Sesame Street

 T his   article   i s   about   the  '' program.   F o r   t h e   fiction al   STREET ,   see   SESAME   STREET  ( location ). ''

 SESAME   STREET  is an educational television program design ed for pre school e r s, & is recognized as a pioneer of the contemporary standard which combines education & entertainment in chil dren ' s television shows.  SESAME   STREET  also provide d the 1  st daily, national television show case for  JIM HENSON  ' s  Muppet s. I n 2 00 9 , the series celebrated its  4 0  th  anniversary  , making it  1  of the long est - running show s i n TV history. The series has now produce d o v er 4, 500 episode s.

 SESAME   STREET  is produce d in the United States by  SESAME  Work shop, formerly known as the  Chil dren ' s Television Work shop  (  C T W  ). It premiered on November 10 ,  1 9 6 9  on the Nation a l Education a l Television net work , & later that y ear it was move d to NET ' s successor , the Public Broad casting Service.

Because of its widespread influence,  SESAME   STREET  has earned the distinction of being 1  of the world ' s fore most & most highly regarded educator s of young peo p le. Few television series can match its level of recognition & success on the international stage. The original series has been televise d i n 1 20 countries, & more than 20 international version s have been produce d. In it s long history,  SESAME   STREET  has receive d more Emmy Award s  than a n y other program , & has capture d t h e allegiance , e s t e e m , & affection s of million s of view er s world wide.

Over view
 SESAME   STREET  use s a combination o f puppet s, animation , & live actors to teach young chil dren the fundamental s o f reading ( letter & w o r d recognition ) & arithmetic ( number s , addi tion & subtraction ) , as well a s geometric form s , cognitive processes , & classification. Since the show ' s i n ception, other instructional goal s have focused on basic life skill s , such as how to cross the road safe ly & the importance of proper hygiene & health y eat ing ha bit s.

There is also a subtle sense of humor on the show that has appealed to older viewers since it 1  st premiere d, & was devised as a means to encourage parents & older siblings to watch the series with younger chil dren , & thus become more involved in the learning process rather than letting  SESAME   STREET  act as a baby sitter. A number of parodies o f popular culture appear, especially ones aimed at the Public Broadcasting Service  , the net work that broad cast s the show. For example, the recurring segment  Monster  piece Theater once ran a sketch called "  Me  Claudius  ". Chil dren viewing the show might enjoy watching  Cookie Monster  & the Muppet s , while adu lts watching the same sequence may enjoy the spoof of the  Masterpiece Theater  production of  I , Claudius  on  PBS.

Several of the character name s used on the program are pun s or cultural reference s aim ed a t a slightly older audience, including F lo Bear  ( Flaubert ) ,  Sherlock Hemlock  ( a  Sherlock Holmes  parody ) , &  H . Ross Parrot  ( a parody of Reform Party found e r  H . Ross Perot  ). Over 200 notable personalities have made guest appearance s on the show, beginning wit h James Earl Jones  , & ranging from performer s like  Stevie Wonder  to political figure s such as  Kofi Annan. By making a show that n o t only educate s & enter tain s ki ds, but also keep s par ent s entertain e d & involve d in the education a l process , the produce r  s hope to inspire discussion about the concepts on the show.

History of the show

 *  See  SESAME   STREET  mile stone s 

Following an initial proposal by Joan Ganz Cooney  i n  1 9 66 , title d " Television for Preschool Chil dren " , an  18  month planning period w as set a side , & with a grant of  8  million dollar s from multiple government agencies & foundations , the propose d series would test the usefulness of the TV medium in providing early education f or young chil dren. Apart from Cooney  & the original planning crew included several veterans of  Captain Kangaroo , such as executive  producer   David Connell  , producer  Samuel Y . Gibbon , J r .  , &  writer  / songwriter  JEFF MOSS  , as well a s head  write r   Jon Stone  , &  producer  /  writer   Matt Robinson  ( who later originate d t he role o f  Gordon  ). A t Cooney  ' s suggestion,  JIM HENSON  & t h e  Muppet s  w ere brought i n , &  composer   Joe Raposo  follow ed. The CTW research crew included Harvard professor Gerald S . Lesser  as head of the board of advisor s &  Edward L . Palmer  as  director  of research, tracking & observing how child audience s responded to the programming.

Though the earliest pilot episodes involved dramatizing the inner thoughts of ch ild act ors in a studio set ,  Jon Stone  suggest ed a more urban setting , "  a real inner city street  " with an integrated cast of neighbor s. The original human inhabitant s were Bob ,  M r . Hoop e r  ,  Gordon  , &  Susan  , & they dominated the street story line s , which made up roughly 25 percent of the hour - long show. To maintain the realism of the street, the Muppet s  were kept separate ; t hus ,  Ernie  &  Bert  , while  th  ey  live d on t he street , resided in a  base ment apartment. These framing scenes would surround segment s of animation, li v e - action shorts , & Muppet s. These sketches, in particular the short animated segments stressing letter s  &  number s  , were intended to function o n a similar level to advertising commercial s ( & in deed , the bit s were often labeled a s such , i . e . " t he  J  commercial " , & during the earliest season s it was common for letter or number films & cartoons to be shown multiple time s in t h e same episode ). The y were quick, catch y & memorable , so as to convey information & maintain the interest of pre - school c h i l d r e n within the ir limited attention s.

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 character s  , filmed footage of animals in motion , or musical skit s with  Susan  or other human cas t member s. When the action stopped i n t h e street sc ene s, & the adu lts engaged in lengthy dialogue , chil dren stopped watching. Based on t h e se re s ults, & de spite concern s from advising psychologist s , t h a t t he inner - city street over looked the real problem s of the ghetto & need ed firmer root s , the mixture of reality & fantasy was deep en e d , a s  OSCAR THE GROUCH  &  BIG BIRD  be came permanent  STREET  resident s , interacting with the hu m an a d u l t s.

 SESAME   STREET  is all filmed in New York City  ( as was another  CTW  show,  The  Electric  Company  ). Originally they were taped at Teletape Studio s  i n Manhattan, but since  SESAME  ' s  25 t h season  ( when the street expanded  around the corner  & need e d more s p ace ) , the show has been filmed at the  Kaufman Astoria Studio s  i n neighboring Queen s.

Broad cast history
T he show is broad cast world wide ; in addition to t h e U S  version, many countries have local l y - produce d version s adapted to local need s , some with their own  character s  , & in a variety o f different language s. 120 countries have aired t he s h ow, many of which partner ed with  SESAME  Workshop t o create local version s.

In the l ate 1 99 0 s , version s popped up in  China  &  Russia  as these countries shifted away from communism. There is also a joint Israeli - Palestinian - Jordanian project, called  SESAME   Stories  , which was create d with the goal of promoting greater cultural under stand in g.

The show has also spawned the spin - off series  Play w it h Me  SESAME , & the classic episodes show  SESAME   STREET   UN  paved  , both seen on the Noggin  cable net w or k ; as well as the segment - only series  Open  SESAME .  Elmo  ' s World  &  Glob al   Grover , both segment s on  SESAME   STREET  , have been distributed international l y as individual series.

Rating s
As a result of its success in revolutionizing the standard s of chil dren ' s television,  SESAME   STREET  paved the ground for the development of similar competitors & thus inadvertently diminished its own audience share. According to PBS Research, the show has gone from a 2. 0 average on Nielsen Media Research ' s " peo ple meter s " in  1 99 5  -  9 6  to a  1. 3| 3 average i n  2 000  -  0 1. Even with this decrease,  SESAME   STREET  ' s viewer ship in an average week come s from rough ly 5. 6 million house hold s wi t h  7. 5 million viewer s.

This place d Sesame at 8  th place in the overall ki ds ' chart s in  2002. I t was the second most - watched chil dren ' s television series for mot her s age d 1 8  - 49 who have c h i l d r e n under the age of 3| 3.

A format change has recently help ed the show ' s rating s, boosting the show 3 1 % i n February 2 00 2  among c h i l d r e n age d  2  -  5  , in comparison to it s  2 00 1  rating s. As of 2 00 5 , the show is in the top 10 show s f or k i d s  2  -  5  , with 3| 3  other  PBS  s how s.

Character s

 *  S ee   SESAME   STREET  Character s .

 SESAME   STREET  is known for it s multi cultural element s & is inclusive i n it s casting, incorporating roles for disabled people , young peo p l e , sen i o r citi zen s , Hispanic actor s , black act o r s & others. As recalled by C TW  advisor  Gerald S . Lesser  in  his  book  C h i l d r e n &amp; Television : Lesson s from  SESAME   STREET  This integration initially led the Mississippi State Commission for Educational Television to ban the series, as did other state s , though it was eventually re i n state d. Mutual tolerance & cross - cultural friendship is also conveyed through the Muppet   character s , who come in a variety of size s , s hape s & color s & range from the humanoid  Anything Muppets  to various animals to  M o n s t e r s  ,  BIRDS  ,  GROUCHES  , w:c:muppet:Dingers Dingers  &  Honker  all of whom , especially the  GROUCHES  , have their own unique perspectives & ways of communicating with their neighbor s. Yet they all manage to live in rela tive peace & harmony, setting an example for child viewer s not to pre judge oth er s.

Tying in with its multiculturalist perspective, the show pioneer ed the idea o f occasionally inserting very basic Spanish words & phrases to acquaint young chil dren to the concept of knowing more than 1  language. This was express ed as early as the show ' s 2  nd season, with  Susan  &  Gordon  speaking a  2  nd language or learning phrase s from newer Hispanic character s such as Antonio ,  Rafael  ,  Luis  , &  Maria. 1  1 9 7 3  storyline involve d the opening o f a bilingual library, while other segment s taught French or sign language. The recently revamped format give s  Rosita , the bilingual Muppet  who joined t he cast i n  1 99 1  , more ti me i n front of vie wer s , & also introduced the more formalized  Spanish Word of the Day  segment in every episode. French phrases were used very occasionally during t h e  1 9 7 0 s , & sign language has played a major role throughout t h e year s , through  Linda  & visits from the  National Theatre of the Deaf.

Many of the Muppet   character s  have been designed to represent a specific stage or element of early childhood, & the scripts are written so that the character reflects the development level of chil dren of t hat age. This helps the show address not only the learning objectives of various age groups, but also the concerns , fear s , & interest s of c h i l d r e n of different age levels.

T h e Muppet s
 BIG BIRD , an 8  - foot - t all  yellow   BIRD  , lives in a large  NEST  on an abandoned lot adjacent to  1 2 3   SESAME STREET  , located behind the building ' s  TRASH  heap. A regular visitor to  BIG BIRD  is his  best friend  Mr . Snuffleupagus , or  Snuffy  as everyone call s  him.  OSCAR THE GROUCH ,  SESAME STREET  ’ s local  GROUCH  & his   pet   WORM   SLIMEY  live in a  TRASH CAN  in the heap.  OSCAR  ’ s most - seen regular visitor is his  girl friend  GRUNDGETTA . Best friend s  Ernie  &  Bert  room together in the base ment apartment  of  123   SESAME STREET  where  t h  e y  regularly engage in comedic banter.  Ernie  ' s window b o x, though seen less often in recent year s , is the home of the Twiddle bug s  , a color ful family o f insect s.

The bear  family from  Goldi locks &amp; the 3 Bears  resides on  SESAME STREET . The family, headed b y Papa Bear   &  Mama Bear  welcome d their second child  Curly Bear  in  2 00 3. Their son Baby Bear  is a good friend of monster s  Telly ,  Zoe  , Mexican - born  Rosita  &  Elmo . Beginning in 1 99 8 ,  Elmo  was give n  his  own segment ,  Elmo  ’ s World  , occupying most of the show ' s second half as viewer s explore topic s i n a crayon - draw n , imaginary version o f  Elmo  ’ s a part ment. In 20 1 2 ,  Elmo  ’ s World  was replaced by a n e w segment ,  Elmo  the Musical .

 Grover  ' s seg m en t, " Glob al   Grover  " , followed the self - described " lovable , furry pal " around the world exploring lo cal culture s & tradition s.  Grover  also has a super hero  persona,  Super Grover  , & starting in  2 0 1 0  ,  he  receive d an up g rade & appear s in sketches a s  Super   Grover  2 . 0.  Cookie Monster  fought with his  conscience daily during the  Letter o f the Day  segment, as  he  tried to control  his  urge s t o eat the letters , drawn in icing on cookie s.  Prairie Dawn  often attempted to help  Cookie  refrain from eating t he letter s, but always leave d frazzle d.  Count von Count  had fewer problems during the Number of the Day  segment where  he  indulge d in  count  ing until the mystery number was reveal ed b y  his   Pipe Organ.

From 1 99 3  to  1 99 8 ,  SESAME   STREET  ' s set expanded to  Around t he Corner  location s , which introduce d several new  Muppet s  , s u ch a s  Humphrey  &  Ingrid  ,  th  ey  worked a t  Sherry Netherland  ' s hotel ,  The Furry Arms  , with  the  ir  baby  Natasha  in t o w , while bell hop  Benny Rabbit  begrudgingly helped o ut.

I n 2 00 6 , fairy - i n - training  Abby Cadabby  moved t o t he street , & starting in  2 00 9  ,  she  receive d  her  own  C G| G  I  animated segment ,  Abby  ’ s Flying Fairy School  , which includes new  character s  ;  her  fellow student s  Gonnigan  &  Blögg  , teacher  M r s . Sparkle nose  , & class p et  Niblet.

 Murray Monster  looks for the Word on the  STREET , explore s different type s of school s with  Ovejita  in  Murray  Has a  Little   Lamb  , & most recently , find s out about the scientific process in  Murray  ’ s Science Experiment s.

 Kermit the Frog  hosted t he segment "  SESAME   STREET  New s F lash  ". His most recent appearance on  SESAME   STREET  was a brief cameo in  Elmo  ’ s World   Frogs  in  season 40. T he The Two - Headed Monster  sounded o u t word s coming together, & the  Mart i a n s  discovered telephone s & type write r s. F or 2   season s ,  Googel  ,  Mel  ,  Mel  &  Phoebe  hung out i n t h e  Monster ' s Club house .

Other characters  o v er the years have include d game show host  Guy Smiley , construction work er s  Biff  &  Sully  , the large  Herry Monster  ( who d o es not know  his  o w n s t r ength ) , &  The Big Bad Wolf  , who is not a terror to the  STREET .  Forgetful Jones , a cow boy with a s hort - te r m memory dis order , rode trust y Buster the Horse  with  his  girl friend  Clementine  , &  Rodeo Rosie  was a n early cow girl  character.

T h e h u m a n s
A slate of hu man regulars pull the zaniness of the Muppet s  b ack t o reality, & serve different pedagogical functions , showing literal integration & tolerance rather than metaphorically through c o l o r f u l  Muppet s  , & representing different personalities & adult " roles " & occupation s.

Music teacher Bob  has been on  SESAME   STREET  since its inception. For several years, he  had a close friendship with  Linda  , the local librarian who was the  1  st regular deaf character on T V. The Robinsons are an African - American family that includes schoolteacher Gordon , nurse  Susan  , & adopted son  Miles. Maria &  Luis  are a Hispanic couple who r un  the Fix - I t Shop. Maria gave birth to daughter  Gabi  in  1 9 8 9 , &  her  pregnancy was covered on t he show. In 2 0 11 ,  Maria  became the superintendent of  1 2 3   SESAME STREET .

Candy store operator Mr . Hooper  was a mainstay at  Hooper  ' s  Store  during t h e show ' s  1  s t decade. Actor Will Lee  died in  1 9 8 2  & 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 i n a land mark  1 9 8 3   episode. After ward s, Mr . Hooper  ' s  Store  ' s apprentice ,  David  , inherit ed the  store  & was assist ed by  Gina. Next came M r . Hand ford , w ho ran the store for several  seasons  before turning  it  over to  Alan  , the current proprietor of  Hooper  ' s  Store  , in  1998. Gina stopped working at the  store  i n  the 1990  s t o earn a degree, & is currently a veterinarian. The show ' s most recent hum ans ar e Gordon  &  Susan  ' s  nephew ,  Chris  , w ho work s a t  Hooper  ’ s  Store  , &  Leela  , who run s t h e laundromat.

Mr . Noodle &  his   brother  &  sister , who appeared only in  Elmo  ’ s World  were mean t t o provide a vaudevillian perspective on subject s , contrary to most of the show ' s current human characters.

Insert s
In addition to the street scenes & the Muppet  segment s which would eventually dominate the show,  SESAME   STREET  has made considerable use of film insert s sub contracted to a variety of film maker s & artist s. These in sert s have use d a variety o f technique s, from filmed s kits & documentary footage to cel animation , s t o p - mo tion , C G , & pixillation.

Some of the innumerable contributor s have include d William Wegman  ( with  Fay Ray  &  his  other dog s ),  Bud Luck ey  ,  Jeff Hale  &  his  Imagination Inc. studio, Sally Cruikshank  ,  Bruce Cay ard  &  Pixar  , as w e l l a s staffer s such a s  Mo Willems  ,  JIM HENSON  ,  FRANK OZ  &  DAVID RUDMAN . Notable recurring insert s, which became as much a part of the show ' s fabric as the Muppet s  & hum an cas t , include  t h e Mad Painter  , "  P in b all Number  Count  , " the  Number Song Series  with its falling baker , &  Teeny Little Super Guy  , t o name a f e w.

Regional variation s of t he show
See International  SESAME   STREET 

T V special s & T V movie s

 *  See   SESAME   STREET  Special s 

Trivia

 * Some notable rumor s about  SESAME   STREET  over the decades include  Bert  &  Ernie  ' s relation ship , the dubious claim that  t h  e y  were  name d for character s in  It ' s a Wonderful Life  , the  death  of  Ernie  by  cancer  , the  introduction of a Muppet with AIDS  ,  Cookie Monster   becoming the  Veggie   Monster  , &  Elmo   toys corrupting c h i l d r e n  .  See   also :   Cate gory : Rumor s 
 * The  SESAME   STREET  theme song is " ( Can you tell me how to g et, how to get t o )  SESAME STREET  " . Harmonica legend Toots Thielemans  plays the song as a solo in some version s of t he sequence.
 * Although  Rubber   Duckies  existed be fore  SESAME   STREET ,  their  pop culture icon status was mostly spurred on by  Ernie  ' s  Rubber Duckie  song  , & subsequent appearances of  Ernie  ' s  bath toy .
 *  SESAME   STREET  made TV Guide ' s list of the 50 greatest all - time show s, ranking a t number 2 7 . Other shows that made the list w as  T h e Cosby S how  ,  Rowan &amp; Martin ' s Laugh - I n  ,  T he  Simpsons  ,  Saturday Night Live  &  Seinfeld  ( which ranked number 1  o n the l i s t ).
 *  SESAME   STREET  made Channel 4 ' s list of the 100 greatest ki ds ' all - time show s, ranking at number 30.

Proof

 * Lesser, Gerald S .  Chi l dren & Television : Lesson s f r o m  SESAME   STREET  . New Y ork  :  Random House  ,  1 9 7 4.
 * Morrow, Robert W .  SESAME   STREET  & the Reform of Chil d ren ' s Television  . Balti more : John Hopkins University P ress , 2 00 6.

External link s

 *  SESAME  Workshop  ' s official site
 *  SE SAME STREET  . org
 *  SESAME   STREET  Store : The official  SESAME   STREET  Store has the best offering of  SESAME   STREET  product s on the web.