Sesame Street

For the fictional street, seeSesame Street (location). For the current season, seeSeason 55

EPISODE GUIDE CHARACTERS •MORE
Premiere	November 10,1969
Network	PBS(1969 - present) HBO(2016 - 2020) HBO Max(2020 - present)
Seasons	55
Episodes	4,733

Sesame Street is an educational television program designed for preschoolers, recognized as a pioneer of the contemporary standard which combines education and entertainment in children's television.Sesame Street also provided the first daily, national television showcase forJim Henson's Muppets, an act he'd been performing since the 1950s. The series is produced bySesame Workshop, formerly known as the Children's Television Workshop (CTW). It is one of the longest-running shows in television history, airing over4,500 episodes, and in 2019, the series celebrated its50th anniversary.

Because of its widespread influence,Sesame Street has earned the distinction of being one of the world's foremost and most highly regarded educators of young people. Few television series can match its level of recognition and success on the international stage. The original series has been televised in 120 countries, and more than 20 international versions have been produced. In its long history,Sesame Street has received moreEmmy Awards than any other program, and has captured the allegiance, esteem, and affections of millions of viewers worldwide.

Overview[]

Sesame Street uses a combination of puppets, animation, and live actors to teach young children the fundamentals of reading (letter and word recognition) and arithmetic (numbers, addition and subtraction), as well as geometric forms, cognitive processes, and classification. Since the show's inception, other instructional goals have focused on basic life skills, such as how to cross the road safely and the importance of proper hygiene and healthy eating habits.

There is also a subtle sense of humor on the show that has appealed to older viewers since it first premiered, and was devised as a means to encourage parents and older siblings to watch the series with younger children, and thus become more involved in the learning process rather than lettingSesame Street act as a babysitter. A number of parodies of popular culture appear, even ones aimed at thePublic Broadcasting Service, the network that broadcasts the show. For example, the recurring segmentMonsterpiece Theater once ran a sketch called "Me Claudius." Children viewing the show might enjoy watchingCookie Monster and the Muppets, while adults watching the same sequence may enjoy the spoof of theMasterpiece Theatre production ofI, Claudius on PBS.

Several of the character names used on the program are puns or cultural references aimed at a slightly older audience, includingFlo Bear (Flaubert),Sherlock Hemlock (aSherlock Holmes parody), andH. Ross Parrot (a parody of Reform Party founderH. Ross Perot). Over 700 notable personalities have made guest appearances on the show, beginning withJames Earl Jones, and ranging from performers likeStevie Wonder to political figures such asKofi Annan. By making a show that not only educates and entertains kids, but also keeps parents entertained and involved in the educational process, the producers hope to inspire discussion about the concepts on the show.

Production history[]

SeeSesame Street milestones

Following an initial proposal byJoan Ganz Cooney in 1966, titled "Television for Preschool Children," an eighteen month planning period was set aside, and with a grant of 8 million dollars from multiple government agencies and foundations, the proposed series would test the usefulness of the television medium in providing early education for young children. Apart from Cooney, the original planning crew included several veterans ofCaptain Kangaroo, such as executive producerDavid Connell, producerSamuel Y. Gibbon, Jr., and writer/songwriterJeff Moss, as well as producer/head writerJon Stone, and producer/writerMatt Robinson (who later originated the role ofGordon). At Cooney's suggestion, Jim Henson and the Muppets were brought in, and composerJoe Raposo followed. The CTW research crew included Harvard professorGerald S. Lesser as head of the board of advisers andEdward L. Palmer as director of research, tracking and observing how child audiences responded to the programming.

Though the earliest pilot episodes involved dramatizing the inner thoughts of child actorsin a studio set, Jon Stone suggested a more urban setting, "a real inner city street," with an integrated cast of neighbors. The original human inhabitants wereBob,Mr. Hooper, Gordon, andSusan, and they dominated the street storylines which made up roughly 25 percent of the hour-long show. To maintain the realism of the street, the Muppets were kept separate; thus,Ernie andBert, while they lived on the street, resided in a basement apartment. These framing scenes would surround segments of animation, live-action shorts, and Muppets. These sketches, in particular the short animated segments stressingletters andnumbers, were intended to function on a similar level to advertising commercials (and indeed, the bits were often labeled as such, i.e. "theJ commercial," and during the earliest seasons it was common for letter or number films and cartoons to be shown multiple times in the same episode). They were quick, catchy and memorable, so as to convey information and maintain the interest of preschool children within their limited attention spans.

CTW aired the program for test groups to determine if the new format was likely to succeed. Results showed that the elements which best held audience attention included cartoon segments, the Muppets, filmed footage of animals in motion, or musical skits with Susan or other human cast members. When the action stopped in the street scenes, and the adults engaged in lengthy dialogue, children stopped watching. Based on these results, and despite concerns from advising psychologists, that the inner-city street overlooked the real problems of the ghetto and needed firmer roots, the mixture of reality and fantasy was deepened, asOscar the Grouch andBig Bird became permanent street residents, interacting with the human adults.

Sesame Street is all filmed inNew York City (as was another CTW show,The Electric Company). The show was originally taped inTeletape Studios in Manhattan (later Unitel Video). In 1993, when the street set expandedaround the corner and more space was needed, production moved to theKaufman Astoria Studios in neighboring Queens, where the show has been filmed since.

Broadcast history[]

Sesame Street premiered in the United States on November 10, 1969 on the National Educational Television network, which was succeeded a year later by the Public Broadcasting Service.

For forty-five years, each episode aired in an hour-long format. Beginning inSeason 45, in addition to the hour-long episodes, a half-hour version also aired in an afternoon time slot.^[1] Thefollowing season, the show's history of hour-long episodes was retired altogether, with the half-hour format being the only version broadcast.^[2] Season 46 also moved first-run episodes toHBO, with repeat broadcasts on PBS nine months later. The deal awarded exclusivity to HBO for five seasons, from seasons46 through50.^[3]

In 2019, Sesame Workshop signed a partnership agreement to premiere the next five seasons on the streaming serviceHBO Max, later known simply as "Max."^[4]

On December 13, 2024, it was reported that HBO and Max had chosen not to renew their deal for new episodes ofSesame Street, though Max's library would continue to license episodes from the series through 2027. New episodes of the program were placed on the market, though it was not immediately clear if this would mean that any new broadcaster for the program would not be able to license library episodes of the program as well. The move was part of an overall shift by Max to pull away from children's programming to focus more on its core adult content as well as more general family fare.^[5]

The show is broadcast worldwide; in addition to the U.S. version, many countries have locally-produced versions adapted to local needs, some with their own characters, and in a variety of different languages. One hundred and twenty countries have aired the show, many of which partnered with Sesame Workshop to create local versions.

Characters[]

SeeSesame Street Characters.

Sesame Street is known for its multicultural elements and is inclusive in its casting, incorporating roles for disabled people, young people, senior citizens, Hispanic actors, black actors, and others. As recalled by CTW advisor Gerald S. Lesser in his bookChildren and Television: Lessons from Sesame Street, this integration initially led the Mississippi State Commission for Educational Television to ban the series, as did other states, though it was eventually reinstated. Mutual tolerance and cross-cultural friendship is also conveyed through the Muppet characters, who come in a variety of sizes, shapes and colors and range from the humanoidAnything Muppets to various animals toMonsters,Birds,Grouches,Dingers andHonkers all of whom, especially the Grouches, have their own unique perspectives and ways of communicating with their neighbors. Yet they all manage to live in relative peace and harmony, setting an example for child viewers not to prejudge others.

Tying in with its multiculturalist perspective, the show pioneered the idea of occasionally inserting very basic Spanish words and phrases to acquaint young children to the concept of knowing more than one language. This practice was introduced in the show's second season, with Susan and Gordon learning phrases from Hispanic characters such as Miguel, Antonio, Rafael, Luis, and Maria (the last four of whom joined the show in the third season). One storyline involved the opening of a bilingual library. In 2002, the show's format allowedRosita, the bilingual Muppet who joined the cast in1991, more time in front of viewers, and also introduced the more formalizedSpanish Word of the Day segment in every episode. Sign language has played a major role throughout the years, throughLinda and visits from theNational Theatre of the Deaf.

Many of the Muppet characters have been designed to represent a specific stage or element of early childhood, and the scripts are written so that the character reflects the development level of children of that age. This helps the show address not only the learning objectives of various age groups, but also the concerns, fears, and interests of children of different age levels.

The Muppets[]

Big Bird, an 8-foot-tall yellow bird, lives ina large nest on an abandoned lot adjacent to 123 Sesame Street, located behind the building's trash heap. A regular visitor to Big Bird is his best friendMr. Snuffleupagus, or Snuffy as everyone calls him.Oscar the Grouch, Sesame Street's local Grouch and his pet wormSlimey live ina trash can in the heap. Oscar's most-seen regular visitor is his girlfriendGrundgetta. Best friendsErnie andBert room together inthe basement apartment of123 Sesame Street where they regularly engage in comedic banter. Ernie's window box is the home of theTwiddlebugs, a colorful family of insects.

Early additions to the show's main cast of Muppets includeCookie Monster, whose favorite food is, true to his name, cookies, but will eat anything;Grover, a monster who is very helpful but often wrong, with many jobs and identities, includingSuper Grover anda waiter who has trouble pleasing his most frequent customer,Mr. Johnson;Count von Count, a vampire-like being who is obsessed with counting;Prairie Dawn, a little girl who likes to play the piano and stagepageants;Herry Monster, a monster who does not know his own strength; andBarkley, a big white and orange dog. Other major characters to be added over the years includeTelly Monster, who constantly worries about things and likes triangles;Zoe, an orange monster who likes to dance and pretends that her rock,Rocco, is alive;Rosita, a Spanish-speaking monster; andBaby Bear, a character from the classic fairy taleGoldilocks and the Three Bears.

One of the most notable characters added later on isElmo, who started out as aminor character before becoming one of the show's stars. Elmo's popularity eventually led to him closing each episode with his own segment,Elmo's World. Other Elmo-centric segments have includedElmo the Musical and the animatedElmo & Tango's Mysterious Mysteries, the latter of which also stars his puppyTango (introduced in 2021).

In 2006, fairy-in-trainingAbby Cadabby moved to the street, and in 2009, she received her own CGI animated segment,Abby's Flying Fairy School, which includes new characters; her fellow studentsGonnigan andBlögg, teacherMrs. Sparklenose, and class petNiblet. She later got a stepbrother,Rudy, who co-stars with her in the animated segmentAbby's Amazing Adventures.

While most of the Muppets onSesame Street are original characters, the most notablepre-existing character isKermit the Frog. Over the years, Kermit hasgiven a variety of lectures and sung a number of songs, in addition to his famous role asa news reporter on the show. Following the death of Jim Henson in 1990, new appearances by Kermit became few and far between, and have become even more rare following the sale of the Muppets toThe Walt Disney Company in 2004, though Kermit did show up forSesame Street's 50th Anniversary Celebration. For more on Kermit'sSesame Street history, seeKermit the Frog on Sesame Street.

The show has had many secondary and minor characters who have come and gone over the years (with some coming back after years of absence, sometimes in cameos, sometimes as main characters again). Some of these characters have includedRoosevelt Franklin, who often taught lessons to hisclassmates, construction workersBiff andSully, world's greatest detectiveSherlock Hemlock, America's favorite game show host (as he refers to himself as)Guy Smiley,The Amazing Mumford, who is good at magic but often bad at predicting the outcome of his magic, Snuffy's young sisterAlice Snuffleupagus, Big Bird's little friendLittle Bird,Forgetful Jones, his girlfriendClementine, and his horseBuster,Gladys the Cow, who often pretends to be other animals,Two-Headed Monster, who often sounds out words and sometimes has to co-operate with himself, and saxophone-playingHoots the Owl, in addition to such music groups asLittle Jerry and the Monotones andLittle Chrissy and the Alphabeats, and an assortment of monsters, grouches,Honkers,Dingers,Martians, andAnything Muppets.

From 1993 to 1998,Sesame Street's set expanded toAround the Corner locations, which introduced several new Muppets, such asHumphrey andIngrid, they worked atSherry Netherland's hotel,The Furry Arms, with their babyNatasha in tow, while bellhopBenny Rabbit begrudgingly helped out.

Characters introduced in the last couple of decades includeMurray Monster, who appeared in many segments on location, was joined by his pet lambOvejita inMurray Has a Little Lamb, and from 2009-2015 served as the show's host;Julia, a girl with Autism; andGonger, a monster chef who runs afood truck with Cookie Monster. A diverse group of humanoid Muppets have also been added to the cast, includingGabrielle, her cousinTamir,Wes and his dadElijah, as well asJi-Young, the first Asian-American Muppet.

The humans[]

A slate of human regulars pull the zaniness of the Muppets back to reality, and serve different pedagogical functions, showing literal integration and tolerance rather than metaphorically through colorful Muppets, and representing different personalities and adult "roles" and occupations.

Music teacherBob has been onSesame Street since its inception. For several years, he had a close friendship withLinda, the local librarian who was the first regular deaf character on television. The Robinsons are an African-American family that includes schoolteacherGordon, nurseSusan, adopted sonMiles, and Gordon's photographer sisterOlivia.Maria andLuis Rodriguez are a Hispanic couple who run theFix-It Shop. Maria gave birth to daughterGabi in 1989, and her pregnancy was covered on the show. In 2011, Maria became the superintendent of 123 Sesame Street.

Candy store operatorMr. Hooper was a mainstay atHooper's Store during the show's first decade. ActorWill Lee died in 1982 and when the producers opted to help their young viewers deal with the death of someone they loved rather than cast a new actor in the role, the character's death was discussed in a landmark1983 episode. Afterwards, Mr. Hooper's apprentice,David, inherited the store and was assisted byGina. Next cameMr. Handford, who ran the store for several seasons before turning it over toAlan, the current proprietor of Hooper's, in 1998. Gina stopped working at the store in the 1990s to earn a degree, and became a veterinarian. In 2006, Gina adopted a baby from Guatemala,Marco. The show's later humans include Gordon and Susan's nephew,Chris, who works at Hooper's Store;Leela, who runs the laundromat;Mando, a Puerto Rican resident and writer;Nina, a babysitter who works at the bike shop; andCharlie, who moved to the street with her family after her parents retired from the military.Season 51 introduced Nina's brotherDave, his husband Frank, and their daughterMia.

As of 2020, Chris, Alan, Nina, and Charlie are the only human regulars who appear on the show (with occasional appearances by Mia, Dave, and Frank). Former cast members like Gordon, Bob and Luis, however, have occasionally appeared in online videos for the show that have been released since. Many human cast members who had been absent from the series made a return appearance for the specialSesame Street's 50th Anniversary Celebration.

Mr. Noodle and hisbrother andsister, who appeared only inElmo's World were meant to provide a vaudevillian perspective on subjects, contrary to most of the show's human characters. The show's earliest seasons featured a number of similar human comedy duos who appeared in their own inserts. These includeBuddy and Jim,Larry and Phyllis, andWally and Ralph.

Format[]

The majority ofSesame Street segments are repeated in multiple episodes, much like television commercials are. These are called inserts, as they get inserted into a variety of episodes as needed. In the first six seasons, it would be common for the same animated segments on letters and numbers (which are treated as sponsors) to be shown multiple times in the same episode. In general, the street scenes are the main segments to be exclusive to an episode, though there are inserts taking place on the street and many street stories have been repeated two seasons later, with different episode numbers and insert segments accompanying them.

Recurring Segments[]

The show has had a number of recurring segments over the years. One of the longest-running recurring segments, with more than 80 segments, isSesame Street News Flash, in which Kermit provides interviews, often with familiar characters from fairy tales and nursery rhymes. Cookie Monster has taken the identity ofAlistair Cookie for the anthology seriesMonsterpiece Theater. Grover tries to save the day inThe Adventures of Super Grover, tries to please his customer in a series of segments asa waiter, and teams up withFred the Wonder Horse asMarshall Grover.Big Bird's Video Postcards finds Big Bird on location as he travels. Slimey's trip to the moon inseason 29 led to a series of segments calledWorms in Space.

For more recurring segments, seeCategory:Sesame Street Recurring Sketches.

Animation and Film[]

In addition to the street scenes and the Muppet segments which would eventually dominate the show,Sesame Street has made considerable use of film inserts subcontracted to a variety of filmmakers and artists. These inserts have used a variety of techniques, from filmed skits and documentary footage to cel animation, stop-motion, CG, and pixillation.

Some of the innumerable contributors have includedWilliam Wegman (withFay Ray and his other dogs),Bud Luckey,Jeff Hale and his Imagination Inc. studio,Sally Cruikshank,Bruce Cayard, andPixar, as well as staffers such asMo Willems,David Rudman, Frank Oz, and Jim Henson. Notable recurring inserts, which became as much a part of the show's fabric as the Muppets and human cast, includethe Mad Painter, "Pinball Number Count," theNumber Song Series with its falling baker, andTeeny Little Super Guy, to name a few.

Short form series[]

The show has also spawned the spin-off seriesPlay with Me Sesame andSesame Street Unpaved (showing classic episodes), both seen on theNoggin cable network; as well as the segment-only seriesOpen Sesame.Elmo's World andGlobal Grover, both segments onSesame Street, have been distributed internationally as individual series.

After the format changed in 2002, the show has had a number of short form series which air as segments of the show but internationally air as their own separate series. On the show itself, these air on either a daily basis or in every other show. Such series includeElmo's World,Bert and Ernie's Great Adventures,Cookie's Crumby Pictures,Abby's Flying Fairy School,Super Grover 2.0,Elmo the Musical, andSmart Cookies, amongothers.

In October 2023, it was announced the series will undergo a format change for its 56th season which will premiere in2025.^[6] The series will drop its magazine-style format, consisting of two short story portions and a new animated segment, "Tales from 123."

Research[]

Sesame Street has maintained a rigorous research standard since its foundation, to ensure that the programming is addressing the needs of its viewers. The Education and Research (E&R) department of Sesame Workshop is currently headed byRosemarie T. Truglio, Ph.D. andJeanette Betancourt. Truglio states that the level of interaction between E&R, Content, and Production is "intimately hand-in-hand. They are not creating anything without our knowledge, our guidance and our review. We are involved in content development across all media platforms." This close-knit organizational structure has been an integral part of Sesame Workshop since it began.

Writers create plots forSesame Street scenes and segments, and the content is reviewed by the E&R team. They have authority to reject a script and force rewrites if the content is not acceptable. When a script is factually correct, but includes gray areas that may not be comprehensible to children, the writers and E&R work together to tweak everything. "A balance between content and humor" is always maintained, according to Truglio.^[7]

Since 1998, Sesame Workshop has provided extensive content onits website and others such asRandom House[1]. Content ranges from birth to school-age, and includes information on dozens of topics, such as appropriate parenting techniques, dealing with children's fears, development of literacy, and maintenance a good health.

Research is funded by government grants, corporate and private donations, and the profits gained from the sale of Sesame Workshop merchandise.

Sesame Workshop's research has led to severalinitiatives in the form ofHealthy Habits for Life,Sesame Street in Communities, and many others.

Merchandising[]

Sesame Street is known for its extensive merchandising, which includes many books, magazines, audiovisual media, toys, and the "Tickle Me Elmo" craze.

Its fiction books have sometimes displayed a notice stating that money received from the sale of the publications is used to fund Sesame Workshop, and mention that children do not have to watch the show to benefit from its publications.

Licensors forSesame Street merchandise have includedBuild-A-Bear Workshop,Hasbro, andApplause, amongmany others.

Sesame Street Live has traveled across North America since 1980 showcasingfull-bodied, walk-around versions of theSesame Street characters. The property is also represented in theSesame Place theme park in Langhorne, Pennsylvania, and aPlaza Sésamo theme park in Monterrey, Nuevo Leon, Mexico. Additionally,Sesame Street characters are a major presence atUniversal Studios theme parks inJapan andSingapore.

TheSesame Beginnings line, launched in mid-2005, consists of apparel, health and body, home, and seasonal products. The line is targeted towards infants and their parents, and products are designed to increase interactivity. Most of the line is exclusive to a family of Canadian retailers.

Creative Wonders (a partnership betweenABC and Electronic Arts) produced Sesame Street software for the PC.

Movies and specials[]

In addition to episodic television,Sesame Street has released two theatrical feature films, with athird in development. A number of TV movies and specials have also been produced includingDon't Eat the Pictures,Big Bird in China, andmany others, as well as severaldirect-to-video titles.

Sesame Street Presents: Follow That Bird(1985, co-produced byWarner Bros.)

The Adventures of Elmo in Grouchland(1999, co-produced byColumbia Pictures)

Criticism[]

Some educators criticized the show when it debuted, claiming that its format would contribute to shortening children's attention spans. This concern still exists today, although there is no conclusive proof of this being the case, even after several decades of televised shows.

In a letter to theBoston Globe, Boston University professor of education Frank Garfunkel commented, "If what people want is for their children to memorize numbers and letters without regard to their meaning or use -- without regard to the differences between children, then Sesame Street is truly responsive. To give a child thirty seconds of one thing and then to switch it and give him thirty seconds of another is to nurture irrelevance."

In the magazineChildhood Education, Minnie P. Berson of State University College at Fredonia asked "Why debase the art form of teaching with phony pedagogy, vulgar sideshows, bad acting, and layers of smoke and fog to clog the eager minds of small children?" These "vulgar sideshows" have since won a record 101Emmys, suggesting a measure of disagreement from the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences.

For an animated segment on the letter "J," the writers included "a day in jail," justifying it by stating that words beginning with "J" were sparse. This drew criticism fromSan Francisco Chronicle columnist Terrence O'Flaherty, despite executive producer David Connell's assertion that kids would be familiar with the word through shows likeBatman andSuperman.

A detailed 1971 critique inThe Atlantic, "Big Bird, Meet Dick and Jane" by educator John Holt (a known critic of the American school system), was more level. Holt liked the idea of the show and complimented its quality, while disagreeing with the visuals to "sweeten the learning pill," citing missed opportunities, and criticizing specific segments. He questioned the imaginary locale and characters wishing "at least some of the show be filmed on a succession of real streets, in New York or perhaps other cities, with the real children and people of the neighborhood." This last complaint would be rectified in subsequent seasons, in both inserts andlocation scenes with Big Bird and others in New York City itself.

Even with its attempts to help the underprivileged, the series received criticism. Educator Sister Mary Mel O'Dowd worried that the show might start to replace "personalized experiences." "If Sesame Street is the only thing ghetto kids have, I don't think it's going to do much good. It never hurts a child to be able to count to ten or recognize the letters of the alphabet. But without the guidance of a teacher, he'll be like one of our preschoolers who was able to write "CAUTION" on the blackboard after seeing it on the back of so many buses, and told me 'That says STOP.'"

International[]

As early as 1972, CTW began partnering with foreign countries to develop dubbed versions of the show as well as co-productions with their own content. The original programs introduced new settings and characters modeled after those established in the American version, sometimes carrying over familiar characters and inserts.

In the late 1990s, versions popped up inChina andRussia as these countries shifted away from communism somewhat. There is also a joint Israeli-Palestinian-Jordanian project, calledSesame Stories, which was created with the goal of promoting greater cultural understanding.

Over three dozen co-productions have aired over the years; see:International Sesame Street.

Notes[]

• Some notable rumors aboutSesame Street over the decades includeBert and Ernie's relationship, the dubious claim that they werenamed for characters inIt's a Wonderful Life, thedeath of Ernie by cancer, theintroduction of a Muppet with AIDS,Cookie Monster becoming the Veggie Monster, andElmo toys corrupting children.See also:Category:Rumors

• TheSesame Street theme song — "Can you tell me how to get, how to get to Sesame Street?" — originally featured a solo by harmonica legendToots Thielemans, and for years, his recording of the theme was used in extended sequences of the show's closing credits.

Sources[]

• Lesser, Gerald S.Children and Television: Lessons from Sesame Street. New York: Random House, 1974.
• Morrow, Robert W.Sesame Street and the Reform of Children's Television. Baltimore: John Hopkins University Press, 2006.

External links[]

• Sesame Workshop's official site
• Sesame Street.org