The Muppets and Sesame Street

This Day in History: November 10, 1969

After five test shows and years of preparation, Sesame Street premiered on NET (National Educational Television, a precursor of PBS) on November 10, 1969. It was not until almost a decade later that The Muppet Show appeared, September 5, 1976.

 Sesame Street Original Cast

While I did not grow up on Sesame Street with the Muppets, my children sure did! Elmo, Cookie Monster, Kermit the Frog, Mr. Snuffleupagus, Big Bird, Count von Count, Oscar the Grouch, Grover, Bert and Ernie, at some point in time, all found a place at the dinner table. Good thing, a very good thing, that they did not come to life or food portions would have really been slim! 

The Original Sesame Street Cast

Even as an adult, I found myself drawn to these weird little characters that brought on the smiles and tons of laughter. It has been too many years for me to remember favorites for each of the four kids but Elmo always seemed to pop up any place, any time.

There are some surprising stories behind the Muppets, how they came to be, some from rags, others recycled from TV shows and commercials. Often times, whatever happened to be left around found its way into a character.

Surprising Stories Behind 20 Muppets

Embrace the Past...

The inspiration for Sesame Street originated with the fact that children were already addicted to television. So, why not produce something fun but educational! The addition of Jim Henson's Muppets was the icing on the cake!

In 1966, Joan Ganz Cooney hosted what she called "a little dinner party"^[1] at her apartment near Gramercy Park. In attendance was her husband Tim Cooney, her boss Lewis Freedman, and Lloyd Morrisett, an executive at the Carnegie Corporation, in which the potential of television to teach young children was discussed. Cooney was chosen to oversee and direct the creation of what eventually became the children's television program Sesame Street, which premiered in 1969, and the CTW, the organization that oversaw its production. Cooney was named CTW's first executive director. As one of the first female executives in American television, her appointment was called "one of the most important television developments of the decade".^[2]

 ^{[Source: en.wikipedia.org]}

   

Hurray for Sesame Street!

Who was (is) your favorite character? 

Related Articles:

How We Got to 'Sesame Street': http://nymag.com/news/intelligencer/topic/61744/
Muppet Wiki: http://muppet.wikia.com/wiki/Season_1
Sesame Street - Premiere (1969) - Part 1: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=laEyKDxRUd8