Sesame Street Celebrates 40 Years

In case you have missed the headlines and Google's homepage for the past week, today marks the 40th anniversary of the iconic children's television show, Sesame Street. Originally intended as an educational tool for inner-city children, Sesame Street first aired on November 10, 1969. Through song and dance the show has taught kids not only about the alphabet and math; but about morals, manners, and life lessons. 

While somewhat revolutionary at the time, today's Sesame Street does look a bit different than back then- 122 Emmys and countless celebrity guest appearances later, the brownstone at 123 Sesame has gone green; Cookie Monster's diet is a little more balanced; new characters have been introduced (most notably Elmo and Abby); and children now wear helmets while riding their bikes.

Now available in more than 140 countries and made into T-shirts, toys, costumes, books, and more; Sesame Street is arguably one of television's most successful and beloved programs, constantly evolving to remain a favorite among school aged children. The show's ability to stay relevant especially during 4 very different decades in our history is why we will most likely see another 40 years of sunny days...

 

The original theme song:

Sesame Street then:

Sesame Street today:

Below is a clip from the 40th Anniversary episode featuring special guest, Michelle Obama, who teaches the kids and Elmo about growing your own food:

10 Things You Might Not Know About Sesame Street:

1. Big Bird is 8'2" tall.
2. Some old Bert and Ernie skits showed Ernie having his own bedroom instead of sharing a bedroom with Bert. 
3. The Count was born on 9 October 1,830,653 B.C.
4. Oscar the Grouch's fur was orange in the first season. In the second season, it was changed to green.
5. Linda (Linda Bove) was the first deaf regular character on American television.
6. "Sing a Song" (later released as a single by The Carpenters) was originally to be the show's opening theme song.
7. In 2004, Cookie Monster revealed that, before trying cookies for the first time, his name was Sid.
8. Possibly the only topic that has never been dealt with on the show is divorce. The producers have tried several times, but couldn't come up with a story that didn't lead children in test audiences to fear their own parents were planning to divorce.
9. The highest number of the day as of 2009 has been 21, the lowest number of the day has been 0.
10. To answer the immortal question, here is how to get to Sesame Street: Take the "R" or "V" train to Steinway Street. Stay on back of train. Walk west on 34th Avenue, three blocks to 36th Street. Turn left on 36th Street. The entrance to Kaufman Astoria Studios in Queens is mid-block (between 34th & 35th Avenues).

Want to remember 40 Years of Sunny Days? The Collector's Edition is now available on DVD and for a limited time, you can get select Sesame Street DVDs for as low as $6.99.

--Amanda

Comments

[怀淰＠＾过厾 on August 08, 2010 at 11:18 PM]

Possibly the only topic that has never been dealt with on

[joesen on November 03, 2010 at 12:10 AM]

To answer the immortal question, here is how to get to Sesame Street: Take the "R" or "V" train to Steinway Street. Stay on back of train. Walk west on 34th Avenue, three blocks to 36th Street. Turn left on 36th Street. The entrance to Kaufman Astoria Studios in Queens is mid-block (between 34th & 35th Avenues).

[xiao on November 16, 2010 at 05:37 PM]

Stay on back of train. Walk west on 34th Avenue, three blocks to 36th Street.

[Mbt Schuhe on August 11, 2011 at 06:59 PM]

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