Jim Henson,
artist and puppeteer, created the Sesame Street muppets for Children’s
Televsion Workshop in the mid-sixties. Jim Henson’s Muppet creations
were already well know to network TV viewers when television producer
Joan Ganz Cooney asked Henson to create a family of muppet characters
for Sesame Street. Cooney began her evaluation of children’s
television under the auspices of the Carnegie Institute. Her
disappointment in the lack of educational shows for children led to the
formation of the Children’s Television Workshop and the production of
Sesame Street. From the start, the use of puppets had been envisioned
for Sesame Street. It was felt that muppets were the perfect means to
entertain preschoolers while they learned. Hence, the birth of Ernie,
Bert, Oscar the Grouch, Grover, Cookie Monster, and Big Bird.
After several years of research and testing, Sesame Street premiered in
1969. The series was designed to help preschoolers build the skills
needed to provide a smooth transition from home to school. The show
focused on learning the alphabet, numbers and social skills. The
strategy was to combine education with entertainment. The show was, and
probably still is, one of the most thoroughly researched television
programs ever produced. In fact, Sesame Street has been recognized with
more than 50 Emmy Awards.
Sesame Street is currently produced by Sesame Workshop (formerly called
Children’s Television Workshop), and the year 2000-2001 is its 31st
season on PBS. The Jim Henson Company continues to create and perform
the muppet characters on Sesame Street for Sesame Workshop, as well as a
long list of other creative productions.
Jim Henson, was born in Greenville Mississippi in 1936. Throughout his
childhood, Henson showed an interest in both art and television. In
1954, while a high school student, Henson began his television career
with puppets on a Washington, DC Saturday morning program. During his
freshman year in college, he had his own daily, five minute show called
“Sam and Friends” on a local NBC affiliate. The show also featured
an early version of Kermit the Frog, who later became a very famous
muppet. More recently, Jim Henson was well known for Miss Piggy, The
Muppet Show, several Muppet feature films, and two fantasy films (The
Dark Crystal and Labyrinth). The Jim Henson company today is “a
multimedia production company, one the the top character licensors in
the industry, a leading publisher of children’s books and home to Jim
Henson Television, Jim Henson Pictures, Jim Henson Interactive and Jim
Henson’s Creature Shop.” Recently, the Jim Henson company was
acquired by a company called EM.TV & Merchandising AG, based in
Munich, Germany. Jim Henson died in 1990. His son, Brian Henson, is also
an award winning director, producer and puppeteer. Brian Henson is also
Chairman of The Jim Henson Company and is continuing his father’s
legacy.
Other interesting Sesame Street trivia:
 | A
Sesame Street 12 month subscription magazine is available for kids
2-5 years.
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| Kids
in the U.S. continue to enjoy “Sesame Street Live”, a live
action Sesame Street Show, with stops at over 150 cities each
year.
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Sesame Street
merchandise can be found every category imaginable, including Sesame
Street clothing (t-shirts, shoes, underwear, pajamas, swimwear, toddler
play sets, caps & visors), Sesame Street software, Sesame Street
videos and cassettes, Sesame Street household items (dinnerware sets,
clocks, bedding, bathroom towels & accessories, clocks), Sesame
Street school supplies (backpacks, lunchboxes, educational books),
Sesame Street toys and games, Sesame Street party supplies, Sesame
Street Collectibles, Sesame Street cookies, and much more! |
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