Today I was reminded of how much I love old “Sesame Street” episodes. There’s one episode from 1988 that is so real, it’s almost hard to watch. It’s about a developer named Ronald Grump who wants to build a “candiminium” on Oscar the Grouch’s spot.
It seems the parody of Elmo getting fired isn’t the first time the “Sesame Street” characters have criticized Trump. The 1988 clip shows how Oscar was talked into letting Grump build “Grump Tower” on his spot (“Get your can out of here, and let me put my building here”), only to realize the deal wasn’t so good after awhile, when Grump informs Oscar he needs to leave because he has pets.
While the show has a happy ending, with Grump being forced off Sesame Street as Oscar’s neighbors help him buy back his property, The Washington Post points out that Grump makes appearances two other times on the show. These clips intelligently comment on current problems like gentrification, in a way kids understand–which is amazing.
Watch the classic clip below:
But don’t forget to check out these either. Julia Louis-Dreyfus plays a reporter in this skit, while Joe Pesci plays Grump–the muppets protest another Grump Tower:
https://youtu.be/-d7YMcqu4UQ
Then, he comes back in 2005:
