Happy 40th birthday, Sesame Street!

Yes, dear readers, that's right - it was 40 years ago today that Big Bird first stepped onto Sesame Street, which means it's entirely likely there are kids watching the show today whose grandparents remember its premiere. In 1969, no one was sure you could teach children basic scholastic skills via television, but Sesame Street proved you could, and signaled a massive change in the way children's programming would be produced. Plus, its urban setting reflected the culture of the time, and the increasing importance of cities in national life.

We at OAFEnet want to celebrate this momentous occasion in a slightly strange way: by sharing with you not some fond memory of Sesame Street, but rather by letting you in on a little bit of our pain:

Isn't that just heartbreaking? That's Palisades' prototype Big Bird action figure, from the Sesame Street line that was just on the cusp of being released when the company abruptly folded in 2006.

The text in the picture reads:

Sunny days will sweep the clouds away with Palisades Toy' [sic] Big Bird Deluxe Action Figure. One of the friendliest faces on Sesame Street, Big Bird stands 11" tall and features brilliant coloring and a loving attention to detail. Standing at Big Bird's side is his pal Little Bird, who tought [sic] Big Bird that birds can come in all shapes and sizes!

It's heart-wrenching to look at that and imagine what might have been. Someone probably owns the prototype, and we truly hope they cherish it. Palisades was the first great toy company of this decade, and they're still missed to this day. So happy birthday, Big Bird, but forgive us if we're just a little bit sad that no one will ever get this great-looking toy.

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3 Responses to Happy 40th birthday, Sesame Street!

  1. Zachary says:

    Please tell the Palisades company to redo the business again to make Sesame Street palisades action figures. I would be very happy if they appreciated my message to what's added in my point of view for the keepsake of making them in the near future of 2017. I hope you've read this information. Thank you.

  2. Zachary says:

    I mean how foolish was Palisades when they went out of business so fast. How can anybody in the world be so ticked off to see such a store be so poor. They should've just continued on to make some more action figures for anyone to buy. Even if they were in the box or at least in a package or something. If I was Palisades I would tell them to not do that to other people because its a Dead End of what they tried to do. I hope you've read this message. Thanks.

  3. Zachary says:

    People in the world are so annoyed that your business had came to a stop. Palisades should've continued. I certainly hope they do someday in the future. I hope you've read this short message. Thanks.

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