Forty years ago today, on November 10th 1969, the premiere episode of the classic children's education program Sesame Street aired. We're going to make an educated guess and assume that the majority of you reading this aren't current fans of Sesame Street, but most of us had some exposure to the educational cable program as tots.
The show certainly has changed a lot over the last forty years, but you'd be surprised just how far! For example, did you know Sesame Street was originally intended for inner-city children? The fact that it was such a hit with kids worldwide was a surprise to the show's creators. Cookie Monster also smoked a pipe in the early days, Oscar the Grouch was a LOT grouchier, and kids rode bikes - WITHOUT helmets.
You can buy the early editions on DVD, complete with warnings that the episodes may not be suitable for today's youth!
Just for kicks, check out this promo featuring Bert & Ernie that aired in the days prior to Sesame Street's premiere:
Happy Birthday Sesame Street! This post has been brought to you by the letter S and the number 4!
Did you watch Sesame Street as a kiddo? Who was your favorite character?
via Neatorama
