The great companion DVD as it has most of the same songs
Yes, Virginia, there was aSesame Streetbefore the Age of Elmo. This 1993 collection highlights the role of music in the long-running series from Children's Television Workshop, and reminds us that such Jim Henson creations as Big Bird, Oscar the Grouch, Cookie Monster, and Ernie and Bert were once part of a true ensemble of Muppet superstars. Nothing against Elmo, of course: kids adore him and he makes enough appearances in this anthology (including the show-stopping "Happy Tappin' with Elmo") to keep today's tykes happy. Also included is Ernie's classic "Rubber Duckie" (really, who doesn't know the words to that?), Oscar's anthemic "I Love Trash," you-know-who's "C Is for Cookie," and Big Bird's Big Finale, a rendition of "Sing" that includes the entire cast. There are 27 tunes in all, and they don't all involve singing puppets: Ladysmith Black Mambazo turns up for one track, and the "Sesame Street Jam Session" includes some actual playing of instruments. This is one of my favorite Sesame Street videos. As a mother of three and educator I tend to be very picky and critical of various viewing options for young children. The 25th Birthday Musical Celebration has everything you come to expect from Sesame Street. The video is very multicultural, educational, and fun. The music is well done by all your favorite characters. The video does include Elmo but there is equal time for all of your favorites. The best thing about the video is that I can watch it with my children and it doesn't put me to sleep! Enjoy! Oudoor Hiking Blog I've got to hand it to Sesame Street for compiling 25 years of footage into about an hour. A few of the other reviewers complained about some of the songs being cut, but it is really hard to put together a compilation like this, and they have managed to include a ton of the hits such as "Rubber Duckie," "C is for Cookie," "Honker Duckie Dinger Jamboree," "Fuzzy and Blue," and "Monster in the Mirror." The beginning is a bit slow, and the transitions get slow at times (I must admit that I usually skip through the beginning because it doesn't hold my 17 month old's attention). I like this one a lot because of all the Ernie appearances in the clips (they really need to do a "Best of Ernie" DVD), but the transitions with Big Bird, Prarie Dawn, and Telly get kind of boring. I still thing this is a great bang for the buck-especially since it is about an hour long, as opposed to the other DVD's, which are only a half hour at most. If you like the Sesame Street Platinum Hits CD, this is a great companion DVD as it has most of the same songs. At 1 hour in length, it is longer than the average Sesame Street DVD. My 2 year old daughter loves this video. Given that the video is over a decade old, though, Elmo was not as popular a character as he is now. (For more Elmo, try the 35th anniversary special.Looking at the song titles on the DVD, it looks like a fabulous collection. When you actually play it, 4 of the best songs (Rubber Duckie, The Honker-Duckie-Dinger Jamboree, Put Down the Duckie and Do De Rubber Duck) are just snippets, not the full song. Very annoying when they are cut off so quickly and they are listed as if it is the full song included! I bought this for my son (and as a nostalgic DVD for me) and found the original clips fun and my son enjoys them too! BUT the newer clips (in between the "vintage" clips) are annoying. The extras and actors are terrible.