Fan mail address
Sesame Street
Sesame Workshop
One Lincoln Plaza
New York, NY 10023
USA
Address information
Sesame Workshop
(Production Company)
One Lincoln Plaza
New York, NY 10023
USA
Phone: (212) 595-3456
Fax: (212) 875-6088
Sesame Street is an American children’s television program that has educated and entertained children and families worldwide since its debut on November 10, 1969. Created by Joan Ganz Cooney and Lloyd Morrisett and produced by the Children’s Television Workshop (now known as Sesame Workshop), Sesame Street was groundbreaking for its combination of educational content, live-action, and animated sequences, and its unforgettable puppet characters created by Jim Henson. The show was designed to engage young children, particularly those from underserved communities, and help them develop fundamental academic and social skills before entering school.
The creators of Sesame Street conducted extensive research to develop a program that would capture children’s attention while providing a strong educational foundation. Its structure was inspired by commercials, with short, engaging segments that emphasized specific learning goals, like literacy, numeracy, and social-emotional skills. The show pioneered the concept of “edutainment”—educational content delivered in a highly entertaining format—and was among the first television programs to use research-based educational methods tailored to preschool-aged children.
The show’s central setting is a fictional, diverse urban neighborhood on Sesame Street, where characters of all backgrounds interact and support each other. This multicultural environment reflects the values of inclusion and diversity that are core to Sesame Street’s mission. The show’s human cast members and Muppet characters often tackle issues like empathy, tolerance, friendship, and understanding.
