The Sesame Street Formula

"By the time our program goes on the air it will be the most thoroughly researched show in the history of the medium" creator Joan Ganz Cooney spoke of the show at it's onset. Doesn't sound like the most exciting way to describe a children's television show. This show so beloved to so many was deemed "the once and for all experiment  to demonstrate if, in fact,  television could do something other than entertain children. The rest is history.

Sesame Street will certainly go down in history as a phenomenon never to be repeated in children's educational television. Considering the Civil Rights Movement was in full swing in 1969, Sesame Street was both a contribution to the overall movement and a trailblazer in it's own category. The creators, to include producer Jon Stone were very intentional about bringing viewers to an inner city "neighborhood" in Harlem inhabited by blacks, whites, latinos, and one of the first four human characters, Mr. Hooper all living among each other in a cooperative way.  Mr. Hooper was a character representing a bridge between young and old. He represented a different demographic offering age and wisdom and was ranked first in recognition by young viewers. Also important to note, Mr. Hooper, played by Mike Lee  was a character actor  who had been blacklisted during the McCarthy era. He was specifically chosen for his role. It was a deliberate choice to bring him onto the cast.  As wonderfully smart and engaging as those human characters were, it was the muppet Big Bird whose picture appeared on the cover of Time Magazine in 1970.

The muppets were created by producer Jim Henson. Big Bird, along with fellow muppets Bert, Ernie, Oscar the Grouch, Kermit the Frog and Cookie Monster were all part of the debut season and continue to be a part even today. People all over can often tell you who these characters are. 

The target audience for this experiment was children, in general, but at the heart of those who had created the show were underprivileged children who were at risk for not being prepared when they walked into school for their first day of kindergarten.The research had shown and proven the most effective ways to attract and motivate children was through fast action, humor, and animation like commercials and that is exactly what the creators used in order that children would absorb the curriculum content. Short and repetitive was the key to how they needed to get the information to stick. One way after another Sesame Street proved the research was correct but there was more. The everyday human characters, the muppets, and fast action break aways to learning were only a part of the full proof formula.  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VYA5k5cs-UA

"Teaching the letters of the alphabet, numbers, basic reasoning skills, and a better awareness of themselves and the world around them" was what Sesame Street hoped to accomplish but there is no way they could have understood how successful the endeavor could or would be when it all began. The other wonderful additive that Sesame Street added to their show was adding an element that would pull adults into watching along with their children. This element was from the original producers who, according to Michael Davis who wrote Street Gang:The Complete History of Sesame Street, wanted to create a show that would be more than palatable to adults and actually encourage an adult to sit and watch with the child. Because of this idea the guests that would appear on Sesame Street would include Burt Lancaster, YoYo Ma, Cab Calloway, Richard Prior and countless others. 

The learning was endless. Sesame Street was an entire view of the world  with all its colors and smells and cultures to see and experience. It was real life put on a screen. From day to day a child could learn their alphabet, hear classical music and visit a farm. The next would be similar but never the same. You may be in a helicopter looking down at the landscape and listening to the sounds of the big city and seeing the alphabet spelled out in sign language. They even tackled hard topics like racism and death. The death of actor Mike Lee was approached thoughtfully, when it was decided they would not recast for the part. There was an episode used as a tool to help children learn to cope with this concept of death, that even for adults can feel elusive and incomprehensible .www.youtube.com/watch?v=T4CKuSRYrcQ

Sesame Street had something to offer for children and adults. And although the hope was to prepare underprivileged children; children from all backgrounds were able to gain knowledge from the show. It especially showed an integrated world far better than any television show had done up to this point. 

Sesame Street certainly answered the question that started the whole ball rolling. Can television do something other than entertain? A resounding yes. Ask children who were brought up on the show and they will tell you they didn't even realize that they were learning. It was fun, informative, and engaging. It could stand alone but at its best it came along parents to teach their children no matter what the lesson. From the beginning with the infamous Sesame Street theme song, that so many people recognize after just hearing a few bars, to some of its most familiar shorts no child could resist a visit to Sesame Street

                                              

And even today, mothers, busy with whatever task, can count on that amazing formula to capture the attention of their child and make television more than "a great thief of time'"

my son watching a classic Sesame Street episode while I finish this post