Mix and Match Muppet Totem Poles

1989 Image from YouTube

The Mix and Match Muppet Totem Poles were a fun diversion for kids to play with. Standing close to four feet tall, the blocks featured pictures of Cookie Monster, Ernie, Big Bird and Oscar the Grouch.

Oscar appears in his trash can and Cookie Monster stands on top of a pile of chocolate chip cookies.

Children could rotate the head, feet or torsos to align the characters or mix them up.

The blocks were essentially larger versions of the Muppet Puzzle Blocks made by Knickerbocker in the 1970s. The only difference was that the blocks were separated and had more characters on them but these blocks could only rotate horizontally.

They even appear to use the same artwork.

Image from Museum of Play

Mix ‘n’ Match Twiddle Tracks

Mix ‘n’ Match Twiddle Tracks is an attraction at Sesame Place located in the Twiddlebugs Land section of the park.

 2012 Images (all)

Twiddlebug Land opened in 1993 and is possibly the best themed section of the whole park. Guests get to experience being the size of bugs due to the wonderful details.

Based on the small bugs who live under Ernie & Bert's window, the land is themed with wonderful touches like giant paperclips holding up signage. 

To board the attraction kids line up in a queue made from over-sized playing cards.

The cars look like little matchboxes. Kids climb in and pump a handle to move the car on the tracks, similar to how an old "mining car" works.

The tracks wind around a small area underneath Sky Splash. Tunnels are made from giant buckets and flower pots.

This is a very simple attraction, but provides a bit of exercise (as kids use the handle to propel their own car) and teaches them a bit about the levers and mechanical resilience.

After your child finishes riding, they exit by an oversized button held up by a giant paper clip.

Sesame Studio

Sesame Studio is the name of an theater that currently houses Elmo's World Live:

 Image from IGOUGO

When the park opened in 1980, Sesame Studio was a very different attraction. One of the popular features was the Ernie's bathtub photo op:

1985 Image from YouTube

Children could step into a bathtub with Ernie and his rubber duckie:

1988 Image from YouTube

The bathtub was located next to a large, indoor, replica of The Sesame Street Set. 

 1988 Image from YouTube

This replica was phased out after the introduction of the larger outdoor neighborhood in 1988:

2012 Image

The Sesame Street Set was located next to a small chroma key theater:

 1985 Image from YouTube

The Sesame Street Set featured Big Bird and Little Bird peeking out of the nest and Prairie Dawn, Grover and Count Von Count looking out the windows.

1985 Images from YouTube

Kids could also pose for pictures inside Oscar's trash can (which was actually a half trash can open in the back.)

 Image from ThirteenLove

There was also a second floor balcony (which included a walkway to the upstairs exit of the studio.)

1985 Images from YouTube 

The chroma key stage would show children how the special effects were done on their favorite TV shows.

1985 Images from YouTube

The studio was transformed in the 1990s to create the larger theater that currently shows Elmo's world. For a time, the larger theater existed alongside exhibits like a room of mirrors (called Teleidoscope Temple) and these play puppets:

1999 Image

I'm not sure what the space is used for today, but it seems like the current theater only occupies two thirds of the building.


2015 UPDATE:
When working on the Sesame Place book I found that some of the science elements were also located on the second floor of the Computer Gallery.

Episode 16 of The Purple Stuff Podcast features a story about Return of the Jedi special effects being shown in the blue screen theater,

Retro Sesame Place shirts

Here is a shirt I spotted for sale at Mr. Hooper's Emporium at Sesame Place.

It's also available in red, green and blue.

I love it. I'm really happy that Sesame Place has resisted the urge to change logos over the past 30 plus years. It looks great on a shirt.

And yes, I bought one

Now hopefully Sesame Place will put out some more retro styled T-shirts.

Here's a few suggestions:.

 Why not make shirts for some of the extinct attractions? I would love a "Big Bird Bridge" shirt or an "Amazing Mumford's Water Maze" tee!

Image from YouTube

Style them after the old attraction signs! Maybe a shirt with all the signs as a background with the Sesame Place logo emblazoned over top of them.Many possibilities with the old signs.

Speaking of which:

If you are going to put a sign on a shirt, this one is a no-brainer! 

Image from YouTube

So many Buck's County area geeks got their first computer experience at Sesame Place. A shirt to commemorate that wonderful part of Sesame Place history would be fantastic!

Get it?

That made me smile, it would work as an iPad cover as well.

Please, take these ideas! Make them better! And I'll be the first in line to buy one.

Whisper Walls

The Whisper Walls are a Sesame Place science attraction that has been at the park since (at least) 1981.

2012 Image

The Whisper Walls are an acoustic mirror that allows sound as low as a whisper to travel a great distance by bouncing off a concrete dish.

2012 Image

The two dishes face each other and by speaking directly into the green ring in the center the sound travels from one end to the other.

2012 Image

Prior to World War II (and the invention of radar) the acoustic mirror was used in Great Britain as early warning military devices.

Today, commonly called "Whisper Dishes", they are often found at science museums.

The set at Sesame Place are located on the second floor of the Net's N' Climbs walkway. They are a bit hidden and easy to overlook.

In 1981 they had a much more prominent location in front of the Computer Gallery (to the left of Big Bird Bridge.)

1981 Image from YouTube

I'm not sure when or why they were moved. Perhaps it hindered traffic flow; or maybe the area by Big Bird Bridge was too busy for the Whisper Walls to function effectively.

 1981 Image from YouTube

The Whisper Walls are a fun little diversion and it's great to see them remain at the park over 30 years later.

Food puppets from Sesame Studio

Here are some pictures from 1999 that show some puppets that were at Sesame Studio.

This was a small stage that resembled a food counter (likely Mr. Hooper's store from Sesame Street). There were three puppets; two resembled pies and one resembled a salad.

Look closely at the image above and you can see pictures of Sesame Street actors Bob McGrath and Roscoe Orman attached to the cabinet above the stage (counter.)

The entire setup was behind glass. Kids could enter the display from underneath and operate the puppets through holes in the bottom of the stage.

Sesame Slides

Sesame Slides were a series of colorful slides that were at the park on opening day. They were located near the Nets 'N Climbs.

 1980 Image from YouTube

Image from YouTube

1988 Image from YouTube