The early (in my life) Sesame Street episodes are forever burned on my brain, in a good way. They brought comfort and continuity, favorite segments (“Brrrrrrrrrring! Brrrrrrrring!” aliens, plus Super Grover!) and less-than-favorites (the baker falling down the stairs). And they brought education in the form of songs, dialogues, repetition, and mostly-lovable characters. (Please check out my post on Bert, the most underrated muppet.)

One beloved recurring segment with music, education, repetition, and The Pointer Sisters is the series of pinball videos. I found this compilation on YouTube to refresh your memory.

These segments instantly transport me to childhood, and to educational television in the way that only the 1970s could do it. Maybe it’s nostalgia goggles, but I think that Sesame Street was better in the 1970s and early 1980s than it was when my kids were watching it, in the early-to-mid-’00s. It was just slower and less rushed, less Short Attention Span Theater. More authenticity. More true childhood, less ticking of boxes.

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