Believe it or not, Sesame Street first aired on November 10, 1969. The show played such a large role in so many of our early years, but how much do you really know (or remember) about it? I recently decided to sit down and dig up a few Sesame Street facts and statistics you may not have known. I hope you enjoy!
Sesame Street Facts and Statistics
- Production Company: Sesame Workshop (Formerly Children’s Television Workshop)
- Networks: PBS, HBO
- Creators: Joan Ganz Cooney and Lloyd Morrisett
- PBS Debut: November 10, 1969
- HBO Debut: January 16, 2016
- Theme Music: Joe Raposo, Jon Stone and Bruce Hart
Additional Fun Facts:
-
Oscar the Grouch was originally orange.
- Cookie Monster wasn’t created for Sesame Street. He first appeared a few years earlier in a cracker commercial.
- Guy Smiley’s real name is Bernie Liederkrantz.
- The first guest on Sesame Street was James Earl Jones.
- Elmo once testified before Congress.
- “Rubber Duckie” as performed by Ernie, climbed to #16 on the Billboard singles chart in 1970.
- The name of the Sesame Street theme song is “Can You Tell Me how to Get to Sesame Street and was written by Joe Raposo in 1969.
- Big Bird is really 8’2″ tall!
- Mr. Hooper’s first name was Harold. He (actor Will Lee) died in 1982.
- Grover was originally greenish-brown and went by the name “Gleep.”
- Superman and Batman actually appeared in Season 1 of Sesame Street.
- Sesame Street’s operating costs are more than $100 million per year.
- Sesame Workshop employs around 400 people.
- The following is a breakdown of how Sesame Street pays for production (as of 2/6/19):
- 39% Distribution Fees and Royalties
- 31% Philanthropic Donations
- 26% Product Licensing
- 4% US Government Grants