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Street Gang: The Complete History of Sesame Street
The story of one of the most important and beloved shows on television-how it got started, nearly failed, and was saved by Elmo.
When the first episode aired on November 10, 1969, Sesame Street revolutionized the way education was presented to children on television. It has since become the longest-running children's show in history, and today reaches 8 million preschoolers on 350 PBS stations and airs in 120 countries.
Street Gang is the compelling and often comical story of the creation and history of this media masterpiece and pop culture landmark, told with the cooperation of one of the show's cofounders, Joan Ganz Cooney. Sesame Street was born as the result of a discussion at a dinner party at Cooney's home about the poor quality of children's programming and hit the air as a big bang of creative fusion from Jim Henson and company, quickly rocketing to success.
Street Gang traces the evolution of the show from its inspiration in the civil rights movement through its many ups and downs-from Nixon's trying to cut off its funding to the rise of Elmo-via the remarkable personalities who have contributed to it. Davis reveals how Sesame Street has taught millions of children not only their letters and numbers, but also cooperation and fair play, tolerance and self-respect, conflict resolution, and the importance of listening. This is the unforgettable story of five decades of social and cultural change and the miraculous creative efforts, passion, and commitment of the writers, producers, directors, animators, and puppeteers who created one of the most influential programs in the history of television.
When the first episode aired on November 10, 1969, Sesame Street revolutionized the way education was presented to children on television. It has since become the longest-running children's show in history, and today reaches 8 million preschoolers on 350 PBS stations and airs in 120 countries.
Street Gang is the compelling and often comical story of the creation and history of this media masterpiece and pop culture landmark, told with the cooperation of one of the show's cofounders, Joan Ganz Cooney. Sesame Street was born as the result of a discussion at a dinner party at Cooney's home about the poor quality of children's programming and hit the air as a big bang of creative fusion from Jim Henson and company, quickly rocketing to success.
Street Gang traces the evolution of the show from its inspiration in the civil rights movement through its many ups and downs-from Nixon's trying to cut off its funding to the rise of Elmo-via the remarkable personalities who have contributed to it. Davis reveals how Sesame Street has taught millions of children not only their letters and numbers, but also cooperation and fair play, tolerance and self-respect, conflict resolution, and the importance of listening. This is the unforgettable story of five decades of social and cultural change and the miraculous creative efforts, passion, and commitment of the writers, producers, directors, animators, and puppeteers who created one of the most influential programs in the history of television.
380 pages, Hardcover
First published December 24, 2008
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 733 reviews
October 20, 2019
I wrote an entire review that Goodreads deleted for me. I’m frustrated because it is one of my better efforts but I decided to make frustration into a Sesame Street teaching moment. I grew up during the 1980s when Sesame Street was in its heyday. Seasons would last over one hundred episodes and story arcs would be nearly as long. The human characters and muppets captivated my attention for nearly a decade as I continued to watch the show with my younger sibling well after I had graduated from the usual viewing age. Sesame Street will be celebrating its 50th anniversary in a few weeks so I was in search of a book behind its history. Former TV Guide writer Michael Davis wrote Street Gang ten years ago in honor of the show’s 40th anniversary and I decided to read it in anticipation of the 50th anniversary special planned for November 10.
If a reader is searching for the history of Bert, Ernie, and Big Bird, they will only find what they are looking for in the second half of this book. The first half is just as interesting as Davis outlines the early history of television, the gaps in quality educational programming for young children, and how the creative minds behind Sesame Street brought the show to where it is today. Or so the story goes CBS producer Lloyd Morrisett noticed his four year old daughter Sarah watching cartoons one morning in 1965. At a dinner party he brought the lack of educational programming to the attention of his friend Joan Ganz Cooney, a powerhouse of a woman at the dawn of the women’s movement, and together they founded a task force that would lead to the production of a quality television program for pre school age children, that would also bridge the gap between rich and poor. This was no small task because Public Television was in its nascent years, but Cooney was up to the challenge, and the rest, one can say, is history.
Sesame Street started in 1969 thanks to grants from the Ford and Carnegie Foundations and the Corporation for Public Broadcasting. With grants at an upward of $8 million, Cooney founded the Children’s Television Workshop, and once Sesame Street established itself as the show that Cooney and Morrisett had envisioned, the yearly grants and scheduling took care of itself. Producer Jon Stone envisioned a Street in the Bronx, and that is how the brownstone at 123 Sesame came to be. Combined with the talented song writing of Jeff Moss and Joe Raposo as well as the classic Muppets of Jim Henson, Sesame Street was an instant success. Children and their parents were mesmerized by the Muppets as well as the storylines featuring early hosts Susan, Gordon, Bob, and Maria. Combining their interactions with songs, games, and relatable Muppet characters, the show was a force to be reckoned with in the 1970s and beyond.
Davis devotes the second half of the book to the show itself and it’s human and Muppet characters. The 1980s, the decade when I watched the show, was when Sesame Street established itself as the iconic classic that it is today. Storylines featuring the death of Mr Hooper and Maria and Luis’ wedding lasted entire seasons. Children learned about life cycle events and in Big Bird found an eight foot tall ally who would teach them about life’s important moments. Susan and Gordon adopted Miles, deaf librarian Linda joined the cast, as well as Gina and Alan, who took over Hooper’s Store. Combined with classic songs as the Count counting to eight, C is for Cookie, and Ernie’s ballads I Don’t Want to Live on the Moon and Dance Myself to Sleep as well as classic Put Down the Duckie, the Sesame Street characters became a vital part of my childhood. Creative minds Stone, Moss, Raposo, and Henson gave the Street a strong foundation in the early days of educational programming for children. It is thanks to their efforts combined with Cooney’s visionary leadership that Sesame Street is still viable today.
Davis notes that in the years 1990-1995 many of the original founders of Sesame Street unexpectedly passed away. It was a time of transition for the show with a new generation of thinkers and competition from Barney the dinosaur. To combat Barney, the 21st century Street has focused on marketing machines Elmo and Zoe as well as other female characters Abby and Rosita to complement Bert, Ernie, and Big Bird. With the 50th anniversary upon us, Cookie Monster still spoofs movies once a week and Bert and Ernie take great adventures. Murray and his lamb explore New York, and new human characters have helped to modernize the street to show it as a melting pot of cultures that is 21st century America. With new innovative minds behind the scenes and new generations of kids who haven’t watched Sesame Street yet as well as classic clips available on YouTube, I would not be surprised if Sesame Street lasts another 50 years or more.
4 stars
If a reader is searching for the history of Bert, Ernie, and Big Bird, they will only find what they are looking for in the second half of this book. The first half is just as interesting as Davis outlines the early history of television, the gaps in quality educational programming for young children, and how the creative minds behind Sesame Street brought the show to where it is today. Or so the story goes CBS producer Lloyd Morrisett noticed his four year old daughter Sarah watching cartoons one morning in 1965. At a dinner party he brought the lack of educational programming to the attention of his friend Joan Ganz Cooney, a powerhouse of a woman at the dawn of the women’s movement, and together they founded a task force that would lead to the production of a quality television program for pre school age children, that would also bridge the gap between rich and poor. This was no small task because Public Television was in its nascent years, but Cooney was up to the challenge, and the rest, one can say, is history.
Sesame Street started in 1969 thanks to grants from the Ford and Carnegie Foundations and the Corporation for Public Broadcasting. With grants at an upward of $8 million, Cooney founded the Children’s Television Workshop, and once Sesame Street established itself as the show that Cooney and Morrisett had envisioned, the yearly grants and scheduling took care of itself. Producer Jon Stone envisioned a Street in the Bronx, and that is how the brownstone at 123 Sesame came to be. Combined with the talented song writing of Jeff Moss and Joe Raposo as well as the classic Muppets of Jim Henson, Sesame Street was an instant success. Children and their parents were mesmerized by the Muppets as well as the storylines featuring early hosts Susan, Gordon, Bob, and Maria. Combining their interactions with songs, games, and relatable Muppet characters, the show was a force to be reckoned with in the 1970s and beyond.
Davis devotes the second half of the book to the show itself and it’s human and Muppet characters. The 1980s, the decade when I watched the show, was when Sesame Street established itself as the iconic classic that it is today. Storylines featuring the death of Mr Hooper and Maria and Luis’ wedding lasted entire seasons. Children learned about life cycle events and in Big Bird found an eight foot tall ally who would teach them about life’s important moments. Susan and Gordon adopted Miles, deaf librarian Linda joined the cast, as well as Gina and Alan, who took over Hooper’s Store. Combined with classic songs as the Count counting to eight, C is for Cookie, and Ernie’s ballads I Don’t Want to Live on the Moon and Dance Myself to Sleep as well as classic Put Down the Duckie, the Sesame Street characters became a vital part of my childhood. Creative minds Stone, Moss, Raposo, and Henson gave the Street a strong foundation in the early days of educational programming for children. It is thanks to their efforts combined with Cooney’s visionary leadership that Sesame Street is still viable today.
Davis notes that in the years 1990-1995 many of the original founders of Sesame Street unexpectedly passed away. It was a time of transition for the show with a new generation of thinkers and competition from Barney the dinosaur. To combat Barney, the 21st century Street has focused on marketing machines Elmo and Zoe as well as other female characters Abby and Rosita to complement Bert, Ernie, and Big Bird. With the 50th anniversary upon us, Cookie Monster still spoofs movies once a week and Bert and Ernie take great adventures. Murray and his lamb explore New York, and new human characters have helped to modernize the street to show it as a melting pot of cultures that is 21st century America. With new innovative minds behind the scenes and new generations of kids who haven’t watched Sesame Street yet as well as classic clips available on YouTube, I would not be surprised if Sesame Street lasts another 50 years or more.
4 stars
April 19, 2009
I had such high hopes for this book, instead it was ridiculous. There was way too much information on people who really had little--if any--relevance to Sesame Street. For each person who did matter there were pages upon pages about the ancestry of that person. Do you really care what the great grandparents of the original executive producer did for a living? I'm pretty sure this guy wrote down every single note of research he did for this book as about half of it had nothing to do with anything. James Taylor appeared on Sesame Street three times. Here is a bulleted list of things he thought about while he was there.
Hence with so much useless information, Davis has a hard time organizing it all. Case in point: Davis is discussing Jim Hensen's funeral (including what color each person wore) only to interrupt his lengthy commentary to discuss (using 3 full paragraphs) who the actor who played Big Bird married the second time around, including the details of their courtship. Don't worry though because he returns to the play-by-play of the funeral right after that.
Don't bother with this one.
Hence with so much useless information, Davis has a hard time organizing it all. Case in point: Davis is discussing Jim Hensen's funeral (including what color each person wore) only to interrupt his lengthy commentary to discuss (using 3 full paragraphs) who the actor who played Big Bird married the second time around, including the details of their courtship. Don't worry though because he returns to the play-by-play of the funeral right after that.
Don't bother with this one.
March 22, 2009
There are some very valid criticisms of this book in the other reviews listed on this site. Yes, it is a bit misnamed because rather than being a Complete History of Sesame Street, it is more of a Complete History of the key players behind the making of Sesame Street. The first half of the book contains nearly every excruciating detail of anyone that was even remotely involved in the making of the show.
However, if you persevere through all this, the last half of the book has tremendous payoff. Once Sesame Street actually gets on the air (at about the midpoint of the book) the prose picks up and the book is a tremendously engaging read. As the 70s turn into the 80s and 90s, the prepping that Davis did in the first half of the book makes sense as to completely appreciate those who created Sesame Street requires understanding their origins.
A book that would give people a complete history of Sesame Street would be mammoth in both scope and size. This is the closest we'll get to that. And I, for one, am glad that Davis wrote this book and paid as close attention to detail as he did.
However, if you persevere through all this, the last half of the book has tremendous payoff. Once Sesame Street actually gets on the air (at about the midpoint of the book) the prose picks up and the book is a tremendously engaging read. As the 70s turn into the 80s and 90s, the prepping that Davis did in the first half of the book makes sense as to completely appreciate those who created Sesame Street requires understanding their origins.
A book that would give people a complete history of Sesame Street would be mammoth in both scope and size. This is the closest we'll get to that. And I, for one, am glad that Davis wrote this book and paid as close attention to detail as he did.
January 26, 2025
My favorite Sesame Street character, by FAR, was Snuffleupagus, AKA “Snuffy.” I’m convinced that my love for this big, loyal, furry, long-eyelashed friend led me to a lifetime of owning large, floofy, Muppet-like dogs! After Snuffy, my runner-up faves were Cookie Monster, Oscar the Grouch, and The Count. What characters did you love the most? As for the book itself - how could a book about Sesame Street ever be bad? This was a pretty straightforward history that was focused primarily on the people responsible for creating the show and getting and keeping it on air. I would have liked a lot more content on the development of the puppet characters themselves as well as of the standout special episodes or regular segments, although there is a bit of this. But in all, I cannot complain about a book telling the tale of a group of people determined to use then-newer forms of media to create something truly unprecedented, creative, non-commercial, educational, nurturing, and overall purely beneficial to young children.
August 6, 2009
Wow. I had such high hopes, but man, this was poorly written. Davis seemed compelled to include every random fact he discovered while researching the book, whether or not it had any remote relation to Sesame Street, or was even mildly interesting. One hundred and twenty pages into a 350 page book, and we're only up to a written proposal that maybe there should be a television show that tries to educate kids. But we've had time for mentions of Fred Friendly taking on McCarthy, the number of bridges constructed as part of the Works Progress Admisitration's budget, and the revelation that Joan Cooney's Jewish grandfather was a charter member of a restricted country club in Pheonix (Cooney was Henson's partner and one of the founders of Children's Television Workshop).
And the language, well, it's just painful. "As autumn turned to winter in 1929, a direful shadow crossed the continentm like biblical darkness falling upon Egypt." "Collegiate rivals Harvard and Yale can each claim a measure of paternity for Sesame Street. During the show's three-year gestation period, from 1966 to 1969, researcher, faculty leaders and graduates of both Ivy institutions touched nearly every phase of its development." Oh my lord.
And the language, well, it's just painful. "As autumn turned to winter in 1929, a direful shadow crossed the continentm like biblical darkness falling upon Egypt." "Collegiate rivals Harvard and Yale can each claim a measure of paternity for Sesame Street. During the show's three-year gestation period, from 1966 to 1969, researcher, faculty leaders and graduates of both Ivy institutions touched nearly every phase of its development." Oh my lord.
January 15, 2009
An informative, almost clincal, look at the people and personalities involved in bringing Sesame Street to life. Manage your expectations, though -- this is no year-by-year review of what occured on the show. In fact, the first show doesn't even air until slightly over mid-way through the book. Mostly, it's the story of a core group of educators, advocates, producers, financers, artists, and entertainers who turned a dinner party question -- "Can television be used to teach children?" -- into an International Institution.
Nearly all the players in here are committed to their cause and brilliant in their own ways -- and most of them also have ways of making the others around them crazy, whether its the egomania of songwriter Joe Raposo, the perfectionism of the do-it-all Jon Stone, or even Jim Henson's handwringing over being typecast as a Children's Puppeteer. The true hero here -- and thus the recipient of the most ink -- is Joan Ganz Cooney, who holds the organization together through sheer force of will and the power of her personality.
Again, manage your expectations. If you're looking for vignettes about the show and its sketches, Sesame Street Unpaved is probably the better book for you. This one is the behind-the-scenes look at the mechanics of creating, writing, directing, producing and, yes, politicking an enormously successful children's show.
Nearly all the players in here are committed to their cause and brilliant in their own ways -- and most of them also have ways of making the others around them crazy, whether its the egomania of songwriter Joe Raposo, the perfectionism of the do-it-all Jon Stone, or even Jim Henson's handwringing over being typecast as a Children's Puppeteer. The true hero here -- and thus the recipient of the most ink -- is Joan Ganz Cooney, who holds the organization together through sheer force of will and the power of her personality.
Again, manage your expectations. If you're looking for vignettes about the show and its sketches, Sesame Street Unpaved is probably the better book for you. This one is the behind-the-scenes look at the mechanics of creating, writing, directing, producing and, yes, politicking an enormously successful children's show.
January 1, 2009
Not what I was expecting, but not bad. More a history of the business of making the show than a history of what happened on the show throughout the years. I was kind of expecting a history of the storylines and the developments of the characters, but this was more the story of the people who worked in the background and made it all possible. A well-written, informative work nonetheless.
April 8, 2009
When I was in grad school, I signed up for a class called Death and Literature. The description sounded awesome and I was being a bit morbid. What it turned out to be was a philosophy class in literature class clothing, which resulted in me reading Heidegger for weeks at a time, only occasionally broken up by "She" or "Dracula." The few moments of awesomeness did not make up for the fact that I was dragged through "Being and Time." And that's what reading "Street Gang" is like.
This is not a complete history of Sesame Street. This is a slog through the personal histories of several of the key players who created Sesame Street: Joan Ganz Cooney, Jon Stone, David Connell, Sam Gibbon, and Jim Henson. And when I saw histories, I mean you learn about their parents' upbringing, their upbringing, schooling, weird relationships, everything! This book is hyper-detailed, bogging it down. What isn't about family history is about how the show got funded, which has the potential to be interesting if we weren't forced to walk through every step of the process. And, of course, we do. You finally get to the genesis of the show and its characters and stories in Chapter 12... so if you want just that, skip to page 166.
To finish my complaint on the book's completeness, it skims a fair amount of the 1980s (compared to the detail of earlier chapters) and gives very little info on the mid-1990s and beyond. This is probably because management changed at the CTW and Davis does not fawn over these people. Elmo is the most-covered subject during this time period.
I'd also have to say that the writing structure is incredibly awkward. Readers are flung forward and backward and forward again in time within the span of a few paragraphs, all usually to tell a story that usually doesn't need telling. Like did I need to know that Cooney's personal assistant attended her abusive ex-husband's funeral for her, so she could report back to her boss on how it went? Or should the moment Jane Henson steps forward to speak and Jim Henson's funeral really be the time Davis first brings up that they had had marital problems?
That's not to say that there aren't fascinating stories about Sesame Street, its creation, and its creators. The book is full of them, but you have to be patient and dig around to get them, and I'm not sure it's really worth your time. You do gain an appreciation for how ground-breaking this series was and still is. You also wonder if maybe it was a requirement that you have a terminal illness in your future, as much of the end of the book is dedicated to all the contributors to the show who died of cancer, AIDs, or other diseases. It's kind of frightening how many people involved in the show have died.
I can't say that I really recommend this book. Mostly, I recommend the middle of this book. Unless you're looking for a history and finances lesson, with some Muppets thrown in for good measure.
This is not a complete history of Sesame Street. This is a slog through the personal histories of several of the key players who created Sesame Street: Joan Ganz Cooney, Jon Stone, David Connell, Sam Gibbon, and Jim Henson. And when I saw histories, I mean you learn about their parents' upbringing, their upbringing, schooling, weird relationships, everything! This book is hyper-detailed, bogging it down. What isn't about family history is about how the show got funded, which has the potential to be interesting if we weren't forced to walk through every step of the process. And, of course, we do. You finally get to the genesis of the show and its characters and stories in Chapter 12... so if you want just that, skip to page 166.
To finish my complaint on the book's completeness, it skims a fair amount of the 1980s (compared to the detail of earlier chapters) and gives very little info on the mid-1990s and beyond. This is probably because management changed at the CTW and Davis does not fawn over these people. Elmo is the most-covered subject during this time period.
I'd also have to say that the writing structure is incredibly awkward. Readers are flung forward and backward and forward again in time within the span of a few paragraphs, all usually to tell a story that usually doesn't need telling. Like did I need to know that Cooney's personal assistant attended her abusive ex-husband's funeral for her, so she could report back to her boss on how it went? Or should the moment Jane Henson steps forward to speak and Jim Henson's funeral really be the time Davis first brings up that they had had marital problems?
That's not to say that there aren't fascinating stories about Sesame Street, its creation, and its creators. The book is full of them, but you have to be patient and dig around to get them, and I'm not sure it's really worth your time. You do gain an appreciation for how ground-breaking this series was and still is. You also wonder if maybe it was a requirement that you have a terminal illness in your future, as much of the end of the book is dedicated to all the contributors to the show who died of cancer, AIDs, or other diseases. It's kind of frightening how many people involved in the show have died.
I can't say that I really recommend this book. Mostly, I recommend the middle of this book. Unless you're looking for a history and finances lesson, with some Muppets thrown in for good measure.
August 12, 2012
They definitely taught me how to read before I went to school. We only had about two picture books* in the house but Sesame Street and Electric Company taught me so much. And The Muppet Show, less skill-based, was another constant favorite of mine for several years right before bedtime, not to mention Muppet Babies, which was excellent. And so far I love this book. But I got sad at the Jim Henson dying part. :'(
*The Tomtin and the Fox and The Velveteen Rabbit.
*The Tomtin and the Fox and The Velveteen Rabbit.
December 22, 2008
The television show that can appeal to children and make parents feel like they are good parents and upright citizens for showing it to their kids, that is where the money lies, my friends. Growing up I was not a discerning television viewer. I watched Mr. Rogers, Reading Rainbow, Pinwheel, Today’s Special, and a whole host of bad cartoons ranging from Space Ghost to that bizarre time traveling one that was basically just a half hour commercial for Laser Tag. There was maybe only one show amongst the batch that some part of my small reptilian brain recognized as better than the rest. I was an avid Sesame Street fan. I loved the show, the movies, the awful books they churned out ( The Monster at the End of this Book excepted). Oddly, this love didn’t fade as I grew up. I still have a strange fascination with the world it created and years ago I purchased Sesame Street Unpaved to sate some of my curiosity. Who were these people who created my mental childhood home? Who were the actors? The puppeteers? The writers? Unpaved didn’t do much to answer any of that, aside from giving me choice nuggets like the fact that Bob was a teen singing sensation in Japan. So the time seems just about right for Street Gang: The Complete History of Sesame Street. Pulling in at a cool 406 pages, author Michael Davis has gone above and beyond the call of duty. And while I might have removed a chunk or two for the sake of svelting down the book as a whole, you will not and can not find a book that will better answer your questions about the birth of this most impressive of children’s television shows.
It began at a dinner party where a man launched into a speech about the vast unfulfilled potential of television. It began with a sentence from a psychologist: “Do you think television could be used to teach small children?” There wasn’t any answer to either of these points at the time, until Sesame Street formed. Sesame Street, the greatest educational television show for young children ever created, was the product of a lot of sweat, tears, and psychological blood. Under the care of Joan Ganz Cooney it found its legs. Performers like Jim Henson were brought on board. Actors and teachers, corporations and people who worked the streets of Harlem... there were people involved in its birth that would have no idea of its future impact. With a practiced eye author Michael Davis dives into Sesame Street’s world, bringing up everything from previous children’s programming to musical geniuses to the death of Jim Henson and beyond. An exhaustive, almost entirely complete, examination of the forces behind Oscar, Big Bird, Bert, Ernie, and even Elmo.
Picking up the book I admit that at first I did not much care about the people behind the scenes. In fact, if you are reading this book solely for the purpose of finding out more about Carol Spinney and Sonya Manzano, you may just want to start reading at Chapter Fifteen and not look back. I’d encourage you to reconsider, though, because when you get right down to it Sesame Street owed its very existence to the people involved in everything from Howdy Doody to Captain Kangaroo. From Ding Dong School to Tinker’s Workshop, from Kukla Fran and Ollie to Laugh-In (it makes sense when you think about it), all these shows played some small role in Sesame Street’s creation. And then you start to become involved with these characters pulling the strings. Joan Ganz Cooney wasn’t just the show’s mother; she was and is a truly fascinating woman in her own right. The kind of person who was, for example, Vin Scully’s date the night the Dodger’s won the World Series in 1955. Every person involved has stories like this one in their histories. And Michael Davis has done his best to sniff them all out.
Of course, if all you want is to know about is information on the performers, there’s plenty of that to go around as well. This book delves into the nitty gritty of everything from Northern Calloway’s (David’s) mental instability (and the real reason he died) to the Belgian born jazzman who plays during the show’s musical opening. You can find out how every guy on the show essentially thought that Maria (Sonya Manzano) was way hot. Or the fact that Bob really really WAS a Japanese pop star for a while there. There is an odd blip when it comes to talking about the third Gordon on Sesame Street, Roscoe Orman. Davis chooses not to talk about this major player in spite of the fact that he is the Gordon most children watching from Season Six onward think of when his name is said. As one of the early major players, his absence is an odd glitch in an otherwise complete collection.
A significant portion of the book is dedicated to the seemingly dull but strangely fascinating topic of basic funding for an untested hypothesis: Can television teach? Our new millennium renders such a question almost laughable. Duh, of course it can teach. But it wasn’t so evident pre-Sesame Street. So it is that for me, a child of the 80s, the book provides some background to those mysterious names that would appears before and after each episode of the show. Things like The Children’s Television Workshop, The Carnegie Corporation, The Corporation for Public Broadcasting, and (altogether now) viewers like you! Children of the 60s may have memorized commercial jingles but children of the 80s memorized funding contributors.
Truth be told, Davis spends surprisingly little time considering the show in its later years. We know the changes it went through had something to do with Franklin Getchell. Something to do with the rise of Elmo. Something to do with the Tickle Me Elmo craze... actually a LOT to do with that. I was pleased as punch to read about the rise and fall of that brief attempt to expand the neighborhood with elements like a hotel and other places around the corner from “the street”. However, I was utterly unprepared for the revelation that Abby Cadabby, the Ally McBeal of the Sesame Street universe, was the direct brainchild of Joan Ganz Cooney herself. That hurt. Now we have a show that is profitable, that can compete with Nick Toons, the Disney Channel, and other major competitors, but that somehow lost its way in the process. It met Barney head-on and then proceeded to emulate that horrid purple dinosaur. Not the happy ending one might have hoped for.
In terms of the writing itself, as an author Davis plays with time and continuity like a child with a bouncy bauble. One minute you’re in the 1950s, then you suddenly leap forward to the 70s, and then back again to where you were when you started. One such example is when he mentions the Children Television Workshop on page 121 (I’m working off of a galley, so my page numbers may not match up to the final copy) and then doesn’t go about explaining what it is until page 127. The result is that you’re left with the impression that you must have missed something along the way. It also means that as an author Davis has decided to be consistent about names, which adds its own confusion. For example, Joan Ganz Cooney is always referred to as Cooney (her married name) even when we hear about her pre-married life, while Sesame Street is always called by that name rather than a generic “the show”, which makes the whole how-it-got-its-name section seem almost redundant (not to say, confusing).
Davis also has a penchant for a pretty bizarre turn of phrase. When discussing the hanky panky that went on behind the scenes he says with a straight face, “Philandering tends to rub the topcoat off a man’s soul. All it took was a look at the reflection in the shaving mirror to see the painful loss of luster. ” Hoo boy. Or how about the night Sesame Street was thought of, which involved some people having a dinner from a recipe in a Julia Child book. “Let history note, then, that Julia Child, public television’s grand dame, provided the savory sauce poured on the night Sesame Street was conceived.” But you can get used to it. Once you get into Davis’s style the words become enjoyable. Like describing Jon Stone’s attempts to sidestep “a water bug the size of a Sunsweet prune.”
Of course, the book is long. Too long, one might think. For a Sesame Street fanatic like myself, this is not a problem. I love diving into the minute details and the millions of tiny backstories. Others who simply want a comprehensive look at the show itself, however, may find themselves wading through a lot of information before they find what they want. So while I enjoyed every page in my own way, I concede that some judicious pruning would probably be in order.
In the end, the book makes for a perfect complement to the Sesame Street Old School: Vol. 1 DVD released a year or two ago. The information gathered in the book spills over nicely into the DVD. Now before picking this title up, I suggest that you figure out what kind of Sesame Street fan you are. If you’ve only a passing interest in the show, you may wish to skim this book. If you are a rabid fan, it will answer your every need. And if you fall somewhere in the middle you will find a book that answers your questions, raises even more, and though a bit long is a fun and satisfying look at a world that has passed. A world that did a lot of good in its day, and that will continue to charm in one way or another.
For adults.
It began at a dinner party where a man launched into a speech about the vast unfulfilled potential of television. It began with a sentence from a psychologist: “Do you think television could be used to teach small children?” There wasn’t any answer to either of these points at the time, until Sesame Street formed. Sesame Street, the greatest educational television show for young children ever created, was the product of a lot of sweat, tears, and psychological blood. Under the care of Joan Ganz Cooney it found its legs. Performers like Jim Henson were brought on board. Actors and teachers, corporations and people who worked the streets of Harlem... there were people involved in its birth that would have no idea of its future impact. With a practiced eye author Michael Davis dives into Sesame Street’s world, bringing up everything from previous children’s programming to musical geniuses to the death of Jim Henson and beyond. An exhaustive, almost entirely complete, examination of the forces behind Oscar, Big Bird, Bert, Ernie, and even Elmo.
Picking up the book I admit that at first I did not much care about the people behind the scenes. In fact, if you are reading this book solely for the purpose of finding out more about Carol Spinney and Sonya Manzano, you may just want to start reading at Chapter Fifteen and not look back. I’d encourage you to reconsider, though, because when you get right down to it Sesame Street owed its very existence to the people involved in everything from Howdy Doody to Captain Kangaroo. From Ding Dong School to Tinker’s Workshop, from Kukla Fran and Ollie to Laugh-In (it makes sense when you think about it), all these shows played some small role in Sesame Street’s creation. And then you start to become involved with these characters pulling the strings. Joan Ganz Cooney wasn’t just the show’s mother; she was and is a truly fascinating woman in her own right. The kind of person who was, for example, Vin Scully’s date the night the Dodger’s won the World Series in 1955. Every person involved has stories like this one in their histories. And Michael Davis has done his best to sniff them all out.
Of course, if all you want is to know about is information on the performers, there’s plenty of that to go around as well. This book delves into the nitty gritty of everything from Northern Calloway’s (David’s) mental instability (and the real reason he died) to the Belgian born jazzman who plays during the show’s musical opening. You can find out how every guy on the show essentially thought that Maria (Sonya Manzano) was way hot. Or the fact that Bob really really WAS a Japanese pop star for a while there. There is an odd blip when it comes to talking about the third Gordon on Sesame Street, Roscoe Orman. Davis chooses not to talk about this major player in spite of the fact that he is the Gordon most children watching from Season Six onward think of when his name is said. As one of the early major players, his absence is an odd glitch in an otherwise complete collection.
A significant portion of the book is dedicated to the seemingly dull but strangely fascinating topic of basic funding for an untested hypothesis: Can television teach? Our new millennium renders such a question almost laughable. Duh, of course it can teach. But it wasn’t so evident pre-Sesame Street. So it is that for me, a child of the 80s, the book provides some background to those mysterious names that would appears before and after each episode of the show. Things like The Children’s Television Workshop, The Carnegie Corporation, The Corporation for Public Broadcasting, and (altogether now) viewers like you! Children of the 60s may have memorized commercial jingles but children of the 80s memorized funding contributors.
Truth be told, Davis spends surprisingly little time considering the show in its later years. We know the changes it went through had something to do with Franklin Getchell. Something to do with the rise of Elmo. Something to do with the Tickle Me Elmo craze... actually a LOT to do with that. I was pleased as punch to read about the rise and fall of that brief attempt to expand the neighborhood with elements like a hotel and other places around the corner from “the street”. However, I was utterly unprepared for the revelation that Abby Cadabby, the Ally McBeal of the Sesame Street universe, was the direct brainchild of Joan Ganz Cooney herself. That hurt. Now we have a show that is profitable, that can compete with Nick Toons, the Disney Channel, and other major competitors, but that somehow lost its way in the process. It met Barney head-on and then proceeded to emulate that horrid purple dinosaur. Not the happy ending one might have hoped for.
In terms of the writing itself, as an author Davis plays with time and continuity like a child with a bouncy bauble. One minute you’re in the 1950s, then you suddenly leap forward to the 70s, and then back again to where you were when you started. One such example is when he mentions the Children Television Workshop on page 121 (I’m working off of a galley, so my page numbers may not match up to the final copy) and then doesn’t go about explaining what it is until page 127. The result is that you’re left with the impression that you must have missed something along the way. It also means that as an author Davis has decided to be consistent about names, which adds its own confusion. For example, Joan Ganz Cooney is always referred to as Cooney (her married name) even when we hear about her pre-married life, while Sesame Street is always called by that name rather than a generic “the show”, which makes the whole how-it-got-its-name section seem almost redundant (not to say, confusing).
Davis also has a penchant for a pretty bizarre turn of phrase. When discussing the hanky panky that went on behind the scenes he says with a straight face, “Philandering tends to rub the topcoat off a man’s soul. All it took was a look at the reflection in the shaving mirror to see the painful loss of luster. ” Hoo boy. Or how about the night Sesame Street was thought of, which involved some people having a dinner from a recipe in a Julia Child book. “Let history note, then, that Julia Child, public television’s grand dame, provided the savory sauce poured on the night Sesame Street was conceived.” But you can get used to it. Once you get into Davis’s style the words become enjoyable. Like describing Jon Stone’s attempts to sidestep “a water bug the size of a Sunsweet prune.”
Of course, the book is long. Too long, one might think. For a Sesame Street fanatic like myself, this is not a problem. I love diving into the minute details and the millions of tiny backstories. Others who simply want a comprehensive look at the show itself, however, may find themselves wading through a lot of information before they find what they want. So while I enjoyed every page in my own way, I concede that some judicious pruning would probably be in order.
In the end, the book makes for a perfect complement to the Sesame Street Old School: Vol. 1 DVD released a year or two ago. The information gathered in the book spills over nicely into the DVD. Now before picking this title up, I suggest that you figure out what kind of Sesame Street fan you are. If you’ve only a passing interest in the show, you may wish to skim this book. If you are a rabid fan, it will answer your every need. And if you fall somewhere in the middle you will find a book that answers your questions, raises even more, and though a bit long is a fun and satisfying look at a world that has passed. A world that did a lot of good in its day, and that will continue to charm in one way or another.
For adults.
September 3, 2016
3.25 stars
This is pretty much what the subtitle says: a history of Sesame Street. The first half of the book was getting Sesame Street to air. Much of the book also included mini-biographies of many of the Sesame Street “players”, including behind the scenes people, puppeteers, and on-screen actors.
I have to admit I was a bit disappointed. I was hoping for more fun behind-the-scenes stuff, but there was a lot of business history...a lot of business. I don't mind biographies, and some were more interesting than others, but the best of the book, for me, was after Sesame Street started airing and there was more behind-the-scenes info. It makes me want to see if I can find some of the episodes online. I particularly enjoyed the description of the episode that aired after Mr. Hooper's death and how it was explained to Big Bird.
This is pretty much what the subtitle says: a history of Sesame Street. The first half of the book was getting Sesame Street to air. Much of the book also included mini-biographies of many of the Sesame Street “players”, including behind the scenes people, puppeteers, and on-screen actors.
I have to admit I was a bit disappointed. I was hoping for more fun behind-the-scenes stuff, but there was a lot of business history...a lot of business. I don't mind biographies, and some were more interesting than others, but the best of the book, for me, was after Sesame Street started airing and there was more behind-the-scenes info. It makes me want to see if I can find some of the episodes online. I particularly enjoyed the description of the episode that aired after Mr. Hooper's death and how it was explained to Big Bird.
October 23, 2019
Thorough, excellent, entertaining -- and, I should add, HELPFUL, if, say, you're a television critic in 2019 tasked with getting your head around five decades of "Sesame Street's" success and origin story. (Even if you're of an age to have been among the first toddlers to soak it up circa 1970.)
What you've read here in other people's reviews is true: It takes more than half of the book just to get to the premiere of "Sesame Street" on TV in 1969. But it's a fascinating build.
What you've read here in other people's reviews is true: It takes more than half of the book just to get to the premiere of "Sesame Street" on TV in 1969. But it's a fascinating build.
Read
August 4, 2023DNF 15%
May 14, 2021
Wow! Talk about a LOT of information to digest.
First of all, I think there’s a lot of validity to those who say the first part is really about the history of children’s TV. But it’s really worth the read, because to start the story just at Sesame Street would really do a disservice to the understanding of HOW it got to be made. And the process is something Sesame Street honors, almost above all things.
When Michael Davis gets into the beginning of the show, his writing really shines. You will be pulled along with all the beginning actors on the show.
What I think doesn’t work is the lack of overall narrative. It’s a lot of facts and anecdotes. I think if this book had been published in 2019, that would have happened. But I think this one hit the shelves at a weird time in the non-fiction world.
Also, the ending is a lot of how people died, and that’s a real bummer to read. Although there’s not much Davis could have done differently there. It’s tragic, but also part of Sesame Street.
I think the biggest issues I have is that Davis assumes readers know who is who, or why they matter. Like Carroll Spinney - would a casual reader know? I’m not sure. The focus on the hey day of the 70s and 80s really makes this book aimed at a certain demographic. For people like me, watching Sesame Street in the 90s, it almost feels as if the show was over by the time I got around to watching it.
The assumption that readers know (or remember the previously introduced) person (in a book filled with dozens of people to keep straight) is tough. And also it lacks the necessary understanding of how tech was just...different in the 70s. Would a young reader even know what a UHF station is? Did those readers ever have dial TVs they had to navigate through signals? I think that some of that could have been explained better, making this book more evergreen.
But the interviews done - priceless. This book is priceless, knowing how paradigm shifting Sesame Street was for children’s TV.
First of all, I think there’s a lot of validity to those who say the first part is really about the history of children’s TV. But it’s really worth the read, because to start the story just at Sesame Street would really do a disservice to the understanding of HOW it got to be made. And the process is something Sesame Street honors, almost above all things.
When Michael Davis gets into the beginning of the show, his writing really shines. You will be pulled along with all the beginning actors on the show.
What I think doesn’t work is the lack of overall narrative. It’s a lot of facts and anecdotes. I think if this book had been published in 2019, that would have happened. But I think this one hit the shelves at a weird time in the non-fiction world.
Also, the ending is a lot of how people died, and that’s a real bummer to read. Although there’s not much Davis could have done differently there. It’s tragic, but also part of Sesame Street.
I think the biggest issues I have is that Davis assumes readers know who is who, or why they matter. Like Carroll Spinney - would a casual reader know? I’m not sure. The focus on the hey day of the 70s and 80s really makes this book aimed at a certain demographic. For people like me, watching Sesame Street in the 90s, it almost feels as if the show was over by the time I got around to watching it.
The assumption that readers know (or remember the previously introduced) person (in a book filled with dozens of people to keep straight) is tough. And also it lacks the necessary understanding of how tech was just...different in the 70s. Would a young reader even know what a UHF station is? Did those readers ever have dial TVs they had to navigate through signals? I think that some of that could have been explained better, making this book more evergreen.
But the interviews done - priceless. This book is priceless, knowing how paradigm shifting Sesame Street was for children’s TV.
August 21, 2025
Nixon not wanting public access media and wanting to not let Sesame Street become a television show vs… well. Y’all know who in 2025. Time is a flat circle.
Btw me crying over Mr. Hooper at 25 is also another thing that shows that time is a flat circle because I was doing that same thing at 4. 💀
Btw me crying over Mr. Hooper at 25 is also another thing that shows that time is a flat circle because I was doing that same thing at 4. 💀
September 24, 2025
3.5 rounded up. Joan Gantz Cooney - thanks for being the force behind Sesame Street and making it what it is today. Felt topical to also learn about the FCC trying to limit and censor what exactly they could teach on Sesame Street because they couldn’t understand the target audience. Interesting.
July 12, 2025
this made me weirdly emotional!! i got choked up at times
April 25, 2012
I'm an adult, and realize that TV shows are not real, that the characters are actors, and that "Josh Lyman" isn't a real person, but rather Bradley Whitford portraying a character. Despite the fact that I'm an adult and understand how TV and the Land of Make-Believe works, I still forget that the people on Sesame Street aren't real people, but are *characters*. I swear, if I ever saw this man, I'd yell "Gordon!"
The book started out a bit slow for me--I wanted to read about Sesame Street, but Davis goes back waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaay back to the beginning of television and to the biographies of each individual involved with the formation of the show. In retrospect, it makes sense since, really, there wouldn't be a Sesame Street if Person A hadn't had that one thought, and Person B hadn't had a similar thought, and Person C hadn't been there to give such-and-such help, etc. It's just that I was expecting a *little bit* of background, and then lots of The Show Through the Years. But I came to appreciate Davis' approach to the book.
The end, though, was extremely disappointing. The book is titled The Complete History, and yet the history really leaves off at about 1990. Davis does mention some things that happened after 1990 or so, but it's mostly deaths, Elmo, Zoe, Abby, and the attempts to revamp the show, particularly in 1994 with the "Around the Corner" plan to introduce new characters and settings down the street from Sesame Street. The final chapter is 45 pages long, and all but 11 pages are about the deaths of creators and other cast and production people. That should have been included in the Epilogue, not as a bummer final chapter. More about the 1990s and 2000s (see *complete* history), please, and less about one death after another (Man, 30-plus pages of "He died. He died. She's sick. He died." *I* wanted to die!)
It's kind of interesting, as a side-note, to see how Sesame Street, Maggie Gyllenhall, Joss Whedon, and Holly Robinson-Peete are all intertwined.
And as we know, I *hate* sloppy editing. There was a lot in here, unfortunately -- endnotes and text mismatches, missing quotation marks, etc.
The book started out a bit slow for me--I wanted to read about Sesame Street, but Davis goes back waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaay back to the beginning of television and to the biographies of each individual involved with the formation of the show. In retrospect, it makes sense since, really, there wouldn't be a Sesame Street if Person A hadn't had that one thought, and Person B hadn't had a similar thought, and Person C hadn't been there to give such-and-such help, etc. It's just that I was expecting a *little bit* of background, and then lots of The Show Through the Years. But I came to appreciate Davis' approach to the book.
The end, though, was extremely disappointing. The book is titled The Complete History, and yet the history really leaves off at about 1990. Davis does mention some things that happened after 1990 or so, but it's mostly deaths, Elmo, Zoe, Abby, and the attempts to revamp the show, particularly in 1994 with the "Around the Corner" plan to introduce new characters and settings down the street from Sesame Street. The final chapter is 45 pages long, and all but 11 pages are about the deaths of creators and other cast and production people. That should have been included in the Epilogue, not as a bummer final chapter. More about the 1990s and 2000s (see *complete* history), please, and less about one death after another (Man, 30-plus pages of "He died. He died. She's sick. He died." *I* wanted to die!)
It's kind of interesting, as a side-note, to see how Sesame Street, Maggie Gyllenhall, Joss Whedon, and Holly Robinson-Peete are all intertwined.
And as we know, I *hate* sloppy editing. There was a lot in here, unfortunately -- endnotes and text mismatches, missing quotation marks, etc.
January 29, 2010
Yes, the style of this book -- interview snippet after interview snippet after disjointed point in Sesame Street's history was not so hot.
I thought it worked just fine as Sesame Street was still a twinkle in the eyes of its creators. The complicated process of gathering both the entertainers and experts on children's education and the revolutionary idea of setting the show in the inner city in a way that could interest inner city kids as well as just about every other kid in the world really all came together very coherently, as the book illustrated.
But Part Two -- what actually happened once Sesame Street succeeded was really disjointed, probably could have been written in bullet points. A stronger unifying thesis would have made it hella better. Nonetheless, it reminded me of some of the most powerful parts of Sesame Street: the Christmas episode, Mr. Hooper's Death, Maria and Luis's wedding. Some of these made me cry on the bus -- the great thing about Sesame Street, which this book reminded me of, was how it was honest and simple and wildly creative at the same time. I was glad it traced the downward turn of the nineties with all the old guard that started it getting old and dying, while the show started losing its integrity. The slightly infuriating addition of Around The Corner (cleaned up suburbanized Sesame) happened right around the time I stopped watching, and I thankfully missed out on the bulk of Zoe, and all of the Elmo's World junk...this book was a little bit too pro-Elmo, but I liked the story that Elmo was born when his original puppeteer threw him across the room at the underling puppeteer and said disgustedly "Somebody find a voice for this guy!"
In general, just an ok book, but it reminded me throughout of something I love dearly and that has shaped my and millions of other children's outlook on life for the last thirty years, and that was exactly what I needed. That and sesame street on Youtube. Hooray.
I thought it worked just fine as Sesame Street was still a twinkle in the eyes of its creators. The complicated process of gathering both the entertainers and experts on children's education and the revolutionary idea of setting the show in the inner city in a way that could interest inner city kids as well as just about every other kid in the world really all came together very coherently, as the book illustrated.
But Part Two -- what actually happened once Sesame Street succeeded was really disjointed, probably could have been written in bullet points. A stronger unifying thesis would have made it hella better. Nonetheless, it reminded me of some of the most powerful parts of Sesame Street: the Christmas episode, Mr. Hooper's Death, Maria and Luis's wedding. Some of these made me cry on the bus -- the great thing about Sesame Street, which this book reminded me of, was how it was honest and simple and wildly creative at the same time. I was glad it traced the downward turn of the nineties with all the old guard that started it getting old and dying, while the show started losing its integrity. The slightly infuriating addition of Around The Corner (cleaned up suburbanized Sesame) happened right around the time I stopped watching, and I thankfully missed out on the bulk of Zoe, and all of the Elmo's World junk...this book was a little bit too pro-Elmo, but I liked the story that Elmo was born when his original puppeteer threw him across the room at the underling puppeteer and said disgustedly "Somebody find a voice for this guy!"
In general, just an ok book, but it reminded me throughout of something I love dearly and that has shaped my and millions of other children's outlook on life for the last thirty years, and that was exactly what I needed. That and sesame street on Youtube. Hooray.
January 11, 2011
This book is an indispensible mess. Too scholarly for general readers and too general for scholarly readers, it does not include a survey of scholarly articles about the effectiveness of the series that scholars will expect, but includes a long chapter on the history of CAPTAIN KANGEROO, exactly the kind of detail that scholars expect but will bore many other readers when the information pertinent to the story Davis tells could be summarized in two paragraphs. The documentation is below scholarly standards, but there is far more of it than most readers want. This neither fish nor fowl quality makes long passages seem both underdone and unnecessary, which is a very odd result.
Add to this that the last hundred or so pages do not seem of a piece with all that came before. The book had been an almost painstaking history of SESAME STREET, but now alternates skips-through-time scenes of the continued history with the old guard growing sick and dying. It makes for a strange flow. A “where are they now” appendix would have been a happier solution. The developmental editor may have let Davis down, but he does his best not to let readers down. This is a wonderfully full account of the origins, development, and early days of SESAME STREET, with a briefer summary of the past 20 years, but an odd reading experience.
Add to this that the last hundred or so pages do not seem of a piece with all that came before. The book had been an almost painstaking history of SESAME STREET, but now alternates skips-through-time scenes of the continued history with the old guard growing sick and dying. It makes for a strange flow. A “where are they now” appendix would have been a happier solution. The developmental editor may have let Davis down, but he does his best not to let readers down. This is a wonderfully full account of the origins, development, and early days of SESAME STREET, with a briefer summary of the past 20 years, but an odd reading experience.
May 17, 2016
Social trends, complaints about the banality of children's television, professional ambitions and personal genius combined in a profoundly unlikely way in the 1960s to produce Sesame Street, a show of unparalleled influence that taught generations of children to count and read. At the center of a cast of interesting characters to breathe the show to life was Jim Henson, a puppet performer who saw himself as an entertainer of adults first and foremost, but also as someone who had something to say to kids as well.
This history of the show—how it almost never happened and the people who defied the odds to bring it to life—is an interesting tale of imaginative and stubborn artists and executives who wanted to do right by children. The story of how they succeeded, and how they weathered the show's decline and the loss of Henson in the decades that followed is filled with humor, pride and grief.
As a fan of history and of Sesame Street, I found the story interesting, if not especially dramatic (well, stories of one performer's manic-depression, cocaine use and battery incarceration notwithstanding). But the book is filled with gems about the origins of favorites like Bert, Ernie, Big Bird and Cookie Monster, which made me smile and laugh and remember just how welcoming and warm the show's characters were.
This history of the show—how it almost never happened and the people who defied the odds to bring it to life—is an interesting tale of imaginative and stubborn artists and executives who wanted to do right by children. The story of how they succeeded, and how they weathered the show's decline and the loss of Henson in the decades that followed is filled with humor, pride and grief.
As a fan of history and of Sesame Street, I found the story interesting, if not especially dramatic (well, stories of one performer's manic-depression, cocaine use and battery incarceration notwithstanding). But the book is filled with gems about the origins of favorites like Bert, Ernie, Big Bird and Cookie Monster, which made me smile and laugh and remember just how welcoming and warm the show's characters were.
February 2, 2013
Big Bird, Cookie Monster, Burt & Ernie, Oscar and Elmo (who came in the 90’s) – all of these are common household names and icons. Who would have thought this with the show’s first appearance in 1969.
This book details the gestation period of Sesame Street. This almost takes us half-way through the book before we get to the first TV show. There are many details on the myriad personalities involved. It definitely proves that Sesame Street was a team effort of a wide assortment of personalities – producers, writers, actors, puppeteers and musicians. It was not one person who made Sesame Street what it is – it was a group of very talented individuals. Some, like Jim Henson, were famous before Sesame Street. But it was Sesame Street that made them remarkable and eternal in our memory.
Mr. Davis describes the lives and the motivations of these people. At times there are so many of them that it becomes confusing as to who was who and the roles played – one would almost require a small index at the end of the book with a brief time outline of their careers.
Because the show is now over forty years old some have died, many prematurely (Jim Henson comes easily to mind). Nevertheless Sesame Street endures, educates and entertains.
This book details the gestation period of Sesame Street. This almost takes us half-way through the book before we get to the first TV show. There are many details on the myriad personalities involved. It definitely proves that Sesame Street was a team effort of a wide assortment of personalities – producers, writers, actors, puppeteers and musicians. It was not one person who made Sesame Street what it is – it was a group of very talented individuals. Some, like Jim Henson, were famous before Sesame Street. But it was Sesame Street that made them remarkable and eternal in our memory.
Mr. Davis describes the lives and the motivations of these people. At times there are so many of them that it becomes confusing as to who was who and the roles played – one would almost require a small index at the end of the book with a brief time outline of their careers.
Because the show is now over forty years old some have died, many prematurely (Jim Henson comes easily to mind). Nevertheless Sesame Street endures, educates and entertains.
July 31, 2016
It's quite an interesting story, particularly the combination of forces that connected a plucky band of idealistic and dedicated researchers with the wizard that was Jim Henson. I listened to the audio version narrated by Carroll Spinney (Big Bird). Interestingly, he did a nice impersonation of Henson, but watered down his voices (to my ear) when quoting his own characters, like he didn't want it to seem too shticky. Still, it was warming to hear the story told in a familiar cadence, and it added another layer of poignancy when he was describing his own participation in Henson's memorial service.
I was glad the story included how Sesame Street planted the seeds for Avenue Q. That felt like fun bonus material. And I never knew about the grave mental-health and drug issues that plagued Northern Calloway (David). Nor did I know that Henson struggled with how badly he did not want to be thought of as a children's entertainer. I coincidentally found myself listening to the story of how Gordon, Bob, and Luis were cast on the same day I would find out they had been let go from the cast. That was a bit surreal. But overall, this is a great history for anyone who grew up on the show--particularly on "classic" Sesame Street.
I was glad the story included how Sesame Street planted the seeds for Avenue Q. That felt like fun bonus material. And I never knew about the grave mental-health and drug issues that plagued Northern Calloway (David). Nor did I know that Henson struggled with how badly he did not want to be thought of as a children's entertainer. I coincidentally found myself listening to the story of how Gordon, Bob, and Luis were cast on the same day I would find out they had been let go from the cast. That was a bit surreal. But overall, this is a great history for anyone who grew up on the show--particularly on "classic" Sesame Street.
April 28, 2009
I'm FINALLY able to say this book has been read, but it wasn't fun. I struggled through this one and am left feeling irritable and angry that I wasted my time. The writing was very hard to follow because it didn't flow, and since I had no idea who these people were I was lost numerous times. More photos of the people who were being spoken of would have helped me. I also was very miffed about all the background about Captain Kangaroo. I've never seen the show (sorry) and don't want to know what a mean man he was. Too much irrelevant detail, too much Clooney, and not enough of the characters and Muppets. The complete history of Sesame Street. Bah.
March 2, 2009
This book was what it says, "a complete" history. I thought it was going to focus mostly on the TV show itself, mainly what the viewers saw and remembered.
It gives detailed accounts of producers/directors pre-Sesame. Not something I was interested in. It does give some insider details, but nothing I wanted to learn about.
To me, it was more text book than novel. What I was hoping for was a trip down memory lane, with the secret of how and why the characters were chosen. Maybe this information was in there, but I was too bored to pay attention.
It gives detailed accounts of producers/directors pre-Sesame. Not something I was interested in. It does give some insider details, but nothing I wanted to learn about.
To me, it was more text book than novel. What I was hoping for was a trip down memory lane, with the secret of how and why the characters were chosen. Maybe this information was in there, but I was too bored to pay attention.
February 23, 2009
I fully expected to like this book, as I adore Sesame Street and grew up with it. However, it went into such minute detail about every possible person connected to the creation of the show that it bogged itself down. And it contains one of the cheesiest lines ever, "his trip down the birth canal was delayed....." Awful.
November 24, 2017
Very interesting look at the history of Children's TV. Talks a little about Captain Kangaroo, Howdy Dowdy and a few others. Very adult look at behind the scenes and the network workings.
July 16, 2020
So I think I've read most, if not all, bios and non-fiction books about Jim Henson, and most of them tend to be more about the Muppets than Sesame Street, so I was looking forward to this one. This is definitely the most in-depth history of the show I've seen compiled, but the book wasn't exactly what I thought, or hoped it would be. And disclaimer- I read the first 75 pages or so dilligently, and then skimmed through the next hundred pages or so because the detail level regarding the broad history of children's television and Captain Kangaroo, and Joan Cooney's family ancestry simply bored me, and I almost put the book down for good. Am glad I persevered, though, because the second half was genuinely interesting. I particularly liked hearing the backgrounds of the actors on the set- Loretta Long and Bob McGrath and Matt Robinson and the tragic/creepy/sad battles with mental illness of Northern Calloway. I also found the history of the political battles regarding CTW and public broadcasting funding interesting, and the stories about the rivalry between the two main songwriters for the series. The book overall, though, was too long, and the background history too much, too much about Joan Cooney, and while there was plenty about the puppeteers, there was not enough about the actual Muppets themselves for me as a fan. I also felt that by kind of wrapping up describing how most of the original movers and shakers of the show had died, that they didn't FINISH the earlier part of the narrative regarding funding and ratings and how Sesame Street actually has lost its hour long shows produced primarily for PBS-- that seems like it should have been VERY relevant to much of what the book covered, yet was totally left out. I definitely learned a ton about the history of the show, and this book would be a valuable resource for someone doing an academic paper about children's television history, Sesame Street in general, or PBS as an entity; however it was at times a very dense read and didn't flow particularly well. The best parts of the writing tended to be describing funerals and memorial services of people who've died, and when it talked about particular plot arcs and lessons taught by Sesame Street to its viewers over the years. So 3 stars- I liked it, but most people would not, and I wouldn't necessarily recommend it to anyone other than folks with weird fandoms and obsessions to Henson and the Muppets (like me).
June 17, 2021
Started reading this as an e-book, switched to audio and immensely enjoyed this peek into the world of Sesame Street. I think this is a good jumping off point to learning more about the actors/actresses behind the muppets. Watching Sesame Street with my daughter, I'm entertained by the humor. I find myself singing the songs and love the larger than life personalities.
April 17, 2024
I really enjoyed this! It was an interesting dive into Sesame Street that had some good details on how the show responded to the rise of Barney, and some of the internal struggles over what the show would represent and how. Makes a great companion piece to the (possibly superior) Sunny Days.
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