of each of these words in wonderful new ways for me, but I’ve also absolutely revisited the Colin Farrell video several times if not for the weird, cuteness of seeing Colin Farrell on Sesame Street in the first place, then for the way the scene starts with him mid-anecdote with Elmo (an anecdote that is never explained in a way that is so purely absurd) and the way the excited little, hilarious penguin enters at 0:28. Plus, Sesame Street has long been a progressive cultural force in the world (despite their fairly consistent assertion that Ernie and Bert aren’t gay).

For example, here’s Bill Clinton talking with HIV positive, non-white muppet Kami about HIV and AIDS:

Seriously. Isn’t that remarkable?

And let’s not forget their genius parodies of seriously adult shows like True Blood; their version was called “True Mud”:

Their version of Downton Abbey, called “Upside Downton Abbey”:

And their sketch based on Mad Men:

It’s really impossible to adequately sum up the extent to which Sesame Street and the Muppets are brilliant, but there’s something genuinely impressive about a show aimed at pre-schoolers that, among other things, consistently features adult actors who are openly gay, have appeared in sex tapes and/or are known for playing deeply disturbed characters in shows that pre-schoolers are obviously not watching.

I mean, I ask you: Where else can you find that kind of thing? Nowhere. That’s where.

– Charley Flynn.

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