Celebrating 50 Years Of ‘Sesame Street’

Plus, Elmo, Big Bird and other Muppets intern at NPR.

As Sesame Street turns 50, NPR has been celebrating the TV show’s incredible impact on people around the globe — a half-century of teaching the world its ABCs, its 1-2-3s and how to be kind to others. VIDEOS NPR Sesame Street takes over NPR! Meet our newest set of interns — the Sesame Street crew! Big Bird, Elmo, Abby Cadabby, Rosita, Count von Count, Cookie Monster and other surprise guests recently took over our headquarters in Washington to show us their diverse talents and how they celebrate their inner public radio nerd. They came, they sang, they conquered!  Big Bird, Bert and Ernie, Rosita, Abby and Cookie Monster’s Tiny Desk concert was all about sunny days and how everything is A-OK. There was a lot of love as the cast of Sesame Street got to meet NPR hosts and newscasters, who in turn got to geek out meeting their favorite Muppets and the creators behind the felt and fur.  Jack Antonoff visits Sesame Street. Watch Bleachers frontman Jack Antonoff and Oscar the Grouch’s epic, garbage-strewn rendition of "I Love Trash," in which the two frolic in filth en route to one of the greatest exclamations the world has ever known: "Scram!" It's hard to delay gratification. Just ask Cookie Monster. Could it be possible that our favorite blue, furry monster has evolved? The Cookie we grew up with was pure id. But in recent years, the Sesame Workshop has sharpened its focus on social and emotional skills. Watch as he explains ways kids can learn emotional self-regulation and self-control. LISTENING TIME Slaven Vlasic/Getty Images How the music of Sesame Street keeps up with the times.  From 1969 to 2019, the show's central educational goal has held steady over the years, but its sound has not. The vaudeville-esque sound in the earliest seasons of the 1960s and '70s shifted into genres more contemporary to the decades that followed. In recent seasons, guest stars like Nick Jonas and will.i.am have performed Sesame Street originals on the show. (Listening time, 8:01)   LISTEN HERE PODCAST Sesame Workshop From NPR's Life Kit: Life lessons with Sesame Street's Sonia Manzano.   Actress Sonia Manzano played Maria for 44 seasons on Sesame Street. Her character followed Manzano's real-life milestones, such as marriage and motherhood. She also wrote for the show in later years, and helped the show address diversity issues. ​In this special episode of Life Kit's "Parenting: Difficult Converstations," Manzano reflects on the show’s impact, what she thinks was the show's most poignant moment — and which Muppet was secretly her favorite. (Listening time, 18:04)   LISTEN HERE We'd love to hear your thoughts, questions and feedback: bestofnpr@npr.org Enjoying this newsletter? Forward to a friend! They can sign up here. Looking for more great content? Check out all of our newsletter offerings — including Daily News, Politics, Health and more! You received this message because you're subscribed to our Best of NPR emails. |  Unsubscribe  |  Privacy Policy | NPR 1111 N. CAPITOL ST. NE WASHINGTON DC 20002