Sesame Street Mecha Builders Review

Elmo, Abby Cadabby and Cookie Monster are breaking free from Sesame Street as they get the "PAW Patrol" animated-series style treatment in the brand new show for Cartoonito, Sesame Street Mecha Builders! Kids will see Elmo, Abby Cadabby and Cookie Monster like never before; goodbye puppet strings, hello robot armor! Learn more about the new series, watch the trailer and read my review!

Disclaimer: I was given early access to Sesame Street Mecha Builders for review purposes. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Sesame Street Mecha Builders | New Series for Cartoonito

Sesame Street Mecha Builders | About the Series

Sesame Street Mecha Builders reimagines Elmo, Cookie Monster, and Abby Cadabby as robot heroes-in-training who use their STEM superpowers to solve wacky larger-than-life problems.

Animated in a dynamic 3D style, the series helps preschoolers practice foundational critical thinking skills while laughing along with their Sesame Street friends. The series introduces children to STEM concepts like simple machines, force, and properties of matter, illustrated with help from the Mechas and their unique powers.

​Across 26 episodes – each containing two complete 11-minute stories – the friends get into all kinds of silly situations, whether they’re using a wedge to split a giant banana for an ice cream statue or learning how to measure cables for a zipline through the trees. Lively animation — provided by Toronto-based firm Guru Studios – opens up imaginative possibilities like Mecha Cookie’s “Hammer Hand,” Mecha Abby’s stretchy arms, and the Mechas’ ability to go “Mecha Big” and “Mecha Tiny” to solve problems on every scale.


Related: Sesame Street Wonderful World of Friends DVD

Sesame Street Mecha Builders | A Parent Review

Mecha Builder Expands Sesame Street to an Older Audience

Sesame Street Mecha Builders is a long-needed bridge to retain children as they grow out of "Sesame Street". This new series is colorful, flashy and follows a well-tested formula; two stories in a 30 minute block with each story getting a clean ending and a resolution to a problem.

Much-like "PAW Patrol", Mecha Elmo, Mecha Abby, and Mecha Cookie are called upon again and again by citizens in need.

The only hiccup for me here is that three seem to appear out of a portal right at the time of trouble. How do they know? There is no obvious call for them from the person in need via an actual phone (ala "PAW Patrol") or even a Batman-like light in the sky.

In another similarity to "PAW Patrol", Cookie Monster takes on the role as the bumbling goofball who, like Marshall as they head to the lookout, seems to always fall out of the portal bouncing on nearby objects; trees, signs, etcetera as he falls from the sky. This is sure to be a shtick we see throughout the first season of the series.


Related: Sesame Street-Inspired Crafts and Snacks

Mecha Builders Tell Kids to Plan It! Test It! Solve It!

Sesame Street Mecha Builders comes complete with a catchy theme song and the recurring theme of using STEM to problem solve and save the day.

Whenever Mecha Elmo, Mecha Abby and Mecha Cookie Monster are facing a problem they come up with an idea as they plan it, test it and solve it!

The three wear robot suits that come complete with all kinds of gadgets that aid them in solving the problem/saving someone in need. Is it Elmo or Iron Man? At times I can't tell!

Mecha Builders is the New Series We Didn't Know We Needed

When it comes to classics like Sesame Street it is easy to say if it ain't broke, don't fix it. HOWEVER, after viewing the first few episodes of Sesame Street Mecha Builders, it is clear to me that this is a much needed refresh of much-loved characters.

This series makes so much sense that it is crazy it took this long to come to fruition.

Sesame Street Mecha Builders breathes new life into, sorry Elmo, old characters.

The potential here is endless; a new merch line, new series of books, new toys (oh so many toys!) and "Mecha Builders" can easily lend itself to Sesame-themed lands inside theme parks SeaWorld and Busch Gardens as well as Sesame Place in Pennsylvania and California. 

Sesasme Street Mecha Builders will appeal to those who still love Sesame Street and their older siblings who think they're "too cool". Plus this series is able to introduce problem-solving tactics and STEM ideas in a very relatable way that doesn't come off as too "teachy".

Kids will love Sesame Street Mecha Builders and won't even realize they're learning as they're laughing!

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Sesame Street Mecha Builders will first premiere on Cartoon Network during Cartoonito on May 9th and then it will air on Cartoonitio on HBO Max May 10th.