Happy 45th Birthday, Sesame Street! Walk on Down to Where the Air Is Sweet

Rebecca Gruber
Rebecca Gruber

Forty-five years ago today, Joan Ganz Cooney aired her social experiment called Sesame Street. At the time, no one knew what to make of it. But here we are, four and a half decades later and the show is still teaching tots their numbers, letters, and the basic aspects of living as a community.

To celebrate the monumental anniversary we're taking you on a tour of the world's most famous street. A lifelong Sesame Street fan (I can remember my mother parking me in front of the show as a tot while she prepared dinner), I was like a kid in a candy store when I journeyed to Astoria, Queens, to visit the set where the Sesame magic is made. The cast was wrapping up shooting the show's current season, and I was lucky enough to visit on a day when all of the puppets were there to film a musical number (a new opening to Count von Count's "Number of the Day") — a scene that included an equal mix of choreography and improvisation.

So just how does a show geared toward preschool-age kids still hold a special place in the hearts of adults who watched the program as kids themselves? For that, let's take our own little journey down Sesame Street!

If you're planning a visit to New York City in the near future, be sure to visit the New York Public Library for the Performing Arts' "Somebody Come and Play:" 45 Years of Sesame Street Helping Kids Grow Smarter, Stronger, and Kinder exhibit and if you're a Sirius subscriber, you'll want to tune in to SiriusXM Entertainment Weekly Radio channel 105 tonight at 7PM ET for SiriusXM's Sesame Street Town Hall" a live discussion with the show's most popular characters and puppeteers, moderated by NBC's Erica Hill.

01
The Beginnings

The Beginnings

Back in 1969, Joan Ganz Cooney created Sesame Street as a way to prepare underprivileged 3- to 5-year-olds for kindergarten. From the get-go, it was a healthy mix of educational and entertaining programming that instantly appealed to tots (and their parents) partly because it featured an ethnically diverse cast of characters in a gritty New York City neighborhood.

02
Those Puppets

Those Puppets

But it was Cooney's brilliant decision to hire Jim Henson to create characters for the show that really got kids hooked. Cookie Monster, Oscar the Grouch, Grover, and Big Bird (whose nest I spotted on the set here) — all there since the beginning — boiled complex emotional issues into preschool-sized pieces to truly make the show a hit.

03
Keeping Things Current

Keeping Things Current

But don't be fooled by the elementary lessons; Sesame Street continues to win over new generations of fans with a steady stream of current pop culture references that parents are more likely to "get" than kids. From the parade of celebrities who appear on the Street — including White House residents, superstar athletes, and Hollywood royalty — to parodies of current television and movie phenomenons, the show's writers and producers keep the show feeling fresh and kids and parents hooked.

04
Filming It All

Filming It All

Though the outdoor scenes look like they take place in a Brooklyn neighborhood, almost the entire show is filmed indoors. Originally filmed in a studio in Manhattan, the show moved to Kaufman Astoria Studios in Queens during the 25th season and has been filming there ever since. The only scenes filmed outside are Murray Monster's "Word on the Street."

05
Puppets Everywhere

Puppets Everywhere

The studio, which is about a quarter of the size of what you'd imagine it would be, is packed with puppets and familiar characters everywhere you turn. From Big Bird's nest to Mr. Snuffleupagus hanging from the ceiling (the only place to store the massive costume when no one is wearing it), everywhere you turn there are pieces of nostalgic Sesame Street to be seen.

06
Our Visit (Not Safe For Kids!)

Our Visit (Not Safe For Kids!)

For our visit, the puppet cast of characters were filming the new introduction to Count von Count's "Number of the Day" segment that appears on every episode. The musical number required quite a bit of choreography to fit all nine puppets in one frame.

I brought my 4-year-old son — a Sesame Street junkie much like his mom — with me, forgetting that the characters would be controlled by humans. So the first thing I had to do was "explain" why they couldn't stand and move on their own!

07
One More Time

One More Time

Though the opening number's song was recorded by the characters in a studio earlier that day, the video portion required quite a bit of coordination. We watched the puppeteers coordinate their movements during about 10 different takes before they could all fit comfortably on the screen.

08
The Filming

The Filming

Most of the puppeteers also provide the voices for their puppets, so one of the most interesting aspects of the filming was how they stayed "in character" even when the cameras weren't rolling.

09
One Crowded Scene

One Crowded Scene

10
Some Postfilming Fun

Some Postfilming Fun

And what visit to Sesame Street would be complete without some postfilming fun with our favorite characters. Joey Mazzarino, who voices Murray Monster, Leslie Carrara-Rudolph, who voices Abby Cadabby, and David Rudman, who has voiced Cookie Monster since 2001, had a little fun with us after they were through recording.

11
The Word on the Street: Happy

The Word on the Street: Happy