Sesame Street - History of the Show

The show's original format called for the humans to be intermixed with the segments of animation, live-action shorts and Muppets. These segments were created to be like commercials -- quick, catchy and memorable -- and made the learning experience much more like fun. The format became a model for what is known today as edutainment-based programming.

CTW aired the program for test groups to determine if the revolutionary new format was likely to succeed. Results showed that test watchers were entranced when the ad-like segments aired, especially those with the jovial puppets, but were remarkably less interested in the street scenes. Psychologists warned CTW against a mixture of fantasy and reality elements, but producers soon decided to mix the elements. A simple dose of cartoon-like characters let the humans deliver messages without causing viewers to lose interest.

Sesame Street, along with several other Sesame Workshop - produced shows (such as The Electric Company, which was produced when Sesame Workshop was still CTW) are all taped in New York City. Originally they were taped at the Teletape Studios at 81st and Broadway in Manhattan, but the bankruptcy of Teletape's parent company, Reeves Entertainment, forced these productions to move to Kaufman Astoria Studios in neighboring Queens.

The brownstone architecture of Sesame Street, a fictional neighborhood in New York City, as well as the concept of neighbors from different backgrounds living in the same area and sharing their life experiences, is based in a neighborhood.

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