I’m very out of touch when it comes to modern-day video games. So I’ve heard of Roblox, but I’ve never actually known what it is. Well, today forced me into finally learning, as Sesame Workshop launched two new games on the platform – Sesame Street: Neighborhood Adventures and Magical Beastie Quest.
In Neighborhood Adventures, you get to roam around Sesame Street, chat with some of the Muppets, play a couple of mini-games, and generally collect a whole lot of stickers. The latter is primarily what you do, as stickers are found all over the dang place, and you earn more when you talk to the Muppets or receive mail from the Sticker Club (from the likes of Baby Bear and Don Music even!). They’re all existing images, but it means you can collect stickers of Meryl Sheep and Benny Rabbit in 2025, so that seems like a win for us.
You can also make your own avatar that resembles the Anything Muppets from the show; they use the traditional bases you’d recognize, but you change the features, clothes, and colors of all of them. You are able to unlock more options (such as a Count-esque vampire head) by finding Muppet numerals around the street; the more you meet and the higher their value, the more points you earn to use in the shop.
Having played a little of it so far, I will say, the attention to detail is very spot-on. The virtual street looks pretty 1:1 to the actual set, right down to the items at Hooper’s and the posters stuck to the wall by Big Bird’s nest. The Muppets all look pretty cute and really move like the puppets do; Elmo and Grover move their arms in a way that looks like they’re being operated by a performer holding two arm rods. A lot of their small talk is also very self-referential – Oscar recalls being orange, Grover mentions selling toothbrushes to a nameless frog, and Elmo even references a mini-game from an old PlayStation One Sesame game. It’s nice to know that they still care.
But wait, there’s MORE! On November 8, the game will be hosting a special preview of Tales from 123, the new animated segment coming to the show in Season 56 (launching two days later on Netflix). The new feature will take viewers to the newly-imaged interior of 123 Sesame Street. Speaking of…
The other new Roblox game that dropped today is Magical Beastie Quest. Supposedly, these “magical beasties” are going to be a part of the new season as well, residing in Abby’s fairy garden. I haven’t gotten a chance to really explore this one yet, but it looks more like what I assume traditional Roblox games are like. Quality-wise, it doesn’t look as good as Neighborhood Adventures, and I’m not entirely sure I like the concept 123 Sesame becoming some wacky, magical dwelling. But, it’s for the kids to enjoy, and I guess if it helps sell a few more Elmo dolls, so be it.
Click here to get a letter from Don Music on the Tough Pigs Discord!
By Shane Keating
