🌇 Sesame Street: The Trojan Horse Of TV | 20

Summary

Podcast Summary: The Best Idea Yet – "Sesame Street: The Trojan Horse Of TV | 20"

Introduction

In the twentieth episode of The Best Idea Yet, hosts Nick Martell and Jack Crivici-Kramer delve deep into the extraordinary journey of Sesame Street, a pioneering children's television show that revolutionized educational programming. Titled "Sesame Street: The Trojan Horse Of TV," this episode uncovers the untold stories, bold decisions, and innovative strategies that propelled Sesame Street from its inception to becoming a global educational powerhouse.

---

1. The Birth of an Idea

Timing: 05:04 – 10:33

The story begins in a snowy Manhattan apartment in 1966, where Joan Ganz Cooney, a passionate documentary producer, grapples with the pressing issue of educational inequality. Despite efforts like the Civil Rights Act and President Lyndon Johnson's Head Start program, stark disparities existed in early childhood education, particularly affecting children from low-income and marginalized communities.

Joan, alongside Lloyd Morissette, a child psychologist and vice president of the Carnegie Corporation, envisioned leveraging the widespread access to television to bridge this educational gap. Recognizing that television was capturing the attention of millions of children, they pondered, "What if we could solve inequality in schooling through television?" (07:13).

To bring this vision to life, Joan and Lloyd founded the Children's Television Workshop in 1968, setting the stage for creating an innovative educational program tailored for children aged 3 to 5 from diverse socioeconomic backgrounds.

---

2. Crafting a Revolutionary Format

Timing: 10:33 – 17:21

Sesame Street was conceived as an hour-long show with a unique format inspired by popular magazines, featuring short segments ranging from puppetry and animation to songs and short films. This approach was designed to cater to children's short attention spans while embedding educational content seamlessly.

A pivotal moment in the show's development was the involvement of Jim Henson, the ingenious puppeteer behind the beloved Muppets. Henson's innovative puppeteering techniques transformed traditional puppets into vibrant, expressive characters that could captivate young audiences. The creation of Big Bird, an 8-foot-tall Muppet with turkey feathers and remarkable expressiveness, exemplified this transformation. As Nick aptly puts it, Big Bird "is the Muppet who will become the show's tender, sensitive heart" (17:21).

---

3. Overcoming Creative Conflicts

Timing: 10:46 – 16:59

One significant challenge faced during the show's inception was reconciling the academic objectives with creative entertainment. Academics focused on curriculum development, emphasizing literacy, early math, and social skills, while the creative team aimed to produce engaging and humorous content to keep children entertained.

Jim Henson emerged as the vital link between these two factions. His ability to infuse humor and mischief into educational segments helped unify the team, ensuring that the show remained both instructive and entertaining. This synergy was crucial for the show's success, as evidenced by the positive feedback from test audiences where Muppet segments dramatically outperformed human segments (16:53).

---

4. Launch and Immediate Impact

Timing: 20:57 – 24:18

Sesame Street premiered in 1969 and quickly became the longest-running children's TV show in U.S. history, surpassing even The Simpsons by 23 years. Its impact was profound, educating over 150 million children across 70 languages in more than 150 countries. Jack highlights the show's reach: "time and time again, it's been helping kids learn to read, to count, and to understand the entire world around them" (24:13).

The show's innovative approach garnered widespread acclaim from parents, educators, and public figures, including notable endorsements from Jesse Jackson and Orson Welles. It also received an overwhelming response, with early episodes watched by millions, significantly improving cognitive skills for underserved children by up to 62% (23:02).

---

5. Breaking Barriers and Facing Backlash

Timing: 25:21 – 28:08

Sesame Street wasn't just a trailblazer in education; it was also a pioneer in diversity and inclusion. The show featured a diverse cast, including black actors in prominent roles, which led to both praise and controversy. In 1970, Mississippi's State Commission for Educational Television banned the show for its "highly integrated cast," sparking national debates on racial integration in media (25:21).

The backlash was swift, but the show's popularity and support from viewers and advocacy groups led to the reversal of the ban within 22 days. This incident underscored Sesame Street's commitment to diversity, inspiring the inclusion of more characters from various backgrounds in subsequent seasons, such as Emilio Delgado and Sonia Manzano, who portrayed Luis and Maria, respectively (27:05).

---

6. Evolution Through Innovation: The Rise of Elmo

Timing: 32:07 – 37:06

One of the most transformative moments in Sesame Street's history was the introduction and subsequent rise of Elmo. Initially a background character with no lines, Elmo was reimagined by puppeteer Kevin Clash in 1984, giving him a soft, innocent voice that resonated with younger viewers. This reinvention coincided with the creation of "Tickle Me Elmo," a toy that became a cultural phenomenon in 1996, grossing over $30 million in its first year alone (36:15).

Elmo's success exemplified the strategy of "letting winners ride" – focusing on characters that demonstrated strong audience engagement. This approach not only revitalized the show during a period of declining ratings but also established a lucrative licensing model, contributing significantly to Sesame Workshop's revenue (37:00).

---

7. Navigating Challenges and Adapting to Change

Timing: 38:00 – 40:56

Despite its enduring success, Sesame Street faced financial challenges in the 2010s due to the rise of streaming platforms diminishing DVD sales and increased competition from new children's shows. To sustain its operations, Sesame Workshop entered a strategic partnership with HBO in 2015, granting the premium channel exclusive rights to new episodes for a nine-month period before they aired on PBS. This move sparked debates about potential content alterations and accessibility but aligned with the show's legacy of evolving alongside changing media landscapes (39:05).

As of 2025, Sesame Street continues to adapt, exploring new distribution avenues like WhatsApp and considering partnerships with other streaming giants to ensure its educational mission remains impactful in the digital age (40:40).

---

8. Emotional Milestones and Legacy

Timing: 28:08 – 32:32

The show's legacy is also marked by its ability to handle sensitive topics with grace and empathy. In 1982, the passing of Will Lee, the actor behind Mr. Hooper, presented a significant challenge. Instead of recasting or writing off the character, Sesame Street chose to address his death directly on-screen, facilitating a heartfelt conversation about loss with their young audience. This decision reinforced the show's commitment to authenticity and emotional honesty, a hallmark that has endeared it to generations of viewers (29:15 - 31:28).

Similarly, the untimely death of Jim Henson in 1990 deeply impacted the cast and crew, highlighting the profound personal bonds formed within the show's creative team (32:32).

---

9. Business Insights and Strategic Takeaways

Timing: 41:44 – 43:11

In the concluding segments, Nick and Jack draw parallels between Sesame Street's strategies and broader business principles:

• Trojan Horse Products: Just as Sesame Street embedded educational content within entertaining segments, successful products often disguise their true value proposition to engage consumers effectively. Nick states, "Sesame Street smuggled in a curriculum that taught you the ABCs and 1, 2, 3s... all hidden inside sketches of Muppets and Mayhem" (42:37).

• Contrarian Bets: Making bold, unconventional decisions can lead to significant breakthroughs. Jack emphasizes, "The only bets worth making are contrarian ones," citing Sesame Street's approach to addressing serious topics like Mr. Hooper's death as an example of risk-taking that paid off (42:38).

These insights underscore the importance of innovation, risk management, and strategic focus in creating impactful and enduring products.

---

Conclusion

The Best Idea Yet's episode on Sesame Street masterfully chronicles the show's evolution from a groundbreaking educational experiment to a beloved global institution. Through meticulous research and engaging storytelling, Nick Martell and Jack Crivici-Kramer highlight the visionary leadership, creative genius, and unwavering commitment to education that have sustained Sesame Street for over half a century. The episode not only celebrates the show's achievements but also offers invaluable business lessons on innovation, adaptation, and the power of purposeful creativity.

For those who haven't listened, this episode provides a comprehensive and inspiring overview of how Sesame Street became the "Trojan Horse of TV," seamlessly blending education with entertainment to make a lasting impact on millions of children worldwide.

---

Notable Quotes

• Jack Crivici-Kramer: “What if we could solve inequality in schooling through television?” (07:13)
• Nick Martell: “Sesame Street smuggled in a curriculum that taught you the ABCs and 1, 2, 3s... all hidden inside sketches of Muppets and Mayhem.” (42:37)
• Jack Crivici-Kramer: “The only bets worth making are contrarian ones.” (42:38)
• Nick Martell: “Sometimes they're sneaking in something bad. But Trojan Horses, they can also smuggle in goodness, too, right, man?” (42:13)

---

Additional Facts

• Sesame Place in Bucks County, Pennsylvania, opened in 1980 and attracts approximately 3 million visitors annually, rivaling major theme parks like Six Flags (43:27).
• Initially, Cookie Monster didn’t only eat cookies; in the pilot episode, he ate the letter "W" before focusing solely on cookies due to audience preference (43:57).
• Joan Ganz Cooney, the show's original architect, remains actively involved, whereas co-founder Lloyd Morissette passed away in 2023 at the age of 93 (44:21).

---

Final Thoughts

Sesame Street exemplifies how media can be harnessed for social good, blending education with entertainment to create meaningful and lasting change. This episode of The Best Idea Yet not only honors that legacy but also provides listeners with profound insights into the mechanics of successful product development and branding.

Transcript

[Nick Martell]

Wondery subscribers can listen to the best idea yet, early and ad free right now.

[Jack Revici Kramer]

Join Wondery plus in the Wondery app or on Apple Podcasts. Nick, as you know, I decided to go to Paris this summer. Not just with Alex. We brought both boys too.

[Nick Martell]

Bold move. We should point out these boys are under four years old and we had.

[Jack Revici Kramer]

Four seats next to each other in the middle of the huge airplane.

[Nick Martell]

And everyone loved you on that airplane, didn't they?

[Jack Revici Kramer]

Well, you know, we whipped out the nuclear option. IPads. Yeah.

[Nick Martell]

The cheapest babysitter there is.

[Jack Revici Kramer]

We don't love pulling out the iPad. Sometimes you gotta do it. But the worry is, is that gonna make them hooked on the iPad.

[Nick Martell]

It's like, on the one hand, the iPad deserves the Nobel Peace Prize for the kids. On the other hand, it's completely destroyed their brains.

[Jack Revici Kramer]

I try to find, like, educational content that will keep them occupied on the screen.

[Nick Martell]

Right, right. Is baby shark really gonna teach them quantum physics? I don't know. It's worth a shot, honey.

[Jack Revici Kramer]

Now, Nick, this feels like a modern problem does. But it actually goes way back before.

[Nick Martell]

TikTok, before smartphones, all the way back to the earliest days of television. Every parent has been dealing with this screen dilemma.

[Jack Revici Kramer]

As long as there have been screens, there have been kids trying to watch things on those screens.

[Nick Martell]

But get this. In the 1960s, one woman decided to harness children's fascination with screens and use it for something great. The she wasn't a teacher and she wasn't a parent. She was a TV producer. And her creation paved the way for the golden age of screen time that you can feel good about. Can you tell me how to get. How to get to Sesame Street?

[Jack Revici Kramer]

Sesame street taught us to read, to count, to process motions, and to make friends with a guy who lives in a trash can. Burt and Ernie showed us what lifelong friendship is about. They're the original co hosts.

[Nick Martell]

And Grover taught us that being a waiter is harder than it looks.

[Jack Revici Kramer]

Sesame street has been on the air since 1969, the same year we landed on the moon. Jack, that makes Sesame street the longest running children's TV show in US history.

[Nick Martell]

The Simpsons. Sesame street beat him by 23 years. Sorry, Marge.

[Jack Revici Kramer]

And since Sesame street launched, it has helped educate more than 150 million children across 70 different languages in more than 150 countries.

[Nick Martell]

Jack, could you sprinkle on some more numerical context for us, please?

[Jack Revici Kramer]

Well, add in the 300 million parents who are grateful that their kid had Sesame Street. And that means this show has impacted 450 million people.

[Nick Martell]

That's right. The number of the day is 450 million. This show, it broke barriers with a diverse cast and black actors in leading.

[Jack Revici Kramer]

Roles, which actually got the show banned in Mississippi in the 70s, which we'll talk about.

[Nick Martell]

Sesame street also brought in a list guest stars from James Earl Jones and Stevie Wonder to Carrie Underwood and Julia Roberts. But honestly, the real stars of Sesame Street, Muppets.

[Jack Revici Kramer]

These fuzzy, lovable, and totally alive seeming puppets were created by the great Jim Henson and his workshop. We're Talking Big Bird, Mr. Snuffleupagus, Oscar the Grouch, and the ultimate celebrity to toddlers everywhere, including my son, Brooks. Elmo.

[Nick Martell]

I can't wait for takeaway on this story. Jack. I can't wait for takeaway on this story. Nick. Me neither.

[Jack Revici Kramer]

Elmo.

[Nick Martell]

Because you led Sesame street to a mid-90s bounce back that also made toy history.

[Jack Revici Kramer]

Tickle Me Elmo is one of the best selling of all time, with the chunk of sales going back to Sesame Workshop as licensing revenue.

[Nick Martell]

As a nonprofit, Sesame's mission is not to keep that cash, but to reinvest it.

[Jack Revici Kramer]

And its mission to teach kids has inspired other shows to do the same.

[Nick Martell]

That's right, without Sesame street, there'd be no Doc McStuffins, no Dora the Explorer, and no Bluey. This is the story of how an unexpected trio of a TV producer, a psychologist and a puppeteer built the ultimate Trojan horse learning product, bringing early childhood education to the masses in the form of an entertaining kids show.

[Jack Revici Kramer]

Plus, we've got some intel on Cookie Monster's origin story that none of your playdates knew about.

[Nick Martell]

So, jag, can you give me a countdown to start the episode?

[Jack Revici Kramer]

One, two, three.

[Nick Martell]

That's a count. Up this episode, it's brought to you by the letter F for fantastic.

[Jack Revici Kramer]

Here's why Sesame street is the best idea yet.

[Nick Martell]

From Wondery and T Boy.

[Jack Revici Kramer]

I'm Nick Martell. And I'm Jack Crevici Kramer.

[Nick Martell]

And this is the best idea yet. The untold origin stories of the products you're obsessed with and the bold risk.

[Jack Revici Kramer]

Takers who brought them to life. I got that feeling again. Something familiar, but no.

[Nick Martell]

We got it coming to you. I got that feeling again.

[Jack Revici Kramer]

They changed the game in one move.

[Nick Martell]

Here's how they.

[Jack Revici Kramer]

We'd like to thank our presenting sponsor, Lenovo.

[Nick Martell]

The Lenovo ThinkPad Aura Edition imagined with intel is an incredibly thin, light and connective laptop with innovative AI built in.

[Jack Revici Kramer]

No matter what you're making, it's possible on your Intel AI PC.

[Nick Martell]

Learn more about Lenovo Aura Edition AI [e-mail] Aura It's a gray winter day in Manhattan, 1966. The snow has turned black slush the hot dog vendors, they're wearing mittens. But inside Joan Ganz Cooney's chic apartment a block from Gramercy Park, a cozy dinner party is keeping our guests toasty warm. This quiet tree lined neighborhood, it's a far cry from the working class brownstones and tenements that will one day surround 123 Sesame street, but don't let the.

[Jack Revici Kramer]

Doorman or the French cooking fool you. Joan and her husband are outspoken advocates for the poor.

[Nick Martell]

Joan is a documentary TV producer for for New York Public Television. She makes documentaries that make a difference, including one about a preschool in Harlem trying to close the achievement gap between black students and their white counterparts.

[Jack Revici Kramer]

1966 is three years since MLK's I have a Dream speech. It's two years since the Civil Rights act, and it's one year since President Lyndon Johnson created Head Start, a program designed to help preschool kids from low income families.

[Nick Martell]

So there's a lot going on for civil rights right now.

[Jack Revici Kramer]

But there's still a huge gap between the haves and the have nots that often breaks along racial lines.

[Nick Martell]

Because of unequal access to pre K programs and other systemic inequalities, black first graders are scoring lower on tests than 85% of their white counterparts. And this puts them about a grade level behind by the age of six. So Joan and her colleagues, they're constantly talking about this problem. In fact, one of tonight's dinner party guests is an expert on the subject. His name is Lloyd Morissette. He's a mild mannered child psychologist and vice president of the Carnegie Corporation.

[Jack Revici Kramer]

Carnegie Corporation is a philanthropic foundation dedicated to learning. And Carnegie has been giving out hundreds of thousands in grant money to elementary schools. And it's still one of the largest education nonprofits in the country.

[Nick Martell]

Now, Jack, this is promising work, but honestly, each of their grants, it's only reaching a few hundred kids at most. Their efforts aren't scaling. Meanwhile, there is something that has scaled and it's reaching millions of American children every day. You know what I'm thinking?

[Jack Revici Kramer]

Yeah.

[Nick Martell]

It's television.

[Jack Revici Kramer]

In 1966, more U.S. households have TVs than bathtubs or daily newspapers.

[Nick Martell]

Okay?

[Jack Revici Kramer]

There's more families with TVs than with telephones.

[Nick Martell]

Kids, they're watching on average 55 hours of TV a week. They're learning all the commercial jingles. They're driving their parents crazy. Soccer Boppers, goldfish, you name it, they got it memorized.

[Jack Revici Kramer]

When I was 8, I got banned from singing the Goldfish commercial in the house.

[Nick Martell]

So at this dinner party, Joan is refilling everyone's Chardonnay while her husband is clearing the beef bourguignon. When Lloyd Morissette begins telling a story about his three year old daughter named Sarah. Early one morning, before anyone else was up in the house, Lloyd actually found her in the living room watching the test pattern on the tv.

[Jack Revici Kramer]

It's like the test signal that comes before the show starts.

[Nick Martell]

She would watch literally nothing on TV rather than read or play. And that's concerning.

[Jack Revici Kramer]

It was concerning.

[Nick Martell]

Now, as Lloyd sees it, there are two seemingly distinct problems going on. First, kids from low income families aren't getting access to preschool. And second, all kids are addicted to tv.

[Jack Revici Kramer]

So Lloyd asked the question to the dinner table. What if there was a way to take the second problem and make it a solution to the first problem?

[Nick Martell]

Interesting, Lloyd, go on.

[Jack Revici Kramer]

What if we can solve inequality in schooling through television?

[Nick Martell]

And then Lloyd turns to his host, Joan, and he asks her a question that's going to change both of their lives and the lives of millions of future viewers like you.

[Jack Revici Kramer]

Do you think television can be used to teach young children?

[Nick Martell]

The question hangs in the air. All eyes are on Joan. The table is silent. The Chardonnay is getting warm. And she answers, I don't know, but I'd like to talk about it.

[Jack Revici Kramer]

Lloyd, they don't know yet, but they will keep talking about it for the next 50 years.

[Nick Martell]

So Joan and Lloyd, they are fired up and ready to go. But they're in the non profit world. So instead of funding rounds and pitching VCs with PowerPoint decks and one pagers, their next step is two years of deep research and painstaking grant applications.

[Jack Revici Kramer]

And in 1968, Joan and Lloyd create the Children's Television Workshop, a new production company for their new show.

[Nick Martell]

Time to get out the metaphorical finger paints and start planning.

[Jack Revici Kramer]

This new show will be an hour long. It will air weekdays on public television stations nationwide. Their target audience will be kids aged 3 to 5, spanning all socioeconomic backgrounds, including kids in low income homes.

[Nick Martell]

Because kids attention spans are pretty short, they model this TV program on popular magazines. Instead of one long plot arc like you typically watch on tv, there will be many short segments. From puppetry and animation to short films and songs.

[Jack Revici Kramer]

This kind of show has never been tried before. Most kids programming is either vapid and silly like Howdy Doody, or so boring that you'd Rather help your parents fold laundry. Yeah, while eating broccoli.

[Nick Martell]

This is the era before Legends of the Hidden Temple.

[Jack Revici Kramer]

They're trying to give children who don't have access to pre K education, pre K education for free on tv.

[Nick Martell]

They want to make something fun to watch, but with a hidden curriculum of literacy, early math and social skills like tolerance and understanding.

[Jack Revici Kramer]

It's kind of like frosted mini wheats. Healthy whole wheat on one side, but frosted deliciousness for the kid in you on the other side.

[Nick Martell]

Exactly. Joan hires two groups of experts to pull this off. On the one hand, she's got the academics to create the show's learning goals.

[Jack Revici Kramer]

That's the whole wheat side.

[Nick Martell]

And she's got the seasoned TV pros who can bring the curriculum to life.

[Jack Revici Kramer]

That's the frosted side.

[Nick Martell]

But, Jack, there is one problem. Those two groups I just mentioned, they don't get along.

[Jack Revici Kramer]

The scholars are all about curriculum. They're thinking, who cares about writing jokes and punchlines? We're trying to teach children how to count.

[Nick Martell]

But on the other hand, the creatives are thinking, hey, the slapstick jokes, that's.

[Jack Revici Kramer]

How you keep the kids watching with.

[Nick Martell]

Those short attention spans.

[Jack Revici Kramer]

So Joe needs to find a way to unify these two sides for the show to work.

[Nick Martell]

And that's when we get to meet a man who's about to change the entire conversation. His name is James Maury Henson. But you know what? You can just call him Jim.

[Jack Revici Kramer]

Born in Mississippi, raised in Maryland, Jim Henson grew up obsessed with television. But he wasn't a great singer. He couldn't dance, and he had acne scars he was sensitive about. So as a teenager, he taught himself puppeteering as a way to get on tv.

[Nick Martell]

He then began inventing dozens of characters out of felt and fluff. And he called them a mashup of marionette and puppet. He called them muppets.

[Jack Revici Kramer]

In 1955, while in college, Jim starts making puppets.

[Nick Martell]

Muppets. Muppets.

[Jack Revici Kramer]

Sorry.

[Nick Martell]

Yeah, you got it.

[Jack Revici Kramer]

Jim starts making Muppet content for local tv, performing short sketches with characters that include a weird reptilian character with round feet known as Kermit.

[Nick Martell]

Now, before you fact check us zoologists, Kermit doesn't officially become an amphibian until a few years later. At this point, he's a cold blooded reptile.

[Jack Revici Kramer]

And before long, Jim Henson's Muppets are making national appearances on the Today show and the Ed Sullivan Show. Kermit is a rising star, but he's.

[Nick Martell]

Got to make money on these puppets, man. And how's he pulling that off.

[Jack Revici Kramer]

Jim takes his talents B2B, creating muppets for advertising campaigns. He makes a dog named Rolf who sells Purina dog food. Adorable. And a certain monster of cookies to sell snacks for General Foods.

[Nick Martell]

He's going to wreck some Cookie Crisp.

[Jack Revici Kramer]

So Jim Henson's a big deal even before he arrives onto Sesame Street. And there are a couple reasons why these Muppets get so popular.

[Nick Martell]

Before Jim, puppeteers on TV would always be visible on camera. Ventriloquist dummies. They were shown sitting on the performer's lap. You saw the human performer.

[Jack Revici Kramer]

But on Jim Henson Productions, the cameras zoom in to show just the Muppets themselves.

[Nick Martell]

So the viewer automatically thinks of the Muppets as real characters.

[Jack Revici Kramer]

And another reason people love the Muppets, it's mischief. I didn't know this, but Jim Henson is often thought of as this cuddly guy who loves kids, but he's actually got a wicked sense of humor. Get this. He makes sketches where one Muppet eats another Muppet Panama. Or one where one of them explodes. These Muppets are rule breakers. Rated R. And nothing makes little kids laugh like a character who's being naughty. But the Muppets can also be caring and vulnerable, which kids also love.

[Nick Martell]

The contrast of sweetness and rule breaking. It's exactly what Joan needs on her creative team. Maybe, just maybe, Jim can unite the professors and the artists who are working on this groundbreaking project, but just haven't been able to get along.

[Jack Revici Kramer]

So Jim is invited to a seminar that Joan is hosting at the Waldorf Hotel. But Joan has no idea what Jim looks like.

[Nick Martell]

And she sees this tall, stringy guy in leather with long hair and, like, a hippie beard. He kind of looks like a war protester.

[Jack Revici Kramer]

Should we call security?

[Nick Martell]

Joan is a little concerned about the situation. Like, who is this dude?

[Jack Revici Kramer]

That's no radical. That's Jim Henson. So Joan goes from stressed to hopeful.

[Nick Martell]

This bearded creative genius of a man might just be the key to bringing her show's academic and entertainment goals together.

[Jack Revici Kramer]

So with Jim on board, the team rallies together. He's the uniting element that Joan needs.

[Nick Martell]

Yes. We're ready to go, Jack. Lights, curtain. I'm ready.

[Jack Revici Kramer]

They actually need one more thing.

[Nick Martell]

Oh, what's that?

[Jack Revici Kramer]

They need a show.

[Nick Martell]

Oh, that's key. 1969 is a mad flurry of production. No more dinner parties. Joan, she's got a show to make.

[Jack Revici Kramer]

The first thing is to set the location. And Sesame street breaks with decades of television tradition. They don't build some suburban paradise with big lawns. Their setting is an urban street. A dark, worn, kind of dirty urban street based on locations in Harlem, the Bronx and the Upper west side.

[Nick Martell]

Look, it's a weathered brownstone with a stoop that sits at center stage. And that's where our main characters are going to hang out growing up. These are the kind of brownstones I was walking by. This was reality in New York.

[Jack Revici Kramer]

And this set, it turns out to be kind of a miracle because it's relatable to city kids, of course, but it's not some scary wasteland to suburban or rural kids either. Neighbors here talk to each other, the sidewalk cracks. That's the street's personality. And the bodega owner remembers the kids names.

[Nick Martell]

Yeah, Jack, this is cheers for 5 year olds. Which means that when it comes to casting the show, the showrunner, he's actually got a dual mission. Hire talented, compelling actors who also reflect the diversity of the country.

[Jack Revici Kramer]

There's a black couple, Susan and Gordon, who own the brownstone that's at the center of the action. There's a young white guy, Bob, who, who teaches music, and an older white guy, Mr. Hooper, who runs the soda shop across the way.

[Nick Martell]

Now, Jack, that's like half the cast. Cause remember, while the human beings are being cast, Jim Henson and his workshop are hard at work creating a new species of Muppets to inhabit this Sesame street world. There's Kermit, of course, who by now has graduated from generic lizard to actual frog. And there's Rolf and the Monster of Cookies, who's now Cookie Monster. And they've been liberated from their commercial obligations to now perform in this TV show.

[Jack Revici Kramer]

The show also gets Burt and Ernie, the ego and ID pals who rent the brownstone's basement apartment. Now, originally the plan was to keep the Muppet segments separate from the human.

[Nick Martell]

Characters, but Jack, when Joan and her team start screen testing some early segments for daycare audiences, they're shocked because when the Muppets are on screen, the kids are totally dialed in. They're all over it. But when the action switches to the humans, the kids are kinda board. No human adult can really compete with Kermit.

[Jack Revici Kramer]

Now, this may sound like bad news, but this actually shows the beauty of real world product testing. Feedback is a gift, and this is critical data to get before launching their show widely. Imagine if they'd filmed a dozen episodes without having this critical insight.

[Nick Martell]

So here's what they do. Jim Henson designs two special Muppet characters who will interact with the humans. Think of these guys like Muppet diplomats to the human realm.

[Jack Revici Kramer]

The first one is a green meanie who lives in that irresistibly loud metal trash can. Oscar, the grass.

[Nick Martell]

Oscar, go away.

[Jack Revici Kramer]

Close my can lid, dear. You're letting all the fresh air and sunlight in. Boy, I hate that.

[Nick Martell]

But that next character that Jim designs becomes the key to this entire format. It's the Muppet who will become the show's tender, sensitive heart. The Muppet who's got a soul of a child and the height of an NBA center. The Muppet known as Big Bird.

[Jack Revici Kramer]

Big Bird is made of turkey feathers dyed a brilliant yellow and sewn upside down onto an 8 foot tall wearable puppet.

[Nick Martell]

But yet, how do they make Big Bird come alive? Because it's actually a feat of engineering.

[Jack Revici Kramer]

The Muppeteer steps into Big Bird's giant bird legs, puts one hand into Big Bird's left wing, and operates Big Bird's head by reaching his right hand high up into the air.

[Nick Martell]

And it doesn't stop there, even if he's cramping, because he then has to use his pinky finger to move the eyelids so that Big Bird can blink. Show surprise, worry, sadness. All those emotions are operated by an extended pinky finger. It's this kind of expressive detail that makes Jim Henson's Muppets so magical for kids now.

[Jack Revici Kramer]

At first, Big Bird is supposed to be some kind of a bumbling doofus. A clumsy character that smacks into telephone poles and has that big oversized head that keeps bonking things.

[Nick Martell]

But this does totally change when Jim Henson recruits one particular puppeteer by the name of Carol Spit. Spinny Muppeteer. Muppeteer.

[Jack Revici Kramer]

Carol is ex Air Force and he's a gentle soul that loves drawing and still feels like an overgrown kid himself.

[Nick Martell]

His mom named him Carol because he was born the day after Christmas.

[Jack Revici Kramer]

Carol is the reason that Big Bird evolves from clumsy clown to the sweet, naive picture of childhood innocence.

[Nick Martell]

Big Bird kind of becomes the proxy for Sesame Street's core audience. Big Bird is the six year old who needs help navigating the world. Big Bird doesn't know why things are the way they are, so the humans around him have to patiently explain it to him.

[Jack Revici Kramer]

But they're really patiently explaining to the kids watching the show.

[Nick Martell]

Oh, and by the way, Carol also plays Oscar, so he's doing a great.

[Jack Revici Kramer]

Double act with Big Bird and Oscar now in the mix, Joan and her team screen some new scenes for test audiences. The difference is night and day.

[Nick Martell]

Oh, totally different.

[Jack Revici Kramer]

During every segment, the kids can't take their eyes off the screen. Muppets and humans together at last.

[Nick Martell]

So, Jack, add it all up. After nearly three years of development, the idea that started in Joan Cooney's Gramercy apartment over a bottle of Chardonnay is almost a reality. The street looks great, the content top notch. The puppets fantastic. We finally have a show. All right. Lights, camera.

[Jack Revici Kramer]

Wait, wait, wait, wait.

[Nick Martell]

Okay, yeah.

[Jack Revici Kramer]

There's one little thing we have to solve. Oh, you're kidding me. The show doesn't have a name. This episode is presented by Lenovo yetis.

[Nick Martell]

The Lenovo ThinkPad or Edition imagined with intel puts you in command of your.

[Jack Revici Kramer]

Work, whether it's a boring Munane spreadsheet or an artistically creative logo design.

[Nick Martell]

They got a Smart Share feature that is enabled by AI to let you transfer photos from your phone to your laptop in a tap.

[Jack Revici Kramer]

If you're tired of pings, notifications and distractions, the Lenovo ThinkPad or Edition has smart modes that will block them all out.

[Nick Martell]

Jack, what does the screen look like on this thing?

[Jack Revici Kramer]

Oled, which is top of the line.

[Nick Martell]

High definition and smart care, gives you an elite all day support team to fix any issues. Jack, what's the thing theme here?

[Jack Revici Kramer]

Everything is smart at your service. This computer is like a brilliant butler.

[Nick Martell]

And the Lenovo ThinkPad or Edition hardware would impress NASA because it's freakishly thin.

[Jack Revici Kramer]

And light and has a battery that lasts up to 29 hours.

[Nick Martell]

Sebasties. We're besties with the Lenovo ThinkPad or Edition imagined with Intel.

[Jack Revici Kramer]

Learn more about Lenovo Aura Edition AI [e-mail] Aura it's possible on your Intel AI PC.

[Nick Martell]

Joan Cooney. Oh, she is stressed. She feels like she's about to lose her mind. It is May 6, 1969. The sets, yeah, they're built. The shooting schedule is locked in the press conference announcing her unprecedented history changing show.

[Jack Revici Kramer]

It's this afternoon, but Joan is worried.

[Nick Martell]

About what she's gonna say when people ask her what to call it. Because this labor of love that she's been building for the past two years alongside hundreds of staffers, they still don't have a name for it.

[Jack Revici Kramer]

Inside the writer's room, one of the writers sheepishly raises her hand. What if we make the name sound like a magic word or a passkey that opens up into another realm? Kids will like that. Like open sesame.

[Nick Martell]

Okay, that works. Ish. I don't know.

[Jack Revici Kramer]

What do we actually. The showrunner thinks that's the corniest idea he's ever heard.

[Nick Martell]

Yeah, we gotta workshop this thing and we don't have time to workshop this Thing.

[Jack Revici Kramer]

Well, outside the room, Joan is done waiting.

[Nick Martell]

Oh, yeah.

[Jack Revici Kramer]

She sticks her head in and says, what's it going to be? Finally, the showrunner says, joan, we're going.

[Nick Martell]

To run with Sesame Street.

[Jack Revici Kramer]

One of the most iconic names in TV history is created at the buzzer because they're completely out of time.

[Nick Martell]

That's the power of a deadline. You kind of got to decide and commit.

[Jack Revici Kramer]

Sesame street kicks off on PBS a few months later, sponsored by the letters W, S and E and the numbers 2 and 3.

[Nick Martell]

Nonprofits. They don't have commercial sponsors. They just have alphanumerical ones.

[Jack Revici Kramer]

Kermit is in the pilot episode. So is Big Bird, Bert, Nerdie, Cookie Monster, and Oscar the Grass starting lineup.

[Nick Martell]

I like the way it looks, Jack. Smooth. They even get a cameo from star comedian Carol Burnett for a little celebrity Riz, a technique that Sesame street will go back to again and again.

[Jack Revici Kramer]

But it's also fun to look at. Who's not there? Sesame street launches without Grover. He's a season two edition.

[Nick Martell]

Oh, and Jack, Count Von Count. You won't see him until season one, two, three, four seasons.

[Jack Revici Kramer]

Even Mr. Snuffleup, I guess, doesn't show up until 1971.

[Nick Martell]

But this is the pilot episode number one. And as it airs, Joan Cooney and Lloyd Morissette hold their breaths. It's become so much bigger than they ever imagined. If it succeeds, they'll be able to reach thousands, maybe millions of children. But if it fails, educational television might just be called impossible, and kids will go back to singing jingles from beer commercials and Mentos ads. The stakes are high.

[Jack Revici Kramer]

That's one of the risks that startup founders take when they're piloting a totally.

[Nick Martell]

New concept, like a whole new industry that didn't exist yet.

[Jack Revici Kramer]

If it fails, it can cast out not just on the startup that they launched, but on the entire sector.

[Nick Martell]

Yeah, it's like, hey, impossible hamburgers. No pressure, but the entire plant based industry depends on you. Ipoing successfully.

[Jack Revici Kramer]

Nick and I call this the future fallacy, when investors will disregard a viable concept because the first try didn't work out.

[Nick Martell]

And Jack, that's exactly what Joan is worried about right now.

[Jack Revici Kramer]

She feels the burden that the future of children's educational programming depends on her Sesame street hitting it out of the pot.

[Nick Martell]

So, Jack, after all this production, two years of work, everything set, how do they do?

[Jack Revici Kramer]

Within the first few weeks, WGBH, Boston's public broadcasting network, receives more than 7,600 phone calls and 2,000 letters from parents and educators who praise the Show.

[Nick Martell]

Grab the rubber ducky and let's dive in. What are they saying, Jack?

[Jack Revici Kramer]

People share stories of their little kids suddenly learning to count and singing their ABCs. According to the Educational Testing Service, Sesame street is improving cognitive skills for underserved kids by as much as 62%. Kids are actually learning from TV, Jack.

[Nick Martell]

This is U N P R E.

[Jack Revici Kramer]

C. It's unprecedented, baby.

[Nick Martell]

Yes, it is. TV critics, they're given glowing reviews of this whole new concept, and so do.

[Jack Revici Kramer]

Public figures like Jesse Jackson, Orson Welles, even the President of the United States at the time, Richard Nixon.

[Nick Martell]

Although that won't stop that president from later trying to cut Sesame Street's federal funding. But that's a story for another time. Pot.

[Jack Revici Kramer]

The show is also producing at a pace that would make Dora the Explorer blush. Sesame street is producing 130 episodes every 26 week season.

[Nick Martell]

Sometimes they're doing five episodes a day. And it's not just the quantity. We got to talk about the money, Jack, because at this point in 1970, they're spending about $28,000 per episode.

[Jack Revici Kramer]

That's over $225,000 in today's money. And it's a lot compared to your average episode of Captain Kangaroo.

[Nick Martell]

Yeah, it's like Disney Channel money.

[Jack Revici Kramer]

But what's the payoff for that investment?

[Nick Martell]

Well, they're also reaching an estimated 7 million children five days a week, year round, including reruns. I mean, Jack, that works out to about one penny per child, and that is a massive bargain.

[Jack Revici Kramer]

Joan Cooney and Lloyd Morissette are giddy with excitement. This is everything they dreamed of and more.

[Nick Martell]

But that dream is about to get interrupted because Sesame street is about to get banned. Now, Jack, we said that Sesame Street's learning goals aren't just about letters and numbers. Right?

[Jack Revici Kramer]

They're also about social skills, acceptance, being a good person, and how your friends don't have to look like you or have the same color skin.

[Nick Martell]

Well, the state of Mississippi, Jim Henson's birthplace, they ain't happy about that in the year 1970. So six months into Sesame Street's run, the Mississippi State Commission for Educational Television bans the program from their public TV network because, quote, it uses a highly integrated cast of children. They feel that their state just isn't. And another quote, ready for it.

[Jack Revici Kramer]

Joan Cooney is devastated. She calls it a tragedy, both for the white children and the black children of Mississippi. But then Joan's assistant gives her an update that lifts her spirit back up. Mississippi residents speak up about this just.

[Nick Martell]

Like the letters of praise that flowed into that Boston TV station. Suddenly, letters of protest start flooding the Mississippi Education Board. The commission members get so embarrassed, they actually reverse their decision after just 22 days. And a few months later, the Sesame street cast visits Mississippi's capitol to do some outreach. But Sesame Street's outreach doesn't stop there. They continue to invite famous guests of color onto the show to talk explicitly about acceptance, like Nina Simone, Come Gifted and Wife oh, what a Lovely Precious.

[Jack Revici Kramer]

Dream Jesse Jacks, I Am I am Somebody and All star voice actor and pronouncer James Earl Jones, a B.

[Nick Martell]

The show also gets more diverse in later seasons. Ironically after Mississippi banned them for too much diversity. Hispanic groups protest over the show's lack of Latino representation.

[Jack Revici Kramer]

So in season three, Sesame street adds actors Emilio Delgado and Sonia Mandano to play Luis and Maria, the pair that run Sesame Street's Fix it shop.

[Nick Martell]

And in the coming years, they'll add a cast member who is Asian. Cast members a Native American singer, songwriter and a little boy with down syndrome who changes people's assumptions about kids with learning differences.

[Jack Revici Kramer]

Of all the boundary pushing shows on tv, it's the one for little kids. Sesame street that is breaking the most barriers and being able to talk about hard things and deal with tough emotions. It's baked into Sesame Street's curriculum.

[Nick Martell]

But in 1982, something happens that's gonna force Team Sesame to deal with hard things whether they like it or not. Not.

[Jack Revici Kramer]

This episode is sponsored by Abbott. Let's talk about a small thing that can make a big difference if you have diabetes. The Freestyle Libre 3 Plus sensor. It's amazing how the sensor gives you real time glucose readings so you can see the impact of every meal and every activity to make better choices. The Freestyle Libre 3 Plus sensor can help you live life with diabetes on your terms. You can try it free at FreestyleLibre US offer available for people who qualify. Visit MyFreestyle US to see all terms and conditions. Certain exclusions apply for prescription only safety info found @freestylelibre us.

[Nick Martell]

It's quiet on set. The giddy, chaotic energy of a typical Sesame street production. It feels muted. The day's filming is almost over, but the cast has one last scene to shoot. Inside Big Bird suit, Carol Spinney gets ready for his big moment. Not with gleeful anticipation, but with sadness.

[Jack Revici Kramer]

The human actors take their places. They have an important task in front of them. They have to explain to big bird where Mr. Hooper's gone.

[Nick Martell]

The beloved actor, Will Lee, the guy who played the shopkeeper, Mr. Hooper. He passed away in December of 1982.

[Jack Revici Kramer]

So Sesame street has a big decision to make. What to do about Will Lee's passing. They could write his character off the show. Mr. Hooper's in his 70s, after all. It's easy to imagine him retiring to the Florida Keys.

[Nick Martell]

They also could pull a Dumbledore Jack and replace the deceased actor.

[Jack Revici Kramer]

But something about a casting swap feels wrong. The show exists to teach kids right. Maybe this moment of human sadness, something every human will go through, is actually the exact topic Sesame street should take head on. The more Joan and her team think about it, the more right it seems. Let's just tell the kids the truth.

[Nick Martell]

They actually consult with child psychologists to help them craft a script that breaks the news in a gentle but clear way.

[Jack Revici Kramer]

In the scene, Big Bird, who wants to be an artist, is handing out drawings he's made of all the grownups. Every adult on the show is there. Then Big Bird gets to the last drawing, the one of Mr. Hooper, and he starts looking around, but Mr. Hooper isn't anywhere. Big Bird, don't you remember?

[Nick Martell]

We told you Mr. Hooper died? He's dead.

[Jack Revici Kramer]

Oh, yeah, I remember.

[Nick Martell]

Well, I'll give it to him when he comes back. Now, eventually, the adults step in, and one by one, they each gently explain what being dead really means. And Big Bird, he just can't accept that. Well, he's gonna come back. Who's gonna take care of the store? And who's going to make my birds.

[Jack Revici Kramer]

Eat milkshakes and tell me stories? The adults reassure him that David will make a milkshakes. They'll all take turns telling him stories. Slowly, Big Bird starts to understand, but he doesn't like it.

[Nick Martell]

It won't be the same. And everyone agrees, because it won't be the same.

[Jack Revici Kramer]

The actors only shoot one take. When Carol Spinney comes out of the bird suit, he asks for a towel because he's been crying.

[Nick Martell]

And honestly, when we first saw this.

[Jack Revici Kramer]

Scene, we started crying.

[Nick Martell]

Yeah. Sesame street decides to air the episode on Thanksgiving, 1983. And they do that so that children will be home with their parents to watch it together. But before the big day, the team test screens the segment at a daycare. They show it around pickup time so that the parents can catch it along with their children.

[Jack Revici Kramer]

When the scene is over, parents and kids physically reach out to each other for comfort. Not in a scared way, but in a reassuring way. When the producers see that, they know they've done the right thing. Their answer is in the embraces.

[Nick Martell]

This moment foreshadows the way the Muppets and the actors who play them remember Jim Henson himself. In 1990, a sudden illness claims Jim's life too early, at the age of 53, at Jim's memorial, Carol Spinney as Big Bird sings Kermit's favorite song, It's Not Easy Being Green. You can hear the emotion in his voice as he sings in character. And amazingly, you can even see it on Big Bird's face. Even when he's mourning his friend Carol gives Big Bird an entire life of his own.

[Jack Revici Kramer]

The show experiences deaths and cast changes, which will always happen on a show that runs for 50 plus years. But this story isn't just about who's missing, it's about who gets added too.

[Nick Martell]

That's right, because it wouldn't be a Sesame street episode without a character so beloved that he even gets more fan mail than Big Bird, the Muppet who.

[Jack Revici Kramer]

Actually helped save the entire show.

[Nick Martell]

It's time to bring out our cuddly buddy, Elma. Now, Jack, put on your podcasting best, because we are about to meet Sesame Street's favorite red three year old Elmo. Elmo first appeared on Sesame street as a background Muppet in 1979. Basically, Elmo was in a few short scenes with no lines.

[Jack Revici Kramer]

But in 1984, this small red monster gets a new puppeteer named Richard who gives him a gruff, bossy Persona.

[Nick Martell]

And they don't look like me.

[Jack Revici Kramer]

What?

[Nick Martell]

Puberty apparently hit Elmo like a ton of fluffy bricks.

[Jack Revici Kramer]

But Richard, that puppeteer, he hates performing Elmo. So one day he's backstage in the green room, and in a fit of frustration, Richard tosses his hated red puppet to the new guy, a young puppeteer named Kevin Clash.

[Nick Martell]

He's just sitting there, he's studying a script, maybe he's enjoying some fruit snacks. And then this furry red thing, boom. Just comes flying into his face.

[Jack Revici Kramer]

Richard walks off, he's like, see what you can do with this thing, kid. Because they're about to start taping. So Kevin's got a wing it. And when cameras start rolling, he lets loose with something that hadn't been tried before with this little red Muppet. A soft, innocent voice that we've all come to know.

[Nick Martell]

It was so nice to see all of you. Oh, hello out there. Elmo loves you.

[Jack Revici Kramer]

Whew.

[Nick Martell]

That is more like it. Now, ironically, that spontaneous voice choice, it actually becomes really strategic because Elmo is going to speak to the younger kids who are watching.

[Jack Revici Kramer]

If Sesame Street's Target demo is 3 to 5 year olds, big Bird is for the older siblings. Elmo's for the babies of the family.

[Nick Martell]

Yes, Sesame street has segmented its customers like any business would. In fact, it's Elmo who rescues Sesame Street. When their ratings and their finances take a dip in the 1990s, the show starts losing market share to the kids show disruptor of our youth. You know I'm talking about Barney, the big purple Dino with the voice that haunts parents dreams. He jumped into the kids entertainment industry out of nowhere.

[Jack Revici Kramer]

Sesame street is struggling thanks to Barney and its nonprofit backers might have to sell to a big for profit corporation. Outside buyers start to circle the Children's Television Workshop, including the Walt Disney Corporation. But then, in 1996, a seemingly disconnected event will change everything.

[Nick Martell]

The comedian Rosie ODonnell's daytime talk show starts booking a few Muppets, including Elmo as regular guests.

[Jack Revici Kramer]

In the mid-90s, daytime talk shows are at the height of their powers. It's not just Rosie O'Donnell. Maury wants you to know that you ain't that baby's daddy. Oprah is giving away free cars to everyone who showed up to the studio that day.

[Nick Martell]

Daytime tv, it is thriving. And Elmo is getting guest spots on Rosie. That is a big deal.

[Jack Revici Kramer]

Then, to kick off the 1996 holiday shopping season, the toy manufacturer Tyco sends Rosie a gift. A nice gesture for all the press she's given the little red guy and.

[Nick Martell]

Some savvy product placement.

[Jack Revici Kramer]

The toy that Taeko gives Rosie is a stuffed Elmo with motion and sound tech that makes Elmo laugh when you press his belly. Let's get it again. It's Tickle Me Elmo.

[Nick Martell]

Even if you never held one, you know exactly what we're talking about.

[Jack Revici Kramer]

You either love Tickle Me Elmo or he terrorizes your nightmares.

[Nick Martell]

I think we need. Maybe we need a trigger warning before that clip. I don't know. Maybe we should throw that in.

[Jack Revici Kramer]

When Rosie shows this doll to her audience, it kicks off one of the biggest shopping frenzies in toy history. Before the end of Black Friday 1996, every Tickle Me Elmo on the store shelves have sold out.

[Nick Martell]

These Elmo dolls turn out to be a huge success for Sesame street. In the first year alone, Tickle Me Elmo grosses over 30 million bucks in sales.

[Jack Revici Kramer]

Licensing. Its IP is right out of the.

[Nick Martell]

Disney playbook classic Walt D move.

[Jack Revici Kramer]

It kicks off a licensing business that today makes up 20% of Sesame Street's total revenue.

[Nick Martell]

I like those numbers.

[Jack Revici Kramer]

They're bringing Elmo and all the other cast of Sesame street from the television to the toy aisle.

[Nick Martell]

So it is Elmo. Elmo. Of all the characters who pull Sesame street out of their mid-90s financial funk.

[Jack Revici Kramer]

And with hundreds of millions of dollars in fresh licensing and toy cash, they fend off their potential buyers, Disney included. Now, Disney does do a deal with the Muppets, which again, is not the same thing as Sesame Street. But the mouse will never catch Big Bird or the rest of Joan Cooney's creation.

[Nick Martell]

Now, after this Tickle Me Elmo commercial moment, Sesame street goes all in on Elmo programming. There's Elmo's World, a segment that runs for more than 140 episodes. And he even gets his own Elmo talk show. The not so Late Show.

[Jack Revici Kramer]

The not so Late Show.

[Nick Martell]

Elmo's got a bedtime. It's understandable.

[Jack Revici Kramer]

And this is a little concept that Nick and I called let your winners ride. When you have early signs that point to a top performing product, lean in, double down, and get that product out there.

[Nick Martell]

Let your winners ride. It's Elmo's World. And honestly, we're just living in it. Jack.

[Jack Revici Kramer]

Elmo goes on to inherit the big torch from Big Bird, taking on the hard subjects from homelessness to grief.

[Nick Martell]

And then, Jack, remember last year Elmo typed his famous post pandemic tweet into Twitter. Elmo is just checking in. How is everybody?

[Jack Revici Kramer]

I do remember that tweet.

[Nick Martell]

221 million views of that tweet.

[Jack Revici Kramer]

It actually sparked a conversation about mental health. Post pandemic. Elmo is an influencer in the most positive sense of the word.

[Nick Martell]

Jack and I love doing the show because we get to go deep on the most viral products of all time. But Jack, this is the first time we've done a TV show and we were curious if this would work. But by every critical metric, Sesame street is a smash success, no matter what industry lens view it through. Since 1969, it's won 221 Emmy Awards, 11 Grammys, and it became the first TV show to win a Kennedy center honor.

[Jack Revici Kramer]

Literally, millions of children have learned their ABCs, their 1, 2 threes, their yellow, blue, and their green because of this show.

[Nick Martell]

But besties, we also studied the financials. And despite the great programming and the great numbers, the 2010s brought some challenges for the Sesame street business model.

[Jack Revici Kramer]

The rise of streaming hurts DVD sales, which were a major source of revenue for Sesame Street.

[Nick Martell]

Plus, dozens of new children's shows, many of them inspired by Sesame street, are now competing for viewers. It's the attention economy from Peppa Pig to Thomas the Tank. Engine to Bluey.

[Jack Revici Kramer]

So after losing $11 million in 2014, the production company now called Sesame Workshop is in danger of shutting down.

[Nick Martell]

Then Sesame Workshop makes a controversial move. In 2015, this nonprofit partners with the very for profit HBO, a premium channel better known for the Sopranos than for singing Muppets. And that deal gives HBO a nine month exclusivity window for new Sesame street episodes. After that, they then air for free on pbs, just like before.

[Jack Revici Kramer]

Now, some critics and public television advocates worry that HBO might pressure Sesame street to prioritize minutes watched instead of ABCs learned. Or that putting new shows behind a nine month paywall will contribute to inequality. But this move follows a long standing strategy of Sesame street to evolve along with families.

[Nick Martell]

Remember, Sesame street was started because kids were way into television. So Joan Lloyd and their whole team brought a pre K curriculum into broadcast tv. And when families turned to physical media like tapes and DVDs, you know what? Sesame street pivoted there too.

[Jack Revici Kramer]

Now kids are watching a lot of streaming stuff on the web and stuff on mobile devices. So Sesame street adapted to be on those screens too.

[Nick Martell]

They're going to where the kids are. And now it's online.

[Jack Revici Kramer]

The show is even growing an international audience on. Get this, WhatsApp.

[Nick Martell]

You can be dming right now at Grover. But yet I got another update for it. In December, hbo, now called Max, announced they were ending their partnership with sesame street season 55. That will be the last new season of Sesame street to debut on.

[Jack Revici Kramer]

So as of this recording, Sesame street is a bit of a free agent.

[Nick Martell]

But, Jack, it is more likely that we'll be looking at another streamer stepping in, like Amazon or Netflix. We're thinking maybe Disney, who already owns the Muppets, by the way.

[Jack Revici Kramer]

Either way, we're hoping that Sesame street finds a nice home to preserve its future.

[Nick Martell]

Well put, Jack. Because since that very first dinner party conversation back in 1966, Joan Cooney built Sesame street into an educational powerhouse wrapped in entertainment. A show that helps children learn to read, to count, and to understand the entire world around them. And that mission, it is just as needed today. Now, Jack, today's story is brought to us by the letter T for takeaway.

[Jack Revici Kramer]

All right, so now that you've heard the Sesame street story.

[Nick Martell]

Yeah.

[Jack Revici Kramer]

What's your takeaway?

[Nick Martell]

My takeaway is about Trojan Horse products. Some of our best products are actually disguised as something else. Like when we hear Trojan Horse, honestly, we often associate it with, like sneaking in bad things, you know, like causing the fall of Troy in Greek mythology.

[Jack Revici Kramer]

Classic or the fall of your computer because you clicked that phishing email that was actually a virus.

[Nick Martell]

Exactly. And for sure, yeah, sometimes they're sneaking in something bad. But Trojan Horses, they can also smuggle in goodness, too, right, man?

[Jack Revici Kramer]

Like with the Oregon Trail, it's a. Ostensibly a video game from the outside, but on the inside, it's actually an interactive history lesson.

[Nick Martell]

Well, it's the same with Sesame Street, a Trojan Horse product. Joan's team smuggled in a curriculum that taught you the ABCs and 1, 2, 3s and a few lessons about tolerance and respect. It was all hidden inside sketches of Muppets and Mayhem. Some of the best products, actually, that we've ever covered are disguised as something else.

[Jack Revici Kramer]

Beautifully said.

[Nick Martell]

Thank you, Jack. But, Jack, I mean, what about you, Matt? What is your takeaway?

[Jack Revici Kramer]

The only bets worth making are contrarian ones. In other words, being brave can be rewarded in the marketplace. When Sesame street chose to deal with the death of Mr. Hooper, they won the hearts of parents and kids. At a crucial moment for the show, Sesame street made a contrarian bet that parents would appreciate the show's help discussing a hard subject with their children. And that bet worked?

[Nick Martell]

Oh, it totally worked. I mean, it won't always work. That's why they're bets.

[Jack Revici Kramer]

But you'll never get ahead by making the same bet as everyone else.

[Nick Martell]

True. The only bets worth making are contrarian ones. Now, Jack, before we go, it's time for our favorite part of the show. The best facts yet, the best tidbits of info.

[Jack Revici Kramer]

We couldn't fit into the story, but we also couldn't leave it without.

[Nick Martell]

Why don't you kick us off right there? What do we got?

[Jack Revici Kramer]

Remember we said Sesame street took a page or two from the Disney IP playbook? Well, that includes theme parks. In 1980, Sesame Place opened up in Bucks County, Pennsylvania. With about 3 million visitors per year, Sesame Place's attendance is on par with your average Six Flags.

[Nick Martell]

You know, we actually did our fifth grade class trip there.

[Jack Revici Kramer]

Did Elmo tickle you?

[Nick Martell]

I tickled Elmo. Never saw it coming. Another one, Jack. Bert's best pal might be Ernie, but did you know Bert actually had a twin brother named Bart? He's a traveling salesman, so you never really saw me. He was always on the road.

[Jack Revici Kramer]

Cookie Monster originally didn't only eat cookies.

[Nick Martell]

Oh, actually, in Sesame Street's pilot episode, I think he ate a letter. He ate w. What?

[Jack Revici Kramer]

The show noticed that kids really connected with Cookie when he was focused on one single food.

[Nick Martell]

Finally, Sesame Street's original architect, Joan Ganz, Cooney is still alive and fabulous at the time of this recording. Her co founder Lloyd Morrisett, he sadly passed away peacefully in 2023 at the age of 93.

[Jack Revici Kramer]

And Carol Spinney, who brought Big Bird and Oscar the Grass Patch to life, passed away in 2019 at the age of 85.

[Nick Martell]

And Jack Big Bird actually performed at Carol's memorial, just as he had at Jim Henson's.

[Jack Revici Kramer]

I I'm crying again.

[Nick Martell]

I think we need to bring Cookie Monster back. Cookie Monster, you need to lighten the scene over here.

[Jack Revici Kramer]

And that is why Sesame street is the Best Idea yet on the next episode of the Best Idea yet, get ready to live Moss porque We're about to take on Doritos Locos Tacos, or DLT as they're apparently called.

[Nick Martell]

If you know, you know. And you're to know.

[Jack Revici Kramer]

Follow the Best Idea yet on the Wondery App, Amazon Music, or wherever you get your podcasts. You can listen to every episode of the Best Idea yet early and ad free right now by joining Wondery in the Wondery app or on Apple Podcasts.

[Nick Martell]

Before you go, tell us about yourself by filling out a short [e-mail] survey the best idea yet is a production of Wondery hosted by me, Nick Martel.

[Jack Revici Kramer]

And me, Jack Revici Kramer.

[Nick Martell]

Besties if you got a product you're obsessed with, but you wish you knew its backstory, drop us a comment and we'll dive into it for you. Oh, and don't forget to rate and review the podcast five stars. That actually helps us grow the show.

[Jack Revici Kramer]

Our senior producers are Matt Beagle and Chris Gautier.

[Nick Martell]

Peter A.R. cooney is our additional senior producer. Our senior Managing producer is Nick Ryan and Taylor Sniffin is our managing producer.

[Jack Revici Kramer]

Our associate producer is H. Conley.

[Nick Martell]

Research done by Brent Courson.

[Jack Revici Kramer]

This episode was written and produced produced by Katie Clark Gray.

[Nick Martell]

We used many sources in our research, including street the Complete History of Sesame street by Michael Davis and the documentary Street Gang How We Got to Sesame Street. Directed by Marilyn Agrella, sound design and.

[Jack Revici Kramer]

Mixing by CJ Drommeler fact checking by.

[Nick Martell]

Molly Quinlan Artwick Music supervision by Scott.

[Jack Revici Kramer]

Velazquez and Jolina Garcia for Frisson Sync.

[Nick Martell]

Our theme song is Got that Feeling Again by Blackalac.

[Jack Revici Kramer]

Executive producers for Nick and Jack Studios are me, Jack Revici Kramer and me, Nick Martell. Executive producers for Wondery are Dave Easton, Jenny Lauer, Beckman, Erin O'Flaherty and Marshall Lew.

[C]

At 24, I lost my narrative, or rather it was stolen from me and the Monica Lewinsky that my friends and family knew was usurped by false narratives, callous jokes, and politics. I would define reclaiming as to take back what was yours. Something you possess is lost or stolen, and ultimately you triumph in finding it again. So I think listeners can expect me to be chatting with folks both recognizable and unrecognizable names about the way that people have navigated roads to triumph. My hope is that people will finish an episode of Reclaiming and feel like they filled their tank up, they connected with the people that I'm talking to, and leave with maybe some nuggets that help them feel a little more hopeful. Follow Reclaiming with Monica Lewinsky on the Wondery app or wherever you get your podcasts. You can listen to Reclaiming early and ad free right now by joining Wondery in the Wondery app or on Apple Podcasts.