are, what I would consider, clearly directed at a mature audience, particularly those who are
familiar with the originals. “Waiting for Elmo” satirizes Beckett’s play by illustrating its
reputation for being incomprehensible, yet brilliant and “Twin Beaks,” highlights the inherit
duality and strangeness present in Lynch’s cultic television show. Ironically, both of these
works are the most inaccessible pieces that Sesame Street appears to have parodied, and this
may be the reason why there is such a limited contextual shift from adult comprehension to
child education.
The remaining thirteen episodes are not only comedic portrayals of beloved classics,
but productive parodies as they directly address various literacy issues in hopes of educating
preschoolers. Sesame Street can appeal to adults simply by parodying texts that are otherwise
unfamiliar to children, as preschoolers do not yet possess the knowledge or ability to recognize
a parody or understand its purpose. In turn, the shift in context is much more apparent in these
episodes, functioning on two levels for the adult (i.e., parody and education), but only one level
for the child (i.e., education). (Note: Sesame Street was part of my pre-school years, but it has
only gained further appeal with me as an adult, as I now possess the proper skills and
knowledge to fully understand the nuances and sheer genius of the show. The context in which
Sesame Street resides has completely shifted in the last 25 years, yet the magic has not. I
believe that parody is but one element of the show that successfully demonstrates a
continuous slide in contextual understanding for education and entertainment purposes, as
well as maintaining a strong hold on audiences of all ages.)
For ease of clarity, I have listed the thirteen Monsterpiece Theater episodes and briefly
describe how each episode functions as productive parody. Each list is ordered with the name
of the parody, name of original (if different), the medium (i.e., play, film, etc.) and description. I
would also like to note that all of these episodes can be easily found with a quick Google or
YouTube search:
1.
“ABCD B\ue”/NYPD Blue (television): An emergency police call leads two monsters
to help those who forgot how to recite the alphabet.
2.
“Anyone’s NosenlAnything Goes (musical): A female monster sings about how she
learned to recognize and understand her nose.
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