History of Sesame Street

This article chronicles the history of the children's television show Sesame Street.

Contents

Pre-production (1966-1969)

Joan Ganz Cooney invited some guests over to dinner on a blustery February, 1966, to her and her husband Tom's Manhattan apartment. Most dinner guests were involved in some way with television; they included Cooney's boss Lewis Freedman, the program director for local educational television station Channel 13, and Lloyd Morriset, then vice president of the Carnegie Corporation, which has supported public television since its earliest days.

Naming the show

David Connell commented that CTW "toyed with everything from The Video Classroom to The Nitty Gritty Itty Bitty Kiddy Show." The list of names included an extended version of the second, The Nitty Gritty Itty Bitty Dog and Kitty Farm and City Little Kiddy Show. Staff writer Virgina Shoen wrote a list of possible names, which she then tested one weekend, on neighbourhood children, to gather their reactions.

On the list was a play on the phrase "Open Sesame", magic words used in Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves. Connell and the team were "desperate" enough, that he circulated a memo throughout the CTW office. It stated that anyone with a better name could submit it as an alternative, but elsewise the name would take effect on the next Monday.

Staff have been described as feeling "lukewarm" about the name Sesame Street - the name won by default with no better alternatives offered. A month later, it is recorded that the staff had "adjusted to the name and thought it fitting". Still, fear lurked that its young audiences would pronounce it "See Same Street".

1969, The Inaugural Season

Missing image
Bob_with_Sesame_Street_sign.jpg
Bob, a long-time cast member, shows the "Sesame Street" sign in the original closing sequence

The 1970s

In the second season of Sesame Street, the show quickly started to develop new elements, and polish off old ones.

More Muppets

Grover, as of yet unnamed, went from having brownish-green fur to his trademark Fuzzy and Blue coat. Oscar, originally a bright, blinding orange fur with green eyes grouch, changed to his forever messy, dirty green fur, with white eyes. Originally just a gag monster, Cookie got his name in the premiere episode. Big Bird, who looked rather dim-witted in the first season because of the small amount of plumage above the head, grew new feathers. While his appearance changed to show more intelligence, his personality followed suit. No longer a slow, pea-brained adult, he was now just a really tall, 6-year-old kid with lots of curiosity.

Throughout the decade, more Muppets were added, due to popular demand. Herry, The Count, Little Bird, Sherlock Hemlock, Roosevelt Franklin, and Herbert Birdsfoot all made debuts in this decade. Roosevelt, an African-American puppet, would turn out to be one of the most popular characters, even spawning solo records. With gradual fears that the character's out-going, snappy, occasionally smart-alec personality might be misinterpreted as a negative stereotype of blacks, the character left when its voice, the original Gordon Robinson, was replaced.

Sam the Robot, originally known as Sam the Machine, was a full-body puppet robot that strangely hung out on the inner-city New York streets. It both walked and talked slowly, just as it caught on very slowly, too slow to make the cut for future seasons, unfortunately. A dog named Woof-Woof was added as human librarian Linda's pet. His name later was changed to Barkley.

More humans

The human element of the neighbourhood expanded as well, bringing the friendly faces of Molly, Tom, Rafael, and longer lasting characters like David, Maria Figeuroa and Luis Rodriguez. David and Maria's character would show obvious affection toward each other; it remained a mutual crush, as there was never any signs of a serious relationship. Their long-lasting love continued into the early-to-mid-80s, when it became a love triangle with Luis.

Also added was deaf actress Linda Bove playing a character called Linda. She was the first deaf regular on any television series, let alone in children's television. As a librarian, she was a positive role model to those with disabilities, and broke down barriers for those without, proving that the disabled could make valid contributions to society.

Off the show

The Sesame Street on Ice show was produced and toured around the United States. Also, the human cast toured in a live musical stage show, predecessor to Sesame Street LIVE!.

The 1980s

The 1980s brought more new muppets- Telly Monster, Elmo, the Honkers, the Dingers, Forgetful Jones and Placido Flamingo. Elmo started as just an anything muppet in a parody of Othello; few guessed that he would become a legend in the coming decade. The major lasting human characters added to the show were Gina Jefferson and Bob's Uncle Wally.

1985 also saw the characters on movie theatre screens for the first time in Sesame Street Presents: Follow That Bird.

Specials

1983 saw the 90-minute special Big Bird in China, a co-production with Chinese state TV, which aired on NBC.

Remembering Mr. Hooper

Many major themes like birth, death and marriage were prodominant themes in the 80s. Easily the most important episode of Sesame Street was when Mr. Harold Hooper passed on. The actor potraying him died before the shooting of the 1983-84 season, leaving the producers with a dilemma: should they replace Mr. Hooper with another actor? Should they just write his character out? Both of these options would surely cause distress among the young viewers. Instead, they wrote what was later selected by the Daytime Emmys to be one of the ten most influential moments ever on daytime television.

The episode dealing with Mr. Hooper's death was scheduled for Thanksgiving Day, so that parents would be home and help their children personally understand the passing. In this tasteful episode, Big Bird was excited that he drew an amazing picture of Mr. Hooper, and wanted to give it to him. Upon not finding him, Big Bird asked the adults on the street where Mr. Hooper was. They explained to him that Mr. Hooper had died, to which Big Bird asked when he would return. The adults had to once again reinforce what death means, and that Mr. Hooper was never coming back. The cast agreed that it was one of the most painful episodes to do.

Snuffy is real

The only other episode of the show that the cast considered painful to do took place in 1985. The adults were sick and tired of Big Bird always using his "imaginary friend" Snuffleupagus as a scapegoat for anything that went wrong when they were away. They urged Big Bird to say his good-byes to Snuffy once and for all, as they were driven to the brink with all the nonsense. Even the Sesame Street newspapers had front page headlines saying that Snuffy had to go. So, Big Bird and Snuffy sadly said their good-byes in Big Bird's nest area. They cried in remorse for their forced separation. Snuffy's tear fell onto Big Bird while they hugged, leading Big Bird to the conclusion that if he could even feel the water from the tears, Snuffy must be real. While the two are embracing, the adults enter the room and see that Snuffy is definitely real. After Snuffy introduces himself, Big Bird does an "I told you so" routine, prompting the adults to apologize profusely.

Children's Television Workshop's producers of the show feared kids might think that, if nobody believed what Big Bird says, no one would believe them either. Therefore, Snuffy was finally revealed to the rest of the street to be real, causing an array of disbelief.

Baby Miles and the Rodriguez wedding

On a brighter note, Gordon and Susan Robinson adopted little baby Miles in 1985. In 1988, Maria's and Luis' love culimnated, leading eventually to a wedding, in which Big Bird was a ring-bearer. This was a twist to the plot, with Maria ending her truly evident crush on David. Maria and Luis led an active romance on-camera, Maria becoming pregnant just months later, and giving birth to baby Gabriella. Shortly after, the actor who played David died. This death wasn't addressed on camera: the character itself was just handled as if nothing was missing. Producers likely didn't want to have a second death episode in the decade, as it might be considered cliché. Gina continued her operation of Hooper's Store, now becoming manager.

20th Anniversary

The show celebrated its 20th anniversary with an hour-long special hosted by Bill Cosby, featuring many classic excerpts. It aired not on PBS but on NBC.

Off the show

Sesame Place theme park opened in Pennslyvania, touting rides, attractions and parades themed to Sesame Street. Also, Sesame Street LIVE! arena tours were first organized with VEE Entertainment. These shows featured costumed characters based on the Muppets in the show, with multiple touring groups, each acting different plot lines. These were a replacement for the earlier shows featuring the human cast.

Joe Raposo, a lyricist for the show, passed away in 1989. Many diehard fans linked his death to the start of a constant shrinkage of the irreverence that originally helped the show's popularity.

The 1990s

Many people agree that the third full decade of Sesame Street brought the most drastic changes, though this is debatable as Sesame Street has always been a constantly progressive show. The decade brought deaths, resignations, the characters peeking around the corner of the Street (quickly returning back to their end of the road), less letters sponsoring the show, and most critically, a little red Muppet that has been credited with saving the show's ratings with increased competition (leading to his own 1999 theatrical film, The Adventures of Elmo in Grouchland).

Starting in November of 1993, the street's perspective expanded beyond the one corner it had occupied for the past 24 years. This expansion included a hotel, the Furry Arms, and new characters who worked in the establishment.

Elmo

In 1996, the character of Elmo was the fastest-selling toy of the Christmas season, selling over 5 million units in the United States.

In 1999, the Elmo's World segment was added. Many older Sesame fans were disgusted by this, believing it had little educational value and took away from the adult appeal of the show. However, research shows the contrary, that this format is more effective than many other segments of the show.

Specials

In 1991, Big Bird's Birthday Celebration celebrated Big Bird's sixth birthday; until that point, the character had been only four years old.

Deaths and resignations

One of the biggest blows to the series was the death of Jim Henson in May 1990, although to this day he is still being credited as a Muppet cast member due to his continued appearances via stock footage. Also lost to the show during this decade were:

  • Northern Calloway, (David), in 1990 from cancer
  • Richard Hunt (Muppeteer), in 1992 from AIDS.
  • Jon Stone (producer who had been with the show since the beginning), in 1997, from ALS.
  • Jeff Moss (songwriter who wrote such well-loved songs as Rubber Duckie, The People in Your Neighborhood, I Love Trash, and several others), in 1998, from cancer.

News headlines

  • In 1994 the show was honored with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.
  • In February 1996, the original Ernie and Bert puppets were stolen from a museum in Germany. In addition to a large man hunt, Snuffy was shown pleading on German national television for their eventual safe return.

The 2000s

Curly Bear was born to Mama and Papa Bear. Baby Bear was grief stricken at no longer being the baby of the family.

Due to what they considered an "uncertain economic climate," Sesame Workshop (the succeeding name to CTW since 2000) laid off 70 people, amounting to about 20 percent of its work force in 2001 [1] (http://us.imdb.com/title/tt0063951/news). By 2004, they were producing only 26 episodes a year, down from 65 (earlier seasons had turned out 130 episodes a year).

In the March 3, 2004 episode, of The West Wing, President Bartlett enlists C.J. to try to improve the First Lady's image. As a solution, the First Lady films a public service announcement where she gives Elmo a checkup. The episode had guest starring roles of Big Bird, Elmo, Zoe and Rosita. Ironically, the doctor's office used is that of Dr. Gina Jefferson on Sesame Street; Jefferson is a vet.

Carol-Lynn Parente was promoted from senior producer to executive producer of Sesame Street in June 2005.

Missing image
Tv_sesame_street_hurricane_.jpg
Aftermath of the hurricane on Sesame Street

Dealing with disaster

A story arc starting on March 26, 2001 (encompassing episodes #3976-3980) dealt with a hurricane that hit New York City, directly affecting Sesame Street. The night after the hurricane, Big Bird found to his horror that his nest was destroyed. He and his friends spent the rest of the week dealing with this issue and rebuilding his home.

To deal with the events of September 11, 2001, the producers of the show had a plot line dealing with a grease fire in Hooper's Store, indirectly addressing the issues involved with the terrorist attacks, namely fear.

Osama and Evil Bert

A photograph of a protest rally in Bangladesh supporting Osama bin Laden showed a poster of Osama bin Laden with a small but clearly identifiable image of Bert, a Muppet from the children's television show Sesame Street, over his right shoulder. For more on this event, see Bert is Evil.

35th Anniversary

The show celebrated its 35th anniversary with the special Sesame Street: The Street We Live On, home videos of What's the Name of That Song? and assorted licensed merchandise.

Navigation

  • Art and Cultures
    • Art (https://academickids.com/encyclopedia/index.php/Art)
    • Architecture (https://academickids.com/encyclopedia/index.php/Architecture)
    • Cultures (https://www.academickids.com/encyclopedia/index.php/Cultures)
    • Music (https://www.academickids.com/encyclopedia/index.php/Music)
    • Musical Instruments (http://academickids.com/encyclopedia/index.php/List_of_musical_instruments)
  • Biographies (http://www.academickids.com/encyclopedia/index.php/Biographies)
  • Clipart (http://www.academickids.com/encyclopedia/index.php/Clipart)
  • Geography (http://www.academickids.com/encyclopedia/index.php/Geography)
    • Countries of the World (http://www.academickids.com/encyclopedia/index.php/Countries)
    • Maps (http://www.academickids.com/encyclopedia/index.php/Maps)
    • Flags (http://www.academickids.com/encyclopedia/index.php/Flags)
    • Continents (http://www.academickids.com/encyclopedia/index.php/Continents)
  • History (http://www.academickids.com/encyclopedia/index.php/History)
    • Ancient Civilizations (http://www.academickids.com/encyclopedia/index.php/Ancient_Civilizations)
    • Industrial Revolution (http://www.academickids.com/encyclopedia/index.php/Industrial_Revolution)
    • Middle Ages (http://www.academickids.com/encyclopedia/index.php/Middle_Ages)
    • Prehistory (http://www.academickids.com/encyclopedia/index.php/Prehistory)
    • Renaissance (http://www.academickids.com/encyclopedia/index.php/Renaissance)
    • Timelines (http://www.academickids.com/encyclopedia/index.php/Timelines)
    • United States (http://www.academickids.com/encyclopedia/index.php/United_States)
    • Wars (http://www.academickids.com/encyclopedia/index.php/Wars)
    • World History (http://www.academickids.com/encyclopedia/index.php/History_of_the_world)
  • Human Body (http://www.academickids.com/encyclopedia/index.php/Human_Body)
  • Mathematics (http://www.academickids.com/encyclopedia/index.php/Mathematics)
  • Reference (http://www.academickids.com/encyclopedia/index.php/Reference)
  • Science (http://www.academickids.com/encyclopedia/index.php/Science)
    • Animals (http://www.academickids.com/encyclopedia/index.php/Animals)
    • Aviation (http://www.academickids.com/encyclopedia/index.php/Aviation)
    • Dinosaurs (http://www.academickids.com/encyclopedia/index.php/Dinosaurs)
    • Earth (http://www.academickids.com/encyclopedia/index.php/Earth)
    • Inventions (http://www.academickids.com/encyclopedia/index.php/Inventions)
    • Physical Science (http://www.academickids.com/encyclopedia/index.php/Physical_Science)
    • Plants (http://www.academickids.com/encyclopedia/index.php/Plants)
    • Scientists (http://www.academickids.com/encyclopedia/index.php/Scientists)
  • Social Studies (http://www.academickids.com/encyclopedia/index.php/Social_Studies)
    • Anthropology (http://www.academickids.com/encyclopedia/index.php/Anthropology)
    • Economics (http://www.academickids.com/encyclopedia/index.php/Economics)
    • Government (http://www.academickids.com/encyclopedia/index.php/Government)
    • Religion (http://www.academickids.com/encyclopedia/index.php/Religion)
    • Holidays (http://www.academickids.com/encyclopedia/index.php/Holidays)
  • Space and Astronomy
    • Solar System (http://www.academickids.com/encyclopedia/index.php/Solar_System)
    • Planets (http://www.academickids.com/encyclopedia/index.php/Planets)
  • Sports (http://www.academickids.com/encyclopedia/index.php/Sports)
  • Timelines (http://www.academickids.com/encyclopedia/index.php/Timelines)
  • Weather (http://www.academickids.com/encyclopedia/index.php/Weather)
  • US States (http://www.academickids.com/encyclopedia/index.php/US_States)

Information

  • Home Page (http://academickids.com/encyclopedia/index.php)
  • Contact Us (http://www.academickids.com/encyclopedia/index.php/Contactus)

  • Clip Art (http://classroomclipart.com)
Toolbox
Personal tools