40 Years of Sunny Days ... Take a Bow, Sesame Street!

Sesame Street turns 40 today, and I suspect that many of you would join me in expressing congratulations and gratitude, and in wishing them many, many more.

The television was not the go-to, default babysitter of choice when I was a small kid. That's probably a good thing on multiple levels, not the least of which is that way back then, the TV set was one of those black-and-white console behemoths that emitted mad radiation.

Anyhow, our mom would eventually go on to a three-decade career as a public school teacher and reading specialist, so she must have thought that something pretty special was afoot when she expressly seated my brother and me in the living room on the afternoon of Monday, Nov. 10, 1969, fired up the tube and suggested that we have a look.

I'd be lying to tell you that I recall the first broadcast, but I am very clear on the significant presence of Sesame Street in my life from that point on. It fired up my already evident interest in words and learning to read, entertained me to no end with its animation, puppetry and music, and helped me understand feelings and how to treat others as I grew into a sense for my own personhood and sense of humanity.

The show looks a little different today than it did when it launched, but its core mission remains. Widely watched at the outset in spite of the fact that it was only available in about two-thirds of American households, Sesame Street rightfully took off, eventually growing into an international phenomenon, teaching and nurturing children in multiple versions produced for dozens of countries around the world.

Sesame Street continues to make reading and learning an inherently good and fun thing, and there is no doubt in my mind that the show is to thank for the fact that I write today (or, depending on your point of view, to blame for my love of puns).

Among the many wonderful aspects of the show is how almost from the beginning, legions of celebrities and leaders in their respective fields have made appearances, lending their talents and interests to the cause of entertaining and instructing young minds. And Tonic's Wynter Mitchell recently explored the show's remarkable skill at keeping on top of pop culture. I have long admired its incorporation of music in particular, whether Stevie Wonder in the 1970s, or Feist more recently.

For their dedication to treating children as intelligent people who are just packaged in smaller form, in need of a bit of guidance, nurturing and kindness, thank you, Sesame Street.

Here's to 40 more and beyond.

Photo courtesy of Cameron Stern, via Wikimedia Commons