Bring Back the Yip Yips!
(A Petition and Open Letter to Sesame Street)

Dear Sesame Street,

Like so many other people born in the 1970′s, I grew up with you. In fact, from the period of 1979 to 1984, I have no other television memory except for you and Mr. Rogers. Oh, and the Thriller video. But, really, most of my TV viewing was all about you.

Until my own kid started watching your show late last year, it had been a really long time since I had viewed a Sesame Street episode. I was quite impressed with all the updated features and new characters. What was even more cool was to see all the characters from my youth: Cookie Monster! The Count! Grover! Big Bird! Oscar the Grouch! Snuffy! Wow…even Gordon?!?

But, I have to ask… Where are the Yip Yips?

As the Yip Yips age quietly on a dusty shelf in your storage room, thousands (nay, millions!) of people are wondering why the Yip Yips disappeared from the show.

Perhaps your producers think the Yip Yips aren’t educational enough for the show. If that’s the case, let me present this argument: Like toddlers, the Yip Yips are new to Earth. They are both trying to figure out their surroundings and to learn about all these new and strange objects. As the Yip Yips discover new things, the toddlers watching will also be able to do the same.

Or perhaps you think the Yip Yips aren’t cute enough or that they may scare small children. Well, yeah, I guess they’re not as cute as Elmo or Abby, but they are cute.  And for those who might say that they’re scary?  Well,  they certainly can’t be scarier than Oscar the Grouch with his bad attitude or Cookie Monster with his crazy eyes. I have a lot of fond memories of the Yip Yips and I know I’m not the only one. No other character could quite make me giggle with glee like the Yip Yips, and no other character even comes close to being as silly or as fun.

Yeah, I’m even talkin’ to you, Elmo.

Since my 23-month-old kid can’t watch the Yip Yips on Sesame Street, I have shown him the old-school clips from YouTube numerous times. I have honestly never heard him giggle so much from watching anything (other than me). He loves them almost as much as I do.

So, on behalf of nostalgic Generation X and Y parents, I beg, plead — and hereby formally petition — for you, beloved Sesame Street, to bring back the silly, lovable, altogether adorable, and, yes, educational, Yip Yips back to your show. The new generation of Sesame Street viewers deserve to have wonderful Yip Yip memories, too.

Regards,