Sesame Street Celebrates 40th Anniversary

by Jordan Yerman | July 15, 2009 at 09:37 am

1083 views | 24 Recommendations | 23 comments

2009 marks the 40th anniversary of Sesame Street. First aired in 1969 when children's programming was considered a quagmire of commercialism (sound familiar?), Sesame Street debuted with five one-hour test episodes in Philadelphia in July 1969. These episodes were shown privately in the homes of pre-school children, to see whether or not the Muppet-based entertainment was even comprehensible, let alone educational.

Sesame Street was developed by the creative team behind the then-successful Captain Kangaroo, envisioning an inner-city setting for a children's show, which was unprecedented at the time. (I always thought the show was set in The Bronx, but I can't quite find any confirmation for that- clearly it's meant to be somewhere in New York City, though, with those brownstones and stoops)

Originally, muppets and humans were never shown together, which resulted in lower-than-expected approval levels from the young test audience. The creators reshot many of the original scenes, which meant redesigning some of the muppets so they'd be large enough to not get stepped on. Big Bird was born.

A few months later, Sesame Street debuted on PBS (except in Mississipi, where legislators felt that the integrated cast was far too progressive for them- the decision was later reversed), and became arguably the most influential children's show of all time.

The following decades saw the show evolve, with a changing cast and increasing multimedia content. Also, the Cookie Monster doesn't eat cookies all the time. That's a huge lifestyle change to match the growing awareness of child obesity in the US.

Some characters becoming breakout stars in their own right. I'm lookin' at you, Elmo.

By Sesame Street's 40th anniversary, it was ranked the fifteenth most popular children's show on television. When the show premiered in 1969, 130 episodes a year were produced; in 2009, twenty-six episodes were made. Also by 2009, the Children's Television Workshop, which had changed its name to the Sesame Workshop (SW) in 2000,[25] sought to remain current in the digital age by launching a website with a library of free video clips and free podcasts from throughout the show's history.

The current recession has affected life on Sesame Street, and, while no muppets were downsized, there are fewer episodes produced and a smaller production staff: PBS, a non-profit, was severely affected by reduced public funding for the arts.

Incidentally, Kermit the Frog predates Sesame Street by 15 years, and his frogness wasn't initally specified. He often appeared on Sesame Street as an amphibian journalist.

As Sesame Street is localized for some different markets that speak languages other than English, Kermit is often renamed. In Portugal, he's Cocas, o Sapo (sapo means toad). In Latin America, his name is la rana René (René the Frog). In Spain, Kermit is named Gustavo. In France and the Canadian province of Quebec, he is known as Kermit la grenouille. In Brazil, his name is Caco, o Sapo. In the Arabic Middle Eastern version, he's known as Kamel, which is a common Arabic male name that means "perfect"). In Hungary he is called Breki.

So... how well do you know your Sesame Street muppets?

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carphoto

at 11:35 on July 15th, 2009

I was working on the Sesame Street film "Follow That Bird" back in 1984. Part of my job was to find cars to use in the movie. I also was Carol Spinney's (Big Bird) driver. Richard Spiegelman.

carphoto has contributed a photo to this story.

maksilly

at 11:45 on July 15th, 2009

maksilly has contributed a photo to this story.

jsantoso

at 12:05 on July 15th, 2009

My 20-month old daughter loves Elmo. I made this Elmo cake for her 20th month b'day. She loves it!

jsantoso has contributed a photo to this story.

SLRCindy - Queen Bee Baking Company

at 14:10 on July 15th, 2009

Happy 40th Birthday Sesame Street! I enjoyed Sesame Street as a child and then shared it with my now grown children. They still love the early 80's Christmas Special were Big Bird gets lost!

SLRCindy - Queen Bee Baking Company has contributed a photo to this story.

caj1

at 14:16 on July 15th, 2009

Like your story, Jordan. Photos are great. I don't know my Muppets very well, but I remember the early years of Sesame Street...my sister was among the first watchers.

Paschen

at 15:10 on July 15th, 2009

I can not help it but flag this story.

Even Japan know Sesame Street.

suzy in blue

at 18:06 on July 15th, 2009

This photo was taken around Harajuku in Tokyo, at what looked like a vending machine and game parlor. The Elmos caught my eye, might just go back and fish some out!

suzy in blue has contributed a photo to this story.

naysinvegas

at 21:00 on July 15th, 2009

I made this costume, along with Oscar the Grouch. We entered the Halloween contest at Rain (in the Palms casino, las Vegas) we placed 4th!

naysinvegas has contributed a photo to this story.

panelomo

at 21:28 on July 15th, 2009

This was a gift to my girlfriend - now wife. Kermit has been her one and only imaginary friends when she was still young...

panelomo has contributed a photo to this story.

shapor09

at 02:19 on July 16th, 2009

My godson celebrated his 3rd birthday recently with Elmo as the main theme. Everything was as cute and red as Elmo from his shirt to his cake.

shapor09 has contributed a photo to this story.

shred_noob

at 05:48 on July 16th, 2009

thanks for acknowledging my work

shred_noob has contributed a photo to this story.

finans (not verified)

at 06:10 on July 16th, 2009

Kariyer

carphoto

at 06:37 on July 16th, 2009

I grant you permission for one time use of the photo of Big Bird. Richard Spiegelman

Karen Hatter

at 07:38 on July 16th, 2009

" Sunny days, sweeping the clouds away .... !"

One of my favorite characters was the absent minded cowboy, Forgetful Jones!

HankHuang

at 04:35 on July 18th, 2009

HankHuang has contributed a photo to this story.

Akron Childrens Hospital

at 04:51 on July 21st, 2009

Elmo holds a Neonatal Intensive Care Unit graduate at Akron Children's Hospital's 2009 NICU Reunion. Photo courtesy of Akron Children's Hospital.

Akron Childrens Hospital has contributed a photo to this story.

flatbushgardens

at 14:38 on July 21st, 2009

What a great classic! Truly a one of a kind original which bridges many generations. Can't wait to see what the future holds for Sesame Street.

Kate Starr

at 04:06 on July 22nd, 2009

taken by: http://www.katestarr.com

Kate Starr has contributed a photo to this story.

Beaulieu

at 13:50 on August 5th, 2009

I loved the Cookie Monster, gutted to hear he doesn't eat so much anymore. I remember how big those cookies were, in the UK, biscuits are tiny. It was a novelty seeing those massive ones. It was a bit of a shock in those days for it to be so multi-cultural. It was quite forward thinking in that respect.