"The first five years of Sesame Street led to a revolution in children's television. Never again would mindless cartoons be considered responsible programming for young children."
Joan Ganz Cooney
July 2006
1969: The new kid on the block
From the opening scene of Sesame Street's inaugural episode on November 10, 1969, the message was clear: This program was different from any of its predecessors in children's television history. Multiethnic, multigenerational, and even multispecies, the residents on this inner-city street coexisted in harmony, learning life's lessons together, providing viewers with strong role models, and teaching children that everyone brings a special ability to the community.
The program's educational objectives were clear from the beginning as well: to teach preschoolers about symbolic representation, cognitive processes, and their physical and social environment.
Sesame Street's first season revolved around four human characters: Gordon, Susan, Bob, and Mr. Hooper. Big Bird and Oscar the Grouch were the only Muppets to appear regularly in Street scenes during that season, while Ernie, Bert, and others debuted in separate segments. The show creators initially intended the Muppets to be bit players who supplemented the humans' scenes, but their enchanting effect on viewers meant that they quickly became central to the program.
Early successes
Within weeks of its premiere, critics heralded the program as a success, calling it a "breakthrough," a "major TV achievement," and a "bold and constructive venture." More importantly, it was rapidly attaining the educational goals it set out to achieve. In January 1970, the New York Times reported that according to preliminary test results, children from low-income households who regularly viewed Sesame Street were making more than twice the educational gains than children who did not tune in.
Growth in the 1970s and 1980s
The 1970s and 1980s saw the addition of more characters, both human and Muppet. Grover and Cookie Monster debuted in the early seasons, and humans David, Maria, Luis, and Linda joined the cast throughout the 1970s.
During the 1980s, Telly and Elmo became residents of the Street, Gordon and Susan adopted Miles, and Luis and Maria got married. In 1989, Bill Cosby hosted Sesame Street's 20th anniversary television special, Sesame Street: 20 and Still Counting.
Facing life's difficulties
When actor Will Lee died in December 1982, Sesame Street lost Mr. Hooper, a central character who had been present since the show's inception. The writers and producers decided to deal with the issue of death head on, hoping to gently help children cope with the difficult topic. In a special episode, the adults explained to Big Bird why Mr. Hooper wouldn't be around anymore, and all agreed to focus on their good memories of their time with him. An era in Sesame Street history had drawn to a close, but the mission of teaching children to be emotionally resilient was alive and well.
The 1990s and 2000s
In 1998, the Elmo's World segments began as a regular feature, contributing to Elmo's skyrocketing popularity and increasing significance in the Sesame Street family.
In the 2000s, Sesame Street continued to address relevant issues in a child-appropriate manner, creating episodes about hurricanes and the terror attacks of September 11, 2001.
The Street goes global
Sesame Street and its international co-productions have aired in more than 120 countries, making it the most widely viewed children's television series in the world. The co-productions reflect each country's culture, and teach children to handle the issues that their country faces. For example, more than four million South African children watch Takalani Sesame, and have learned about the HIV/AIDS crisis through the presence of an HIV-positive Muppet. The Palestinian and Israeli productions teach children in the tumultuous Middle East to embrace their differences. With Sesame Street's guidance, children the world over are learning to handle delicate and difficult topics as they lay their educational foundation, helping them to become socially aware, informed citizens.
Sesame Street today: an expanding enterprise
Today, approximately eight million viewers watch Sesame Street each week, while more than 77 million are Sesame Street "graduates." According to research from more than 1,000 studies, those preschoolers who watch Sesame Street are more likely to show signs of emerging literacy and numeracy skills than are non-viewers. As of 2008, the program has received more Emmy Awards than any other television show in history.
In addition to the program's reach, Sesame Street is reaching children through other media. In 2006, more than 18 million books and magazines were sold worldwide. The program has had an online presence since 1998.
Sesame Workshop has also expanded the program's core educational objectives to include a wide variety of initiatives intended to equip children with the skills they need to succeed in school, as well as in the world at large. There is now a focus on music, health, reading and writing, bilingual learning, preparing for school, healthy eating, and much more.
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