View source for Sesame Street

{{Short description|American children's television show}}
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{{Use mdy dates|date=May 2019}}
{{Use American English|date=August 2017}}
{{Infobox television
| image                = Sesame Street logo.svg
| image_size           = 250
| genre                = {{Plainlist|
* [[Children's television series]]
* [[Educational television|Educational]]
}}
| runtime              = {{Plainlist|
* 60 minutes (1969–2015)
* 30 minutes (2014–present)
}}
| creator              = {{idp|
* [[Joan Ganz Cooney]]
* [[Lloyd Morrisett]]
}}
| executive_producer   = {{idp|
* [[David Connell (television producer)|David Connell]] (1969–72)<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tcGQh4_yOfU|title=Sesame Street season 1 End Credits (1969-70)|website=YouTube|access-date=June 18, 2020}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RMKFsK6Eg8Y|title=Sesame Street season 3 End Credits (1971-72)|website=YouTube|access-date=June 18, 2020}}</ref>
* Jon Stone (1972–78)<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LWoPI2XVybI| archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211211/LWoPI2XVybI| archive-date=2021-12-11 | url-status=live|title=Sesame Street season 4 End Credits (1972-73)|website=YouTube| date=October 7, 2014|access-date=June 18, 2020}}{{cbignore}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hd7f1dpdqAY| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200122183029/https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hd7f1dpdqAY| archive-date=2020-01-22 | url-status=dead|title= Sesame Street season 9 end credits (1977-78)|website=YouTube|access-date=June 18, 2020}}</ref>
* Al Hyslop (1978–80)<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wX09Ab-tzwM| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121008093234/http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wX09Ab-tzwM| archive-date=2012-10-08 | url-status=dead|title=Sesame Street season 10 end credits (1978-79)|website=YouTube|access-date=June 18, 2020}}</ref>
* [[Dulcy Singer]] (1980–93)<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c-S9oiQ3MFI| archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211211/c-S9oiQ3MFI| archive-date=2021-12-11 | url-status=live|title=Sesame Street season 12 end credits (1980-81)|website=YouTube| date=August 24, 2015|access-date=June 18, 2020}}{{cbignore}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5EU_B8mNZRU| archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211211/5EU_B8mNZRU| archive-date=2021-12-11 | url-status=live|title=Sesame Street season 24 (#3010) closing & funding credits (1992) ["Dancing City" debut]|website=YouTube| date=April 3, 2019|access-date=June 18, 2020}}{{cbignore}}</ref>
* Michael Loman (1993–2002)<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2nL3e08KBkA| archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211211/2nL3e08KBkA| archive-date=2021-12-11 | url-status=live|title=Sesame Street - Season 25 End Credits (1993-1994)|website=YouTube| date=May 24, 2014|access-date=June 18, 2020}}{{cbignore}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f1YPSS2-zoQ&t=3337s| archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211211/f1YPSS2-zoQ| archive-date=2021-12-11 | url-status=live|title=Elmo Writes a Story - Sesame Street Full Episode (credits start at 55:37)|website=YouTube| date=May 3, 2019|publisher=Sesame Street|access-date=June 18, 2020}}{{cbignore}}</ref>
* Lewis Bernstein (2003–05)<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mxanrZZHJOA| archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211211/mxanrZZHJOA| archive-date=2021-12-11 | url-status=live|title=Sesame Street Season 34 credits & fundings (version #1)|website=YouTube| date=February 4, 2017|access-date=June 18, 2020}}{{cbignore}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=32GKLMu48Cg&t=3170s| archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211211/32GKLMu48Cg| archive-date=2021-12-11 | url-status=live|title=Elmo and Zoe Play the Healthy Food Game - Sesame Street Full Episodes (credits start at 52:50)|website=YouTube| date=July 13, 2018|publisher=Sesame Street|access-date=June 18, 2020}}{{cbignore}}</ref>
* [[Carol-Lynn Parente]] (2006–17)<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4A4DLecscpM| archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211211/4A4DLecscpM| archive-date=2021-12-11 | url-status=live|title=PBS Kids Program Break (2006 WFWA-TV)|website=YouTube| date=January 6, 2017|access-date=June 18, 2020}}{{cbignore}}</ref>
* Brown Johnson (2017–19)
* Benjamin Lehmann (2018–present)
}}
| location             = {{idp|
* [[Teletape Studios|Reeves Teletape Studios]] (1969–92)
* Unitel Video, Inc. (1987–93)
* [[Kaufman Astoria Studios]] (1993–present)
}}
| theme_music_composer = {{Plain list|
* [[Joe Raposo]]
* [[Jon Stone]]
* [[Bruce Hart (songwriter)|Bruce Hart]]
}}
| open_theme           = "[[Can You Tell Me How to Get to Sesame Street?]]"
| company              = [[Sesame Workshop]]{{Refn|Known as Children's Television Workshop until 2000|group=note}}
| end_theme            = {{idp|
* "Can You Tell Me How to Get to Sesame Street?" (instrumental; seasons 1–45)
* "Smarter, Kinder, Stronger" (seasons 46–55)
* "Just Imagine" (instrumental; seasons 56-present)
}}
| country              = United States
| language             = English
| network              = [[National Educational Television|NET]]
| first_aired          = {{Start date|1969|11|10}}
| last_aired           = {{End date|1970|05|08}}
| network2             = [[PBS]]
| first_aired2         = {{Start date|1970|11|09}}
| last_aired2          = present
| network3             = [[HBO]]
| first_aired3         = {{Start date|2016|01|16}}
| last_aired3          = {{End date|2020|07|11}}
| network4             = [[HBO Max|HBO Max / Max]]
| first_aired4         = {{Start date|2020|11|12}}
| last_aired4          = {{End date|2025|09|11}}
| network5             = [[Netflix]]
| first_aired5         = {{Start date|2025|11|10}}
| last_aired5          = present
| num_seasons          = 56
| num_episodes         = 4,736 (53 missing) {{Refn|Season 44 (2013–2014) was the first time episodes were numbered in a seasonal order rather than the numerical and chronological fashion used since the show premiered. For example, episode 4401 means "the first episode of the 44th season", not "the 4,401st episode" (it is in fact the 4,328th episode).|group=note}}
}}

'''''Sesame Street''''' is an American [[educational television|educational]] [[children's television]] series that combines [[live-action]], [[sketch comedy]], [[animation]], and [[puppetry]]. It is produced by [[Sesame Workshop]] (known as the Children's Television Workshop until June 2000) and was created by [[Joan Ganz Cooney]] and [[Lloyd Morrisett]]. It is known for its images communicated through the use of [[Jim Henson]]'s [[The Muppets|Muppets]], and includes short films, with humor and cultural references. It premiered on November 10, 1969, to positive reviews, some controversy,<ref name="morrow-3"/> and high viewership. It has aired on the United States national [[Public broadcasting|public television]] provider [[PBS]] since its debut, with its first run moving to [[Pay television|premium channel]] [[HBO]] on January 16, 2016, then its sister [[streaming service]] [[Max (streaming service)|HBO Max]] on November 12, 2020, and most recently [[Netflix]] on November 10, 2025.

The show's format consists of a combination of [[Commercial broadcasting|commercial television]] production elements and techniques that have evolved to reflect changes in American culture and audiences' viewing habits. It was the first children's TV show to use educational goals and a [[curriculum]] to shape its content, and the first show whose educational effects were formally studied. Its format and content have undergone significant changes over the years to reflect changes to its curriculum.

Shortly after its creation, its producers developed what came to be called the ''CTW model'' (after the production company's previous name), a system of planning, production, and evaluation based on collaboration between producers, writers, educators, and researchers. The show was initially funded by government and private foundations but has become somewhat self-supporting due to revenues from licensing arrangements, international sales, and other media. By 2006, independently produced versions ([[Sesame Street international co-productions|co-productions]]) of ''Sesame Street'' were broadcast in 20 countries. In 2001, there were over 120 million viewers of various international versions of ''Sesame Street''; and by its 40th anniversary in 2009, it was broadcast in more than 140 countries.

Since its debut, ''Sesame Street'' has garnered widespread acclaim, and it is considered one of the [[List of television shows considered the best|greatest television series of all time]]. It was by then the 15th-highest-rated children's television show in the United States. A 1996 survey found that 95% of all American [[preschool]]ers had watched it by the time they were three. In 2018, it was estimated that 86 million Americans had watched it as children. As of 2022, it has won 222 [[Emmy Award]]s and 11 [[Grammy Award]]s, more than any other children's show.<ref>{{cite news |title=Sesame Street Co-Founder Lloyd Morrisett Dies Aged 93 |url=https://virginradio.co.uk/entertainment/91883/sesame-street-co-founder-lloyd-morrisett-dies-aged-93 |access-date=April 13, 2023 |issue=[[Virgin Radio UK]] |date=January 25, 2023}}</ref><ref name=wallace/> ''Sesame Street'' remains one of the [[List of longest-running television shows by category|longest-running shows in the world]].

==History==
{{Main|History of Sesame Street|l1=History of ''Sesame Street''}}
''Sesame Street'' was conceived in 1966 during discussions between television producer [[Joan Ganz Cooney]] and [[Carnegie Corporation of New York|Carnegie Foundation]] vice president [[Lloyd Morrisett]]. Their goal was to create a children's television show that would "master the addictive qualities of television and do something good with them,"<ref name="davis-8">Davis, p. 8</ref> such as helping young children prepare for school. After two years of research, the newly formed Children's Television Workshop (CTW) received a combined grant of US$8{{nbsp}}million (${{formatnum:{{Inflation|US|8|1969}}}} million in {{Inflation-year|US}} dollars){{inflation-fn|US}} from the Carnegie Foundation, the [[Ford Foundation]], the [[Corporation for Public Broadcasting]], and the [[Federal government of the United States|U.S. federal government]] to create and produce a new children's television show.<ref name="finch-53">Finch, p. 53</ref>

''Sesame Street'' was officially announced at a press conference on May 6, 1969. Joan Ganz Cooney, Children's Television Workshop's [[executive director]], said that ''Sesame Street'' would use the techniques of commercial television programs to teach young children. Live shorts and animated cartoons would teach young children the alphabet, numbers, vocabulary, shapes, and basic reasoning skills. By repeating concepts throughout an episode, young children's interest would be held while they learn the concepts. Guest cameos would help attract older children and adults. Cooney said that the name ''Sesame Street'' came from the saying "[[open sesame]]", which gives the idea of a place where exciting things occur. The show was given an initial six-month run to determine whether it was effective and would continue to air.<ref>Subber, Barbara (May 7, 1969). "[https://www.newspapers.com/image/281611029/ New ETV Show for Preschooler To Use 'Commercial' Techniques]". ''The Morning Call'' (Allentown, Pennsylvania). p. 51.</ref>

The program premiered on public television stations on November 10, 1969.<ref name="brooke">{{cite news | last = Brooke| first = Jill | title = 'Sesame Street' Takes a Bow to 30 Animated Years | work = The New York Times | date = November 13, 1998 | url = http://www.cnn.com/SHOWBIZ/TV/9811/13/sesame.street/ | access-date = March 11, 2019}}</ref> It was the first preschool educational television program to base its contents and production values on laboratory and formative research.<ref name="palmer">Palmer & Fisch in Fisch & Truglio, p. 9</ref> Initial responses to the show included adulatory reviews, some controversy,<ref name="morrow-3"/> and high ratings.

[[File:Joan Ganz Cooney.JPG|thumb|left|180px|alt=Black and white photo of a smiling woman about fifty years of age and wearing a jacket and tied-up scarf|Co-creator [[Joan Ganz Cooney]]. Pictured 1985]]
[[File:Lloyd Morrisett and his birthday cupcakes.jpg|thumb|left|180px|[[Lloyd Morrisett]], co-creator. Pictured 2010]]
{{Quote box
|width     = 30em
|border    = 1px
|align     = right
|quote     = I've always said of our original team that developed and produced ''Sesame Street'': Collectively, we were a genius.
|salign    = right
|source    = —{{Hair space}}''Sesame Street'' creator [[Joan Ganz Cooney]]<ref>Gikow, p. 26</ref>
}}

According to writer Michael Davis, by the mid-1970s, the show had become "an American institution."<ref>Davis, p. 220</ref> The cast and crew expanded during this time, with emphasis on the hiring of women crew members and the addition of minorities to the cast. The show's success continued into the 1980s. In 1981, when the federal government withdrew its funding, CTW turned to and expanded other revenue sources, including its magazine division, book [[Royalty payment|royalties]], product licensing, and foreign broadcast income.<ref name="odell">O'Dell, pp. 73–74</ref> Its curriculum has expanded to include more [[Affect (psychology)|affective]] topics such as relationships, ethics, and emotions. Many of its storylines have been inspired by the experiences of its writing staff, cast, and crew—most notably, the 1982 death of [[Will Lee]], who played [[Mr. Hooper]];<ref name="hellman-52">{{cite journal | last = Hellman | first = Peter | title = Street Smart: How Big Bird & Company Do It | journal = New York Magazine | volume = 20 | issue = 46 | page = 52 | date = November 23, 1987 | url = https://books.google.com/books?id=KOUCAAAAMBAJ&q=sesame%20street&pg=PA48 | issn = 0028-7369 | access-date = March 12, 2019}}</ref> and the marriage of Luis and Maria in 1988.<ref>Borgenicht, p. 80</ref>

By the end of the 1990s, the show faced societal and economic challenges, including changes in young children's viewing habits, competition from other shows, the development of cable television, and a drop in ratings.<ref>Davis, p. 320</ref> As the 21st century began, the show made major changes. Starting in 2002, its format became more narrative-focused and included ongoing storylines. After its 30th anniversary in 1999, due to the popularity of the Muppet [[Elmo]], the show also incorporated a popular segment known as ''[[Elmo's World]]''.<ref name="goodman">{{cite news | first = Tim | last = Goodman | title = Word on the 'Street': Classic children's show to undergo structural changes this season | url = http://www.sfgate.com/entertainment/article/WORD-ON-THE-STREET-Classic-children-s-show-to-2877849.php | work = San Francisco Chronicle | date = February 4, 2002 | access-date = October 18, 2019}}</ref> In 2009, the show won the Outstanding Achievement Emmy for its then 40 years on the air.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Eng |first1=Joyce |title=Guiding Light, Sesame Street to Be Honored at Daytime Emmys |url=https://www.tvguide.com/news/guiding-light-sesame-1009313/ |access-date=October 18, 2019 |work=TV Guide |date=August 28, 2009}}</ref>

In late 2015, in response to "sweeping changes in the media business"<ref name="movetohbo">{{cite news |last1=Pallotta |first1=Frank |last2=Stelter |first2=Brian |title='Sesame Street' is heading to HBO |url=https://money.cnn.com/2015/08/13/media/sesame-street-hbo/index.html |access-date=April 23, 2019 |work=CNN.com |date=August 13, 2015}}</ref> and as part of a five-year programming and development deal, [[pay television|premium television]] service HBO began airing first-run episodes of ''Sesame Street''. The episodes became available on PBS stations and websites nine months after they aired on HBO.<ref name="movetohbo"/> The deal allowed Sesame Workshop to produce more episodes—increasing from 18 to 35 per season—and to create a spinoff series with the ''Sesame Street'' Muppets, and a new educational series.<ref name="steel">{{cite news |last1=Steel |first1=Emily |title='Sesame Street' to Air First on HBO for Next 5 Seasons |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2015/08/14/business/media/sesame-street-heading-to-hbo-in-fall.html?_r=0 |access-date=April 23, 2019 |work=The New York Times |date=August 13, 2015}}</ref>

At its 50th anniversary in 2019, ''Sesame Street'' had produced over 4,500 episodes, two feature-length movies (''[[Sesame Street Presents: Follow That Bird|Follow That Bird]]'' in 1985 and ''[[The Adventures of Elmo in Grouchland]]'' in 1999), 35 TV specials, 200 home videos, and 180 albums.<ref name="wallace"/> Beginning that year, digitized versions of the show's full archive of episodes were donated to the [[American Archive of Public Broadcasting]], viewable on site at the library's locations, with five episodes available for viewing online.<ref>{{Cite web |title=American Archive of Public Broadcasting to Preserve 50 Years of Sesame Street for Posterity |url=https://www.loc.gov/item/prn-19-019/american-archive-of-public-broadcasting-to-preserve-fifty-years-of-sesame-street-for-posterity/2019-02-14/ |access-date=2025-05-20 |website=Library of Congress, Washington, D.C. 20540 USA}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Sesame Street |url=https://americanarchive.org/special_collections/sesame-street |access-date=2025-05-20 |website=americanarchive.org}}</ref> Its [[YouTube]] channel has over 24 million subscribers.<ref name="guthrie">{{cite news|last1=Guthrie|first1=Marisa|date=February 6, 2019|title=50 Years of Sunny Days on 'Sesame Street': Behind the Scenes of TV's Most Influential Show Ever|work=The Hollywood Reporter|url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/features/sesame-street-turns-50-how-a-childrens-show-revolutionized-television-1183031|access-date=March 11, 2019}}</ref> It was announced in October 2019 that first-run episodes will move to HBO Max beginning with the show's 51st season in 2020.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.theverge.com/2019/10/3/20897104/sesame-street-streaming-hbo-max-warnermedia-pbs-disney-apple-streaming-wars|title=HBO Max locks down exclusive access to new Sesame Street episodes|last=Alexander|first=Julia|date=2019-10-03|website=The Verge|language=en|access-date=2019-10-03}}</ref> In August 2022, HBO Max removed 200 older episodes of the series from its library after initially offering around 650 episodes.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Spangler |first=Todd |date=2022-08-19 |title=HBO Max Removes About 200 'Sesame Street' Episodes |url=https://variety.com/2022/digital/news/hbo-max-removes-sesame-street-episodes-1235345685/ |access-date=2025-05-20 |website=Variety |language=en-US}}</ref> On December 13, 2024, it was announced that Max would not be renewing their contract to make episodes of ''Sesame Street'', meaning 2025 would be the last year for episodes made with Max. Episodes will be in the HBO Max streaming library until 2027. A spokesperson for Sesame Workshop stated: "We will continue to invest in our best-in-class programming and look forward to announcing our new distribution plans in the coming months, ensuring that 'Sesame Street' reaches as many children as possible for generations to come."<ref>{{cite news|last=Shanfeld|first=Ethan|url=https://variety.com/2024/tv/news/sesame-street-new-episodes-will-not-air-on-max-1236248518/|title='Sesame Street' for Sale: Max Not Renewing Deal for New Episodes|website=[[Variety (magazine)|Variety]]|date=December 13, 2024|access-date=December 13, 2024}}</ref>

On May 19, 2025, it was announced that ''Sesame Street'' would begin to air new episodes on Netflix worldwide and would once again premiere episodes on PBS, with new episodes being released on both platforms on the same day, as well as past seasons. This move would also include the acquisition of 90 hours of older episodes by Netflix.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Weprin |first=Alex |date=2025-05-19 |title='Sesame Street' Saved, Inks New Streaming Deal With Netflix |url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/tv/tv-news/sesame-street-netflix-deal-pbs-1236221230/ |access-date=2025-05-19 |website=The Hollywood Reporter |language=en-US}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=PBS KIDS Announces New SESAME STREET Deal |url=https://www.pbs.org/about/about-pbs/blogs/news/pbs-kids-announces-new-sesame-street-deal/ |access-date=2025-05-19 |website=About PBS - Main |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=2025-05-19 |title=Sesame Street Is Coming to Netflix |url=https://sesameworkshop.org/about-us/press-room/sesame-street-is-coming-to-netflix/ |access-date=2025-05-20 |website=Sesame Workshop |language=en-US}}</ref> Season 56 of ''Sesame Street'' premiered on Netflix and PBS on November 10, 2025.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Weprin |first=Alex |date=2025-08-26 |title=Netflix Sets Premiere Dates for 'Sesame Street,' New Season of 'Ms. Rachel' |url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/tv/tv-news/netflix-premiere-date-sesame-street-new-season-ms-rachel-1236352866/ |access-date=2025-08-26 |website=The Hollywood Reporter |language=en-US}}</ref> Beginning in January 2026, under a new agreement, the official YouTube channel is expected to host the largest collection of older library episodes.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Weprin |first=Alex |date=2025-09-04 |title=Hundreds of Classic 'Sesame Street' Episodes to Hit YouTube With Sesame Workshop Deal (Exclusive) |url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/business/digital/sesame-street-youtube-deal-classic-episodes-1236359400/ |access-date=2025-09-04 |website=The Hollywood Reporter |language=en-US}}</ref>

==Format==
{{Main|Format of Sesame Street|l1 = Format of ''Sesame Street''}}

From its first episode, ''Sesame Street''{{'}}s format has utilized "a strong visual style, fast-moving action, humor, and music," as well as animation and live-action short films.<ref>O'Dell, p. 70</ref> When it premiered, most researchers believed that young children did not have long [[attention span]]s, and the show's producers were concerned that an hour-long show would not hold their attention. At first, its "street scenes"—the action recorded on its set—consisted of character-driven interactions. Rather than ongoing stories, they were written as individual, curriculum-based segments interrupted by "inserts" of puppet sketches, short films and animations. This structure allowed producers to use a mixture of styles and characters, and to vary its pace, presumably keeping it interesting to young viewers. However, by season 20, research showed that children were able to follow a story—and the street scenes, while still interspersed with other segments, became evolving storylines.<ref>Morrow, p. 87</ref><ref>Gikow, p. 179</ref>

{{Quote box
| width = 30em
| border = 1px
| align = right
| quote = We basically deconstructed the show. It's not a magazine format anymore. It's more like the ''Sesame'' hour. Children will be able to navigate through it easier.
| salign = right
| source = —{{Hair space}}Executive producer Arlene Sherman, speaking of the show's restructuring in 2002<ref name="goodman"/>
}}

On recommendations by [[developmental psychology|child psychologists]], the producers initially decided that the show's human actors and Muppets would not interact because they were concerned it would confuse young children.<ref>Fisch & Bernstein, p. 39</ref> When CTW tested the new show, they found that children paid attention during the Muppet segments and that their interest was lost during the "Street" segments.<ref>Gladwell, p. 105</ref> They requested that Henson and his team create Muppets such as [[Big Bird]] and [[Oscar the Grouch]] to interact with the human actors, and the Street segments were re-shot.<ref>Gladwell, p. 106</ref><ref>Fisch & Bernstein, pp. 39–40</ref>

''Sesame Street''{{'}}s format remained intact until the 2000s when the changing audience required that producers move to a more narrative format. In 1998, the popular "Elmo's World," a 15-minute-long segment hosted by the Muppet Elmo, was created.<ref>Clash, p. 75</ref> Starting in 2014, during the show's 45th season, the producers introduced a half-hour version of the program.<ref name="TIME">{{Cite magazine|last=Dockterman|first=Eliana|date=2014-06-18|title=We're Getting a Half-Hour Version of Sesame Street|url=https://time.com/2894617/sesame-street-half-hour/|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220113030429/https://time.com/2894617/sesame-street-half-hour/|archive-date=13 January 2022|url-status=live|access-date=2022-01-13|magazine=Time|language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|date=2014-06-18|title=PBS KIDS to Add New Half-hour SESAME STREET Program on Air and on Digital Platforms This Fall|url=https://www.pbs.org/about/about-pbs/blogs/news/pbs-kids-to-add-new-half-hour-sesame-street-program-on-air-and-on-digital-platforms-this-fall/|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220113093307/https://www.pbs.org/about/about-pbs/blogs/news/pbs-kids-to-add-new-half-hour-sesame-street-program-on-air-and-on-digital-platforms-this-fall/|archive-date=13 January 2022|url-status=live|access-date=2022-01-13|website=PBS Pressroom|language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |last=Jensen |first=Elizabeth |date=2014-06-17 |title=PBS Plans to Add a Shorter Version of 'Sesame Street' |language=en-US |newspaper=[[The New York Times]] |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2014/06/18/business/media/pbs-to-add-shorter-version-of-sesame-street-in-bid-for-more-viewers.html |url-access=subscription |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140620173544/https://www.nytimes.com/2014/06/18/business/media/pbs-to-add-shorter-version-of-sesame-street-in-bid-for-more-viewers.html |archive-date=2014-06-20 |access-date=2022-01-13 |issn=0362-4331}}{{cbignore}}</ref> The new version, which originally complemented the full-hour series, was broadcast weekday afternoons and streamed on the Internet.<ref name="TIME" /> In 2017, in response to the changing viewing habits of toddlers, the show's producers retired the full-hour version across all its broadcast platforms. The new half-hour version featured fewer characters, reduced pop culture references "once included as winks for their parents", and focused "on a single backbone topic."<ref>{{cite news |last1=Harwell |first1=Drew |title=Sesame Street, newly revamped for HBO, aims for toddlers of the Internet age |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/business/economy/2016/01/12/9350ec70-b491-11e5-9388-466021d971de_story.html |access-date=15 May 2019 |newspaper=[[The Washington Post]] |date=12 January 2016}}</ref>

On October 30, 2023, ''[[The Hollywood Reporter]]'' announced that ''Sesame Street'' would be reimagined by completely dropping the half-hour magazine-style format of the long-running children's show in favor of a longer narrative-driven style and more live action Muppet puppet characters. The new format took effect in Season 56, which premiered on November 10, 2025, alongside a new animated series, ''Tales from 123''.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Weprin |first1=Alex |date=30 October 2023 |title=Sesame Street Getting "Reimagined" for Season 56 (Exclusive) |url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/tv/tv-news/sesame-street-changing-format-tales-from-123-season-56-1235623888/ |access-date=31 October 2023 |website=The Hollywood Reporter}}</ref>

==Educational goals==
{{Main|Educational goals of Sesame Street|l1 = Educational goals of ''Sesame Street''}}

[[File:BlogHer 08 - Sesame Street Suite (2682321763).jpg|thumb|right|200px|The ''Sesame Street'' signpost]]
Canadian author [[Malcolm Gladwell]] has said that "''Sesame Street'' was built around a single, breakthrough insight: that if you can hold the attention of children, you can educate them."<ref>Gladwell, p. 100</ref> [[Gerald S. Lesser]], the CTW's first advisory board chair, went even further, saying that the effective use of television as an educational tool needed to capture, focus, and sustain children's attention.<ref name="Lesser, p. 116">Lesser, p. 116</ref> ''Sesame Street'' was the first children's show to structure each episode, and the segments within them, to capture children's attention, and to make, as Gladwell put it, "small but critical adjustments" to keep it.<ref>Gladwell, p. 91</ref> According to CTW researchers Rosemarie Truglio and Shalom Fisch, it was one of the few children's shows to utilize a detailed and comprehensive educational curriculum, garnered from [[formative assessment|formative]] and [[summative]] research.<ref>{{cite book | last = Fisch | first = Shalom M. | author2 = Rosemarie T. Truglio |editor= Shalom M. Fisch |editor2=Rosemarie T. Truglio | title = "G" is for Growing: Thirty Years of Research on Children and Sesame Street | url = https://archive.org/details/gisforgrowingthi00shal | url-access = registration | publisher = Lawrence Erlbaum Publishers | year = 2001 | location = Mahweh, New Jersey | page = [https://archive.org/details/gisforgrowingthi00shal/page/234 234] | isbn = 0-8058-3395-1 | chapter = Why Children Learn from Sesame Street}}</ref>

''Sesame Street''<nowiki/>'s creators and researchers formulated both [[cognition|cognitive]] and [[affect (psychology)|affective]] goals for the show. They initially focused on cognitive goals, while addressing affective goals indirectly, believing it would increase children's self-esteem and feelings of competency.<ref>Morrow, pp. 76, 106</ref> One of their primary goals was preparing young children for school, especially children from [[poverty|low-income]] families,<ref>Lesser, p. 46</ref> using [[modeling (psychology)|modeling]],<ref>Lesser, pp. 86–87</ref> repetition,<ref>Lesser, p. 107</ref> and humor.<ref name="Lesser, p. 116"/> They adjusted its content to increase viewers' attention and the show's appeal,<ref>Lesser, p. 87</ref> and encouraged older children and parents to "co-view" it by including more sophisticated humor, cultural references, and celebrity guests; by 2019, 80% of parents watched ''Sesame Street'' with their children, and 650 celebrities had appeared on the show.<ref name="wallace">{{cite news |last1=Wallace |first1=Debra |title=Big Bird Has 4,000 Feathers: 21 Fun Facts About Sesame Street That Will Blow Your Mind |url=https://parade.com/840056/debrawallace/big-bird-has-4000-feathers-21-things-about-sesame-street-that-will-blow-your-mind/ |access-date=April 11, 2019 |work=Parade |date=February 6, 2019}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|accessdate=2022-08-13|title='Sesame Street' Draws in Adults with Pop Culture Parodies|url=http://yahoo.com/entertainment/news/sesame-street-draws-adults-pop-culture-parodies-180008072.html|website=yahoo.com|date=October 30, 2013 }}</ref><ref>{{cite book|first1=Rosemarie T.|last1=Truglio|first2=Jennifer A.|last2=Kotler|chapter=Language, Literacy, and Media: What's the Word on Sesame Street?|pages=188–202|chapter-url=https://academic.oup.com/book/12113/chapter/161496302|year=2013|doi=10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199943913.003.0012|title=Societal Contexts of Child Development: Pathways of Influence and Implications for Practice and Policy|editor1=Gershoff, E. T.|editor2=Mistry, R. S.|editor3=Crosby, D. A.}}</ref>

[[File:Barbara Bush and Big Bird.jpg|thumb|left|240px|First Lady [[Barbara Bush]] participates with [[Big Bird]] in an educational taping of ''Sesame Street'' at United Studios, 1989]]
[[File:Big Bird and Michelle Obama (8555066920).jpg|thumb|left|240px|First Lady [[Michelle Obama]] participates in a [[Let's Move!]] and ''Sesame Street'' public service announcement taping with [[Big Bird]] in the White House Kitchen, 2013]]
[[File:Deputy Secretary Blinken Meets With Sesame Street's "Grover" (29713891601).jpg|thumb|240px|Deputy Secretary of State [[Antony Blinken]] meets [[Grover]] to discuss refugees at the United Nations in New York City, 2016]]
During ''Sesame Street''{{'}}s first season, some critics felt that it should address more overtly such affective goals as social competence, tolerance of [[cultural diversity|diversity]], and nonaggressive ways of resolving conflict. The show's creators and producers responded by featuring these themes in interpersonal disputes between its Street characters.<ref>{{cite book | last = Huston | first = Aletha C |author2=Daniel R. Anderson |author3=John C. Wright |author4=Deborah Linebarger |author5=Kelly L. Schmidt  |editor= Shalom M. Fisch |editor2=Rosemarie T. Truglio | title = "G" is for Growing: Thirty Years of Research on Children and Sesame Street | url = https://archive.org/details/gisforgrowingthi00shal | url-access = registration | publisher = Lawrence Erlbaum Publishers | year = 2001 | location = Mahweh, New Jersey | page = [https://archive.org/details/gisforgrowingthi00shal/page/133 133] | isbn = 0-8058-3395-1 | chapter = "''Sesame Street'' Viewers as Adolescents: The Recontact Study}}</ref> During the 1980s, the show incorporated real-life experiences of its cast and crew, including the death of [[Will Lee]] ([[Mr. Hooper]]) and the pregnancy of [[Sonia Manzano]] (Maria).<ref name="hellman-52"/> In later seasons, it addressed real-life disasters such as the [[September 11 attacks|September 11 terrorist attacks]] and [[Hurricane Katrina]].<ref>Gikow, p. 165</ref>

In its first season, the show addressed its outreach goals by focusing on the promotion of educational materials used in preschool settings; and in subsequent seasons, by focusing on their development. Innovative programs were developed because their target audience, children and their families in low-income, inner-city homes, did not traditionally watch educational programs on television and because traditional methods of promotion and advertising were not effective with these groups.<ref>Gikow, p. 181</ref>

Starting in 2006, Sesame Workshop expanded its outreach by creating a series of PBS specials and DVDs focusing on how military deployment affects the families of servicepeople.<ref>Gikow, pp. 280–281</ref> Its outreach efforts also focused on families of prisoners, health and wellness, and safety.<ref>Gikow, pp. 286–293</ref> In 2013, SW started Sesame Street in Communities, to help families dealing with difficult issues.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Chandler |first1=Michael Alison |title=Sesame Street launches tools to help children who experience trauma, from hurricanes to violence at home |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/inspired-life/wp/2017/10/07/sesame-street-launches-tools-to-teach-coping-skills-to-children-who-experience-trauma-of-all-kinds-from-natural-disasters-to-violence-at-home/ |access-date=27 June 2019 |newspaper=The Washington Post |date=6 October 2017}}</ref>

==Funding==
As a result of Cooney's initial proposal in 1968, the Carnegie Institute awarded her a $1 million grant to create a new children's television program and establish the CTW,<ref name="davis-8"/><ref name="finch-53"/><ref>Palmer & Fisch in Fisch & Truglio, p. 3</ref> renamed in June 2000 to Sesame Workshop (SW). Cooney and Morrisett procured additional multimillion-dollar grants from the U.S. federal government, [[The Arthur Vining Davis Foundations]], CPB, and the Ford Foundation. Davis reported that Cooney and Morrisett decided that if they did not procure full funding from the beginning, they would drop the idea of producing the show.<ref>Davis, p. 105</ref> As Lesser reported, funds gained from a combination of government agencies and private foundations protected them from the economic pressures experienced by commercial broadcast television networks, but created challenges in procuring future funding.<ref>Lesser, p. 17</ref>

After ''Sesame Street''{{'}}s initial success, its producers began to think about its survival beyond its development and first season and decided to explore other funding sources. From the first season, they understood that the source of their funding, which they considered "seed" money, would need to be replaced.<ref name="davis-203">Davis, p. 203</ref> The 1970s were marked by conflicts between the CTW and the federal government; in 1978, the [[United States Department of Education|U.S. Department of Education]] refused to deliver a $2 million check (equivalent to ${{Inflation|index=US|value=2|start_year=1978|r=2}}&nbsp;million in {{Inflation/year|US}}) until the last day of CTW's fiscal year. As a result, the CTW decided to depend upon licensing arrangements with toy companies and other manufacturers, publishing, and international sales for their funding.<ref name="odell"/>

In 1998, the CTW accepted [[sponsor (commercial)|corporate sponsorship]] to raise funds for ''Sesame Street'' and other projects. For the first time, they allowed short advertisements by indoor playground manufacturer [[Discovery Zone]], their first corporate sponsor, to air before and after each episode. Consumer advocate [[Ralph Nader]], who had previously appeared on ''Sesame Street'', called for a boycott of the show, saying that the CTW was "exploiting impressionable children."<ref name="brooke"/> In 2015, in response to funding challenges, it was announced that premium television service HBO would air first-run episodes of ''Sesame Street''.<ref name="movetohbo"/> Steve Youngwood, SW's Chief Operating Officer, called the move "one of the toughest decisions we ever made."<ref name="guthrie2">{{cite news |last1=Guthrie |first1=Marisa |title=Where 'Sesame Street' Gets Its Funding — and How It Nearly Went Broke |url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/sesame-street-gets-funding-how-it-went-broke-1183032 |access-date=June 28, 2019 |work=The Hollywood Reporter |date=February 6, 2019}}</ref> According to ''The New York Times'', the move "drew an immediate backlash."<ref name="steel" /> Critics claimed that it favored privileged children over less-advantaged children and their families, the original focus of the show. They also criticized choosing to air first-run episodes on HBO, a network with adult dramas and comedies.<ref name="steel"/><ref>{{cite news |last1=Luckerson |first1=Victor |title=This Is Why HBO Really Wants Sesame Street |url=https://time.com/3996575/hbo-sesame-street/?iid=time_readnext |access-date=April 23, 2019 |magazine=Time |date=August 13, 2019}}</ref>

==Production==

===Research===
{{Main|Sesame Street research|l1 = ''Sesame Street'' research}}

Producer Joan Ganz Cooney has stated, "Without research, there would be no ''Sesame Street''."<ref name="cooney-xi">Cooney in Fisch & Truglio, p. xi</ref> In 1967, when she and her team began planning the show's development, combining research with television production was, as she put it, "positively heretical."<ref name="cooney-xi"/> Its producers soon began developing what came to be called the CTW Model, a system of planning, production and evaluation that did not fully emerge until the end of the show's first season.<ref name="morrow-68">Morrow, p. 68</ref>{{refn|See Gikow, p. 155, for a visual representation of the CTW model.|group=note}} According to Morrow, the Model consisted of four parts: "the interaction of receptive television producers and [[child development|child science]] experts, the creation of a specific and age-appropriate curriculum, research to shape the program directly, and independent measurement of viewers' learning."<ref name="morrow-68"/>

Cooney credited the show's high standard in research procedures to Harvard professors [[Gerald S. Lesser]], whom CTW hired to design its educational objectives; and [[Edward L. Palmer]], who conducted the show's formative research and bridged the gap between producers and researchers.<ref name="cooney-xii">Cooney in Fisch & Truglio, p. xii</ref> CTW conducted research in two ways: in-house formative research that informed and improved production;<ref>Mielke in Fisch & Truglio, pp. 84–85</ref> and independent summative evaluations, conducted by the [[Educational Testing Service]] (ETS) during the first two seasons, which measured its educational effectiveness.<ref name="palmer"/> Cooney said, "From the beginning, we—the planners of the project—designed the show as an experimental research project with educational advisers, researchers, and television producers collaborating as equal partners."<ref>Borgenicht, p. 9</ref> She characterized the collaboration as an "arranged marriage."<ref name="cooney-xi"/>

===Writing===
''Sesame Street'' has used many writers in its long history. As Peter Hellman wrote in his 1987 article in ''[[New York Magazine]]'', "The show, of course, depends upon its writers, and it isn't easy to find adults who could identify the interest level of a pre-schooler."<ref name="hellman-52"/> Fifteen writers a year worked on the show's scripts, but very few lasted longer than one season. [[Norman Stiles]], head writer in 1987, reported that most writers would "burn out" after writing about a dozen scripts.<ref name="hellman-52"/> According to Gikow, ''Sesame Street'' went against the convention of hiring teachers to write for the show, as most educational television programs did at the time. Instead, Cooney and the producers felt that it would be easier to teach writers how to interpret curriculum than to teach educators how to write comedy.<ref name="gikow-178">Gikow, p. 178</ref> As Stone stated, "Writing for children is not so easy."<ref name="gikow-178"/> Long-time writer Tony Geiss agreed, stating in 2009, "It's not an easy show to write. You have to know the characters and the format and how to teach and be funny at the same time, which is a big, ambidextrous stunt."<ref>Gikow, p. 174</ref>

[[File:Kaufman Univ Studio LIC jeh.JPG|right|200px|thumb|alt=Facade of a large white building, the left having large pillars beneath a strip with dozens of windows and the right three stories of large windows.|The [[Kaufman Astoria Studios]], where ''Sesame Street'' is taped]]

The show's research team developed an annotated document, or "Writer's Notebook," which served as a bridge between the show's curriculum goals and script development.<ref name="lesser-101">Lesser, p. 101</ref> The notebook was a compilation of programming ideas designed to teach specific curriculum points,<ref>Morrow, p. 82</ref> provided extended definitions of curriculum goals, and assisted the writers and producers in translating the goals into televised material.<ref>Palmer & Fisch in Fisch & Truglio, p. 10</ref> Suggestions in the notebook were free of references to specific characters and contexts on the show so that they could be implemented as openly and flexibly as possible.<ref>Palmer & Fisch in Fisch & Truglio, p. 11</ref>

The research team, in a series of meetings with the writers, also developed "a curriculum sheet" that described the show's goals and priorities for every season. After receiving the curriculum focus and goals for the season, the writers met to discuss ideas and story arcs for the characters, and an "assignment sheet" was created that suggested how much time was allotted for each goal and topic.<ref name="lesser-101"/><ref>{{cite book | last = Lesser | first = Gerald S. |author2=Joel Schneider  |editor= Shalom M. Fisch |editor2=Rosemarie T. Truglio | title = "G" is for Growing: Thirty Years of Research on Children and Sesame Street | url = https://archive.org/details/gisforgrowingthi00shal | url-access = registration | publisher = Lawrence Erlbaum Publishers | year = 2001 | location = Mahweh, New Jersey | page = [https://archive.org/details/gisforgrowingthi00shal/page/28 28] | isbn = 0-8058-3395-1 | chapter = Creation and Evolution of the ''Sesame Street'' Curriculum}}</ref> When a script was completed, the show's research team analyzed it to ensure that the goals were met. Then each production department met to determine what each episode needed in terms of costumes, lights, and sets. The writers were present during the show's taping, which for the first twenty-four years of the show took place in [[Manhattan]], and after 1992, at the [[Kaufman Astoria Studios]] in [[Queens]] to make last-minute revisions when necessary.<ref>{{cite news | last = Murphy | first = Tim | title = How We Got to 'Sesame Street' | work = New York Magazine | url = http://nymag.com/news/intelligencer/topic/61744/ | date = November 1, 2009 | access-date = July 8, 2019}}</ref><ref>{{cite web | title = How to Get to 'Sesame Street' at the Apollo Theater | publisher = New York City Mayor's Office | date = November 19, 2008 | url = http://www.nyc.gov/html/film/html/news_2008/110108_sesame_panel_recap.shtml | access-date = July 8, 2019}}</ref><ref>{{cite book | last = Spinney | first = Caroll | author2 = Jason Milligan | title = The Wisdom of Big Bird (and the Dark Genius of Oscar the Grouch): Lessons from a Life in Feathers | publisher = Random House | year = 2003 | location = New York | page = [https://archive.org/details/wisdomofbigbirda00spin/page/3 3] | isbn = 0-375-50781-7 | url = https://archive.org/details/wisdomofbigbirda00spin/page/3 }}</ref>{{refn|Most of the first season was filmed at a studio near [[Broadway theatre|Broadway]], but a strike forced their move to [[Teletape Studios]]. In the early days, the set was simple, consisting of four structures.<ref>Gikow, pp. 66–67</ref> In 1982, ''Sesame Street'' began filming at Unitel Studios on 57th Street, but relocated to Kaufman Astoria Studios in 1993, when the producers decided they needed more space.<ref>Gikow, pp. 206–207</ref>|group=note}}

===Media===
{{Main|Sesame Workshop#Funding sources|Music of Sesame Street|l2 = Music of ''Sesame Street''|Sesame Street international co-productions|l3 = ''Sesame Street'' international co-productions}}

Early in their history ''Sesame Street'' and the CTW began to look for alternative funding sources and turned to creating products and writing licensing agreements. They became, as Cooney put it, "a multiple-media institution."<ref>Cherow-O'Leary in Fisch & Truglio, p. 197</ref> In 1970, the CTW created a "non-broadcast" division responsible for creating and publishing books and ''[[Sesame Street Magazine]]''.<ref>Cherow-O'Leary in Fisch & Truglio, pp. 197–198</ref> By 2019, the Sesame Workshop had published over 6,500 book titles.<ref name="guthrie"/> The Workshop decided from the start that all materials their licensing program created would "underscore and amplify"<ref name="davis-205">Davis, p. 205</ref><ref name="davis-195"/> the show's curriculum. In 2004, over 68% of ''Sesame Street''{{'}}s revenue came from licenses and products such as toys and clothing.<ref name="carvajal">{{cite news | last = Carvajal | first = Doreen | title = Sesame Street Goes Global: Let's All Count the Revenue | work = The New York Times | date = December 12, 2005 | url = https://www.nytimes.com/2005/12/12/business/media/12sesame.html?_r=1&pagewanted=print | access-date = July 8, 2019}}</ref>{{refn|See Gikow, pp. 280–285 for a list of many of the show's products.|group=note}} By 2008, the ''Sesame Street'' Muppets accounted for between $15 million and $17 million per year in licensing and merchandising fees, split between the Sesame Workshop and The Jim Henson Company.<ref name="davis-5">Davis, p. 5</ref> By 2019, the Sesame Workshop had over 500 licensing agreements and had produced over 200 hours of home video.<ref name="wallace"/><ref name="guthrie"/> There have been two theatrically released ''Sesame Street'' movies, ''Follow That Bird'', released in 1985, and ''The Adventures of Elmo in Grouchland'', released in 1999. In early 2019, it was announced that a third film, a musical co-starring [[Anne Hathaway]] and written and directed by [[Jonathan Krisel]], would be produced.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Kit |first1=Borys |last2=Sandberg |first2=Bryn Elise |title='Sesame Street' Movie's Writer-Director Reveals Plot Details |url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/sesame-street-movies-writer-director-reveals-plot-details-1182692 |access-date=April 18, 2019 |work=The Hollywood Reporter |date=February 6, 2019}}</ref> In November 2019, Sesame Street announced a family friendly [[augmented reality]] application produced by Weyo in partnership with Sesame Workshop in honor of the show's 50th anniversary.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.forbes.com/sites/jessedamiani/2019/11/07/sesame-street-launches-50th-anniversary-ar-app/|title=Sesame Street Launches 50th Anniversary AR App|last=Damiani|first=Jesse|website=Forbes|language=en|access-date=2019-11-18}}</ref>

Jim Henson, the creator of the Muppets, owned the [[trademark]]s to those characters, and was reluctant to market them at first. He agreed when the CTW promised that the profits from toys, books, [[Sesame Street video games|computer games]], and other products were to be used exclusively to fund the CTW and its outreach efforts.<ref name="davis-203"/><ref>Gikow, p. 268</ref> Even though Cooney and the CTW had very little experience with marketing, they demanded complete control over all products and product decisions.<ref name="davis-205"/> Any product line associated with the show had to be educational and inexpensive, and could not be advertised during the show's airings.<ref name="davis-204">Davis, p. 204</ref> As Davis reported, "Cooney stressed restraint, prudence, and caution" in their marketing and licensing efforts.<ref name="davis-204"/>{{refn|According to ''Parade Magazine'' in 2019, 1 million children played with ''Sesame Street'' toys daily.<ref name="wallace"/>|group=note}}

Director Jon Stone, talking about the music of ''Sesame Street'', said: "There was no other sound like it on television."<ref>Gikow, p. 220</ref> For the first time in children's television, the show's songs fulfilled a specific purpose and supported its curriculum.<ref>Gikow, p. 227</ref> In order to attract the best composers and lyricists, the CTW allowed songwriters like [[Joe Raposo]], ''Sesame Street''{{'}}s first musical director, to retain the rights to the songs they wrote, which earned them lucrative profits and helped the show sustain public interest.<ref>Davis, p. 256</ref> By 2019, there were 180 albums of ''Sesame Street'' music produced, and its songwriters had received 11 [[Grammy Award|Grammys]].<ref name="wallace"/><ref name="guthrie"/> In late 2018, the SW announced a multi-year agreement with [[Warner Music Group]] to re-launch Sesame Street Records in the U.S. and Canada. For the first time in 20 years, "an extensive catalog of ''Sesame Street'' recordings" was made available to the public in a variety of formats, including CD and vinyl compilations, digital streaming, and downloads.<ref>{{cite web |title=Warner Music Group Sesame Workshop Team up to Relaunch Sesame Street Records |url=https://www.musicbusinessworldwide.com/warner-music-group-and-sesame-workshop-team-up-to-relaunch-sesame-street-records/ |publisher=Music Business Worldwide |access-date=18 July 2019 |date=27 November 2018}}</ref>

''Sesame Street'' used animations and short films commissioned from outside studios,<ref name="gikow-236"/> interspersed throughout each episode, to help teach their viewers basic concepts like numbers and letters.<ref>Morrow, p. 89</ref> Jim Henson was one of the many producers to create short films for the show.<ref name="gikow-236">Gikow, p. 236</ref> Shortly after ''Sesame Street'' debuted in the United States, the CTW was approached independently by producers from several countries to produce versions of the show at home. These versions came to be called "co-productions."<ref>Cole et al. in Fisch & Truglio, p. 148</ref> By 2001 there were over 120 million viewers of all international versions of ''Sesame Street'',<ref>Cole et al. in Fisch & Truglio, p. 147</ref> and in 2006, there were twenty co-productions around the world.<ref>{{Cite video | people = Knowlton, Linda Goldstein and Linda Hawkins Costigan (producers) | date = 2006 | title = The World According to Sesame Street | medium = documentary | publisher = Participant Productions}}</ref> By its 50th anniversary in 2019, 190 million children viewed over 160 versions of ''Sesame Street'' in 70 languages.<ref name="wallace"/><ref name="leaving">{{cite web |last1=Bradley |first1=Diana |title=Leaving the neighborhood: 'Sesame Street' muppets to travel across America next year |url=https://www.prweek.com/article/1489073/leaving-neighborhood-sesame-street-muppets-travel-across-america-next-year |website=PR Weekly |access-date=July 9, 2019 |date=July 27, 2018}}</ref> In 2005, Doreen Carvajal of ''[[The New York Times]]'' reported that income from the co-productions and international licensing accounted for $96 million. ''Sesame Street the Musical'' opened at [[Theatre Row Building|Theatre Row]] off Broadway on September 8, 2022.<ref name="musical2">{{cite web |title=Sesame Street the Musical |url=https://sesamestreetmusical.com/ |access-date=November 24, 2022 |website=sesamestreetmusical.com}}</ref><ref name="musical-22">{{cite web |date=November 18, 2022 |title=SESAME STREET MUSICAL - Rumours of a West End transfer |url=https://www.londonboxoffice.co.uk/news/post/sesame-street-london |access-date=November 24, 2022 |website=London Box Office}}</ref>

In 2015, HBO acquired the production rights to the show, which included an agreement of exclusive rights for nine months at which point the episodes were to be given away free of charge to other networks (e.g. PBS). In December 2024, HBO announced it would part ways with ''Sesame Street''.<ref>CNBC Market Hall segment, archived at<nowiki/>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BJGPLD-xcfI</ref>

==Cast, crew and characters==
{{Main|List of Sesame Street Muppets|l1 = List of ''Sesame Street'' Muppets|List of human Sesame Street characters|l2 = List of human ''Sesame Street'' characters}}

[[File:Jim Henson (1989) headshot.jpg|thumb|upright=0.7|alt=Jim Henson in 1989.|[[Jim Henson]], creator of [[the Muppets]], in 1989]]
[[File:Carroll Spinney and Oscar the Grouch 2014.jpg|thumb|right|[[Caroll Spinney]] with [[Oscar the Grouch]]]]
Shortly after the CTW was created in 1968, Joan Ganz Cooney was named its first executive director. She was one of the first female executives in American television. Her appointment was called "one of the most important television developments of the decade."<ref>Davis, pp. 128–129</ref> She assembled a team of producers, all of whom had previously worked on ''[[Captain Kangaroo]]''. [[Jon Stone]] was responsible for writing, casting, and format; Dave Connell took over animation; and Sam Gibbon served as the show's chief liaison between the production staff and the research team.<ref>Davis, p. 147</ref> Cameraman Frankie Biondo has worked on ''Sesame Street'' from its first episode in 1969.<ref>Gikow, p. 15</ref>

Jim Henson and the Muppets' involvement in ''Sesame Street'' began when he and Cooney met at one of the curriculum planning seminars in Boston. Author Christopher Finch reported that Stone, who had worked with Henson previously, felt that if they could not bring him on board, they should "make do without puppets."<ref name="finch-53"/> Henson was initially reluctant, but he agreed to join ''Sesame Street'' to meet his own social goals. He also agreed to waive his performance fee for full ownership of the ''Sesame Street'' Muppets and to split any revenue they generated with the CTW.<ref name="davis-5"/> As Morrow stated, Henson's puppets were a crucial part of the show's popularity and it brought Henson national attention.<ref>Morrow, p. 93</ref> Davis reported that Henson was able to take "arcane academic goals" and translate them to "effective and pleasurable viewing."<ref>Davis, p. 163</ref> In early research, the Muppet segments of the show scored high, and more Muppets were added during the first few seasons. Morrow reported that the Muppets were effective teaching tools because children easily recognized them, they were stereotypical and predictable, and they appealed to adults and older siblings.<ref>Morrow, pp. 94–95</ref>

{{Quote box
| width = 30em
| border = 1px
| align = right
| quote = ''Sesame Street'' is best known for the creative geniuses it attracted, people like Jim Henson and Joe Raposo and Frank Oz, who intuitively grasped what it takes to get through to children. They were television's answer to Beatrix Potter or L. Frank Baum or Dr. Seuss.
| salign = right
| source = —{{Hair space}}Author [[Malcolm Gladwell]], ''[[The Tipping Point]]''<ref>Gladwell, p. 99</ref>
}}

Although the producers decided against depending upon a single host for ''Sesame Street'', instead casting a group of ethnically diverse actors,<ref>Lesser, p. 99</ref> they realized that a children's television program needed to have, as Lesser put it, "a variety of distinctive and reliable personalities,"<ref>Lesser, p. 125</ref> both human and Muppet. Jon Stone, whose goal was to cast white actors in the minority,<ref name="hellman-52"/> was responsible for hiring the show's first [[List of human Sesame Street characters|cast]]. He did not audition actors until Spring 1969, a few weeks before the five test shows were due to be filmed. Stone videotaped the auditions, and Ed Palmer took them out into the field to test children's reactions. The actors who received the "most enthusiastic thumbs up" were cast.<ref name="Borgenicht-15">Borgenicht, p. 15</ref> For example, [[Loretta Long]] was chosen to play [[The Robinson family (Sesame Street)|Susan]] when the children who saw her audition stood up and sang along with her rendition of "[[I'm a Little Teapot]]."<ref name="Borgenicht-15"/><ref>Davis, p. 172</ref> Stone stated that casting was the only aspect of the show that was "just completely haphazard."<ref name="davis-195">Davis, p. 195</ref> Most of the cast and crew found jobs on ''Sesame Street'' through personal relationships with Stone and the other producers.<ref name="davis-195" /> According to puppeteer [[Martin P. Robinson|Marty Robinson]] in 2019, longevity was common among the show's cast and crew.<ref name="guthrie"/>

According to the CTW's research, children preferred watching and listening to other children more than to puppets and adults; as such, they included children in many scenes.<ref>Lesser, p. 127</ref> Dave Connell insisted that no child actors be used,<ref name="morrow-84">Morrow, p. 84</ref> so these children were non-professionals, unscripted, and spontaneous. Many of their reactions were unpredictable and difficult to control. However, the adult cast learned to handle the children's spontaneity flexibly, even when it resulted in departures from the planned script or lesson.<ref>Lesser, pp. 127–128</ref> CTW research also revealed that the children's hesitations and on-air mistakes served as models for viewers.<ref>Gikow, p. 123</ref> According to Morrow, this resulted in the show having a "fresh quality," especially in its early years.<ref name="morrow-84"/>

==Reception==
{{Main|Influence of Sesame Street|l1 = Influence of ''Sesame Street''}}

===Ratings===
When ''Sesame Street'' premiered on November 10, 1969, it aired on only 67.6% of American televisions, but it earned a 3.3 [[Nielsen ratings|Nielsen]] rating, which totaled 1.9 million households.<ref name="Seligsohn">Seligsohn, Leo. (February 9, 1970). "Backstage at Sesame Street". ''New York Newsday''. Quoted in Davis, p. 197.</ref> By the show's tenth anniversary in 1979, nine million American children under the age of 6 were watching ''Sesame Street'' daily. According to a 1993 survey conducted by the U.S. Department of Education, out of the show's 6.6 million viewers, 2.4 million kindergartners regularly watched it. 77% of preschoolers watched it once a week, and 86% of kindergartners and students in first and second grade had watched it once a week before starting school. The show reached most young children in almost all demographic groups.<ref name="zill-117">{{cite book | last = Zill | first = Nicholas | title = "G" is for Growing: Thirty Years of Research on Children and Sesame Street | publisher = Lawrence Erlbaum Publishers | year = 2001 | location = Mahweh, New Jersey | pages = [https://archive.org/details/gisforgrowingthi00shal/page/117 117–120] | isbn = 0-8058-3395-1 | chapter = Does ''Sesame Street'' Enhance School Readiness? Evidence from a National Survey of Children | chapter-url = https://archive.org/details/gisforgrowingthi00shal/page/117 }}</ref>

The show's ratings significantly decreased in the early 1990s, due to changes in children's viewing habits and in the television marketplace. The producers responded by making large-scale structural changes to the show.<ref name="weiss">{{cite news | last = Weiss | first = Joanna | title = New Character Joins PBS | work = The Boston Globe | date = October 19, 2005 | url = http://www.azcentral.com/families/articles/1018pbscharacter1019.html | access-date = October 12, 2019}}</ref> By 2006, ''Sesame Street'' had become "the most widely viewed children's television show in the world," with 20 international independent versions and broadcasts in over 120 countries.<ref name="friedman">{{cite news|last=Friedman|first=Michael Jay|date=April 8, 2006|title=Sesame Street Educates and Entertains Internationally|work=America.gov|publisher=U.S. Department of State Bureau of International Information Programs|url=http://dhaka.usembassy.gov/uploads/images/l1XvaDkUC8Hy7OGZIc2Nbw/pre2apr06_06.pdf|url-status=dead|access-date=March 11, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070815105719/http://dhaka.usembassy.gov/uploads/images/l1XvaDkUC8Hy7OGZIc2Nbw/pre2apr06_06.pdf|archive-date=August 15, 2007}}</ref> A 1996 survey found that 95% of all American preschoolers had watched the show by the time they were three years old.<ref name="growing">{{cite book | last = Truglio | first = Rosemarie T | author2 = Shalom M. Fisch | editor = Shalom M. Fisch | editor2 = Rosemarie T. Truglio | title = "G" is for Growing: Thirty Years of Research on Children and Sesame Street | url = https://archive.org/details/gisforgrowingthi00shal | url-access = registration | publisher = Lawrence Erlbaum Publishers | year = 2001 | location = Mahweh, New Jersey | page = xvi | isbn = 0-8058-3395-1 | chapter = Introduction }}</ref> In 2008, it was estimated that 77 million Americans had watched the series as children.<ref name="friedman"/> By the show's 40th anniversary in 2009, it was ranked the fifteenth-most-popular children's show on television, and by its 50th in 2019, the show had 100% brand awareness globally. In 2018, the show was the second-highest-rated program on PBS Kids.<ref>{{cite news | last = Guernsey | first = Lisa | title = How Sesame Street Changed the World | work = Newsweek | date = May 23, 2009 | url = http://www.newsweek.com/2009/05/22/sesame-street.html | access-date = October 12, 2019}}</ref><ref name="leaving"/> In 2021, however, the Sesame Street documentary "50 Years of Sunny Days," which was broadcast nationally on ABC, did not fare well in the ratings,<ref name=lowratings>{{cite news|url=https://www.thewrap.com/sesame-street-50-years-of-sunny-days-ratings-abc/|title=Ratings: 'Sesame Street' Documentary Does Not Bring Sunny Days to ABC|first=Tony|last=Magilo|publisher=The Wrap|date=April 27, 2021|access-date=April 28, 2021}}</ref> scoring only approximately 2.3 million viewers.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.showbuzzdaily.com/articles/showbuzzdailys-top-150-monday-cable-originals-network-finals-4-26-2021.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210427201251/http://www.showbuzzdaily.com/articles/showbuzzdailys-top-150-monday-cable-originals-network-finals-4-26-2021.html|url-status=dead|archive-date=April 27, 2021|title=UPDATED:SHOWBUZZDAILY's Top 150 Monday Cable Originals and Network Finals|first=Mitch|last=Metcalf|publisher=Showbuzz Daily|date=April 27, 2021|access-date=April 28, 2021}}</ref>

===Influence===
{{Main|Sesame Street research#Summative research|l1 = ''Sesame Street'' research{{nbsp}}§ Summative research}}

{{As of|2001}}, there were over 1,000 research studies regarding ''Sesame Street''{{'}}s efficacy, impact, and effect on American culture.<ref name="cooney-xii" /> The CTW solicited the [[Educational Testing Service]] (ETS) to conduct summative research on the show.<ref name="mielke-85"/> ETS's two "landmark"<ref>Mielke in Fisch & Truglio, p. 88</ref> summative evaluations, conducted in 1970 and 1971, demonstrated that the show had a significant educational impact on its viewers.<ref name="palmer-20"/> These studies have been cited in other studies of the effects of television on young children.<ref name="mielke-85">Mielke in Fisch & Truglio, p. 85</ref>{{refn|According to Edward Palmer and his colleague Shalom M. Fisch, these studies were responsible for securing funding for the show over the next several years.<ref name="palmer-20">Palmer & Fisch in Fisch & Truglio, p. 20</ref>|group=note}} Additional studies conducted throughout ''Sesame Street''{{'}}s history demonstrated that the show continued to have a positive effect on its young viewers.{{refn|See Gikow, pp. 284–285; ''"G" Is for Growing: Thirty Years of Research on Children and Sesame Street'', pp. 147–230.|group=note}}

{{Quote box
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| border = 1px
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| quote = ''Sesame Street'' [is] perhaps the most vigorously researched, vetted, and fretted-over program on the planet. It would take a fork-lift to now to haul away the load of scholarly paper devoted to the series...
| salign = right
| source = —{{Hair space}}Author Michael Davis<ref>Davis, p. 357</ref>
}}

Lesser believed that ''Sesame Street'' research "may have conferred a new respectability upon the studies of the effects of visual media upon children."<ref name="lesser-235">Lesser, p. 235</ref> He also believed that the show had the same effect on the prestige of producing shows for children in the television industry.<ref name="lesser-235"/> Historian Robert Morrow, in his book ''Sesame Street and the Reform of Children's Television'', which chronicled the show's influence on children's television and on the television industry as a whole, reported that many critics of commercial television saw ''Sesame Street'' as a "straightforward illustration for reform."<ref name="morrow-122">Morrow, p. 122</ref> Les Brown, a writer for ''[[Variety (magazine)|Variety]]'', saw in ''Sesame Street'' "a hope for a more substantial future" for television.<ref name="morrow-122"/>

Morrow reported that the networks responded by creating more high-quality television programs, but that many critics saw them as "appeasement gestures."<ref>Morrow, p. 127</ref> According to Morrow, despite the CTW Model's effectiveness in creating a popular show, commercial television "made only a limited effort to emulate CTW's methods," and did not use a curriculum or evaluate what children learned from them.<ref>Morrow, p. 130</ref> By the mid-1970s commercial television had abandoned their experiments with creating better children's programming.<ref>Morrow, p. 132</ref> Other critics hoped that ''Sesame Street'', with its depiction of a functioning, multicultural community, would nurture racial tolerance in its young viewers.<ref>Morrow, p. 124</ref> It was not until the mid-1990s that another children's television educational program, ''[[Blue's Clues]]'', used the CTW's methods to create and modify their content. The creators of ''Blue's Clues'' were influenced by ''Sesame Street'', but wanted to use research conducted in the 30 years since its debut. Angela Santomero, one of its producers, said, "We wanted to learn from ''Sesame Street'' and take it one step further."<ref>Gladwell, p. 111</ref>

Critic [[Richard Roeper]] said that perhaps one of the strongest indicators of the influence of ''Sesame Street'' has been the enduring rumors and urban legends surrounding the show and its characters, especially speculation concerning the sexuality of [[Bert and Ernie]].<ref>{{cite book | last = Roeper | first = Richard | title = Hollywood Urban Legends: The Truth Behind All Those Delightfully Persistent Myths of Film, Television and Music | year = 2001 | publisher = Career Press | location = Franklin Lakes, New Jersey | isbn = 1-56414-554-9 | pages = [https://archive.org/details/hollywoodurbanle00rich/page/48 48–53] | url = https://archive.org/details/hollywoodurbanle00rich/page/48 }}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-45566451|title=Bert and Ernie sexuality debate rages|date=September 18, 2018|work=BBC News|access-date=October 16, 2019|language=en-GB}}</ref>

===Critical reception===
''Sesame Street'' was praised from its debut in 1969. ''Newsday'' reported that several newspapers and magazines had written "glowing" reports about the CTW and Cooney.<ref name="Seligsohn"/> The press overwhelmingly praised the new show; several popular magazines and niche magazines lauded it.<ref>Morrow, pp. 119–120</ref> In 1970, ''Sesame Street'' won twenty awards, including a [[Peabody Award]], three Emmys, an award from the [[Public Relations Society of America]], a [[Clio Awards|Clio]], and a Prix Jeunesse.<ref>Morrow, p. 119</ref> By 1995, the show had won two Peabody Awards and four [[Parents' Choice Award]]s. It was the subject of a traveling exhibition by the [[Smithsonian Institution]],<ref>{{cite news|first1=Laurel|last1=Graeber|accessdate=2022-04-30|title=And a Frog Shall Lead Them: Henson's Legacy|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2011/08/19/arts/design/jim-hensons-fantastic-world-at-museum-of-the-moving-image.html|newspaper=The New York Times|date=18 August 2011|issn=0362-4331|via=NYTimes.com}}</ref> and a film exhibition at the [[Museum of Modern Art]].<ref>{{cite news|accessdate=2022-04-30|title=WEEKENDER GUIDE|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1989/11/10/arts/weekender-guide.html|newspaper=The New York Times|date=10 November 1989|issn=0362-4331|via=NYTimes.com}}</ref>

{{Quote box
| width = 30em
| border = 1px
| align = right
| quote = ''Sesame Street'' is ... with lapses, the most intelligent and important program in television. That is not anything much yet.
| salign = right
| source = —{{Hair space}}[[Renata Adler]], ''[[The New Yorker]]'', 1972<ref>Lesser, p. 165</ref>
}}
[[File:The crew of Sesame Street at the 69th Annual Peabody Awards.jpg|thumb|Sesame Workshop CEO [[Gary Knell]], Executive Vice-president Terry Fitzpatrick, and puppeteer [[Kevin Clash]] (with [[Elmo]]) at the 69th Annual [[Peabody Awards]] in 2010]]

''Sesame Street'' was not without its detractors, however. The state commission in [[Mississippi]], where Henson was from, operated the state's PBS [[Mississippi Public Broadcasting|member station]]; in May 1970 it voted to not air ''Sesame Street'' because of its "highly [racially] integrated cast of children" which "the commission members felt ... Mississippi was not yet ready for."<ref>"Mississippi Agency Votes for a TV Ban on 'Sesame Street'". (May 3, 1970). ''The New York Times''. Quoted in Davis, p. 202</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1970/05/03/archives/mississippi-agency-votes-for-a-tv-ban-on-sesame-street.html|newspaper=[[The New York Times]]|title=Mississippi Agency Votes for a TV Ban On 'Sesame Street'|date=May 3, 1970 }}</ref> According to ''[[Children and Television: Lessons from Sesame Street|Children and Television]]'', Lesser's account of the development and early years of ''Sesame Street'', there was little criticism of the show in the months following its premiere, but it increased at the end of its first season and beginning of the second season.<ref>Lesser, pp. 174–175</ref>{{refn|See Lesser, pp. 175–201 for his response to the early critics of ''Sesame Street''.|group=note}} Historian Robert W. Morrow speculated that much of the early criticism, which he called "surprisingly intense,"<ref name="morrow-3">Morrow, p. 3</ref> stemmed from cultural and historical reasons in regards to, as he put it, "the place of children in American society and the controversies about television's effects on them."<ref name="morrow-3"/>

According to Morrow, the "most important" studies finding negative effects of ''Sesame Street'' were conducted by educator Herbert A. Sprigle and psychologist [[Thomas D. Cook]] during its first two seasons.<ref>Morrow, pp. 146–147</ref> Social scientist and [[Head Start (program)|Head Start]] founder [[Urie Bronfenbrenner]] criticized the show for being too wholesome.<ref>{{cite news | last = Kanfer | first = Stefan | title = Who's Afraid of Big, Bad TV? | magazine = Time | date = November 23, 1970 | url = http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,943327,00.html?iid=digg_share | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20110604050817/http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,943327,00.html?iid=digg_share | url-status = dead | archive-date = June 4, 2011 | access-date = October 17, 2019}}</ref> Psychologist [[Leon Eisenberg]] saw ''Sesame Street''{{'}}s urban setting as "superficial" and having little to do with the problems confronted by the inner-city child.<ref>Morrow, p. 98</ref> Head Start director [[Edward Zigler]] was probably ''Sesame Street''{{'}}s most vocal critic in the show's early years.<ref>Morrow, p. 147</ref>

In spite of their commitment to multiculturalism, the CTW experienced conflicts with the leadership of minority groups, especially Latino groups and feminists, who objected to ''Sesame Street''{{'}}s depiction of Latinos and women.<ref>Morrow, pp. 157–158</ref> The CTW took steps to address their objections. By 1971, the CTW hired Hispanic actors, production staff, and researchers, and by the mid-1970s, Morrow reported that "the show included Chicano and Puerto Rican cast members, films about Mexican holidays and foods, and cartoons that taught Spanish words."<ref>Morrow, p. 155</ref> As ''The New York Times'' has stated, creating strong female characters "that make kids laugh, but not...as female stereotypes" has been a challenge for the producers of ''Sesame Street''.<ref>Gikow, p. 142</ref> According to Morrow, change regarding how women and girls were depicted on ''Sesame Street'' occurred slowly.<ref>Morrow, p. 156</ref> As more female Muppet performers like [[Camille Bonora]], [[Fran Brill]], [[Pam Arciero]], [[Carmen Osbahr]], [[Stephanie D'Abruzzo]], [[Jennifer Barnhart]], and [[Leslie Carrara-Rudolph]] were hired and trained, stronger female characters like [[Rosita (Sesame Street)|Rosita]] (1991) and [[Abby Cadabby]] (2006) were created.<ref>Gikow, p. 143</ref><ref>{{cite news |last1=Olivera |first1=Monica |title=Carmen Osbahr, the talented puppeteer behind Sesame Street's "Rosita" |url=http://nbclatino.com/2013/09/20/sesame-streets-rosita-latina-puppeteer-makes-a-difference/ |access-date=October 17, 2019 |work=NBC Universal |date=September 20, 2013 |archive-date=October 20, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191020170237/http://nbclatino.com/2013/09/20/sesame-streets-rosita-latina-puppeteer-makes-a-difference/ |url-status=dead }}</ref>

In 2002, ''Sesame Street'' was ranked number 27 on [[TV Guide's 50 Greatest TV Shows of All Time]].<ref>{{cite news |  title = TV Guide Names Top 50 Shows | work = CBS News | date = February 11, 2009 | publisher = Associated Press | url = https://www.cbsnews.com/news/tv-guide-names-top-50-shows/ | access-date = October 17, 2019}}</ref> Sesame Workshop won a Peabody Award in 2009 for its website, sesamestreet.org,<ref>{{cite web |title=2009 Sesame Workshop |url=http://www.peabodyawards.com/award-profile/sesamestreet.org |publisher=Peabody Awards |access-date=9 October 2019}}</ref> and the show was given Peabody's Institutional Award in 2019 for 50 years of educating and entertaining children globally.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Turchiano |first1=Danielle |title='Barry,' 'Killing Eve,' 'Pose' Among 2019 Peabody Winners |url=https://variety.com/2019/tv/awards/peabody-awards-winners-2019-barry-killing-eve-pose-good-place-americans-sesame-street-1203191869/ |access-date=9 October 2019 |work=Variety |date=18 April 2019}}</ref> In 2013, ''TV Guide'' ranked the show number 30 on its list of the 60 best TV series.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.tvguide.com/news/tv-guide-magazine-60-best-series-1074962/|title=TV Guide Magazine's 60 Best Series of All Time|last1= Fretts |first1=Bruce |last2=Roush| first2= Matt |date=23 December 2013|access-date=9 October 2019}}</ref> As of 2021, [[List of accolades received by Sesame Street|''Sesame Street'' has received 205 Emmy Awards]], more than any other television series.<ref name="CooneyBio2021">{{cite web |title=Joan Ganz Cooney: Co-Founder and Lifetime Honorary Trustee |url=https://www.sesameworkshop.org/who-we-are/our-leadership/joan-ganz-cooney |publisher=Sesame Workshop |access-date=May 4, 2022}}</ref> In 2023, ''Variety'' ranked ''Sesame Street'' #12 on its list of the 100 greatest TV shows of all time.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://variety.com/lists/greatest-tv-shows-of-all-time/|title=The 100 Greatest TV Shows of All Time|publisher=Variety|date=December 20, 2023}}</ref>

==See also==
* [[List of accolades received by Sesame Street|List of accolades received by ''Sesame Street'']]
* [[List of human Sesame Street characters|List of human ''Sesame Street'' characters]]
* [[List of songs from Sesame Street|List of songs from ''Sesame Street'']]
* [[Sesame Street (comic strip)|''Sesame Street'' (comic strip)]]
* [[Sesame Street international co-productions|''Sesame Street'' international co-productions]]
* ''[[Sesame Street: The Musical]]''
* ''[[The Not-Too-Late Show with Elmo]]''
* [[Julia (Sesame Street)|Julia (''Sesame Street'')]]
* ''[[Mecha Builders]]''
* ''[[When You Wish Upon a Pickle: A Sesame Street Special]]''

==References==
=== Informational notes ===
{{Reflist|group=note}}

=== Citations ===
{{Reflist}}

=== General and cited references ===
{{refbegin|30em}}
* Borgenicht, David (1998). ''Sesame Street Unpaved''. New York: Hyperion Publishing. {{ISBN|0-7868-6460-5}}
* Clash, Kevin, Gary Brozek, and Louis Henry Mitchell (2006). ''My Life as a Furry Red Monster: What Being Elmo has Taught Me About Life, Love and Laughing Out Loud.'' New York: Random House. {{ISBN|0-7679-2375-8}}
* Davis, Michael (2008). [https://books.google.com/books?id=i3ilsEuFUkAC ''Street Gang: The Complete History of Sesame Street'']. New York: Viking Penguin. {{ISBN|978-0-670-01996-0}}.
* Finch, Christopher (1993). ''Jim Henson: The Works, the Art, the Magic, the Imagination''. New York: Random House. {{ISBN|9780679412038}}
* Fisch, Shalom M. and Rosemarie T. Truglio, Eds. (2001). ''"G" Is for Growing: Thirty Years of Research on Children and Sesame Street''. Mahweh, New Jersey: Lawrence Erlbaum Publishers. {{ISBN|0-8058-3395-1}}
** Cooney, Joan Ganz, "Foreword", pp. xi–xiv.
** Palmer, Edward and Shalom M. Fisch, "The Beginnings of ''Sesame Street'' Research", pp.&nbsp;3–24.
** Fisch, Shalom M. and Lewis Bernstein, "Formative Research Revealed: Methodological and Process Issues in Formative Research", pp.&nbsp;39–60.
** Mielke, Keith W., "A Review of Research on the Educational and Social Impact of Sesame Street", pp.&nbsp;83–97.
** Cole, Charlotte F., Beth A. Richman, and Susan A. McCann Brown, "The World of Sesame Street Research", pp.&nbsp;147–180.
** Cherow-O'Leary, Renee, "Carrying ''Sesame Street'' into Print: ''Sesame Street Magazine'', ''Sesame Street Parents'', and ''Sesame Street'' Books", pp.&nbsp;197–214.
* Gikow, Louise A. (2009). ''Sesame Street: A Celebration— Forty Years of Life on the Street''. New York: Black Dog & Leventhal Publishers. {{ISBN|978-1-57912-638-4}}.
* Gladwell, Malcolm (2000). ''The Tipping Point: How Little Things Can Make a Big Difference''. New York: Little, Brown, and Company. {{ISBN|0-316-31696-2}}
* Lesser, Gerald S. (1974). ''Children and Television: Lessons From Sesame Street''. New York: Vintage Books. {{ISBN|0-394-71448-2}}
* Morrow, Robert W. (2006). ''Sesame Street and the Reform of Children's Television''. Baltimore, Maryland: Johns Hopkins University Press. {{ISBN|0-8018-8230-3}}
* O'Dell, Cary (1997). ''Women Pioneers in Television: Biographies of Fifteen Industry Leaders''. Jefferson, North Carolina: McFarland & Company. {{ISBN|0-7864-0167-2}}.
{{refend}}

==External links==
{{Sister project links|v=no|s=no|voy=no|m=no|mw=no|species=no|d=Q155629|n=Category:Sesame Street|b=no}}
* {{Official website|https://www.sesamestreet.org}}
* {{IMDb title|0063951}}
* {{Muppets}}
* [http://pbskids.org/sesame/ ''Sesame Street''] on PBSKids.org
* [https://www.youtube.com/@SesameStreet ''Sesame Street''] on YouTube.
* {{EmmyTVLegends title|sesame-street}}
* {{Cite web |last1=Abdelfatah |first1=Rund |author2=Ramtin Arablouei| display-authors=etal |date=15 September 2022 |title=Getting to Sesame Street |url=https://www.npr.org/2022/09/12/1122499583/getting-to-sesame-street |work=[[Throughline]] |publisher=[[National Public Radio]] |access-date=25 September 2022}}

{{Sesame Street|state=uncollapsed}}
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