The Don's of Seseme Street
EDIT: Now with 100% more picture-phone goodness.
So people credit the rise of organized crime with the prohibition movement. Enterprising persons found ways to supply america with its booze. Things got a little hairy for the Mafia when prohibition ended. They probobly had many meetings in smoke filled rooms looking for new avenues of revenue. Prostitution? Drugs? Protection? All these things work ok for organized crime, but they were always looking for something new, something better, something more lucrative.
Until the arrival of the 70's, they had as yet, not found that something more. Then a little public show, geared towards children became popular. Seseme Street was born. Here was a market the mafia could get into. Parents will pay an inordinant amount of money to placate their children. Reason being, no doubt, the parent's deep seeded belief that their children will turn out to be good people if the kids are happy all the time. (As opposed to also teaching their kids discipline, respect, and accountability but that's another post for another day) So the Mafia, no doubt, saw the desperation of the parents, and more importantly, the Mafia saw the pocket books of these proto yuppies. In typical Mafia fashion, they infultrated Seseme Street Live and turned it to their own nefarious ends.
Which leads to this Saturday past. My daughter and I headed downtown to the convention center to partake in a little Elmo and Big Bird up close and personal. I had secured 2 tickets through work, which meant the seats were pretty good. We arrived about 1/2 an hour before the show. I had also managed to land a parking spot in the garage through work, which saved me a little money.
I pulled up to the garage, shocked to find that the plebs (who didn't secure tickets and garage passes through work) had to shell out 10 bucks to park. We walked inside and parked right next to the entry door was a souvenier stand selling all manner of Seseme Street related pariphanaelia. I thought my daughter should have a little something to commemorate this auspicious event (though it's highly doubtful she'll actually remember them). So I walked up and asked the gentleman how much a shirt would be.
"$18 dollars" he says
"No, a children's shirt. I don't need one for myself."
"$18 dollars. If you want one it's $28."
Mouth agog, I hand over a 20. By this time, my daughter has spied other children clutching a toy of inestimal interest to 2 year olds. It's an elmo toy that features the red haird bastard seated atop a light, with 3...tentacles protruding from the light (also lit in different colors). When the button is held down the top portion (light and elmo) spin arround and the tentacles stretch out so you get a large glowing disk, that I am sure is in no way a danger for children to be hit by. Scanning the souvenier stand I see the blasted device. Another $15 gets funneled into the Mafia coffers.
We now head to find our seats. Children are milling arround all over, with their parents trying to maintain a modicum of control. In all I estimate there are somewhere in the neighborhood of 300,000 children in attendance this saturday night. 15 minutes before the show starts Big Bird comes over the PA to let everyone know the show will be starting soon. My daughter pauses in her manic elmo whirring to look arround expectantly for the big man himself.
Presently the lights dim and the whole crew comes out to begin the show. I'll spare you the details of this unrivaled spectacle of song and dance, but will leave you with the moral of the story. A good night's sleep, along with healthy food and good hygene are things everyone needs. Overall I would say everyone's performance was excellent, except for Zoey. I hate that little bitch...stupid pet rock....
One highlight of the evening was the 'intermission'. Yes, they had an intermission for the hour long show. Soon as the lights came up, the cotton candy and sno cone venders were out in force along with a man carrying nothing but 1000 elmo helium balloons. $10 balloons mind you.
By the end of the intermission, the children were intensifying their sugar highs and I had watched no less than 5 balloons sail majestically up towards the ceiling of the Center. The balloon man left, empty handed.
At the end of the show, the children were filed out by their parents who looked as though they had just been run through a ringer. The Don's were $60+ richer from me alone, and I got a discount on the tickets. I'm sure they're laughing all the way to their (swiss) banks.
My daughter had a great time, and I did as well watching her face lilght up seeing these famous people so closely.
So people credit the rise of organized crime with the prohibition movement. Enterprising persons found ways to supply america with its booze. Things got a little hairy for the Mafia when prohibition ended. They probobly had many meetings in smoke filled rooms looking for new avenues of revenue. Prostitution? Drugs? Protection? All these things work ok for organized crime, but they were always looking for something new, something better, something more lucrative.
Until the arrival of the 70's, they had as yet, not found that something more. Then a little public show, geared towards children became popular. Seseme Street was born. Here was a market the mafia could get into. Parents will pay an inordinant amount of money to placate their children. Reason being, no doubt, the parent's deep seeded belief that their children will turn out to be good people if the kids are happy all the time. (As opposed to also teaching their kids discipline, respect, and accountability but that's another post for another day) So the Mafia, no doubt, saw the desperation of the parents, and more importantly, the Mafia saw the pocket books of these proto yuppies. In typical Mafia fashion, they infultrated Seseme Street Live and turned it to their own nefarious ends.
Which leads to this Saturday past. My daughter and I headed downtown to the convention center to partake in a little Elmo and Big Bird up close and personal. I had secured 2 tickets through work, which meant the seats were pretty good. We arrived about 1/2 an hour before the show. I had also managed to land a parking spot in the garage through work, which saved me a little money.
I pulled up to the garage, shocked to find that the plebs (who didn't secure tickets and garage passes through work) had to shell out 10 bucks to park. We walked inside and parked right next to the entry door was a souvenier stand selling all manner of Seseme Street related pariphanaelia. I thought my daughter should have a little something to commemorate this auspicious event (though it's highly doubtful she'll actually remember them). So I walked up and asked the gentleman how much a shirt would be.
"$18 dollars" he says
"No, a children's shirt. I don't need one for myself."
"$18 dollars. If you want one it's $28."
Mouth agog, I hand over a 20. By this time, my daughter has spied other children clutching a toy of inestimal interest to 2 year olds. It's an elmo toy that features the red haird bastard seated atop a light, with 3...tentacles protruding from the light (also lit in different colors). When the button is held down the top portion (light and elmo) spin arround and the tentacles stretch out so you get a large glowing disk, that I am sure is in no way a danger for children to be hit by. Scanning the souvenier stand I see the blasted device. Another $15 gets funneled into the Mafia coffers.
We now head to find our seats. Children are milling arround all over, with their parents trying to maintain a modicum of control. In all I estimate there are somewhere in the neighborhood of 300,000 children in attendance this saturday night. 15 minutes before the show starts Big Bird comes over the PA to let everyone know the show will be starting soon. My daughter pauses in her manic elmo whirring to look arround expectantly for the big man himself.
Presently the lights dim and the whole crew comes out to begin the show. I'll spare you the details of this unrivaled spectacle of song and dance, but will leave you with the moral of the story. A good night's sleep, along with healthy food and good hygene are things everyone needs. Overall I would say everyone's performance was excellent, except for Zoey. I hate that little bitch...stupid pet rock....
One highlight of the evening was the 'intermission'. Yes, they had an intermission for the hour long show. Soon as the lights came up, the cotton candy and sno cone venders were out in force along with a man carrying nothing but 1000 elmo helium balloons. $10 balloons mind you.
By the end of the intermission, the children were intensifying their sugar highs and I had watched no less than 5 balloons sail majestically up towards the ceiling of the Center. The balloon man left, empty handed.
At the end of the show, the children were filed out by their parents who looked as though they had just been run through a ringer. The Don's were $60+ richer from me alone, and I got a discount on the tickets. I'm sure they're laughing all the way to their (swiss) banks.
My daughter had a great time, and I did as well watching her face lilght up seeing these famous people so closely.
posted by Bourgeois Dave at 10:17 PM
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