How Did We Get to ‘Sesame Street?’

SESAME STREET, Loretta Long (as Susan), Oscar the Grouch and kids, 1969- — Everett Collection

Sesame Street, one of the most iconic children’s television shows of all time, turns 55 this year! Which got us wondering, how exactly did the beloved show begin and how did it team up with Jim Henson and his Muppets? It all started back in the late ’60s when a documentary producer named Joan Ganz Cooney and a psychologist named Lloyd Morrisett started discussing how they could make a children’s television show that was both entertaining and educational after noticing children watching a lot of TV.

Cooney signed on to a study, funded by the Carnegie Corporation on how to use television for early childhood education. They discovered that TV could be used to teach basic skills to children, especially those who may not have access to a daycare or preschool. Cooney’s team was soon full of educators, child development experts, psychologists and media professionals to work on a potential show. They wanted not only to teach children but to showcase the diversity of America.

SESAME STREET, (front): Emilio Delgado, Heather, Betty Lou (muppet), Spencer, (2nd row): Bert, Roscoe Orman, Loretta Long, Ernie, Bob McGrath, (3rd row): Sonia Manzano, Grover, Roosevelt Franklin, Cookie Monster, (back): Northern Calloway, Big Bird, Oscar the Grouch, Count von Count, (Season 7), 1969-.

Sesame Workshop/Courtesy: Everett Collection

Jim Henson was brought on board to create characters that would appeal to young children. He created many of the loveable characters including Big Bird, Cookie Monster, and Oscar the Grouch. If you’ve seen the early episodes, you may even remember one of Henson’s most famous Muppets appearing on the show: Kermit the Frog! He appeared on the show when it first premiered in 1969, often as a reporter in the Sesame Street News Flash segments.

SESAME STREET, Kermit the Frog (singing 'On My Pond'), with the fish, (Season 18, aired April 8, 1987)

Sesame Workshop/CTW/Everett Collection

The show was an instant hit, premiering on November 10, 1969, due to the combination of live-action scenes, animation and puppetry. Kids and their parents loved that it had a diverse cast and addressed issues such as empathy and respect along with learning numbers and letters. In later years, Sesame Street became groundbreaking for tackling difficult subjects such as the death of a loved one in age-appropriate ways. It is truly one of the best children’s shows of all time, as evident by all of the care put into making it.