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 recognize d as a pioneer of the contemporary standard which combine s education & entertainment in c h i l d r e n ’ s television show s.  SESAME   STREET  also provide d the 1| 1 st daily, national television show case for  JIM HENSON  ’ s  Muppet s. I n 2 00 9 , the series celebrated it s  4 0  t h  anniversary  , making it 1| 1  of the long est - running show s i n TV history. The series has now produce d o v er 4, 5 00 episode s.

 SESAME   STREET  is produce d in the United States by  SESAME  Work shop, formerly known as the  C h i l d r e n ’ s Television Work shop  (  C T W  ). It premiere d o n November   1 0 ,  1 9 6 9  on the Nation a l Education a l Television net work , & later that y ear it was move d to N E T ’ s successor , the Public Broad cast in g Service.

Be cause of it s widespread influence,  SESAME   STREET  has earned the distinction of being 1| 1 of the world ’ s fore most & most highly regarded educator s of young peo p le. Few television series can match it s 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 actor s to teach young c h i l d r e n the fundamental s o f reading ( letter & w o r d recognition ) & arithmetic ( number s , addition & subtract i on ) , as well a s geometric form s , cognitive processes , & classification. Since the show ’ s inception, 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| 1 st premiere d, & was devise d as a mean s to encourage parent s & older sibling s to watch the series with younger c h i l d r e n , & thus become more involved in the learn in g process rather than let tin g  SESAME   STREET  act as a baby sitter. A number of parodies o f popular culture appear, especially ones aimed at the Public Broad cast in g Service  , the net work that broad cast s the show. For example, t he recur ring segment  Monster  piece Theater once ran a sketch called "  ME  Claudius  ". C h i l d r e n 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  P B S.

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 o f Reform Party found e r  H . Ross Perot  ). Over 2 00 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 k i d s, 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 discuss ion about the concept s 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 C h i l d r e n " , an  1 8  month planning period w as set a side , & with a grant of 8| 8  million dollar s from multiple government agencies & foundation s , the propose d series would test the useful ness of the T V medium in providing early education f or young c h i l d r e n. Apart from Cooney  & the original planning crew included several veteran s of  Captain   Kangaroo , such as executive  produce r   David Connell  , producer  Samuel Y . Gibbon , J r .  , &  write r  / song writer  JEFF MOSS  , as well a s head  write r   Jon Stone  , &  produce r  /  w rite r   Matt Robinson  ( who l ate r 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 , &  compose r   Joe Raposo  follow ed. The C T W  research crew included Harvard professor  Gerald S . Lesser  as head of the board o f advisor s &  Edward L . Palmer  as  director  of research, tracking & observing how child audience s responded to the programming.

Though the earliest pilot episode s involve d dramatizing the inner though t s of ch ild act ors in a studio set ,  Jon Stone  suggest ed a more urban setting , "  a real inner city street  " with an integrate d cast of neighbor s. T he original human inhabitant s were Bob ,  M r . Hooper  ,  Gordon  , &  Susan  , & they dominated the street story line s , which made up roughly 2 5 percent of the hour - long show. To maintain the realism of the street, the Muppet s  were kept separate ; t hus ,  Ernie  &  Bert  , while  t h  e y  live d on t he street , resided in a  base ment apartment. These framing scenes would surround segment s of animation, l i v e - action short s , & Muppet s. These sketches, in particular the short animate d segment s stress in g 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| J  commercial " , & during the earliest season s it was common for letter or number film s & car toon s 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 with in the ir limited attention s.

C T W aired the program for test group s to determine if the new format was likely to succeed. Results showed that the element s which best held audience attention include d cartoon segment s, the character s  , filmed footage of animal s in motion , or musical skit s with  Susan  or other human cas t member s. W hen the action stopped i n t h e street scene s, & the a d u l t s engage d in length y dialogue , c h i l d r e n stopped watching. Base d on t h e se result s, & 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  C T W  show,  T h e  Electric  Company  ). Originally they were taped at Teletape Studio s  i n Manhattan, but since  SESAME  ’ s  2 5 t h sea s on  ( when the street expanded  around the corner  & need e d more s pace ) , the show has been filmed at the  Kaufman Astoria Studio s  i n neighbor in g Queen s.

Broad cast history
T he show is b road 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 w i t h their own  character s  , & in a variety o f different language s. 1 2 0 countries have aired t h e s how, many of which partner ed w it h  SESAME  Work shop t o create local version s.

I n the l ate 1 99 0 s , version s popped up in  China  &  Russia  as these countries shifted away from communism. There i s 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 c h i l d r e n ' s television,  SESAME   STREET  paved the ground for the development of similar competitor s & thus inadvertently diminished it s own audience share. Accord in g to P B S  Research, the show has gone from a 2| 2. 0| 0 average on Nielsen Media Research ’ s " p e o p l e meter s " in  1 99 5  -  9 6  to a 1| 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 fro m roughly 5| 5. 6| 6 mill i on house hold s w i t h 7| 7. 5| 5 million viewer s.

This place d  SESAME  at 8| 8 t h place in the over all k i d s ’ chart s in  2 00 2. I t was the second most - watched c h i l d r e n ’ s television series for mot her s age d 8| 1 8 - 4 9 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, boost in g the show 3 1 % i n F e b r u a r y 2 00 2  among c h i l d r e n age d 2| 2  - 5| 5  , in comparison to it s  2 00 1  rating s. As of 2 00 5 , the show is in the top  1 0  show s f or k i d s 2| 2  - 5| 5  , with 3| 3  other  P B S  s how s.

Character s

 *  See   SESAME   STREET  Character s .

 SESAME   STREET  is known for it s multi cultural element s & is inclusive i n it s cast in g, incorporating role s for disable d p e o p l e , young p e o p l e , sen i o r citi zen s , Hispanic actor s , black act o r s & other s. As recalled by C T W  advisor  Gerald S . Lesser  in  his  book  C h i l d r e n &amp; Television : Less on 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 o f size s , shape s & color s & range fro m t he humanoid  Any thin g Muppet s  t o various animal s t o  M o n s t e r s  ,  BIRD S  ,  G R O U C H E S  ,  Dinger s  &  Honker s  all of whom , especially the  G R O U C H E S  , have  their  own unique perspective s & ways of communicating with  their  neigh b or s. Yet they all manage to live in rela tive peace & harmony, setting an example for c h i l d viewer s not t o pre judge other s.

Tying in with its multiculturalist perspective, the show pioneer ed the idea o f occasionally insert in g very basic Spanish word s & phrase s to acquaint young c h i l d r e n to the concept of know in g more than 1| 1 language. This was express ed as early as the show ’ s second season, with Susan  &  Gordon  speak i n g a second language o r l ear n in g phrase s from newer Hispanic character s such a s Antonio ,  Rafael  ,  Luis  , &  Maria. 1| 1  1 9 7 3  storyline involve d the open in g 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 introduce d the more formalize d  Spanish Word of the Day  segment in every episode. French phrases were use d very occasionally during t h e  1 9 7 0 s , & sign language has played a major role through out t h e year s , through  Linda  & visit s 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 child hood, & the scripts are written so that the character reflect s the development level of c h i l d r e n of t hat age. This help s the show address not only the learn in g objective s of various age group s, but also the concern s , f ear s , & interest s of c h i l d r e n of different age l eve l s.

T h e Muppet s
 BIG BIRD , an 8| 8 - foot - t all  yellow   BIRD  , live s in a large  NEST  on an abandoned lot adjacent to  1 2 3   SESAME STREET  , locate d behind the build in g ' s  TRASH  heap. A regular visit or 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   SLIME Y  live in a  TRASH CAN  in the heap.  OSCAR  ’ s most - see n regular visitor is his  girl friend  GRUNDGETTA . Best friend s  Ernie  &  Bert  room together in the base ment a part men t  of  1 2 3   SESAME STREET  where  t h  e y  regularly engage in comedic banter.  Ernie  ’ s window b o x, though seen less often in recent y ear s , is the home of the Twiddle bug s  , a color ful family o f insect s.

The bear  family from  Gold i locks &amp; the 3 Bears  reside s on  SESAME STREET . T he 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  w as give n  his  own segment ,  Elmo  ’ s World  , occupy in g 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. I n 2 0 1 2 ,  Elmo  ’ s World  was replaced by a n e w segment ,  Elmo  the Musical .

 Grover  ’ s seg m en t, " Glob a l   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  , & start in g 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 letter s , drawn in icing on cookie s.  Prairie Dawn  often attempted to help  Cookie  refrain from eat in g t he letter  s, but always l eave frazzle d.  Count von Count  had fewer problem s 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  ,  t h  e y  worked a t  Sherry Netherland  ’ s hotel ,  The Furry Arm s  , 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 - t rain in g  Abby Cadabby  move d t o t h e  STREET  , & start in g in  2 00 9  ,  she  receive d  her  own C| C G| G I| I  animated segment ,  Abby  ’ s Fly in g Fairy School  , which include s new  character s  ;  her  fellow student s  Gonnigan  &  Blögg  , teacher  M r s . Sparkle nose  , & class p et  Niblet.

 Murray Monster  look s for the Word on the  STREET , explore s different type s o f school s with  Ovejita  i n  Murray  H a s 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   FROG S  in  sea s on 4 0. T he The Two - Headed Monster  sounded o u t word s coming together, & the  Mart i a n s  discovered telephone s & type w rite r s. F o r 2| 2  season s ,  Googel  ,  Me l  ,  Mel  &  Phoebe  hung out i n t h e  Monster ’ s Club house .

Other character s  o v er the y ear s 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 strength ) , &  The Big Bad Wolf  , who is no t a terror t o t h e  STREET .  Forgetful Jone s , 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 regular s pull the zaniness of the Muppet s  b ack t o reality, & serve different pedagogical function s , show in g literal integration & tolerance rather than metaphorically through c o l o r f u l  Muppet s  , & represent in g different personalities & adult " roles " & occupation s.

Music teacher Bob  has been on  SESAME   STREET  since its inception. For several y ear s, he  had a close friend ship with  Linda  , the local librarian who was the 1| 1  st regular deaf character on T V. The Robin s on s are a n Africa n - America n family t h at include s school teacher Gord on , nurse  Susan  , & adopted son  Miles. Maria &  Luis  are a Hispanic couple who r un  the Fix - I t Shop. Maria gave birth t o 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 main stay at  Hooper  ’ s  Store  during t h e show ’ s 1| 1  s t decade. Actor Will Lee  die d in  1 9 8 2  & when the producer s opted to help their young viewer s deal with t he death of some one they love d 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 b y  Gina. Next came M r . Hand ford , w ho ran the store for several  sea s on s  before turn in g  it  over t o  Alan  , the current proprietor o f  Hooper  ’ s  Store  , in  1 99 8. Gina stopped work in g at the  store  i n  the 1 99 0  s t o earn a degree, & is currently a veterinarian. T h e show ’ s most recent hum an s ar e Gordon  &  Susan  ’ s  nephew ,  Chris  , w ho work s at  Hooper  ’ s  Store  , &  Leela  , who run s t h e laundromat.

M r . 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 character s.

Insert s
In addition to the street scene s & 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 kit s & documentary footage t o cel animation , s t o p - motion , 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 In c. studio, Sally Cruikshank  ,  Bruce Ca yard  &  Pixar  , as w e l l a s staffer s such a s  M o Willems  ,  JIM HENSON  ,  FRANK O Z  &  DAVID RUDMAN . Notable recur ring 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 it s fall in g 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 after character s in  It ’ s a Wonderful Life  , the  death  of  Ernie  by  cancer  , the  introduction of a Muppet with A I D S  ,  Cookie Monster   becoming the  Veggie   Monster  , &  Elmo   toy s corrupt in g c h i l d r e n  .  See   also :   Cat e gory : Rumor s 
 * The  SESAME   STREET  theme song  is " ( Can you tell me how to g et, how to get to )  SESAME STREET  " . Harmonica legend  Toots Thielemans  play s the song as a solo in some version s of t he sequence.
 * Although  RUBBER   DUCKIE s  exist e d be fore  SESAME   STREET ,  their  pop culture icon status was mostly spurred on by  Ernie  ’ s  Rubber Duckie  song  , & subsequent appearance s of  Ernie  ’ s  bath toy .
 *  SESAME   STREET  made TV Guide ’ s list of the 5 0 greatest all - time show s, rank in g a t number 2 7 . Other show s that made the list w as  T h e Cosby S h o w  ,  Rowan &amp; Martin ’ s Laugh - I n  ,  T h e  Simpsons  ,  Saturday Night Live  &  Seinfeld  ( which ranked number 1| 1 o n the l i s t ).
 *  SESAME   STREET  made Channel 4 ’ s list of the 1 00 greatest k i d s ’ all - time show s, ranking at number 3 0.

Proof

 * Lesser, Gerald S .  C h i l d r e n &amp; Television : Lesson s f r om  SESAME   STREET  . New Y ork  :  Random House  ,  1 9 7 4.
 * Morrow, Robert W .  SESAME   STREET  &amp; the Reform of C h i l d r e n ’ s Television  . Balti more : John Hopkin s University Press , 2 00 6.

External link s

 *  SESAME  Work s hop  ’ s official site
 *  SESAME STREET  . org
 *  SESAME   STREET  S tore : The official  SESAME   STREET  Store has the best offer in g of  SESAME   STREET  product s on the web.