Sesame Street marks 45th birthday
You don’t get to be the longest-running children’s show in U.S. TV history by doing the same thing over and over. So even though parents who grew up watching “Sesame Street” still can see old favorites such as Big Bird, things on the street have changed since the show debuted 45 years ago on Nov. 10, 1969.
Cookie Monster now exercises self-control and sometimes eats fruits and vegetables. Millions of kids watch the show on phones and computers instead of TV. And there’s less time spent on the street with human characters. They’re not energetic enough for today’s viewers.
In Britain, a BBC kids’ show, “Blue Peter,” is even older – on since 1958 – but that “Sesame Street” still exists in the U.S. at all, given the competition here, says a lot. In 1973, it was one of two shows on U.S. television for preschoolers. Now it’s competing with 84 kids’ shows on TV and countless others online. Yet “Sesame Street” still holds its own, ranking 20th among kids ages 2 to 5 with 850,000 viewers per TV episode, according to Sesame Workshop, the nonprofit behind the show. Half the viewers watch it in digital formats. Options include SesameStreet.org, PBSKids.org, Netflix, Amazon, iTunes and some 50 apps. A “Sesame Street” YouTube channel has a million subscribers. And touch screens have been “a magic wand for us in terms of engagement,” said “Sesame Street” senior vice president Scott Chambers. Kids can trace letters or point to colors or shapes, and the app provides positive reinforcement.
“Sesame Street” also has the highest “co-viewing” experience – meaning adults watching with kids – of any preschool show: 49 percent of “Sesame Street” viewers are older than 18.
“We’re very proud of that,” Chambers said. “We design the show to engage the parent because we know that’s more educational. If you have a parent watching with you, you’re going to learn much more.”
That’s why sketches often have contemporary celebrity guests or pop culture references that 2-year-olds don’t get, but adults do. A James Bond parody stars Cookie Monster as a secret agent, Double-Stuffed 7, in “The Spy Who Loved Cookies.” Another show celebrates “what makes people special,” with Elmo telling Lupita Nyong’o that her skin “is a beautiful brown color.” The actress responds, “Skin comes in lots of beautiful shades and colors … I love my skin!” It’s a classic “Sesame Street” lesson about diversity that goes back to its groundbreaking roots as one of the few shows in the 1970s to feature all races and ethnicities. Today the show also routinely features children with disabilities.
The music has changed too. Those memorable lyrics, “Sunny day, sweepin’ the clouds away, on my way to where the air is sweet,” still open every episode, but now the song has a syncopated, jazzier beat. Other sketches feature hip-hop or Latin music. The Dracula-like Count von Count puppet uses a disco beat to teach a lesson about the number nine in his “Number of the Day” segment, and every episode ends with “Elmo the Musical,” with Broadway-style songs and a velvet curtain.
“Sesame Street” also is unique because before any scripts are written, child development experts offer input on what today’s kids need to succeed in school. That’s why in addition to teaching letters, numbers and values, the show now teaches behaviors such as impulse control and listening to directions.
FILE – In this April 10, 2008 file photo, muppet character Big Bird reads to Connor Scott and Tiffany Jiao during a taping of the children’s program “Sesame Street” in New York. Sesame Street continues to attract millions of viewers after 45 years on the air, appealing to both preschoolers and their parents with content that is educational and entertaining. The show has kept up with the times by making its segments faster-paced, by fine-tuning messages, and by keeping a steady flow of appearances by contemporary celebrity guests. The show first aired Nov. 10, 1969. (AP Photo/Mark Lennihan, File)
FILE – This June 22, 2010 file photo released by Sesame Workshop, “Sesame Street” characters Elmo, second from right, and Super Grover, right, pose with four new muppets representing healthy food groups; fruits, vegetables, dairy, and grains as part of their “Food For Thought: Eating Well on a Budget” initiative in New York. Sesame Street continues to attract millions of viewers after 45 years on the air, appealing to both preschoolers and their parents with content that is educational and entertaining. The show has kept up with the times by making its segments faster-paced, by fine-tuning messages, and by keeping a steady flow of appearances by contemporary celebrity guests. The show first aired Nov. 10, 1969. (AP Photo/Sesame Workshop, Richard Termine, File)
FILE – In this Aug. 22, 2001 file photo, original muppet characters Bert, left, and Ernie, from the children’s program “Sesame Street,” are shown in New York. Sesame Street continues to attract millions of viewers after 45 years on the air, appealing to both preschoolers and their parents with content that is educational and entertaining. The show has kept up with the times by making its segments faster-paced, by fine-tuning messages, and by keeping a steady flow of appearances by contemporary celebrity guests. The show first aired Nov. 10, 1969. (AP Photo/Beth A. Keiser, file)
In this April 9, 2014 image released by the Sesame Workshop, Academy Award-winning actress Lupita Nyong’o, left, and character Elmo appear in a sketch for the children’s program “Sesame Street”at Kaufman-Astoria Studios in the Astoria neighborhood of the Queens borough of New York. Sesame Street continues to attract millions of viewers after 45 years on the air, appealing to both preschoolers and their parents with content that is educational and entertaining. The show has kept up with the times by making its segments faster-paced, by fine-tuning messages, and by keeping a steady flow of appearances by contemporary celebrity guests. The show first aired Nov. 10, 1969. (AP Photo/Sesame Workshop, Jesse Grant)
In this Dec. 9, 2013 image released by the Sesame Workshop, singer Janelle Monae, left, and character Big Bird appear in a scene from the “Power of Yet” sketch at Kaufman-Astoria Studios in the Astoria neighborhood of the Queens borough of New York. Sesame Street continues to attract millions of viewers after 45 years on the air, appealing to both preschoolers and their parents with content that is educational and entertaining. The show has kept up with the times by making its segments faster-paced, by fine-tuning messages, and by keeping a steady flow of appearances by contemporary celebrity guests. The show first aired Nov. 10, 1969. (AP Photo/Sesame Workshop, Richard Termine)
FILE – In this May 5, 2009 file photo provided by Sesame Workshop, first lady Michelle Obama poses with the character Elmo, right, and a basket of healthy vegetables during a taping of a Public Service Announcement on the children’s program “Sesame Street,” in New York. Sesame Street continues to attract millions of viewers after 45 years on the air, appealing to both preschoolers and their parents with content that is educational and entertaining. The show has kept up with the times by making its segments faster-paced, by fine-tuning messages, and by keeping a steady flow of appearances by contemporary celebrity guests. The show first aired Nov. 10, 1969. (AP Photo/Sesame Workshop, Richard Termine)