On this day in 1969, the television show Sesame Street debuted on the National Educational Television Network, which later became the Public Broadcasting Service (PBS). As a Gen-X kid, this show was a huge part of my life. It came on at 4pm where I lived, and I never missed it. The songs, sketches and characters have been living rent-free in my head every since. Even to this day, I still get a kick out of occasionally pulling up videos of older skits from the show on YouTube and humming along to the soundtrack of my childhood.
So, for today, I’m featuring an excellent book on the creation and legacy of the show, Street Gang by Michael Davis. Head back to the street and see where it all began!
Summary:
Sesame Street is the longest-running–and arguably most beloved–children’s television program ever created. Today, it reaches some six million preschoolers weekly in the United States and countless others in 140 countries around the world.
Street Gang is the compelling, comical, and inspiring story of a media masterpiece and pop-culture landmark. Television reporter and columnist Michael Davis-with the complete participation of Joan Ganz Cooney, one of the show’s founders-unveils the idealistic personalities, decades of social and cultural change, stories of compassion and personal sacrifice, and miraculous efforts of writers, producers, directors, and puppeteers that together transformed an empty soundstage into the most recognizable block of real estate in television history.