Sesame Street
In 1966, television producer Joan Ganz Cooney sat across from Carnegie Foundation vice president Lloyd Morrisett to discuss a radical idea. They wanted to create a children's show that would master the addictive qualities of television and do something good with them. Their goal was to help young children prepare for school using the very medium that critics claimed harmed them. After two years of research, the newly formed Children's Television Workshop received a combined grant of US$8 million from the Carnegie Foundation, the Ford Foundation, the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, and the U.S. federal government. This funding allowed them to create and produce a new children's television show without relying on commercial advertising revenue initially. The program officially premiered on the 10th of November 1969, to positive reviews, some controversy, and high viewership.
When Sesame Street first aired, researchers believed young children did not have long attention spans. Producers were concerned that an hour-long show would fail to hold their interest. At first, street scenes consisted of character-driven interactions written as individual segments interrupted by puppet sketches and short films. This structure allowed producers to use a mixture of styles and characters while varying the pace. However, by season 20, research showed that children could follow a story. The street scenes became evolving storylines rather than isolated segments. In 1998, the popular Elmo's World segment was created as a fifteen-minute block hosted by the Muppet Elmo. Starting in 2014, during the show's forty-fifth season, producers introduced a half-hour version of the program. By 2017, they retired the full-hour version across all broadcast platforms to focus on a single backbone topic for toddlers.
Canadian author Malcolm Gladwell noted that Sesame Street was built around a single breakthrough insight: if you can hold the attention of children, you can educate them. Gerald S. Lesser, the CTW's first advisory board chair, argued that effective television needed to capture, focus, and sustain children's attention. Creators formulated both cognitive and affective goals for the show. They initially focused on cognitive goals like preparing young children for school, especially those from low-income families. They used modeling, repetition, and humor to achieve these objectives. During the first season, critics felt the show should address social competence and tolerance of diversity more overtly. The creators responded by featuring themes of interpersonal disputes between Street characters. In later seasons, the show addressed real-life disasters such as the September 11 terrorist attacks and Hurricane Katrina. Starting in 2006, Sesame Workshop expanded its outreach by creating PBS specials focusing on how military deployment affects service families.
Producer Joan Ganz Cooney stated that without research there would be no Sesame Street. Her team developed what came to be called the CTW Model, a system of planning, production, and evaluation based on collaboration between producers, writers, educators, and researchers. This model consisted of four parts including the interaction of receptive television producers and child science experts. Harvard professors Gerald S. Lesser and Edward L. Palmer designed educational objectives and conducted formative research. The research team developed an annotated document known as a Writer's Notebook which served as a bridge between curriculum goals and script development. Fifteen writers worked on scripts each year, but very few lasted longer than one season. Norman Stiles reported that most writers burned out after writing about a dozen scripts. Writers were present during taping at Kaufman Astoria Studios in Queens to make last-minute revisions when necessary.
Shortly after its debut, the CTW turned to creating products and writing licensing agreements to fund future operations. In 1970, they created a non-broadcast division responsible for publishing books and Sesame Street Magazine. By 2019, the workshop had published over 6,500 book titles. Jim Henson agreed to waive his performance fee for full ownership of the Muppets only if profits funded the CTW and its outreach efforts. By 2008, the Sesame Street Muppets accounted for between $15 million and $17 million per year in licensing fees split between the workshop and The Jim Henson Company. In early 2019, it was announced that a third film would be produced with Anne Hathaway co-starring. International versions called co-productions began appearing shortly after the U.S. debut. By 2001 there were over 120 million viewers of all international versions. By its fiftieth anniversary in 2019, 190 million children viewed over 160 versions in 70 languages.
When Sesame Street premiered on the 10th of November 1969, it aired on only 67.6 percent of American televisions but earned a 3.3 Nielsen rating totaling 1.9 million households. By the show's tenth anniversary in 1979, nine million American children under age six watched daily. A 1996 survey found that 95 percent of all American preschoolers had watched the show by the time they were three years old. As of 2021, the series has received 205 Emmy Awards, more than any other television series. It also won eleven Grammy Awards. The state commission in Mississippi voted to not air the show in May 1970 because of its highly racially integrated cast of children. Critics like psychologist Leon Eisenberg saw the urban setting as superficial and having little to do with inner-city problems. Despite detractors, the show was ranked number 27 on TV Guide's list of fifty greatest shows in 2002. In 2023, Variety ranked Sesame Street number twelve on its list of one hundred greatest TV shows of all time.
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Common questions
When did Sesame Street officially premiere?
Sesame Street officially premiered on the 10th of November 1969. The program received positive reviews and high viewership upon its debut.
Who founded Sesame Street and what was their goal?
Television producer Joan Ganz Cooney founded Sesame Street with Carnegie Foundation vice president Lloyd Morrisett. Their goal was to help young children prepare for school using the medium of television.
How many Emmy Awards has Sesame Street won as of 2021?
As of 2021, Sesame Street has received 205 Emmy Awards. This total is more than any other television series in history.
What is the CTW Model used by Sesame Street creators?
The CTW Model is a system of planning, production, and evaluation based on collaboration between producers, writers, educators, and researchers. It consists of four parts including the interaction of receptive television producers and child science experts.
Why did Mississippi vote not to air Sesame Street in May 1970?
The state commission in Mississippi voted to not air the show because of its highly racially integrated cast of children. Critics like psychologist Leon Eisenberg also saw the urban setting as superficial.