The time Big Bird made me sob at bedtime

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scizzix@reddit

That's based on the episode of Sesame Street from 1983 that aired after the death of the actor who played Mr. Hooper. I remember watching it (not sure when it first aired or later), and it was pretty powerful.

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hellocousinlarry@reddit (OP)

I think one of my earliest memories was my parents talking to me about the episode after we watched it. Sesame Street handled it so responsibly and helped a lot of kids get introduced to the idea of death in a gentle way.

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Over_Interaction_925@reddit

It certainly did so did Mr rodgers. PBS was the only thing I grew up with.

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Starbreiz@reddit

My mom recently said she felt bad letting the tv babysit me so much as a kid. I was like 'uh it was PBS, I'm fine'.

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katie_cat_eyes@reddit

That also somehow makes me feel better about raising my own kid. PBS still has some great programs (I can hear Mr Rogers say it with his accent… progrem)!

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Starbreiz@reddit

Lol isn't he amazing? I have the same accent as mister rogers, also a Pittsburgher

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anniemdi@reddit

My mom tells people she doesn't know how I turned out the way I did. It certainly wasn't my family, she says.

It was a mixture of PBS and CBC (Mr Dressup especially, but Fred Penner, too).

And a handful of real live, early childhood educators.

And in some parts, it was my family too. Even if the reality was to do everything the exact opposite they did.

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oldmamallama@reddit

This. Mr Rogers, Sesame Street, and Reading Rainbow made me the person I am today.

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Curious_Matter_3358@reddit

Not PBS,but did you listen to a record called Free to Be You and Me? Marlo Thomas created it, with songs from different celebrities.

It basically formed me. And PBS

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WereFlyingOverTrout@reddit

Yes!!! My Mom had that on vinyl and I wore that record out. Had a shitty neighbor dad who berated me for crying after one of his shitty kids was mean to me. My Mom reminded me it’s all right to cry…and maybe I shouldn’t play with those kids anymore. It was the last time I did. Great record, meaningful messages.

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Puzzleheaded_Race_90@reddit

Mr rogers is my personal hero. Like it or not, Mr rogers is peak masculinity. We should all aspire to be more like him

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MortgageRegular2509@reddit

Same here, neighbor. He and LaVar are the two men who shaped my childhood. I love them both so much

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junctiontoron@reddit

But do I have to take your word for it ?

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MortgageRegular2509@reddit

No? I guess I don’t care. I’ve got enough going on, man…

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junctiontoron@reddit

gif

Sorry it was a reference

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Puzzleheaded_Race_90@reddit

LaVar was a great one, too. I feel like we can all see the list coming, Steve Irwin, Bob Ross, to name a few. But for me, no one will ever quite match what fred rogers meant to me as a kid

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Adrasteia-One@reddit

I feel that, with the way the world is turning out, the warmth and care that those individuals all displayed in their own ways is treasured more and more. It's like we need that more than ever. I'm just glad that we got to experience it even as young kids to know what it's like.

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Puzzleheaded_Race_90@reddit

Strive to be radically kind. Rage against the system with kindness. When the world strives to cause hatred, rebel with violent kindness

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MortgageRegular2509@reddit

I might be in love…

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Cascading-Complement@reddit

Indeed. Have you read “The World According to Mister Rogers: Important Things to Remember” or “Life’s Journeys According to Mister Rogers: Things to Remember Along the Way”?

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Puzzleheaded_Race_90@reddit

grabs a pen and paper and writes those down in gonna start pretty immediately, thank you

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ResurgentClusterfuck@reddit

Mr Rogers was the good dad I wished I had

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Puzzleheaded_Race_90@reddit

I feel you. I know Mr rogers is proud of you. I am, too

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ResurgentClusterfuck@reddit

Thank you my friend, he would be proud of the positivity you bring as well

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Puzzleheaded_Race_90@reddit

I think he would ask me to reserve a little of that positivity towards myself, but thank you, friend

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SimpleVegetable5715@reddit

He was truly a good person like that too. It wasn’t an act.

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Puzzleheaded_Race_90@reddit

Agreed. I was just responding to someone else, the more I look into his life, the more I find he was just a genuinely great man

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hellocousinlarry@reddit (OP)

Have you watched the documentary about him, “Won’t You Be My Neighbor?” Mr Rogers would be the first one to help us understand that nobody is perfect, but my goodness was he close.

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Puzzleheaded_Race_90@reddit

I haven't, but I will now. I swear, (mr. rogers would probably tell me i shouldn't swear) that every time I look up more about him and his life, I only find more wonderful things about him. The goldfish thing is like the most wholesome thing I've heard in my life

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WonderingHarbinger@reddit

My relatives made fun of me for being upset, but the way I saw it was that tv people weren't supposed to die. Real-life people died all the time (by that point in my life I'd lost both my parents, three of my grandparents, and multiple cousins and neighbors), but tv people didn't die like that. That was supposed to be how that worked.

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Trixie1143@reddit

My parents let me watch the first Chucky movie.

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ialsohaveadobro@reddit

I owe so much to Sesame Street. I can't believe this cheap-ass fucked up country can spend billions on a fake war but cuts millions for a program that teaches kids. Goddamn that pisses me off. Get me out of here. Fuck!

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hellocousinlarry@reddit (OP)

Fred Rogers testified in front of Congress in 1969 to keep them from cutting funding to PBS—and they listened to him. I don’t know if there’s any way to fix the cultural morass we’re in today. People on Fox News have had the audacity to call Mr Rogers a bad influence for teaching children that they matter, saying that it made them “entitled.”

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ResurgentClusterfuck@reddit

Nowadays Ms Rachel, the spiritual successor to Fred Rogers, was attacked online for openly caring about all children.

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hellocousinlarry@reddit (OP)

Oh, you’re right that we do have someone in children’s media doing the work right now, with Ms Rachel. I thought that maybe my nephew (toddler) was too young for her content, but apparently he adores her. Children know when someone is speaking and acting in a caring and loving way. And of course she’s getting attacked for the radical statement of “don’t kill children.”

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big_ringer@reddit

That's some good parenting.

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LangdonAlg3r@reddit

I remember hearing that he had died from the evening news while my grandfather was watching it. I don’t remember the 1983 episode, but I remember learning about it when the actor died.

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ZaphodBeeblebrahx@reddit

I’ve gone back and watched that episode and it’s absolutely heartbreaking

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ebles@reddit

I watched it recently. Bob McGrath is barely holding it together during that scene.

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lookatthisface@reddit

He was such a gem too

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hellocousinlarry@reddit (OP)

My friend spent time with Bob McGrath when Bob did work with the nonprofit my friend managed. And my friend reports that Bob was as kind, thoughtful, and sincere as we all figured he was. My heart couldn’t have taken any news to the contrary!

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SimpleVegetable5715@reddit

Yeah, Mr. Hooper was the first person I remember grieving.

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Punkpallas@reddit

I know I saw it later because I was born in '83, but I do remember it. However, I feel like it didn't hit me as hard because the old episodes aren't played in order. Therefore, I didn't have the same built-up attachment to his character. It was just an explanation for why some episodes had him and some didn't.

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SweetCosmicPope@reddit

I saw it reruns much later (I was born in January of 84), and I remember being hit hard with that one.

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OutragedPineapple@reddit

Sesame Street was so important for teaching young kids empathy along with the basic reading, math, and other skills they covered.

They had so much heart and were such a big part of kids learning to be decent people. The old Sesame Street, Mr. Rogers, Magic School Bus...there are so many shows that were designed to help kids care about learning, about other people, and about themselves.

They had beautiful lessons. I wish more people had actually learned from them.

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slickswitch@reddit

Jesus Christ, Man! It’s Friday. We’ve all had a long week. Why do you need to rip my heart out of my chest like this?!

Jokes aside, our parents all had to know in advance that this episode was being aired. I remember my mom making sure I watched this episode -she even took me to a watch party to see it along with a bunch of other kids and their parents.

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hellocousinlarry@reddit (OP)

I think there must have been announcements in the paper. I’ll have to ask my parents. It seems like something that Sesame Street would do, to prepare parents to have a conversation with their kids about it, and to watch with them if they could.

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PsychologicalMud917@reddit

There were TV guides, and people would read them! If I remember correctly, they aired this episode over Thanksgiving weekend so children would be likely to have a grown up available to discuss it with.

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anniemdi@reddit

I think it was a nighttime special episode, no?

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MmmSteaky@reddit

Friday on a Friday? Check out fancy-pants bankers’ hours over heeeere!

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PetSoundsSucks@reddit

Flip and Bird are dangerously close on that last page.

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Adorable_Disaster424@reddit

Lol 😂

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TransatlanticMadame@reddit

And now me too at breakfasttime. Such a memory.

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Physical_Dentist2284@reddit

Damnit.

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VelvetSpork@reddit

I remember this moment well.

In many ways it helped me with the sudden death of my mom.

PBS hit the points people needed.

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Ok_AshyPants@reddit

Oh this made me sad. 😢

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myfrigginagates@reddit

Lucky to work on Sesame Street for a few years. Would have done it for free.

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hellocousinlarry@reddit (OP)

What an absolute dream that must have been. I learned that an editor I was working with had once worked on Sesame Street, and middle-aged me blurted out, “Did you get to meet Grover?!”

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Curious_Matter_3358@reddit

Had he??

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hellocousinlarry@reddit (OP)

Yes!!! So jealous! When I watch Sesame Street with my nephew now, I see that it’s still wonderful, but, in my opinion, it’s way too Elmo-oriented. It needs much more Grover.

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Curious_Matter_3358@reddit

THAT IS SO COOL!

I'm 57 years old, and I'M SO EXCITED!!

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oldmamallama@reddit

Even at 45 years old, it still doesn’t feel quite real to me that this is a job people can actually do. It feels like a dream. Kid me would be in awe.

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tristero200@reddit

It suddenly got very dusty in here....

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JudgeJuryEx78@reddit

Okay, well, I wasn't planning on crying today...

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titaniac79@reddit

Sesame Street's finest hour. 😢

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sesimie@reddit

Man! Mr. Hooper's Death introduced a generation to the Loss of a Friend/Elder/Neighbour. Then there was the Challenger Explosion in '86. We saw it all on TV!

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greaterwhiterwookiee@reddit

Ohhhhh dang I wasn’t ready for this

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notheUGLYjohnny@reddit

If I'm remembering correctly, the episode of Sesame Street that dealt with Mr. Hooper's death was deliberately scheduled to air on Thanksgiving Thursday so that there'd be a greater chance for parents to be home to watch with their children and discuss what they'd watched. PBS thought of everything.

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hellocousinlarry@reddit (OP)

You’re right! I just looked it up. That’s very cool. It makes sense now why my dad was home as well to watch it with me.

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ThaddeusJP@reddit

If you want to have Carol spinny, the voice of Big Bird make you cry again, check out the top reply to his Ama.

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JunkHead1979@reddit

That's neat.

I never watched much Sesame Street.

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lovemypennydog@reddit

My mom wouldn't let me watch the episode or read the book. She just told me Mr Hooper retired and moved away.

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Echterspieler@reddit

This episode aired right before my dad died. I think i remember seeing it. I didn't know my dad was going to die so it prepared me.

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hellocousinlarry@reddit (OP)

This is making me tear up. I’m glad that Sesame Street helped you, and might have helped your mom find a place to start what must have been impossible conversations.

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