'Sesame Street' Is Turning 50, So 'InStyle' Gave The Muppets A Swanky Makeover

Get ready for the shock of your life everyone — Sesame Street is turning 50 this year. It seems impossible to me, perhaps mostly because the characters never grow up and Cookie Monster's incredibly limited palate never matures. Also because I remember watching when I was a kid and I don't like feeling old. Neither do the muppets on Sesame Street, apparently, because they're approaching this 50th anniversary with style. New style, that is. In fact, the Sesame Street gang got a makeover from InStyle, and the video is oddly riveting. Because how often do you see high-end fashion designers and muppets mentioned in the same realm?

Big Bird, Elmo, Bert, Ernie, and Abby Cadabby were featured in a video for InStyle magazine recently in preparation for Sesame Street's 50th anniversary this November. As usual, my favorite muppet Grover was forgotten, but I suppose that's another article for another time. Or maybe he will get his own stand alone episode as we all know he deserves, we'll have to wait and see.

At any rate, several members of the gang received a special invitation to the big 50th birthday celebration... the only slight issue? The invitation said "Dress to impress."

Let's take a moment to consider what the muppets normally wear, shall we? Cookie Monster, Big Bird, and Elmo tend to favor an "au naturel" look, which is probably cost effective but not all that fashionable. Bert and Ernie have been wearing the same striped long sleeved t-shirts and pants for 50 years despite the fact that Bert is clearly a winter and appears hell bent on dressing as an autumn. Only Abby Cadabby really sparkles it up with accessories and punches of color.

You can understand why the muppets were nervous. Fortunately, InStyle was there to help by connecting them with famous designers who were willing to design some couture outfits and even throw in a high fashion photo shoot for good measure.

Elmo/Opening Ceremony

We all know Elmo is a pretty active muppet who needs to be able to bend and move, so Opening Ceremony outfitted him in one of their classic track suits. Here's what Elmo told InStyle about his photo shoot:

Elmo loved posing with Elmo’s friends in snazzy outfits!

Big Bird/Anna Sui

Anna Sui dressed Big Bird in a flowy, sparkly caftan that balanced him out and really brought out his beak, in my opinion.

Abby Cadabby/Marc Jacobs

Abby Cadabby was lucky enough to have Marc Jacobs design a dress for her straight from his 2019 collection.

It should be noted she didn't really change her hair though. I feel like that was the least she could do.

Cookie Monster/Rosie Assoulin

As for Cookie Monster, designer Rosie Assoulin dressed him in a futuristic azure jacket and a striped button down shirt with buttons that look like candy. A bold move, knowing his lack of self control where snacks are involved.

Bert & Ernie/Isaac Mizrahi

Finally there were Bert and Ernie. Sure, most of the other muppets don't bother wearing clothes but Bert and Ernie were really stuck in the past with those horrible stripes. Isaac Mizrahi gave them a much needed update with bold pink varsity sweaters in honor of the big anniversary.

Now they just need to stay clean until November for the 50th birthday party and everything will be fine. I'm not placing any bets on Cookie Monster.