Editing Sesame Street (section)

==Reception==
{{Main|Influence of Sesame Street{{!}}Influence of ''Sesame Street''}}

===Ratings===
When ''Sesame Street'' premiered on November 10, 1969, it aired on only 67.6% of American televisions, but it earned a 3.3 [[Nielsen ratings|Nielsen]] rating, which totaled 1.9 million households.<ref name="Seligsohn">Seligsohn, Leo. (February 9, 1970). "Backstage at Sesame Street". ''New York Newsday''. Quoted in Davis, p. 197.</ref> By the show's tenth anniversary in 1979, nine million American children under the age of 6 were watching ''Sesame Street'' daily. According to a 1993 survey conducted by the U.S. Department of Education, out of the show's 6.6 million viewers, 2.4 million kindergartners regularly watched it. 77% of preschoolers watched it once a week, and 86% of kindergartners and first- and second-grade students had watched it once a week before starting school. The show reached most young children in almost all demographic groups.<ref name="zill-117">{{cite book | last = Zill | first = Nicholas | title = "G" is for Growing: Thirty Years of Research on Children and Sesame Street | publisher = Lawrence Erlbaum Publishers | year = 2001 | location = Mahweh, New Jersey | pages = [https://archive.org/details/gisforgrowingthi00shal/page/117 117–120] | isbn = 0-8058-3395-1 | chapter = Does ''Sesame Street'' Enhance School Readiness? Evidence from a National Survey of Children | chapter-url = https://archive.org/details/gisforgrowingthi00shal/page/117 }}</ref>

The show's ratings significantly decreased in the early 1990s, due to changes in children's viewing habits and in the television marketplace. The producers responded by making large-scale structural changes to the show.<ref name="weiss">{{cite news | last = Weiss | first = Joanna | title = New Character Joins PBS | work = The Boston Globe | date = October 19, 2005 | url = http://www.azcentral.com/families/articles/1018pbscharacter1019.html | access-date = October 12, 2019}}</ref> By 2006, ''Sesame Street'' had become "the most widely viewed children's television show in the world," with 20 international independent versions and broadcasts in over 120 countries.<ref name="friedman">{{cite news|last=Friedman|first=Michael Jay|date=April 8, 2006|title=Sesame Street Educates and Entertains Internationally|work=America.gov|publisher=U.S. Department of State Bureau of International Information Programs|url=http://dhaka.usembassy.gov/uploads/images/l1XvaDkUC8Hy7OGZIc2Nbw/pre2apr06_06.pdf|url-status=dead|access-date=March 11, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070815105719/http://dhaka.usembassy.gov/uploads/images/l1XvaDkUC8Hy7OGZIc2Nbw/pre2apr06_06.pdf|archive-date=August 15, 2007}}</ref> A 1996 survey found that 95% of all American preschoolers had watched the show by the time they were three years old.<ref name="growing">{{cite book | last = Truglio | first = Rosemarie T | author2 = Shalom M. Fisch | editor = Shalom M. Fisch | editor2 = Rosemarie T. Truglio | title = "G" is for Growing: Thirty Years of Research on Children and Sesame Street | url = https://archive.org/details/gisforgrowingthi00shal | url-access = registration | publisher = Lawrence Erlbaum Publishers | year = 2001 | location = Mahweh, New Jersey | page = xvi | isbn = 0-8058-3395-1 | chapter = Introduction }}</ref> In 2008, it was estimated that 77 million Americans had watched the series as children.<ref name="friedman"/> By the show's 40th anniversary in 2009, it was ranked the fifteenth-most-popular children's show on television, and by its 50th anniversary in 2019, the show had 100% brand awareness globally. In 2018, the show was the second-highest-rated program on PBS Kids.<ref>{{cite news | last = Guernsey | first = Lisa | title = How Sesame Street Changed the World | work = Newsweek | date = May 23, 2009 | url = http://www.newsweek.com/2009/05/22/sesame-street.html | access-date = October 12, 2019}}</ref><ref name="leaving"/> In 2021, however, the Sesame Street documentary "50 Years of Sunny Days," which was broadcast nationally on ABC, did not fare well in the ratings,<ref name=lowratings>{{cite news|url=https://www.thewrap.com/sesame-street-50-years-of-sunny-days-ratings-abc/|title=Ratings: 'Sesame Street' Documentary Does Not Bring Sunny Days to ABC|first=Tony|last=Magilo|publisher=The Wrap|date=April 27, 2021|access-date=April 28, 2021}}</ref> scoring only approximately 2.3 million viewers.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.showbuzzdaily.com/articles/showbuzzdailys-top-150-monday-cable-originals-network-finals-4-26-2021.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210427201251/http://www.showbuzzdaily.com/articles/showbuzzdailys-top-150-monday-cable-originals-network-finals-4-26-2021.html|url-status=dead|archive-date=April 27, 2021|title=UPDATED:SHOWBUZZDAILY's Top 150 Monday Cable Originals and Network Finals|first=Mitch|last=Metcalf|publisher=Showbuzz Daily|date=April 27, 2021|access-date=April 28, 2021}}</ref>

===Influence===
{{Main|Sesame Street research#Summative research{{!}}''Sesame Street'' research#Summative research}}
{{As of|2001}}, there were over 1,000 research studies regarding ''Sesame Street''{{'}}s efficacy, impact, and effect on American culture.<ref name="cooney-xii" /> The CTW solicited the [[Educational Testing Service]] (ETS) to conduct summative research on the show.<ref name="mielke-85"/> ETS's two "landmark"<ref>Mielke in Fisch & Truglio, p. 88</ref> summative evaluations, conducted in 1970 and 1971, demonstrated that the show had a significant educational impact on its viewers.<ref name="palmer-20"/> These studies have been cited in other studies of the effects of television on young children.<ref name="mielke-85">Mielke in Fisch & Truglio, p. 85</ref>{{refn|According to Edward Palmer and his colleague Shalom M. Fisch, these studies were responsible for securing funding for the show over the next several years.<ref name="palmer-20">Palmer & Fisch in Fisch & Truglio, p. 20</ref>|group=note}} Additional studies conducted throughout ''Sesame Street''{{'}}s history demonstrated that the show continued to have a positive effect on its young viewers.{{refn|See Gikow, pp. 284–285; ''"G" Is for Growing: Thirty Years of Research on Children and Sesame Street'', pp. 147–230.|group=note}}

{{Quote box
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|quote     = ''Sesame Street'' [is] perhaps the most vigorously researched, vetted, and fretted-over program on the planet. It would take a fork-lift to now to haul away the load of scholarly paper devoted to the series...
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|source    = —Author Michael Davis<ref>Davis, p. 357</ref>
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Lesser believed that ''Sesame Street'' research "may have conferred a new respectability upon the studies of the effects of visual media upon children."<ref name="lesser-235">Lesser, p. 235</ref> He also believed that the show had the same effect on the prestige of producing shows for children in the television industry.<ref name="lesser-235"/> Historian Robert Morrow, in his book ''Sesame Street and the Reform of Children's Television'', which chronicled the show's influence on children's television and on the television industry as a whole, reported that many critics of commercial television saw ''Sesame Street'' as a "straightforward illustration for reform."<ref name="morrow-122">Morrow, p. 122</ref> Les Brown, a writer for ''[[Variety (magazine)|Variety]]'', saw in ''Sesame Street'' "a hope for a more substantial future" for television.<ref name="morrow-122"/>

Morrow reported that the networks responded by creating more high-quality television programs, but that many critics saw them as "appeasement gestures."<ref>Morrow, p. 127</ref> According to Morrow, despite the CTW Model's effectiveness in creating a popular show, commercial television "made only a limited effort to emulate CTW's methods," and did not use a curriculum or evaluate what children learned from them.<ref>Morrow, p. 130</ref> By the mid-1970s commercial television had abandoned their experiments with creating better children's programming.<ref>Morrow, p. 132</ref> Other critics hoped that ''Sesame Street'', with its depiction of a functioning, multicultural community, would nurture racial tolerance in its young viewers.<ref>Morrow, p. 124</ref> It was not until the mid-1990s that another children's television educational program, ''[[Blue's Clues]]'', used the CTW's methods to create and modify their content. The creators of ''Blue's Clues'' were influenced by ''Sesame Street'', but wanted to use research conducted in the 30 years since its debut. Angela Santomero, one of its producers, said, "We wanted to learn from ''Sesame Street'' and take it one step further."<ref>Gladwell, p. 111</ref>

Critic [[Richard Roeper]] said that perhaps one of the strongest indicators of the influence of ''Sesame Street'' has been the enduring rumors and urban legends surrounding the show and its characters, especially speculation concerning the sexuality of [[Bert and Ernie]].<ref>{{cite book | last = Roeper | first = Richard | title = Hollywood Urban Legends: The Truth Behind All Those Delightfully Persistent Myths of Film, Television and Music | year = 2001 | publisher = Career Press | location = Franklin Lakes, New Jersey | isbn = 1-56414-554-9 | pages = [https://archive.org/details/hollywoodurbanle00rich/page/48 48–53] | url = https://archive.org/details/hollywoodurbanle00rich/page/48 }}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-45566451|title=Bert and Ernie sexuality debate rages|date=September 18, 2018|work=BBC News|access-date=October 16, 2019|language=en-GB}}</ref>

===Critical reception===
''Sesame Street'' was praised from its debut in 1969. ''Newsday'' reported that several newspapers and magazines had written "glowing" reports about the CTW and Cooney.<ref name="Seligsohn"/> The press overwhelmingly praised the new show; several popular magazines and niche magazines lauded it.<ref>Morrow, pp. 119–120</ref> In 1970, ''Sesame Street'' won twenty awards, including a [[Peabody Award]], three Emmys, an award from the [[Public Relations Society of America]], a [[Clio Awards|Clio]], and a Prix Jeunesse.<ref>Morrow, p. 119</ref> By 1995, the show had won two Peabody Awards and four [[Parents' Choice Award]]s. It was the subject of a traveling exhibition by the [[Smithsonian Institution]],<ref>{{cite news|first1=Laurel|last1=Graeber|accessdate=2022-04-30|title=And a Frog Shall Lead Them: Henson's Legacy|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2011/08/19/arts/design/jim-hensons-fantastic-world-at-museum-of-the-moving-image.html|newspaper=The New York Times|date=18 August 2011|issn=0362-4331|via=NYTimes.com}}</ref> and a film exhibition at the [[Museum of Modern Art]].<ref>{{cite news|accessdate=2022-04-30|title=WEEKENDER GUIDE|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1989/11/10/arts/weekender-guide.html|newspaper=The New York Times|date=10 November 1989|issn=0362-4331|via=NYTimes.com}}</ref>

{{Quote box
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|quote     = ''Sesame Street'' is ... with lapses, the most intelligent and important program in television. That is not anything much yet.
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|source    = —[[Renata Adler]], ''[[The New Yorker]]'', 1972<ref>Lesser, p. 165</ref>
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[[File:The crew of Sesame Street at the 69th Annual Peabody Awards.jpg|thumb|Sesame Workshop CEO [[Gary Knell]], Executive Vice-president Terry Fitzpatrick, and puppeteer [[Kevin Clash]] (with [[Elmo]]) at the 69th Annual [[Peabody Awards]] in 2010]]

''Sesame Street'' was not without its detractors, however. The state commission in [[Mississippi]], where Henson was from, operated the state's PBS [[Mississippi Public Broadcasting|member station]]; in May 1970 it voted to not air ''Sesame Street'' because of its "highly [racially] integrated cast of children" which "the commission members felt ... Mississippi was not yet ready for."<ref>"Mississippi Agency Votes for a TV Ban on 'Sesame Street'". (May 3, 1970). ''The New York Times''. Quoted in Davis, p. 202</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1970/05/03/archives/mississippi-agency-votes-for-a-tv-ban-on-sesame-street.html|newspaper=[[The New York Times]]|title=Mississippi Agency Votes for a TV Ban On 'Sesame Street'|date=May 3, 1970 }}</ref> According to ''[[Children and Television: Lessons from Sesame Street|Children and Television]]'', Lesser's account of the development and early years of ''Sesame Street'', there was little criticism of the show in the months following its premiere, but it increased at the end of its first season and beginning of the second season.<ref>Lesser, pp. 174–175</ref>{{refn|See Lesser, pp. 175–201 for his response to the early critics of ''Sesame Street''.|group=note}} Historian Robert W. Morrow speculated that much of the early criticism, which he called "surprisingly intense,"<ref name="morrow-3">Morrow, p. 3</ref> stemmed from cultural and historical reasons in regards to, as he put it, "the place of children in American society and the controversies about television's effects on them."<ref name="morrow-3"/>

According to Morrow, the "most important" studies finding negative effects of ''Sesame Street'' were conducted by educator Herbert A. Sprigle and psychologist [[Thomas D. Cook]] during its first two seasons.<ref>Morrow, pp. 146–147</ref> Social scientist and [[Head Start (program)|Head Start]] founder [[Urie Bronfenbrenner]] criticized the show for being too wholesome.<ref>{{cite news | last = Kanfer | first = Stefan | title = Who's Afraid of Big, Bad TV? | magazine = Time | date = November 23, 1970 | url = http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,943327,00.html?iid=digg_share | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20110604050817/http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,943327,00.html?iid=digg_share | url-status = dead | archive-date = June 4, 2011 | access-date = October 17, 2019}}</ref> Psychologist [[Leon Eisenberg]] saw ''Sesame Street''{{'}}s urban setting as "superficial" and having little to do with the problems confronted by the inner-city child.<ref>Morrow, p. 98</ref> Head Start director [[Edward Zigler]] was probably ''Sesame Street''{{'}}s most vocal critic in the show's early years.<ref>Morrow, p. 147</ref>

In spite of their commitment to multiculturalism, the CTW experienced conflicts with the leadership of minority groups, especially Latino groups and feminists, who objected to ''Sesame Street''{{'}}s depiction of Latinos and women.<ref>Morrow, pp. 157–158</ref> The CTW took steps to address their objections. By 1971, the CTW hired Hispanic actors, production staff, and researchers, and by the mid-1970s, Morrow reported that "the show included Chicano and Puerto Rican cast members, films about Mexican holidays and foods, and cartoons that taught Spanish words."<ref>Morrow, p. 155</ref> As ''The New York Times'' has stated, creating strong female characters "that make kids laugh, but not...as female stereotypes" has been a challenge for the producers of ''Sesame Street''.<ref>Gikow, p. 142</ref> According to Morrow, change regarding how women and girls were depicted on ''Sesame Street'' occurred slowly.<ref>Morrow, p. 156</ref> As more female Muppet performers like [[Camille Bonora]], [[Fran Brill]], [[Pam Arciero]], [[Carmen Osbahr]], [[Stephanie D'Abruzzo]], [[Jennifer Barnhart]], and [[Leslie Carrara-Rudolph]] were hired and trained, stronger female characters like [[Rosita (Sesame Street)|Rosita]] (1991) and [[Abby Cadabby]] (2006) were created.<ref>Gikow, p. 143</ref><ref>{{cite news |last1=Olivera |first1=Monica |title=Carmen Osbahr, the talented puppeteer behind Sesame Street's "Rosita" |url=http://nbclatino.com/2013/09/20/sesame-streets-rosita-latina-puppeteer-makes-a-difference/ |access-date=October 17, 2019 |work=NBC Universal |date=September 20, 2013 |archive-date=October 20, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191020170237/http://nbclatino.com/2013/09/20/sesame-streets-rosita-latina-puppeteer-makes-a-difference/ |url-status=dead }}</ref>

In 2002, ''Sesame Street'' was ranked number 27 on [[TV Guide's 50 Greatest TV Shows of All Time]].<ref>{{cite news |  title = TV Guide Names Top 50 Shows | work = CBS News | date = February 11, 2009 | publisher = Associated Press | url = https://www.cbsnews.com/news/tv-guide-names-top-50-shows/ | access-date = October 17, 2019}}</ref> Sesame Workshop won a Peabody Award in 2009 for its website, sesamestreet.org,<ref>{{cite web |title=2009 Sesame Workshop |url=http://www.peabodyawards.com/award-profile/sesamestreet.org |publisher=Peabody Awards |access-date=9 October 2019}}</ref> and the show was given Peabody's Institutional Award in 2019 for 50 years of educating and entertaining children globally.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Turchiano |first1=Danielle |title='Barry,' 'Killing Eve,' 'Pose' Among 2019 Peabody Winners |url=https://variety.com/2019/tv/awards/peabody-awards-winners-2019-barry-killing-eve-pose-good-place-americans-sesame-street-1203191869/ |access-date=9 October 2019 |work=Variety |date=18 April 2019}}</ref> In 2013, ''TV Guide'' ranked the show number 30 on its list of the 60 best TV series.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.tvguide.com/news/tv-guide-magazine-60-best-series-1074962/|title=TV Guide Magazine's 60 Best Series of All Time|last1= Fretts |first1=Bruce |last2=Roush| first2= Matt |date=23 December 2013|access-date=9 October 2019}}</ref> As of 2021, [[List of accolades received by Sesame Street|''Sesame Street'' has received 205 Emmy Awards]], more than any other television series.<ref name="CooneyBio2021">{{cite web |title=Joan Ganz Cooney: Co-Founder and Lifetime Honorary Trustee |url=https://www.sesameworkshop.org/who-we-are/our-leadership/joan-ganz-cooney |publisher=Sesame Workshop |access-date=May 4, 2022}}</ref> In 2023, ''Variety'' ranked ''Sesame Street'' #12 on its list of the 100 greatest TV shows of all time.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://variety.com/lists/greatest-tv-shows-of-all-time/|title=The 100 Greatest TV Shows of All Time|publisher=Variety|date=December 20, 2023}}</ref>