It is a program that has educated and entertained generations of children
(singing) How to get to Sesame Street
Today we'll be taking a look at the history of Sesame Street.
Originating as a program called television for preschool children
it went on to pioneer TV based educational programming and continues to set the standard decades after its debut
Created in the mid 1960's, it was quickly pitched as an experiment to test the usefulness of TV technology as an educational tool.
As a result, it easily received funding from several govt. agencies and foundations.
Boy: green peas? 1, 2, 3
Debuting in 1969, the shows earliest episodes differed greatly from the show we know and love today.
In the early days, its premise was centered on dramatizing the inner thoughts of child actors.
(voice) she is a nice, warm friendly animal. The Cow
This was supplemented with Sesame Streets original cast of supporting characters.
These included Bob, Mr. Hooper, Gordon and Susan
To maintain a sense of realism for the young viewers, the muppets, carfted by Jim Henson were kept within their own personalized segments
This meant that characters like Bert and Ernie would never leave their basement apartment.
Ernie: singing
Bert: Ernie, get out of the tub
Ernie: How come?
Bert: Well, because there are a lot of people waiting to take a bath, that's why.
Separating these scenes were various animated segments that stressed the quick and catchy learning of letters and numbers
(voice) E, see me
In fact, the show adopted the methodology of advertising commercials since advertising had proven
to have such a profound influence, entire segments and episodes were brought to viewers by a particular letter or number
Kermit: The sound of W is in a number of useful and common words, words like Wiggle
It soon became apparent that children were only interested in the animation and muppet segments.
This was because the human characters often engaged in tedious dialogue scenes.
As a result, the show eventually decided to combine the reality and fantasy element.
Because of this, characters like Oscar the Grouch and Big Bird became permanent street residents, and would regularly interact with the multicultural human cast.
Big Bird: And this sign says "for sale, yarn."
Susan: Big Bird, the store is closed you know.
Big Bird: Yes Susan, I'm just looking at the sign because I'm using signs to practice learning words.
However, because the show had cast Black and Hispanic actors, it was banned in several American states, including Mississippi
Overcoming this, the show went on to do more than simply teach kids the basics of language and numbers
It went on to address children's concerns, fears and interests
while also demonstrating cultural tolerance.
Today, Sesame Street continues to be one of the most popular children's shows on the air despite having a wide range of competitors
It has achieved this by staying current with culture, while continuing to feature guest appearances by various celebrities.
Elmo doesn't care if Mr. Ricky Gervais is a celebrity or not. Elmo just loves lullabies.
RG: Good, but know that I am a celebrity
Elmo believes Mr. Ricky
RG: lay your fuzzy little head down
Of course, Sesame Street's involvement with popular culture has also brought it several high profile scandals and rumors
a few examples include the censoring of Katy Perry's guest appearance
KP: Come on Elmo, don't you want to play?
the true relationship between Bert and Ernie
Ernie: Oh boy do I feel good. Burt, you outta take a bath, it will cheer you up. You wouldn't be such a grouch
Bert: I don't need cheering up.
and Cookie Monster's transformation into the Veggie Monster
"Because you've also got to eat fruits and veggies or meat if you want to be healthy and strong. Healthy food...
Sesame Street has been recognized with dozens of Emmy awards for its focus on innovation and its efforts to continue motivating children across the globe
to embrace the act of learning
WXY &
Elmo: whhhha, what happened?
You really want to know?
Elmo: Yes, yes, yes!
Z
Subtitles by the Amara.org community