Mecha Bewilderment At Sesame Street Mecha Builders

Do you know how to get to Sesame Street? Would you believe that the iconic children’s television show has been running for fifty-three years? I fondly remember playing Sesame Street: Numbers and Sesame Street: Letters for the PC when I was little [3] [4] [37]. As a young adult, I have praised the main series and its regional counterparts for not only teaching numbers and letters but increasing diversity among the wide range of characters and accurately and respectfully portraying real-life issues, despite how difficult they would be to discuss with young children. These include an autistic muppet named “Julia” [21] [23] [41], a character living in foster care in the main series [25] [41], a character who is HIV positive in the South African version known as “Takalani Sesame” and a character being bilingual to appeal to both Arab and Israeli children, despite a conflict between both communities [6] [12] [25] [32] [37]. I recall the existence of spin-offs of the show, including Elmo’s World and The Furchester Hotel [2] [29]. This May, there will be three of the franchise’s main characters…in robotic forms [38]! As bizarre as this idea sounds, let us see what the forthcoming spin-off has to offer in a new trailer after speeding up with the trailer for Sonic Origins [27] [28].

La la la la! La la la la! Mecha Elmo’s song! [1]

I have nothing against the rather unusual concept of superpowered robotic incarnations of three muppets as it at least provides plenty of opportunities to express new and refreshingly creative aspects in a spin-off with its own big examples of individuality [1] [13] [23]. Mecha Elmo, Mecha Abby and Mecha Cookie have their own special abilities, such as Abby flying with a pair of jet booster wings and all three of them shrinking in size by the power of verbal summoning. The way they are designed brings on those Mega Man vibes 9. I also sense some PJ Masks vibes due to how the spin-off is also aimed at very young children with a 3D animated trio of colourful characters [20]. I am aware that the cartoon based on the Mega Man franchise known as “Mega Man: Fully Charged” was not very well received and the concept of three Sesame Street characters being advanced robots sounds rather bizarre [13] [30] [34] [36], but we can still hope for the outcome of Sesame Street Mecha Builders to be decent, to say the least [1] [23]. As strange yet refreshing this idea is, it can at least be enhanced with exceptional animation and trustworthy writing…without a random child hunting rabbit [6] [8].

What was that coming over the hill?! Was it a monster?! Was it a monster [10]?! [8]

Even though the premise is centred on Elmo, Cookie Monster and Abby Cadabby as advanced robots to suit the current seasons of Sesame Street [13] [23], I understand some of us old school viewers miss the days when Big Bird was more like one of the main characters and had more attention [3] [4] [6]. [1]

The animation is quite impressively vibrant with the prime focus being on incarnations of Elmo, Abby Cadabby and Cookie Monster resembling robots who often activate ambitious mechanical abilities [1] [13]. I guess 3D animation is a bit more fitting for a premise of characters in forms with futuristic robotic features, even though it can work with colourful 2D animation too [26]. The backgrounds of the setting are not entirely realistic but are decently detailed enough, fitting in with the technical and artistic standards of modern animation for children [1] [13]. There are also some pretty good effects, such as a purple aura surrounding Mecha Abby as she grows and the glowing portal Mecha Cookie Monster soars through. He is definitely not smoking a pipe, unlike his early portrayal in the main series, which shows that current standards are being obeyed [6]. Thank jeepers Mecha Elmo does not have teeth [29]. This is not the first time Sesame Street characters have been seen in CGI as there were 3D animated segments in Takalani Sesame with characters consisting of specific details, such as feathers for Big Bird [6]. Aside from the value of providing the best colourful and affordable animation for an animated spin-off possible [1] [13], what can enrich the idea even further is honourable writing.

Mecha Abby is as cute as LEGO Princess Peach [19] [42]! [1]

Can you imagine if Mecha Builders was in this animation style instead of CGI [1]? [26]

It would be important to not allow the spin-off to ditch what made Sesame Street acclaimed since the late 1960s; being educational [37]. I recall two spin-offs of the Looney Tunes franchise that were criticised for their utter lack of faithfulness to what made the original Looney Tunes iconic [31] [33]. I remember the educational aspects of the original Elmo’s World series that were sorted into different topics in each episode, which made the spin-off faithful to the main series’ goal of educating young children [29]. Speaking of helping the little ones learn, I honestly cannot see much educational value in Sesame Street Mecha Builders from what can be seen in the trailer as there are no references to learning basic spelling or counting. However, Mecha Abby’s mentioning of problem solving can show some examples of real-life problem-solving for the very young children of today. I suppose some episodes can also teach the target audience social skills, aside from the trio’s hinted heroism. At least some form of educational value put into a spin-off of Sesame Street would honour what the main series has always been on the air for since late 1969 [37], unlike how Baby Looney Tunes and Loonatics Unleashed had certain similarities but were considered dishonourable [31] [33]. 

A spin-off of Sesame Street does not have to tackle heavy subjects, such as HIV [6] [37] [41], but some other lessons that are much easier to teach preschool-aged children ought to be present. [35]

As cliched some lessons on social skills might be, they can still provide some small developments for the mechanical incarnations of the trio and some supporting characters. [1]

What can I say? I have gone from finding birdseed for Big Bird and completing rhymes with him to analysing the trailer for a brand new spin-off featuring Mecha Elmo, Mecha Abby and Mecha Cookie as advanced robots in quite a bewildered manner [1] [3] [4] [37]. What could be next since there are still no signs of the main show ending soon during its fifty-second season [14]? I guess there might be a huge opportunity to make up for skits that were lost throughout the years of the main show’s run, such as bringing back Deena, Pearl, Leslie Mostly and Professor Hastings for old time’s sake [5]. We have beheld outstanding brand new cartoons and engaging new seasons of already established ones this year so far, including The Cuphead Show and Green Eggs and Ham: The Second Serving [15] [16] [17] [18]. There will be more animated adventures to come [39] [40]. With some interesting individuality and a piece of promising potential, Sesame Street Mecha Builders will air on Cartoonito on HBO Max this May after almost three years of development [1] [13] [38]. Will it at least provide enough educational value to be considered a trustworthy spin-off? Hopefully, there will be no Mecha Rocco…who could pretty much be a carbon copy of Korg from the Marvel Cinematic Universe [11] [21] [22] [39] [40].

Some of us will also behold the continuation of Hello Kitty and Pusheen’s adorable friendship this May too [7]. Until then, please do not eat a smiley face drawn by Kermit the Frog [11]. [1]

References

1. AnimationOnMax. (2022). Available: https://twitter.com/animationonmax/status/1516124559757484042. Last accessed 20th Apr 2022.
2. CBeebies. (2014). Theme Song from The Furchester Hotel - CBeebies. Available: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=546QcxMmx9o. Last accessed 20th Apr 2022.
3. Creative Wonders. (1997). Sesame Street: Letters. PC. California. United States.
4. Creative Wonders. (1997). Sesame Street: Numbers. PC. California. United States.
5. Flores, J. (2018). 7 Lost Sesame Street Skits | blameitonjorge. Available: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UAWkwiuNugc. Last accessed 20th Apr 2022.
6. Flores, J. (2016). 9 Strange and Bizarre Moments in Sesame Street | blameitonjorge. Available: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ULoERAh2rRY. Last accessed 20th Apr 2022.
7. LicensedToCharm. (2022). Available: https://twitter.com/LicensedToCharm/status/1515344612696764416. Last accessed 20th Apr 2022.
8. LittleJerryFan92. (2008). Sesame Street - Giant Mutant rabbit chases kids. Available: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OcxsrTJ2Dhg. Last accessed 20th Apr 2022.
9. Mega Man: Fully Charged. (2018). Mega Man: Fully Charged | Episode 1 | Throwing Shade Pt. 1 | NEW Episode Trailer. Available: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HgjG2521nac. Last accessed 20th Apr 2022.
10. MJAussie360. (2009). The Automatic - Monster Official Video. Available: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o7X3LYGV_N8. Last accessed 20th Apr 2022.
11. MsMojo. (2022). Top 10 Most Savage Sesame Street Moments. Available: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zkfapRLs5Xo. Last accessed 21st Apr 2022.
12. Muppet Wiki. (2016). Mahboub. Available: https://muppet.fandom.com/wiki/Mahboub. Last accessed 20th Apr 2022.
13. Muppet Wiki. (2020). Mecha Builders. Available: https://muppet.fandom.com/wiki/Mecha_Builders. Last accessed 20th Apr 2022.
14. Muppet Wiki. (2021). Season 52 (2021-2022). Available: https://muppet.fandom.com/wiki/Season_52_(2021-2022). Last accessed 20th Apr 2022.
15. Netflix After School. (2022). Cuphead Rolls with King Dice 🎲 The Cuphead Show! | Netflix After School. Available:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OQIjrs2UkWw. Last accessed 20th Apr 2022.
16. Netflix After School. (2022). Pam & Sam-I-Am 🍳 Green Eggs and Ham | Netflix After School. Available: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r4c2U4BlMzk. Last accessed 20th Apr 2022.
17. Netflix After School. (2022). Sam Dreams About Mom 💤 Green Eggs and Ham | Netflix After School. Available:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1J_GECsDuFA. Last accessed 20th Apr 2022.
18. Netflix After School. (2022). The Devil's CarnEVIL Games 😈 The Cuphead Show! | Netflix After School. Available: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pdXjtf6tjM4. Last accessed 20th Apr 2022.
19. Nintendo. (2022). LEGO Peach is ready for adventure! - LEGO Super Mario. Available: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zQsVSQwvuC8. Last accessed 20th Apr 2022.
20. PJ Masks Official. (2018). Chase and Rescue Mission | PJ Masks Official. Available:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2FO6jfqM3f0. Last accessed 20th Apr 2022.
21. Reynolds, R. (2021). Deadpool and Korg React. Available: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g7q60i_Lh_E. Last accessed 20th Apr 2022.
22. Saturday Night Live. (2022). Weekend Update: Elmo and Rocco - SNL. Available:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DFo77asWzRA. Last accessed 20th Apr 2022.
23. sesamestreet. (2022). Available: https://twitter.com/sesamestreet/status/1516053938126168070. Last accessed 20th Apr 2022.
24. Sesame Street. (2017). Sesame Street: Meet Julia (Full Clip | 10 Min). Available: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dKCdV20zLMs. Last accessed 20th Apr 2022.
25. Sesame Street In Communities. (2020). A Place For You. Available: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yy7eUsUCxYs. Last accessed 20th Apr 2022.
26. Sesame Street In Communities. (2016). Sesame Street and Autism: We’re Amazing, 1, 2, 3!. Available:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fI-Sk7_ykzU. Last accessed 20th Apr 2022.
27. Sonic the Hedgehog. (2022). Available: https://twitter.com/sonic_hedgehog/status/1516763616455757826. Last accessed 20th Apr 2022.
28. Sonic the Hedgehog. (2022). Sonic Origins - Official Trailer. Available: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZzHXjAJ86Zw. Last accessed 20th Apr 2022.
29. Strider, J. (2021). The 6 Darkest Elmo's World Episodes. Available: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wL6KBBDYTXI. Last accessed 20th Apr 2022.
30. Strider, J. (2018). Top 5 Worst & Best Video Game Cartoons. Available: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tQc8RxdoWX8. Last accessed 20th Apr 2022.
31. Strider, J. (2017). Top 6 Worst Bugs Bunny Cartoons. Available: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bnLkE8RclJ8. Last accessed 20th Apr 2022.
32. Takalani Sesame. (2015). Takalani Sesame: The World of Takalani Sesame. Available:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GliPKD33leM. Last accessed 20th Apr 2022.
33. Terrible TV Shows & Episodes Wiki. (2015). Loonatics Unleashed. Available: https://terribletvshows.miraheze.org/wiki/Loonatics_Unleashed. Last accessed 20th Apr 2022.
34. Terrible Shows & Episodes Wiki. (2018). Mega Man: Fully Charged. Available: https://terribletvshows.miraheze.org/wiki/Mega_Man:_Fully_Charged. Last accessed 20th Apr 2022.
35. UNICEF. (2006). President Clinton and Muppet Kami share HIV/AIDS message | UNICEF. Available:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9eXlNn-C8BY. Last accessed 20th Apr 2022.
36. Vailskibum94. (2018). Mega Man: Fully Charged is Doomed From the Start. Available: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9z6_kqeAo0k. Last accessed 20th Apr 2022.
37. Williams, L. (2019). 2019: The Year Of Awesome Anniversaries .Available: https://laurasambitiouswriting.wordpress.com/2019/12/10/anniversaries-in-2019/. Last accessed 20th Apr 2022.
38. Williams, L. (2021). Deadpool’s Nerdy Thirtieth Anniversary Blooms Like A Rose (Feat. Deadpool). Available: https://laurasambitiouswriting.wordpress.com/2021/04/08/deadpool-30th-anniversary-2/. Last accessed 20th Apr 2022.
39. Williams, L. (2022). Minions Will Behold The Rise Of Gru Soon. Available: https://www.gamesenquirer.com/post/minions-will-behold-the-rise-of-gru-soon. Last accessed 20th Apr 2022.
40. Williams, L. (2022). Minions Will Behold The Rise Of Gru Soon. Available: https://laurasambitiouswriting.wordpress.com/2022/04/02/minions-2/. Last accessed 20th Apr 2022.
41. Williams, L. (2020). Muppets Now – The Muppet Show We Need Now. Available: https://laurasambitiouswriting.wordpress.com/2020/05/27/muppets-now/. Last accessed 20th Apr 2022.
42. Williams, L. (2022). Princess Peach Will Become A Lego Adventurer Outside The Switch. Available: https://laurasambitiouswriting.wordpress.com/2022/04/08/lego-peach/. Last accessed 20th Apr 2022.