âSesame Streetâ premiered 50 years ago this year, and from the start, its mission has been to make quality early education accessible for every child. The showâs idea of education isnât limited to just letters and numbers: It means empathy, kindness, resilience and the other social and emotional skills kids need to thrive.
To celebrate the milestone, âSesame Streetâ and the nonprofit behind it, Sesame Workshop, are hosting a yearlong celebration filled with celebrity cameos, social media campaigns and even a nationwide road trip. Over the last five decades, the Peabody Award-winning show has tried to put kids first with its purposeful writing and direction that tackle tough topics in the life of a child.
There was the âSesame Streetâ special in 1983 when the show grappled with addressing the sudden death of Will Lee, the actor who portrayed the neighborhoodâs beloved Mr. Hooper.
The Sesame Workshop team met with child psychologists, religious leaders and other experts to create a special so the showâs little viewers could say goodbye to Mr. Hooper. In it, the other characters had to teach Big Bird that his friend wasnât coming back, but that heâd still have his memories of him.
âAnd we can remember him, and remember him, and remember him as much as we want to,â Big Bird said in the episode. The special aired on Thanksgiving, when Sesame Workshop knew many parents and caretakers would be home to talk with their kids about the episode.
That same decade, the show changed one of its charactersâ plots amid a growing cultural awareness of the problem of child sex abuse. Originally, Mr. Snuffleupagus was a character who would enter and exit the scene before anyone but Big Bird could see him. That meant other characters didnât believe Big Bird when heâd tell them about his friend. Not wanting to discourage kids from coming forward for fear of being doubted, the show decided to introduce Mr. Snuffleupagus to everyone else, and Big Birdâs friends assured him they would believe him from then on.
And then there was 9/11. After the terrorist attacks in New York City, where âSesame Streetâ is filmed, the show aired an episode in which Elmo becomes traumatized by a fire at Hooperâs Store and is frightened by the firefighters. He then visits a fire station where he learns more about their jobs as well as fire safety tips. The interaction served as a way to help kids struggling with the real-life events, and as a nod of appreciation to the FDNY for its indispensable help during the attacks.
According to Sherrie Westin, president of global impact and philanthropy at Sesame Workshop, itâs this effort to see the world through the eyes of a child that has helped âSesame Streetâ become one of the longest-running shows in history.
âOne of the most impressive things about Sesame to me is that weâve always stayed true to our origins, our basic DNA in terms of addressing the needs of young children,â she said. âAnd I think the reason we stay relevant is because by always focusing on what those needs are, as the needs change, we step up.â
Throughout its five decades, the series has not been without its controversies. Itâs also been the site of the occasional culture-war battle: In recent years, thereâs been an ongoing debate in the fandom about whether the characters Bert and Ernie are gay, an idea many people reject and plenty of people argue passionately for. (Brown Johnson, executive vice president and creative director at Sesame Workshop, shrugged off the question in an interview with The Hollywood Reporter earlier this month. âPeople can think whatever they wantâ about Bert and Ernie, she said. âYou want to think theyâre gay? OK. You want to think theyâre not gay? Theyâre not gay.â)
Still, the show has remained a favorite in many homes, even after a move from PBS to the subscription-based HBO in 2015 (new episodes air on PBS nine months after they originally run on HBO). For parents who grew up with the series and now get to watch it with their kids, the 50th anniversary season is a reminder of what their families have learned together.
Courtney Leonard told HuffPost that watching âSesame Streetâ is âa family eventâ in her home. She loved the series as a child, and her son now enjoys it, too. She said the show has helped her tackle common parenting struggles like picky eating, sharing and going to bed. She also appreciates the showâs dedication to creating a world that reflects the one sheâs raising her son in.
âThe show and its characters are so diverse â Abby has a stepdad, Rosita speaks Spanish to her abuela, Julia is autistic â but everyone is friends,â she said. âSo for my son to see that, I think, has a profound impact on him, and it will continue as he grows up.â
Leonard said she thinks the show is setting her son up âto be a person who celebrates diversity later in life.â
Denise De Robles credits âSesame Streetâ with teaching her English as a child. When she started kindergarten, she knew only Spanish, and at the recommendation of a teacher, her parents had her start watching the show. She told HuffPost the series proved to be an education in all kinds of ways.
âIâm sure I would have learned English regardless, but somehow I feel that learning through âSesame Streetâ taught me more than the language,â she said. âIt taught me about being caring and compassionate. To this day the show continues to help parents help their kids understand the changing world. Like the whole Julia storyline. It helped me understand how I could explain autism to my daughter.â De Robles said sheâs âgratefulâ her daughter can enjoy âSesame Streetâ as much as she did as a kid.
Sesame Workshop now has a presence in more than 150 countries. Its South Africa co-production features a Muppet with HIV, and the nonprofitâs first original Afghan Muppet promotes girlsâ empowerment and education. Sesame Workshop is also working on content for refugee children around the world, thanks to a $100 million grant from the MacArthur Foundation, and another $100 million from the Lego Foundation.
Across the globe, the value of âSesame Streetâ and its sister productions doesnât only lie in its colorful characters and entertaining songs. As Westin said of Sesame Workshopâs mission for its young viewers: ââSmarter, Stronger, Kinder.â Itâs not just a clever tagline. Itâs literally true.â
Clarification: This post has been updated to expand on the showâs move to HBO.