Jon Stone

 Jon   Stone  ( April 1 3, 1931 - March 30 , 1997 ) , was an Emmy - winning writer  ,  director  , &  producer  who was involved in the creation of  SESAME STREET  & continue d to work on the  show  until shortly before his death.

Born in New Haven, Connecticut , Stone graduate d from Williams College in 1952. He receive d a master ' s degree from the Yale University School of Drama in 1955, at which time he joined a CBS training program. Before helping to create  SESAME STREET , he worked on the popular chil dren ' s television show Captain Kangaroo for CBS. He also worked on several other Muppet project s before & during his time on  SESAME STREET , & was the author of several book s , including the popular The Monster at the End of This Book. He was married for 9 year s to actress Beverly Owen.

Stone ' s earliest association with  JIM HENSON  came i n 1965, working on fairy tale project s , along with writer Tom Whedon , such as a proposed Snow White series. This was turned into a Cinderella pilot, which was shot in Octo ber of that year but never aired , & eventually became ''[http://muppet.wikia.com/wiki/Hey_Cinderella! Hey Cinderella ! ] . Stone also appeared in  JIM HENSON  ' s 1967 short film Ripple s'', as an introspective architect.

In 1968, Stone brought  HENSON  & Joe Raposo  to the attention of CTW president  Joan Ganz Cooney when she start ed putting together  SESAME STREET . He wrote  the pilot script, & was 1 of the 3 original  producer s  of the  program  ; he later served as an executive  producer  for many year s.

During a 1980 trip to  SESAME STREET  ' s German co - production Sesamstrasse, Stone appeared on the show ' s 750th episode , together with BIG BIRD ,  OSCAR THE GROUCH  , Kermit Love &  CAROLL SPINNEY  ' s wife Debi Spinney.

In a 1999 article, Children ' s Television Workshop Director of Research [http://muppet.wikia.com/wiki/Edward_L._Palmer Edward L. Palmer ] recalled how Stone approached writing for  SESAME STREET  in the early day s of the production  :

Stone was t he show  ' s principal  director  until 1996. Working with  JIM HENSON , he helped to create many of the Muppet character s , including BIG BIRD & Cookie Monster. He was also responsible for t he show  ' s format & setting. Stone contribute d occasional announcer voice s ( such as the soap opera promo spoof " School i n t h e After noon " ), & he serve d similar duty o n 2 Muppet Meeting Film s. In April 1990, Stone hosted & directed  a television special title d ''[http://muppet.wikia.com/wiki/Sing!_Sesame_Street_Remembers_Joe_Raposo_and_His_Music Sing !  SESAME   STREET  Re member s Joe Raposo & His Music ]''. The special was created as a tribute to Joe Raposo , who passed away from lymphoma on February 5 , 1989.

Jon Stone died of complication s from Lou Gehrig ' s disease on March 30 th, 1997. In his New York Time s obituary, Joan Ganz Cooney describe s Stone as " probably the most brilliant writer  of chil dren ' s television material in A m e r i c a . "

Memorial Bench
Following Stone ' s death, a bench on the Literary Walk in Central Park was dedicate d to him. The bench is directly to the right of the bench dedicate d to  JIM HENSON .

Director

 * Youth 68 ( 19 68 )
 *  SESAME STREET  ( 19 6 9 - 96 )
 * Christ mas Eve on  SESAME   STREET  ( 1978 )
 *  DON ' T  Eat t he P i c t u r e s ( 1983 )
 * My  SESAME   STREET  Home Video
 *  BIG   BIRD  i n China ( 1983 )
 *  BIG   BIRD  i n Japan ( 1988 )
 *  SESAME   STREET , Special ( Put Down the  DUCKIE  ) ( 1988 )
 * Monster Hits ! ( 1990 )
 * Sin g Yourself Silly ! ( 1 990 )
 *  Elmo  ' s Sing - Along Guessing Game ( 1 99 1 )
 *  BIG   BIRD  ' s Birth day or Let  Me  Eat Cake ( 1 99 1 )
 * Mr . Willowby ' s Christ mas Tr ee ( 1995 )

Writer

 *  SESAME STREET  Pitch Reel ( 19 6 9 )
 * Hey Cinderella ! ( 1970 )
 * Julie on  SESAME   STREET  ( 1973 )
 * The Muppet Show : Sex & Violence ( 19 75 )
 * Christ mas Eve on  SESAME   STREET  ( 1978 )
 *  SESAME STREET  Live : A  SESAME   STREET  Mystery : The Case of the Missing Rara Avis ( 1 9 8 0 ) ( 1980 )
 *  SESAME STREET  Live :  BIG   BIRD  ' s Super Spectacular Totally Amateur Show ( 1 9 8 1 )
 * Rocky M o u n t a i n Holiday ( 1 983 )
 *  BIG   BIRD  i n China ( 1983 )
 *  BIG   BIRD  i n Japan ( 1988 )
 *  SESAME STREET  Live :  BIG   BIRD  ' s  SESAME   STREET  Story ( 19 88 )

Author

 * T he  SESAME   STREET  Story book ( 1971 )
 * The Monster at the End of This Book ( 1971 )
 * Would You Like t o Play Hide & Seek in This Book With Lovable, Furry Old  Grover  ? ( 1976 )
 * T he  SESAME   STREET  Library ( 1978 - 1979 )
 * Christ mas Eve on  SESAME   STREET  ( 1981 )
 * The Song s of  SESAME   STREET  in Poem s & Picture s ( 1983 )
 * Lovable Furry Old  Grover  ' s Resting Place s ( 1984 )
 * Another Monster at the End of This Book ( 1996 )

Lyrics

 * " A B C - D E F - G H I "
 * " Best Friend s "
 * "  BIG BIRD  ' s Beautiful Birthday Bash "
 * " Danger ' s No Stranger "
 * " Every body Wash "
 * " Get Along "
 * " Things One of These Thing s "
 *  SESAME STREET  " Theme "
 * " Wet Paint "