The most beloved 'street' in the world
November 5th, 2009 by CatI still remember rainy days in elementary school when — and it was rare — the teacher would let us eat lunch in the classroom and switch on the TV to "Sesame Street."
That's still one of my favorite childhood memories, listening to Ernie sing about his rubber ducky, watching Cookie Monster gobble up platefuls of treats and wondering if anyone would finally see Mr. Snuffleupagus.
I didn't realize that this educational TV show — which celebrates its 40th anniversary on Nov. 10 — was so culturally impactful and significant.
Rosita, left, and Elmo in a scene on "Sesame Street," which celebrates its 40th anniversary next week. The educational show teaches kids about everything from Spanish vocabulary to the swine flu.
The program was set on an urban street, centered around a brownstone in a neighborhood with peeling paint and metal trash cans. The cast was a mix of ethnicities. In fact, most of the Spanish I know I learned from that show.
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 more than 120 countries, according to "Street Gang: The Complete History of Sesame Street" by former TV Guide columnist Michael Davis.
Now in its 40th year, the PBS show boasts its largest audience ever, with 8 million viewers on 350 stations in 120 countries. It was ranked the 15th most popular children's show on television with 118 Emmy Awards, more than any other television series.
The new season, which starts next week, will have updated characters and segments. The anniversary show — where, yes, the cast counts to 40 — will feature First Lady Michelle Obama, who will dispense advice about gardening and healthy eating habits.
"Sesame Street" has definitely been a big part of my childhood, as it's had for the estimated 77 million Americans who watched the series as children. And nothing in my mind — not "Dora the Explorer" or even "Barney & Friends" — has had the kind of long-lasting impact on an entire generation of kids.
What's your favorite memory of "Sesame Street" and did you feel the show has impacted you in any way?
***
Follow Cat on Twitter @thedailydish or send her an e-mail at cat@thecatdish.com.
Tags: "Street Gang", Barney & Friends, Bert and Ernie, Big Bird, children's programming, children's television show, Cookie Monster, Dora the Explorer, education, Elmo, hawaii, Michael Davis, Mr. Snuffleupagus, New York Times, PBS, Rosita, Sesame Street, toth, TV
November 5th, 2009 at 6:32 am
I remember watching it when I was a kid. I can't believe its been on that long!
November 5th, 2009 at 6:41 am
manamana
November 5th, 2009 at 6:54 am
Awww, I was too old for it, but we got an "Oscar the Grouch" wall hanging for my son's room when he was little. Wife and I both thought that at times Oscar really suited him.
Did have Howdy Doody when I was a kid, but it was not nearly as good as sesame street. Youtube'd it and found this:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BUeaL3smPRM&feature=related
After watching Ernie Kovacs guest on the Howdy Doody show can help but wonder if Sasha Cohen didn't base the Borat character on Kovac's crazy Hungarian character.
November 5th, 2009 at 7:06 am
Oops, should have read "After watching Ernie Kovacs make a parody of the Howdy Doody show can't help ... " Wow lousy typing even for me ...
November 5th, 2009 at 7:34 am
My favorite non-episode is Elmor rapping "Ante Up" By M.O.P. (which is the best rap song evaaaaar). Youtube search "Elmo rap ante up M.O.P." and the fan made video should come up. More hilarious than a Lindsey Lohan crying spell.
November 5th, 2009 at 7:36 am
*Elmo not Elmor. Sorry.
November 5th, 2009 at 7:47 am
I'm in love with Miss Piggy...
November 5th, 2009 at 7:57 am
I have a weimaraner, and apparently there's a famous spot on Sesame Street with a weimaraner. When I walk my dog kids say "there's the Sesame Street dog" and I say "get off my lawn you pesky kids" and they run away crying. Then I sit on my front porch, drink a beer and sneer at my Hmong neighbors. Sorry, I woke up today and really wanted to act like Clint Eastwood from Gran Turino.
November 5th, 2009 at 8:40 am
Is this about the street where for beads you can get women to....oh wait. Wrong street.
November 5th, 2009 at 8:52 am
i saw on google's home page that they were celebrating their 40th - i was surprised that it's been only 40 years...for some reason i thought is was 50 or something! LOL - but i immediately felt old, even though it's just 10 years older than me!
my most memorable scenes or segments are:
- the salt shaker guy
- the 2 monsters pronouncing a word seperately on a wall and the closer the word gets to eachother, the more excited they get!
- the ladybug picnic
- the pinball machine that counts in that fast pace
- the 2 alien monsters that only say "yep, yep, yep, yep, yep...."
i probably have more favorites, but that's all i can think of right now!
November 5th, 2009 at 9:10 am
Hello Cat!
That must be the longest running program. I didn't even know it was still going.
November 5th, 2009 at 9:37 am
I remember a long time ago my mom told me that I watched the first show. I was four. Sesame Street, Mr. Rogers, The Electric Company, Zoom, Captain Kangaroo, etc., were all staples of my childhood TV diet. I remember really feeling bummed for Big Bird that no one but him ever saw Mr. Snuffleupagus. I also had a crush on Maria!
November 5th, 2009 at 10:11 am
Elmo and gang still look the same. Never aging and still funny as ever.
I hope they go on and on so future generations can see what I saw when we were children.
At my age I started collecting Elmo dolls. I buy some and give to my nephews and neices and 1 for myself. I just like how he is so happy and how he laughs. Contagious. I feel like a kid again, stressfree and full of Ha'. One of few things from before Statehood that is worth remembering.
November 5th, 2009 at 10:19 am
I used to come home from work just before 5 pm to see the tail end of Mr. Rogers reaching for his sweater in the closet during his show. My older son was glued to his program and watched it daily during the week. My younger one was no where around. You are in-between the two in age.
Anyway, I think the next show on PBS was Sesame Street because I too was watching it sometimes along with the younger one and saw Ernie, Elmo, Oscar the Grouch, Cookie monster, etc. do their thing in short flicks to match the short attention spans of little children. I thought the people who created "Sesame Street" were geniuses because viewing it is one of the best way to stimulate the minds of young children, help them learn and keep them focussed in a positive way. I watched the show in indifference and nothing particular stands out. Only thing when the kids acted up, I called them "Oscar the Grouch!" They straightened up. I'm glad the show is still going on and children are still benefitting watching the show.
November 5th, 2009 at 11:09 am
watched it with daughter and grandaughter, they still call me Cookie Monster.
November 5th, 2009 at 11:18 am
I see a lot of people mentioning Elmo. When did he come around? I only remember Grover. DId they change Grover red and call him Elmo? I guess I was before Elmo's time, LOL!
November 5th, 2009 at 11:22 am
LOL, I just Wikipediaed Elmo to see when he came onto the scene ('72) and read this... how funny. "Controversy" on "Da Sezme Streetz" y'all!
"Criticism and controversy
Some longtime fans of the series, particularly those who had begun watching it prior to Elmo's introduction, resent both him and his now-prominent status, which has caused some older characters (such as Oscar the Grouch, Big Bird, The Count, Prairie Dawn, Grover, and Cookie Monster) to see greatly-reduced roles."
November 5th, 2009 at 11:48 am
oh yeah.....the yup, yup, yup aliens......and guy smiley! anybody else remember the "capital i" song that was on back in the 70's? classic!
November 5th, 2009 at 1:31 pm
... Let me see how many posts are there??? ...
1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18 ...
18 posts ... ah ah ah ah .. *thunder and lightning*
... Count von Count one of my favorite memories of Sesame Street!
November 5th, 2009 at 2:42 pm
@ ragavibe! Duuuuude, "I" remember that song! As soon as you mentioned it, the tune popped in my head, LOL!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wc1RfFYxZ2I&feature=related
@ rayboyjr... LMAO at that one! Very clever!
November 5th, 2009 at 3:05 pm
Sesame Street and Jim Hensen. Can't have one without the other. Just like Dr. Seuss and its drawings.
Elmo's puppeteer is a big black gentleman. You would never guess. FYI
November 5th, 2009 at 4:15 pm
I remember the two aliens looking through the kitchen window overlooking the dripping faucet: Drip......drip.....drip..drip..drip.drip.drip.drip.drip.drip.drip.....
Still remember Mr. Hooper or Mr. Cooper, the drugstore owner. After school lunch and recess, we always came in the classroom, sat on the floor, watch Sesame Street and then it was nap time, FIVE days a week.
November 5th, 2009 at 5:19 pm
Before there was Sesame St. there was Jim Hensen and Kermit the Frog, the most subversive and hilarious Man On The Street reporter ever to do a five minute TV show.
Sesame St never lost that sardonic subtext. My little one watched it on his level and I watched it on mine. Somehow, the undercurrent surfaced years later in my child and we still watched the Street - along with Pee Wee, MST 3000, old Marx Bros movies, You-Tube Soupy Sales clips, The Muppet Show, the Muppet Movies and even Jimmy Dean the Sausage King, with Ralph.
November 5th, 2009 at 6:59 pm
Loved Sesame Street as a kid and now my 2 year old is watching it. It's amazing how some of the people haven't aged that much like Maria and Gordon. My fave character is still Cookie Monster and it's good to see that they're having him eat some healthy food too.
November 5th, 2009 at 7:06 pm
Oh yes, loved Sesame Street when I was a kid! Loved the interactions between the neighborhood people and the "puppets"...Big Bird, Cookie Monster, Ernie & Bert, The Count, Oscar the Grouch, Grover, Mr. Gordon, Mr. Hooper, Maria...
My daughter enjoyed the show when she was little just as I did. Sesame Street has a quality all its own...Each generation that comes along will always find the same joy and love for the characters and people on the show. Sesame Street will carry on for years to come.
November 6th, 2009 at 1:55 pm
After Sesame Street, it was The Electric Company, remember "HEY YOUUUUUUUU GUYS!!"
One of these things is not like the other...
These are the people in your neighborhood, .....