Sesame Street: Once Upon a Monster

Last updated
Sesame Street: Once Upon a Monster
Once Upon a Monster cover.jpg
Developer(s) Double Fine Productions
Publisher(s) Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment
Director(s) Nathan Martz
Designer(s)
  • Matt Franklin
  • Whitney Hills
  • Nathan Martz
Programmer(s)
  • Matt Franklin
  • Oliver Franzke
  • Bert Chang
  • Kee Chi
  • Dave Dixon
  • Anthony Garcia
  • Anna Kipnis
  • Joe Virskus
Artist(s) Greg Knight
Writer(s)
Composer(s)
Platform(s) Xbox 360
ReleaseOctober 11, 2011
Genre(s) Adventure, edutainment
Mode(s) Single-player, co-op

Sesame Street: Once Upon a Monster is a Sesame Street video game developed by Double Fine Productions and published by Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment in conjunction with Sesame Workshop. The game was released in North America on October 11, 2011 for the Xbox 360 console. Players use the Kinect controller to control the Muppet characters Elmo and Cookie Monster and new characters Marco and Seamus as they sing and dance. Though Once Upon a Monster represents Double Fine's first foray into licensed property, the title started as one of four smaller titles, alongside Costume Quest , Stacking , and Iron Brigade , during an "Amnesia Fortnight" period during Brütal Legend , and was later found to be easily adapted to the Sesame Street property. The original prototype of the game, titled Happy Song , was released for Microsoft Windows as part of the Amnesia Fortnight 2012 bundle on November 19, 2012. [1] Microsoft developed and released another Sesame Street game that used the Kinect sensor, Kinect Sesame Street TV , in 2012.

Contents

Gameplay

Once Upon a Monster is presented as a storybook divided into a number of chapters. Each chapter features a monster with some type of problem to be solved by the Sesame Street monsters Cookie Monster and Elmo; one chapter involves the new character of Marco who was the only attendee at his own birthday party. [2] These chapters are then broken into a series of minigames that utilize the Kinect controller. In the example birthday party chapter, the games include a tandem race, represented as Elmo riding on the shoulders of Marco; one player, acting as Marco, shifts side to side to avoid rocks in the path or jumps to avoid fallen logs, while the second player as Elmo ducks at appropriate times to avoid being hit by tree branches. A subsequent game includes a lightweight dance game variant where the players must attempt to match moves by the other monsters on screen with their body. The chapter culminates in a big birthday celebration for Marco, where the players must then help him to blow out the candles on his cake. [2]

Development

During the development of Double Fine's Brütal Legend , issues with publishers put the game's fate in question. To bolster the company, Tim Schafer had split the company into four groups over a two-week period to design prototypes for a new game. After this "Amnesia Fortnight", taking place around 2007–2008, the whole company reviewed the generated prototypes and found them to be sound ideas to build from. After Brütal Legend was completed, they were told by Electronic Arts that there would not likely be a sequel; Schafer turned back to these four games and set the company to develop the titles further while selling the idea of these smaller games to publishers. [3] Though Once Upon a Monster was the first game to be completed as a prototype during the Amnesia Fortnight, it was the fourth game published, following Costume Quest , Stacking , and Iron Brigade . [4] The game was formally announced in February 2011 for a late 2011 release date. [5]

Once Upon a Monster was based on a prototype developed by Nathan Martz, the lead programmer on Brütal Legend and who led the larger development for this game. [6] The original game involved monsters singing and dancing, inspired by the antics of Sesame Street and The Muppets. In designing the prototype, Martz has set about to make a game that was "uplifting", citing games like LocoRoco that he called "overtly and passionately upbeat". [4] The game as a prototype was named Happy Song, and Martz considered it a "musical toy" where the player helped the monsters to create music. The initial prototype used more traditional controls, but Martz found that the game fit in well with the Kinect motion controller, particularly as the unit was aimed at the family market. [4] The game includes aspects of physical, musical, and aesthetic activities, with the latter two being translated to become more physical with the use of the Kinect controller. [4]

A dancing mini-game in Once Upon a Monster, where the new character of Marco (front center) dances along with Cookie Monster (left) and Elmo (right). Once Upon A Monster screenshot.jpg
A dancing mini-game in Once Upon a Monster, where the new character of Marco (front center) dances along with Cookie Monster (left) and Elmo (right).

The original prototype featured unique characters designed by Scott Campbell, Double Fine's in-house artist. As they started to pitch the game for publication, they received comments that the game was a "natural fit" with the monster characters from Sesame Street. Schafer had initially excused the idea of producing a licensed work, something the company had not done yet to date. After hearing that Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment and Sesame Workshop has signed a deal together, Schafer and Martz actively pursued the licensing deal with the two entities. [4] Schafer, Martz, and several other Double Fine staff were childhood fans of the show, and once they were successful in negotiating the license for Once Upon a Monster, they felt it was important to stay true to the Workshop's vision; as Schafer described, he "felt this responsibility, just how serious it is to work with the characters, and how important they are". [4] [5] They visited the Jim Henson studio in New York twice to review and discuss the construction of the Muppets for the show, which they then translated into their game engine; the engine includes dynamic fur simulation and skeleton animations that mimic the behavior of the Muppets. [4] While the game includes at least two Sesame Street characters, Cookie Monster and Elmo, the original character from Martz's prototype, Marco, remained throughout the game's development. [4] Another monster in the game, Seamus, also came from Campbell's original sketches, and given a shy personality, only able to be lured out by providing him with clothes that fit his mood. [7]

Once they had begun working with Sesame Workshop, Double Fine learned that the non-profit organization had several goals that they built into Sesame Street that were not immediately obvious, including a "Whole Child Curriculum" that helped to foster social and emotional development in children, and a "Healthy Habits for Life" aimed at nutrition and fitness, the latter which the Kinect controller would promote. [4] They worked alongside the Workshop's Education Research and Outreach program, which reviews all Sesame Street-licensed products, to assure that the goals of the game would promote the mission of the Workshop. [4] As a result, the game became what Mantz described as "emotional entertainment", teaching younger players "real human themes like shyness, friendship, bravery, sensitivity, empathy". [6] While Schafer recognized that part of their job in developing the game was to promote the Workshop's educational goals, he also reflected that Sesame Street involves a good amount of humor; Schafer compared the performers that control the Muppets as live comedy performers, reacting to the situation as need be. [4] Schafer and Martz also recognized that much of the humor is aimed at both parents and their children, and wanted to capture that for the game, allowing parents and children to play it together instead of letting the game be an "electronic babysitter". [4]

Cast

Critical reception

Once Upon a Monster received favorable reviews from critics. At Metacritic, it scores 79/100 (based on 26 reviews), [9] and on GameRankings it scores 80.56% (based on 27 reviews). [8] Game Informer's Jeff Cork called Once Upon a Monster "the educational game I've been wanting since I first had kids. It's approachable and easy for them to grasp, while still remaining enough of a game to keep me engaged, too." [10]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Elmo</span> Muppet character on the childrens television show Sesame Street

Elmo is a red Muppet character on the children's television show Sesame Street. A furry red monster who speaks in a high-pitched falsetto voice and frequently refers to himself in the third person, he hosts the last full five-minute segment on Sesame Street, "Elmo's World", which is aimed at toddlers. He was most often puppeteered by Kevin Clash, but since his resignation in late 2012, he has been puppeteered by Ryan Dillon.

<i>The Adventures of Elmo in Grouchland</i> 1999 musical adventure comedy film

The Adventures of Elmo in Grouchland is a 1999 American musical adventure comedy film directed by Gary Halvorson in his feature film debut. This was the second of the two theatrical feature films to be based on the children's television series Sesame Street, after Sesame Street Presents: Follow That Bird (1985). It stars Mandy Patinkin and Vanessa Williams alongside Muppet performers Kevin Clash, Caroll Spinney, Steve Whitmire, and Frank Oz.

Guy Smiley is a fictional character on Sesame Street who was dubbed "America's favorite game show host". His skits are among those on the show that parody commercial media. Smiley has also hosted This Is Your Lunch and Here Is Your Life, a parody of This Is Your Life. Guests who were profiled included a loaf of bread, a tooth and a tree. He has also hosted pageants for numbers and letters.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Double Fine</span> American video game developer

Double Fine Productions, Inc. is an American first-party video game developer of Xbox Game Studios based in San Francisco, California. Founded in July 2000 by Tim Schafer shortly after his departure from LucasArts, Double Fine's first two games – Psychonauts and Brütal Legend – underperformed publishers' expectations despite critical praise. The future of the company was assured when Schafer turned to several in-house prototypes built during a two-week period known as "Amnesia Fortnight" to expand as smaller titles, all of which were licensed through publishers and met with commercial success. Schafer has since repeated these Amnesia Fortnights, using fan-voting mechanics, to help select and build smaller titles. Double Fine is also credited with driving interest in crowdfunding in video games, having been able to raise more than US$3 million for the development of Broken Age, at the time one of the largest projects funded by Kickstarter, and more than US$3 million for the development of Psychonauts 2.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kevin Clash</span> American puppeteer (born 1960)

Kevin Jeffrey Clash is an American puppeteer, director and producer known for puppeteering Elmo on Sesame Street from 1985 to 2012. He also performed puppets for Labyrinth, Dinosaurs, Oobi, and various Muppet productions.

Vila Sésamo is a Brazilian co-production of the first preschool television programme Sesame Street. As of 2009 it airs on TV Rá-Tim-Bum. As of 2016, similar to Plaza Sésamo, new seasons air under the title Sésamo. The series debuted on October 12, 1972, moving from TV Cultura to SKY Play on June 25, 2020.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">C Is For Cookie</span> 1971 song by Joe Raposo and performed by Cookie Monster

"C Is For Cookie", by Joe Raposo, is a song performed by Cookie Monster, a Muppet character from the preschool television series Sesame Street. It was first performed in Season 3, although it had been released on The Muppet Alphabet Album. Along with Kermit's "Bein' Green" and Ernie's "Rubber Duckie", it is one of the show's most recognizable songs. The original version was made in 1971 and was one of the few Sesame Street sketches directed by Jim Henson.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">David Rudman</span> American puppeteer

David Rudman is an American puppeteer, actor, puppet builder, writer, director, and producer known for his involvement with the Muppets and Sesame Street. Rudman currently performs the roles of Scooter, Janice, and Beaker for The Muppets Studio, which were all originated by Richard Hunt, as well as Cookie Monster and Baby Bear on Sesame Street.

Sesame Beginnings is a line of products and a video series, spun off from the children's television series Sesame Street, featuring baby versions of the characters. The line is targeted towards infants and their parents, and products are designed to increase family interactivity.

A wide variety of characters have appeared on the American children's television series Sesame Street. Many of the characters are Muppets, which are puppets made in Jim Henson's distinctive puppet-creation style. Most of the non-Muppet characters are human characters, but there are many characters that are animated.

There have been a variety of Sesame Street video games released for video game platforms. Most of the Sesame Street video games were published and developed by NewKidCo.

<i>Costume Quest</i> 2010 action role-playing video game

Costume Quest is a party-based role-playing video game developed by Double Fine Productions and published by THQ on October 20, 2010. In the game, the player controls a child who is trick-or-treating with their twin on Halloween night when they encounter a monster that kidnaps their sibling. The player must travel around the local neighborhood collecting items for their costume, candy, and fellow children as companions in order to face the leader of the monsters and rescue their sibling. The costume aspects are used in turn-based battle segments, where the player character and companions are transformed into whatever they are dressed as to fight other monsters; the costume aspects are also used for abilities outside of battles.

<i>Double Fine Happy Action Theater</i> 2012 video game

Double Fine Happy Action Theater is a casual video game developed by Double Fine Productions and distributed by Microsoft Game Studios. The title is a Kinect motion-sensing based title for the Xbox 360 and was released via the Xbox Live Arcade service in North America on February 1, 2012. Happy Action Theater is based on an idea that Double Fine's founder, Tim Schafer, had on devising a game that Lily, his two-year-old daughter, could play with. To this, the open-ended game is a collection of eighteen different modes that allow multiple players to interact in unique ways through the Kinect cameras and motion-sensing in an augmented reality shown on the console's display, such as playing in a giant virtual ball pit or walking through simulated lava.

Tasha Sounart is an American animator, artist, video game designer, and writer. She was the designer of Double Fine's adventure RPG Costume Quest. She is currently an Associate Creative Director of Theme Parks at Pixar.

Razmig Mavlian is an Armenian-Canadian artist, animator, video game developer, and musician. His nickname "Raz" was the inspiration for the name of the main character in Psychonauts. He currently is a concept artist at Oculus VR.

Brad Muir is an American computer game designer and programmer. He was a designer on Brütal Legend, and the project leader of Iron Brigade, Brazen, and Massive Chalice.

<i>Amnesia Fortnight 2012</i> 2012 video game

Amnesia Fortnight 2012 is a bundle of prototypes made during a two-week public prototyping session in 2012 by Double Fine Productions, which was held in conjunction with the Humble Bundle group in 2012. Everyone that paid a minimum of $1 had the opportunity to vote on 23 concept ideas. After the completion of the voting period, Double Fine developed the top five voted ideas into game prototypes that became available to those that purchased the bundle after they were completed. There were also three bonus prototypes included, including two from the first Amnesia Fortnight that were made into commercial games, and one prototype from the previous year's Amnesia Fortnight that hadn't been released to the public before that point. 2 Player Productions filmed a documentary about the making of the prototypes, which was included with purchase of the bundle. Amnesia Fortnight 2012 was later released on physical media as part of a special edition bundle.

<i>Sesame Streets 50th Anniversary Celebration</i> 2019 TV Special

Sesame Street's 50th Anniversary Celebration is a 2019 musical television special to celebrate the 50th anniversary of Sesame Street. Hosted by Joseph Gordon-Levitt, the special aired on November 9, 2019, on HBO, followed by a November 17 airing on PBS. It stars the cast and Muppets of Sesame Street, including Kermit the Frog, from the past and present. Many retired cast members and characters reunited on the street for the first time in years since their last appearances. This is the final Sesame Street special to feature long-time Muppet performer Caroll Spinney, who performed Big Bird and Oscar the Grouch for 50 years as well as the cast members Emilio Delgado and Bob McGrath, who played Luis and Bob, respectively, for 45 years.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Monstruos Supersanos</span>

Monstruos Supersanos is a Sesame Street mini-series that debuted in June 2012. The 5 to 7-minute series focuses on activities and foods that keep one healthy. Sesame Workshop produced 26 episodes in English, which initially aired dubbed in Spain on Antena 3 as a Barrio Sésamo mini-series called Monstruos Supersanos. Around 2011, the segments were also released in Latin America.

<i>The Not-Too-Late Show with Elmo</i> American late-night talk show hosted by Elmo

The Not-Too-Late Show with Elmo is an American late-night talk show hosted by the Muppet character Elmo. It is a spin-off of Sesame Street and was developed exclusively for the HBO Max streaming service. The series, consisting of 13 episodes, debuted on HBO Max on May 27, 2020. The first three episodes were available at launch, after which new episodes were premiered weekly. Each episode runs for 15 minutes. In March 2021, the series was renewed for a second season which premiered on September 30, 2021, when the show moved to the service's Cartoonito section. However, in August 2022, the series was removed from HBO Max. Reruns began airing on PBS Kids on February 10, 2023.

References

  1. ↑ "Tim Schafer Unveils the Amnesia Fortnight Humble Bundle". The Escapist. 2012-11-19. Retrieved 2013-06-10.
  2. 1 2 McWhertor, Michael (2011-02-25). "Playing With The Sesame Street Game That Makes You Feel Like A Kid". Kotaku . Retrieved 2011-02-25.
  3. ↑ Parkin, Simon (2010-07-15). "Develop: Double Fine's Schafer On 'Amnesia Fortnights' And The Pitfalls Of AAA". Gamasutra . Retrieved 2011-02-23.
  4. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 Graft, Kris (2011-02-23). "Capturing The Spirit Of Sesame Street". Gamasutra . Retrieved 2011-02-23.
  5. 1 2 Snider, Mike (2011-02-15). "Double Fine developing 'Sesame Street' game". USA Today . Retrieved 2011-02-23.
  6. 1 2 Schreier, Jason (2011-04-05). "Sesame Street Game Turns Kinect Into Sensitivity Trainer". Wired . Retrieved 2011-04-05.
  7. ↑ Fahey, Mike (2011-03-31). "It's Not Every Day You Get To Create A Brand-New Muppet". Kotaku . Retrieved 2011-03-31.
  8. 1 2 "Sesame Street: Once Upon a Monster for Xbox 360". GameRankings . Retrieved 28 August 2013.
  9. 1 2 "Sesame Street: Once Upon a Monster for Xbox 360 Reviews". Metacritic . Retrieved 28 August 2013.
  10. 1 2 Cork, Jeff (11 October 2011). "Everything's A-OK - Sesame Street: Once Upon a Monster". Game Informer . Retrieved 28 August 2013.
  11. ↑ Hopper, Steven (14 October 2011). "Sesame Street: Once Upon a Monster Review". IGN . Retrieved 28 August 2013.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.