WI: Big Bird was on Challenger

[Admiral Halsey]

Based upon these three posts in the WI: Challenger never happened thread.

ASB. A catastrophic accident was (probably) inevitable given the way the Space Shuttle was designed, and when it does happen, it won't just kill seven astronauts, it'll potentially kill a politician or a movie star as well. At the time that Challenger happened NASA was in negotiations to fly John Denver, the idea being that he would write a song in space, and NASA almost flew Big Bird on Challenger's last mission.

As it a whole generation of kindergartners and up were traumatized by the Challenger disaster Big Bird being on it makes way worst. (was in 1st grade every class in my school had a TV rolled in the classroom for the launch)

Oh god that would be horrific. How the show would handle that...(especially if it was doing a special live episode)

So lets say instead of Christa McAuliffe being chosen to fly aboard Challenger they are able to get Big Bird to be able to fly it instead? What are the effects this has on Sesame Street? How do they handle Big Birds death on the show? Effects this has on pop culture?

For this lets imagine two scenarios for whatever episode of Sesame Street would've dealt with the flight. The first is that PBS decided to do a special live episode for the launch and the second is that it was going to be a normally taped episode. Now folks discuss!

 

[jpj1421]

Based upon these three posts in the WI: Challenger never happened thread.









So lets say instead of Christa McAuliffe being chosen to fly aboard Challenger they are able to get Big Bird to be able to fly it instead? What are the effects this has on Sesame Street? How do they handle Big Birds death on the show? Effects this has on pop culture?

For this lets imagine two scenarios for whatever episode of Sesame Street would've dealt with the flight. The first is that PBS decided to do a special live episode for the launch and the second is that it was going to be a normally taped episode. Now folks discuss!

I was looking into this for my [shameless plug] election game, and I believe that Big Bird proved too bulky for the the ride. Instead, his teddy bear Radar was put onto the mission plan until swapped out with Christa McAuliffe.

This would be one of those defining moments in the minds of children of that era. It will obviously have to be addressed on the show, and ultimately the situation will have to be explained as carefully as possible. I imagine this may turn an entire generation against pursuing space deep in their core...while others may be inspired to do it right after the trauma of their childhood. I don't really know about that.

 

[ppaul16]

What would Big Bird be doing during the shuttle mission? Christa McAuliffe was at least supposed to do some experiments while she was up there. Would the guy just float around the shuttle in the Big Bird suit when the camera was on?

Would Sesame Street have a funeral for Big Bird? Or would they acknowledge it's not really a big bird but just a guy in a costume?

 

[Jackball74]

Given how they handled Mr. Hooper dying (by actually letting kids know he had died), I think Sesame Street would have kept it real and done the same.

 

[fred1451]

Yeah basically, have chats with kids on the ground. The puppeteer that was supposed to go up says that what almost happened still haunts him.

(By the Bye, I asked this one already.)

 

[Admiral Halsey]

Given how they handled Mr. Hooper dying (by actually letting kids know he had died), I think Sesame Street would have kept it real and done the same.

I was thinking that as well but that only work if they aren't doing a special live episode of the launch. If PBS does a special live episode of the show for the occasion that is going to be hard as hell for them to do right like they did with Mr. Hooper.

 

[ppaul16]

I was in school when Challenger happened and my school had brought all the students to the cafeteria to watch the launch on TV.

I would assume that was common in a lot of schools and if Big Bird was on the space shuttle many children younger than school age would be watching the launch at home. Sesame Street would need to react right away since the space shuttle disaster would be common knowledge.

 

[Gaius Julius Magnus]

PBS and Sesame Street probably retire the character, respect for the man who died in the shuttle and probably not to upset kids.

 

[Wayside]

So... would the person who was actually killed aboard the Challenger be Caroll Spinney, the first/current Big Bird? Or someone who had been trained who could manage the role?