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Sunny days as 'Sesame Street' turns 40
Source: Agencies |
November 12, 2009, Thursday
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THE following news article was brought to you by the number "40."
Ever wonder what is the world's longest street? It stretches across more than 140 countries and anyone between the ages 4 and 40 has probably seen it. It is also the home of Big Bird, Oscar the Grouch and Grover.
Any 5-year-old in the United States can tell you how to get to"Sesame Street," or "Rue Sesame" in France, "Sesamstrasse" in Germany, "Jalan Sesama" in Indonesia, or "Takalani Sesame" in South Africa.
When you get there, wish everyone happy anniversary because the US experiment that started on November 10, 1969, as an attempt to help underprivileged children learn with television, has just turned 40.
"When we started out I didn't know that it would appeal to all these countries. I thought of it as a quintessentially American show," "Sesame Street" creator Joan Ganz Cooney said.
Other nations quickly adopted it, and eventually Sesame Street stretched from Bangladesh to Brazil, India to Israel, Japan to Jordan and Egypt too.
The Muppets are key parts of the show's success. "They each have one emotion everybody has and I think that's why they're so popular," said Sonia Manzano, who plays Maria on the show.
"Sesame Street" has outlasted top TV shows of every generation, from "Happy Days" and "MASH to "Magnum P.I." and "Friends."
"I think the thing that helped our longevity is the fact that we're willing to grow and change," said Loretta Long, who plays Susan on the show and has a doctorate in education. "We didn't come up with just one set format and ride it off into the sunset like most TV shows do."
To mark the 40th anniversary a temporary "Sesame Street" sign was placed at the corner of Columbus Avenue and West 64th Street in New York. First Lady Michelle Obama will also appear on the show.
"Wow, you know, I do not personally go to every single country but I think it is wonderful that people all over the world have a chance to learn their ABCs and 123s in whatever language," Grover told reporters.
Ever wonder what is the world's longest street? It stretches across more than 140 countries and anyone between the ages 4 and 40 has probably seen it. It is also the home of Big Bird, Oscar the Grouch and Grover.
Any 5-year-old in the United States can tell you how to get to"Sesame Street," or "Rue Sesame" in France, "Sesamstrasse" in Germany, "Jalan Sesama" in Indonesia, or "Takalani Sesame" in South Africa.
When you get there, wish everyone happy anniversary because the US experiment that started on November 10, 1969, as an attempt to help underprivileged children learn with television, has just turned 40.
"When we started out I didn't know that it would appeal to all these countries. I thought of it as a quintessentially American show," "Sesame Street" creator Joan Ganz Cooney said.
Other nations quickly adopted it, and eventually Sesame Street stretched from Bangladesh to Brazil, India to Israel, Japan to Jordan and Egypt too.
The Muppets are key parts of the show's success. "They each have one emotion everybody has and I think that's why they're so popular," said Sonia Manzano, who plays Maria on the show.
"Sesame Street" has outlasted top TV shows of every generation, from "Happy Days" and "MASH to "Magnum P.I." and "Friends."
"I think the thing that helped our longevity is the fact that we're willing to grow and change," said Loretta Long, who plays Susan on the show and has a doctorate in education. "We didn't come up with just one set format and ride it off into the sunset like most TV shows do."
To mark the 40th anniversary a temporary "Sesame Street" sign was placed at the corner of Columbus Avenue and West 64th Street in New York. First Lady Michelle Obama will also appear on the show.
"Wow, you know, I do not personally go to every single country but I think it is wonderful that people all over the world have a chance to learn their ABCs and 123s in whatever language," Grover told reporters.
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