After five test shows and years of preparation, the American educational children's television series Sesame Street premiered on NET (National Educational Television, a precursor of PBS) on November 10, 1969.
Sesame Street was the first television show to base its contents and production values on laboratory and scientific research. It was also the first to use an authentic inner-city street complete with trash and decay for a children's program.
The set of Sesame Street was intentionally made to look like a poor inner city block, because the original target audience was inner city children and the producers wanted it to feel familiar.
Sesame Street has featured many Muppets, a group of puppet characters created by Jim Henson. The puppeter's involvement in the program began when he and Joan Ganz Cooney, one of the creators of the show, met in the summer of 1968, at one of Sesame Street's five three-day curriculum planning seminars in Boston. Henson was initially reluctant, but agreed to join Sesame Street in support of its social goals.
Henson agreed to waive his performance fee for full ownership of the Sesame Street Muppets and to split any revenue they generated with the Children's Television Workshop (renamed to the Sesame Workshop in 2000), the series' non-profit producer.
The Muppet segments of the show were popular from its premiere onwards and they brought Henson national attention. More Muppets were added during the first few seasons.
In 1970, the agency running the new public television network in Mississippi initially voted to not show Sesame Street on the basis of the show being racially integrated. Public pressure when this was leaked forced them to reverse the decision.
The producers of Sesame Street switched in 1998 from a magazine-based structure to a more narrative format after the show's ratings dominance was challenged by programs such as Barney and Friends and Blue's Clues. The popular fifteen-minute segment "Elmo's World", hosted by the Muppet Elmo, was added the same year to make the show more accessible to a younger audience. The new format was expanded to the entire show in 2002.
Big Bird is the main protagonist of Sesame Street, and is meant to be an 8'2" golden condor.
Big Bird doesn't look the same in some international versions of Sesame Street. For example, in the Dutch version, Big Bird is blue and is called Pino.
The puppeteer inside of Big Bird must wear platform shoes in order to reach his beak.
Big Bird was designed for Jim Henson by puppeteer Kermit Love. The puppeter is not the source of the frog Kermit's name: that's said to be an old school friend of Jim.
The original human cast, chosen by producer Jon Stone, consisted of four characters. The first character to be introduced to the show was Gordon Robinson, a "well-liked and respected" African-American ultimately portrayed as a science teacher; he was played by Matt Robinson in the early years of the series.
Actress Carol Burnett was the first celebrity to appear on Sesame Street, on that series' first episode on November 10, 1969.
The actor James Earl Jones participated in making test films for Sesame Street; these shorts, combined with animated segments, were shown to groups of children to gauge the effectiveness of the then-groundbreaking format. The short that had the greatest impact with test audiences was one showing bald-headed Jones counting slowly and solemnly to ten. The actor paused between each letter, giving kids time to guess the next one, and producers liked his style so much, they dubbed it the “James Earl Jones Effect.” This and other segments featuring Jones were eventually aired as part of the Sesame Street series itself when it debuted later in 1969.
Bert and Ernie were virtually the only Muppets to appear in the Sesame Street pilot episode, which was screen tested to a number of families in July 1969. Their brief appearance was the only part of the pilot that tested well, so it was decided that Muppet characters should be the "stars" of the show.
Initially the adults of Sesame Street didn’t believe Mr. Snuffleupagus was real, but this was changed to avoid having kids feel that adults wouldn’t believe them when they had something important to say. This running gag ended with the Season 17 premiere of Sesame Street, episode 2096 (first aired November 18, 1985, when Big Bird finally succeeded in revealing Snuffy to his friends on Sesame Street.
A 1988 book called The Real Thing by Kurt Anderson, started a wildcat rumor by questioning whether the characters Bert and Ernie, were more than just good friends. The idea of the two Muppet characters being as a couple is sufficiently widespread that it has been used as the basis of jokes on numerous comedy shows.
One of its cast predates the show. The Cookie Monster's CV reveals his career has included a 1966 commercial for Wheels snacks, and a later ad for Munchos.
In a 2004 episode of Sesame Street, Cookie Monster revealed that before he started eating cookies his name was Sid.
The Cookie Monster has another feature that distinguishes him from all the other characters – five fingers, whereas all the others have a mere four. Or wings in the case of the bird.
Elmo from Sesame Street is the only puppet or non-human to testify before Congress in 2002, advocating for increased funding for music programs.
Sesame Street's Oscar the Grouch was originally orange in the first season. His change to green in the second season was explained in the show as the result of him visiting a swamp.
Oscar the Grouch has been performed by the same, original Muppeteer, Caroll Spinney, since 1969.
Sesame Street created an episode in the wake of 9/11 in which Big Bird has to deal with his pen pal Gulliver, who does not believe birds should be friendly to other species.
Sesame Street was banned in Mississippi in 1970 because the cast was integrated.
When Will Lee, who played Mr. Hooper on Sesame Street, died in 1982, the show had an episode where Mr. Hooper died. The episode aired on Thanksgiving 1983 so parents were home to discuss it with their children. It never reran.
When the "wicked witch" from the Wizard of Oz was on Sesame Street, children were so scared that the show never ran the episode again.
Research carried out in 1996 found that by the age of three 95% of American children had watched Sesame Street.
Source Mail On Sunday
The set of Sesame Street was intentionally made to look like a poor inner city block, because the original target audience was inner city children and the producers wanted it to feel familiar.
Sesame Street has featured many Muppets, a group of puppet characters created by Jim Henson. The puppeter's involvement in the program began when he and Joan Ganz Cooney, one of the creators of the show, met in the summer of 1968, at one of Sesame Street's five three-day curriculum planning seminars in Boston. Henson was initially reluctant, but agreed to join Sesame Street in support of its social goals.
Henson agreed to waive his performance fee for full ownership of the Sesame Street Muppets and to split any revenue they generated with the Children's Television Workshop (renamed to the Sesame Workshop in 2000), the series' non-profit producer.
The Muppet segments of the show were popular from its premiere onwards and they brought Henson national attention. More Muppets were added during the first few seasons.
 |
| Jill Biden and Michelle Obama pose with some of the characters. Elaine Sanchez |
In 1970, the agency running the new public television network in Mississippi initially voted to not show Sesame Street on the basis of the show being racially integrated. Public pressure when this was leaked forced them to reverse the decision.
The producers of Sesame Street switched in 1998 from a magazine-based structure to a more narrative format after the show's ratings dominance was challenged by programs such as Barney and Friends and Blue's Clues. The popular fifteen-minute segment "Elmo's World", hosted by the Muppet Elmo, was added the same year to make the show more accessible to a younger audience. The new format was expanded to the entire show in 2002.
THE CHARACTERS
Big Bird is the main protagonist of Sesame Street, and is meant to be an 8'2" golden condor.
Big Bird doesn't look the same in some international versions of Sesame Street. For example, in the Dutch version, Big Bird is blue and is called Pino.
The puppeteer inside of Big Bird must wear platform shoes in order to reach his beak.
 |
| Photo of Big Bird taken at Sesame Place. https://www.flickr.com/photos/evelynishere/ |
Big Bird was designed for Jim Henson by puppeteer Kermit Love. The puppeter is not the source of the frog Kermit's name: that's said to be an old school friend of Jim.
The original human cast, chosen by producer Jon Stone, consisted of four characters. The first character to be introduced to the show was Gordon Robinson, a "well-liked and respected" African-American ultimately portrayed as a science teacher; he was played by Matt Robinson in the early years of the series.
Actress Carol Burnett was the first celebrity to appear on Sesame Street, on that series' first episode on November 10, 1969.
The actor James Earl Jones participated in making test films for Sesame Street; these shorts, combined with animated segments, were shown to groups of children to gauge the effectiveness of the then-groundbreaking format. The short that had the greatest impact with test audiences was one showing bald-headed Jones counting slowly and solemnly to ten. The actor paused between each letter, giving kids time to guess the next one, and producers liked his style so much, they dubbed it the “James Earl Jones Effect.” This and other segments featuring Jones were eventually aired as part of the Sesame Street series itself when it debuted later in 1969.
Bert and Ernie were virtually the only Muppets to appear in the Sesame Street pilot episode, which was screen tested to a number of families in July 1969. Their brief appearance was the only part of the pilot that tested well, so it was decided that Muppet characters should be the "stars" of the show.
Initially the adults of Sesame Street didn’t believe Mr. Snuffleupagus was real, but this was changed to avoid having kids feel that adults wouldn’t believe them when they had something important to say. This running gag ended with the Season 17 premiere of Sesame Street, episode 2096 (first aired November 18, 1985, when Big Bird finally succeeded in revealing Snuffy to his friends on Sesame Street.
A 1988 book called The Real Thing by Kurt Anderson, started a wildcat rumor by questioning whether the characters Bert and Ernie, were more than just good friends. The idea of the two Muppet characters being as a couple is sufficiently widespread that it has been used as the basis of jokes on numerous comedy shows.
In a 2004 episode of Sesame Street, Cookie Monster revealed that before he started eating cookies his name was Sid.
The Cookie Monster has another feature that distinguishes him from all the other characters – five fingers, whereas all the others have a mere four. Or wings in the case of the bird.
Elmo from Sesame Street is the only puppet or non-human to testify before Congress in 2002, advocating for increased funding for music programs.
Sesame Street's Oscar the Grouch was originally orange in the first season. His change to green in the second season was explained in the show as the result of him visiting a swamp.
Oscar the Grouch has been performed by the same, original Muppeteer, Caroll Spinney, since 1969.
FUN SESAME STREET FACTS
Sesame Street created an episode in the wake of 9/11 in which Big Bird has to deal with his pen pal Gulliver, who does not believe birds should be friendly to other species.
Sesame Street was banned in Mississippi in 1970 because the cast was integrated.
When Will Lee, who played Mr. Hooper on Sesame Street, died in 1982, the show had an episode where Mr. Hooper died. The episode aired on Thanksgiving 1983 so parents were home to discuss it with their children. It never reran.
When the "wicked witch" from the Wizard of Oz was on Sesame Street, children were so scared that the show never ran the episode again.
Research carried out in 1996 found that by the age of three 95% of American children had watched Sesame Street.
Source Mail On Sunday
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