Happy National Sesame Street Day! On November 10, today recognizes the most widely viewed American educational children's television series in the world on its 51st birthday!
First airing on this day back in 1969, Sesame Street has since bridged many cultural and educational gaps with a fun and engaging program.
Combining live action, sketch comedy, animation and puppetry, the eight-foot yellow heap of walking yellow turkey feathers known as Big Bird leads a cast of colorful characters in teaching children numbers, colors and the alphabet.
Bert and Ernie, Cookie Monster, Count von Count, Oscar the Grouch, Snuffy, Elmo, Grover, Prarie Dawn and Telly Monster are just a few of the other furry or felt creatures involved in this show as well, set on a city street full of valuable learning opportunities.
Though initially meant to simply be fun and educational, the show has also evolved into an international cultural phenomenon.
Today, let’s use the time to spell out all of our love for this endearing and unforgettable program!
The seed of the idea that would eventually become Sesame Street was first planted in talks between American television producer Joan Ganz Cooney and American experimental psychologist Lloyd Morrisett, the vice president of the Carnegie Foundation.
Together, they also co-founded the Children's Television Workshop (since renamed Sesame Workshop).
During these conversations, Cooney spoke about her desire to leverage the ability of television shows in order to capture and keep children’s attention with the promotion of positive social values.
Following a period of extensive creative and scientific development, the show of which we all now know and love would begin to take shape.
It was decided that Sesame Street would rely greatly on research processes in order to better inform various aspects of the program, spanning across the introduction of new characters, plotlines, and production design.
This strategy would prove to be not only innovative, but wildly successful as well; Sesame Street would premiere on November 10, 1969 as an immediate sensation.
The show would later go on to dominate the cultural terrain of children’s television in the ensuing decades.
As its audience grew, so did its capacity and willingness to address increasingly complicated social, emotional, and ethical issues.
Though not without some instances of controversy, Sesame Street has remained a pillar of constructive, educational programming with a unique ability to appeal to children and adults alike.
However, the general media landscape has experienced exponential growth.
In the 21st century, the show has in turn found itself faced with stiffer competition by other children’s television productions.
As a result, Sesame Street no longer commands the same authority as in past decades, and it has even faced its own fair share of financial troubles.
Still, it is hard to imagine a world where children (and grown-ups) everywhere of whom don’t carry fond memories of sunny days in sweeping the clouds away, spent by learning and laughing with the whole Muppet (and human) gang on Sesame Street.
Welcome to Sesame Street
1969 • The show premieres with its first episode on this day. One year later, Time magazine will declare it as “the best children’s show in TV history.”
Sesame Street Live!
1980 • Sesame Street launches a live touring show, giving children across the country the opportunity to be in the same room as some of their favorite television character friends.
A Whole New World
1998 • Elmo is given his own segment, Elmo’s World, providing viewers with the chance to spend extra time with the endearing little red monster with the infectious laugh and his goldfish Dorothy.
A New Record
2005 • With a staggering one hundred and one Emmys awarded to the show, Sesame Street had deservedly earned a place in the Guinness Book of World Records™ for the Most Emmy® Wins by a Television Series.
A Half-Century
2019 • On November 10, the day marked the 50th anniversary of the world's most famous street!
National Sesame Street Day Q&A
Q: Who invented Sesame Street?
A: The show was created by Cooney, as well as Jim Henson.
Known for his work on The Muppets, he was responsible for the creation of many of the show’s well-known characters.
Q: What is the number at the beginning of Sesame Street?
A: Sesame Street is the imaginary street located in New York City, New York – 123 Sesame Street is the fictional address of the famous brownstone that is instantly recognizable to viewers everywhere.
And yet, fifty years later, people are still asking how to get there!
Q Why was Sesame Street cancelled?
A: Sesame Street nearly went out of business — and was forced to turn to HBO for a multimillion-dollar boost, as revealed by its financial chief.
The television favorite — which celebrates its 51st anniversary today — left its original home at PBS in 2015 after plunging into an $11 million loss.
Q: How old is Elmo?
A: Since his debut in 1980, Elmo has managed to avoid aging beyond his mere three-and-a-half years!
Sesame Street Day Activities
1. Sport Sesame Street gear
There are tons of Sesame Street-related merch to choose from. T-shirts are never a bad option! Hats, pants, socks and shoes are pretty easy ways to show your appreciation as well.
Although, if it's not one of the big furry varieties, you're kind of slacking—just saying.
2. Watch the show!
With nearly five thousand episodes produced, even selecting favorite deep cuts would be a tough task.
Luckily, with a show as consistently well-made as Sesame Street, you can’t go wrong by picking a random episode!
(Any one except Episode #847, that is).
3. Have a Sesame Street karaoke party
Grab your friends, warm up your vocals, and get ready to rock out Sesame Street-style.
Everyone has a favorite song, and re-visiting some of the greatest nostalgic hits (“Rubber Duckie,” “C is for Cookie,” and “I Love Trash” all spring to mind) is a great way to spend the day-old school style.
Why We Love Sesame Street Day
A. We get to remember our favorite characters
The idea of Sesame Street and its iconic characters are inseparable.
We think of mornings and afternoons spent with Big Bird, Bert and Ernie, Cookie Monster, Oscar the Grouch, and the whole family of other lovable Muppets.
We also think of the human cast, including Bob, Susan, Gordon, Mr. Hooper, David, Linda, Maria, Luis and others. Each brings back plenty of happy and timeless memories for almost everyone.
B. It's the perfect justification for a bubble bath
It's pretty much mandatory to take a bubble bath on National Sesame Street Day. How else would you do the rubber duckie song any justice? (Alright, bubbles or a rubber duck aren't necessary, but they help).
And, after a hard day’s work, it feels great to soak in a hot tub! There's just something about a shower that seems so business-like. See, after all these years, Ernie had the right idea all along!
3. Sesame Street is almost universal
During its airtime, Sesame Street has been broadcast in more than one hundred and twenty different countries!
Having spent decades entertaining and educating children around the globe, the show emerges as a uniting theme across billions of people from cultures worldwide, ultimately bringing out the child in all of us.
DATES
November 10, 2021
November 10, 2022
November 10, 2023
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@SesameWorkshop
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