Street Gang

I heard an interview with the author on NPR, and the book sounded fascinating. I've always been a huge fan of "Sesame Street," so a book about the history of the show seemed right up my alley.

Unfortunately, it was a huge disappointment. The book covers so much ground leading up to the formation of Sesame Street - bios of the people involved, a history of children's television, a long section on Captain Kangaroo - that by the time we get around to the actual show, it feels almost like an afterthought. Thirty years of Sesame Street go by in a flash.

But the section about the actual show did confirm what I have long suspected - that the show is now driven by market research and polling. I watch it with my kids, and the new shows seem to have lost much of their anarchic whimsy that I loved as a kid. Plus, Elmo has completely taken over the place.