The 25 Baubles of Pop Culture! Advent 2022 Day 20

Today's post is brought to you by the letters M and C and the number 20.

I was so excited when Sesame Street popped up on that random generator. Next to superheroes, Sesame Street is my earliest exposure to the realms of pop culture and Christmas coming to meet. I had a copy of Merry Christmas From Sesame Street, an LP album that featured a number of songs and several skits. 

The album was released originally in 1975 to great fanfare and even earned a Grammy nomination for the Children's Television Network. 3 years later, the TV special Christmas Eve on Sesame Street reused much of the material on the album. This resulted in the album being re-released and that's how I got a copy of the record. The coolest thing about the album was that it opened up in the middle and looked like a giant comic book. I spent hours studying that layout while listening to Bert, Ernie, Big Bird and Grover celebrate the holidays. 

My favorite character on Sesame Street is Grover. I love Disco Grover. I know the difference between near and far. I've been known to rock a recitation of The Monster at the End of The Book. And I chuckle every time I think of Grover starring in a version of The Night Before Christmas where he is a mouse who you will notice is not stirring (his bowl of cookie dough!) But my favorite version of the blue fur-ball is when he dons a cape and knight's helmet and becomes Super Grover! So in honor of that, I'm sharing this PVC ornament of SG in flight. 

Next, I'm sharing this pair of ceramic ornaments of Oscar the Grouch and Bert. They're from sometime in the 90s and I remember these as my sister had these. For several years, these two hung from my mom's white artificial tree. Where they are now, I have no idea. But I would love it if my sister has these and is sharing them with her little ones. 

Another character I have fond memories of is of the elephantine Mr. Snuffleupagus. I remember when he was Big Bird's supposed imaginary friend as he'd always disappear when someone would come along. Eventually, the residents of Sesame Street finally meet Snuffy and now he and his family are prominent members of the neighborhood. This 1992 ornament from Grolier has Snuffy wearing a Santa hat and carrying a tree in his trunk. (Hey- it's a pun!) I especially love how the character has snow on his back and one of Ernie's Twiddlebug friends is sledding down Snuffy's back. 

You can't mention Snuffy without including his best friend, Big Bird. I'm really fond of this imported glass ornament of Big Bird in his nest covered in lights and donning a Santa cap. I only wish he had a little bit of snow on him like he did when sleeping in his bed during the Christmas Eve special.

I also want to share this one also made from Grolier. It's off the detective Muppet Sherlock Hemlock. I'm not sharing because of any fond connection to the character or anything like. I just greatly appreciate how an obscure character like Sherlock getting the ornament treatment. 

Let's wrap things up with today's DIY ornament. Here's a list of what you need:

SUPPLIES:

• Salt Dough Ornament Recipe (Click on the link to get the recipe)
• White, Black, and Blue Paint
• Paint Brush
• Ribbon
• Scissors
• Glue

DIRECTIONS:

1. Make the salt dough ornament recipe. Before putting the dough into the oven to bake, cut out 2 circles.  We pressed a small glass into the dough to create the right size shape.
2. Form 2 round balls out of the dough and gently press them onto one of the circles for Cookie Monster’s eyes.  Form 2 round balls and an oval and gently press them onto the other circle for Elmo’s eyes and nose.
3. After the dough bakes and is completely cooled, paint Cookie Monster’s face blue and the eyes white with black dots.  Paint a black half circle for the mouth.  Paint Elmo’s face red, nose orange, and eyes white with black dots.  Paint a black half circle for the mouth.
4. After the paint dries, put a coat of Mod Podge over the ornament.  This step is optional but it helps protect the ornament and keeps the paint from chipping.
5. Cut a ribbon that is about 4 inches long, fold it in half to create a loop, and glue it onto the back of the ornament.
6. After the glue dries, hang the ornament on your Christmas tree.

Classic Toys from a Madman's Youth: Advent 2019 Day 6

For today's Adventures, we're back in the 70s. Or we could be in the 80s. Heck, we could be in the 90s. That's because the toy I want to focus on today was something that not only did I own, so have my cousins and my kid sister did too!

The toy I'm talking about today is the Sesame Street 123 Neighborhood playset from Playskool or Fisher Price. (Yes, both companies made their own version of this toy. ) This present was darn near perfect as not only was it a complete playset but it came with figures too! 

My version was from Playskool because I didn’t have the Little People set up. I also know that my set had all the greats- Bert, Ernie, Big Bird, Oscar the Grouch, Cookie Monster and my favorite- Grover! Though you had to buy some figures like Grover separately. I think my cousins' sets had the same characters. But I think they had the Fisher Price version.  But I know for sure that my sister's set had a big difference. She had Elmo!

All of the key habitats were represented here from the lamp post and brownstone stoop on the outside to Big Bird's nest and Bert and Ernie's apartment on the inside. Of course, you had to have the corner store owned by the late, great Mr. Hooper!

A neat hidden feature of this set was that it doubled as a carrying case. Though I seem to recall that there was at least one open window in which some of the thinner figures ended up falling out. You never could get the figures back in the way in which they escaped. Plus, trying to open the playset was never an option without a parent present as the locking mechanism for the carrying case was not kid friendly!

Sadly, due to this design flaw, you ended up losing figures and some of the other items pretty quick. (I hear that the lamp post was the easiest piece to end up missing.) Sure, both sets have their flaws. But man, do I remember having fun with this set! Plus, as the figures were the same size of the Smurfs; so you could do crossovers!

So in keeping with the Sesame Street theme, my Advent gift for you today is a classic. It's the complete Christmas Eve on Sesame Street from 1978! At just under an hour, it's a long video. But man does it bring back some great Christmas memories as a kid.

ENJOY!