Editing Sesame Street (section)

==Production==

===Research===
{{Main|Sesame Street research{{!}}''Sesame Street'' research}}

Producer Joan Ganz Cooney has stated, "Without research, there would be no ''Sesame Street''."<ref name="cooney-xi">Cooney in Fisch & Truglio, p. xi</ref> In 1967, when she and her team began planning the show's development, combining research with television production was, as she put it, "positively heretical."<ref name="cooney-xi"/> Its producers soon began developing what came to be called the CTW Model, a system of planning, production and evaluation that did not fully emerge until the end of the show's first season.<ref name="morrow-68">Morrow, p. 68</ref>{{refn|See Gikow, p. 155, for a visual representation of the CTW model.|group=note}} According to Morrow, the Model consisted of four parts: "the interaction of receptive television producers and [[child development|child science]] experts, the creation of a specific and age-appropriate curriculum, research to shape the program directly, and independent measurement of viewers' learning."<ref name="morrow-68"/>

Cooney credited the show's high standard in research procedures to Harvard professors [[Gerald S. Lesser]], whom CTW hired to design its educational objectives; and [[Edward L. Palmer]], who conducted the show's formative research and bridged the gap between producers and researchers.<ref name="cooney-xii">Cooney in Fisch & Truglio, p. xii</ref> CTW conducted research in two ways: in-house formative research that informed and improved production;<ref>Mielke in Fisch & Truglio, pp. 84–85</ref> and independent summative evaluations, conducted by the [[Educational Testing Service]] (ETS) during the first two seasons, which measured its educational effectiveness.<ref name="palmer"/> Cooney said, "From the beginning, we—the planners of the project—designed the show as an experimental research project with educational advisers, researchers, and television producers collaborating as equal partners."<ref>Borgenicht, p. 9</ref> She characterized the collaboration as an "arranged marriage."<ref name="cooney-xi"/>

===Writing===
''Sesame Street'' has used many writers in its long history. As Peter Hellman wrote in his 1987 article in ''[[New York Magazine]]'', "The show, of course, depends upon its writers, and it isn't easy to find adults who could identify the interest level of a pre-schooler."<ref name="hellman-52"/> Fifteen writers a year worked on the show's scripts, but very few lasted longer than one season. [[Norman Stiles]], head writer in 1987, reported that most writers would "burn out" after writing about a dozen scripts.<ref name="hellman-52"/> According to Gikow, ''Sesame Street'' went against the convention of hiring teachers to write for the show, as most educational television programs did at the time. Instead, Cooney and the producers felt that it would be easier to teach writers how to interpret curriculum than to teach educators how to write comedy.<ref name="gikow-178">Gikow, p. 178</ref> As Stone stated, "Writing for children is not so easy."<ref name="gikow-178"/> Long-time writer Tony Geiss agreed, stating in 2009, "It's not an easy show to write. You have to know the characters and the format and how to teach and be funny at the same time, which is a big, ambidextrous stunt."<ref>Gikow, p. 174</ref>

[[File:Kaufman Univ Studio LIC jeh.JPG|right|200px|thumb|alt=Facade of a large white building, the left having large pillars beneath a strip with dozens of windows and the right three stories of large windows.|The [[Kaufman Astoria Studios]], where ''Sesame Street'' is taped]]

The show's research team developed an annotated document, or "Writer's Notebook," which served as a bridge between the show's curriculum goals and script development.<ref name="lesser-101">Lesser, p. 101</ref> The notebook was a compilation of programming ideas designed to teach specific curriculum points,<ref>Morrow, p. 82</ref> provided extended definitions of curriculum goals, and assisted the writers and producers in translating the goals into televised material.<ref>Palmer & Fisch in Fisch & Truglio, p. 10</ref> Suggestions in the notebook were free of references to specific characters and contexts on the show so that they could be implemented as openly and flexibly as possible.<ref>Palmer & Fisch in Fisch & Truglio, p. 11</ref>

The research team, in a series of meetings with the writers, also developed "a curriculum sheet" that described the show's goals and priorities for every season. After receiving the curriculum focus and goals for the season, the writers met to discuss ideas and story arcs for the characters, and an "assignment sheet" was created that suggested how much time was allotted for each goal and topic.<ref name="lesser-101"/><ref>{{cite book | last = Lesser | first = Gerald S. |author2=Joel Schneider  |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 = [https://archive.org/details/gisforgrowingthi00shal/page/28 28] | isbn = 0-8058-3395-1 | chapter = Creation and Evolution of the ''Sesame Street'' Curriculum}}</ref> When a script was completed, the show's research team analyzed it to ensure that the goals were met. Then each production department met to determine what each episode needed in terms of costumes, lights, and sets. The writers were present during the show's taping, which for the first twenty-four years of the show took place in [[Manhattan]], and after 1992, at the [[Kaufman Astoria Studios]] in [[Queens]] to make last-minute revisions when necessary.<ref>{{cite news | last = Murphy | first = Tim | title = How We Got to 'Sesame Street' | work = New York Magazine | url = http://nymag.com/news/intelligencer/topic/61744/ | date = November 1, 2009 | access-date = July 8, 2019}}</ref><ref>{{cite web | title = How to Get to 'Sesame Street' at the Apollo Theater | publisher = New York City Mayor's Office | date = November 19, 2008 | url = http://www.nyc.gov/html/film/html/news_2008/110108_sesame_panel_recap.shtml | access-date = July 8, 2019}}</ref><ref>{{cite book | last = Spinney | first = Caroll | author2 = Jason Milligan | title = The Wisdom of Big Bird (and the Dark Genius of Oscar the Grouch): Lessons from a Life in Feathers | publisher = Random House | year = 2003 | location = New York | page = [https://archive.org/details/wisdomofbigbirda00spin/page/3 3] | isbn = 0-375-50781-7 | url = https://archive.org/details/wisdomofbigbirda00spin/page/3 }}</ref>{{refn|Most of the first season was filmed at a studio near [[Broadway theatre|Broadway]], but a strike forced their move to [[Teletape Studios]]. In the early days, the set was simple, consisting of four structures.<ref>Gikow, pp. 66–67</ref> In 1982, ''Sesame Street'' began filming at Unitel Studios on 57th Street, but relocated to Kaufman Astoria Studios in 1993, when the producers decided they needed more space.<ref>Gikow, pp. 206–207</ref>|group=note}}

===Media===
{{Main|Sesame Workshop#Funding sources|Music of Sesame Street{{!}}Music of ''Sesame Street''|Sesame Street international co-productions{{!}}''Sesame Street'' international co-productions}}

Early in their history ''Sesame Street'' and the CTW began to look for alternative funding sources and turned to creating products and writing licensing agreements. They became, as Cooney put it, "a multiple-media institution."<ref>Cherow-O'Leary in Fisch & Truglio, p. 197</ref> In 1970, the CTW created a "non-broadcast" division responsible for creating and publishing books and ''[[Sesame Street Magazine]]''.<ref>Cherow-O'Leary in Fisch & Truglio, pp. 197–198</ref> By 2019, the Sesame Workshop had published over 6,500 book titles.<ref name="guthrie"/> The Workshop decided from the start that all materials their licensing program created would "underscore and amplify"<ref name="davis-205">Davis, p. 205</ref><ref name="davis-195"/> the show's curriculum. In 2004, over 68% of ''Sesame Street''{{'}}s revenue came from licenses and products such as toys and clothing.<ref name="carvajal">{{cite news | last = Carvajal | first = Doreen | title = Sesame Street Goes Global: Let's All Count the Revenue | work = The New York Times | date = December 12, 2005 | url = https://www.nytimes.com/2005/12/12/business/media/12sesame.html?_r=1&pagewanted=print | access-date = July 8, 2019}}</ref>{{refn|See Gikow, pp. 280–285 for a list of many of the show's products.|group=note}} By 2008, the ''Sesame Street'' Muppets accounted for between $15 million and $17 million per year in licensing and merchandising fees, split between the Sesame Workshop and The Jim Henson Company.<ref name="davis-5">Davis, p. 5</ref> By 2019, the Sesame Workshop had over 500 licensing agreements and had produced over 200 hours of home video.<ref name="wallace"/><ref name="guthrie"/> There have been two theatrically released ''Sesame Street'' movies, ''[[Follow That Bird]]'', released in 1985, and ''[[Elmo in Grouchland]]'', released in 1999. In early 2019, it was announced that a third film, a musical co-starring [[Anne Hathaway]] and written and directed by [[Jonathan Krisel]], would be produced.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Kit |first1=Borys |last2=Sandberg |first2=Bryn Elise |title='Sesame Street' Movie's Writer-Director Reveals Plot Details |url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/sesame-street-movies-writer-director-reveals-plot-details-1182692 |access-date=April 18, 2019 |work=The Hollywood Reporter |date=February 6, 2019}}</ref> In November 2019, Sesame Street announced a family friendly [[augmented reality]] application produced by Weyo in partnership with [[Sesame Workshop]] in honor of the show's 50th anniversary.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.forbes.com/sites/jessedamiani/2019/11/07/sesame-street-launches-50th-anniversary-ar-app/|title=Sesame Street Launches 50th Anniversary AR App|last=Damiani|first=Jesse|website=Forbes|language=en|access-date=2019-11-18}}</ref>

[[Jim Henson]], the creator of the Muppets, owned the [[trademark]]s to those characters, and was reluctant to market them at first. He agreed when the CTW promised that the profits from toys, books, [[Sesame Street video games|computer games]], and other products were to be used exclusively to fund the CTW and its outreach efforts.<ref name="davis-203"/><ref>Gikow, p. 268</ref> Even though Cooney and the CTW had very little experience with marketing, they demanded complete control over all products and product decisions.<ref name="davis-205"/> Any product line associated with the show had to be educational and inexpensive, and could not be advertised during the show's airings.<ref name="davis-204">Davis, p. 204</ref> As Davis reported, "Cooney stressed restraint, prudence, and caution" in their marketing and licensing efforts.<ref name="davis-204"/>{{refn|According to ''Parade Magazine'' in 2019, 1 million children played with ''Sesame Street'' toys daily.<ref name="wallace"/>|group=note}}

Director Jon Stone, talking about the music of ''Sesame Street'', said: "There was no other sound like it on television."<ref>Gikow, p. 220</ref> For the first time in children's television, the show's songs fulfilled a specific purpose and supported its curriculum.<ref>Gikow, p. 227</ref> In order to attract the best composers and lyricists, the CTW allowed songwriters like [[Joe Raposo]], ''Sesame Street''{{'}}s first musical director, to retain the rights to the songs they wrote, which earned them lucrative profits and helped the show sustain public interest.<ref>Davis, p. 256</ref> By 2019, there were 180 albums of ''Sesame Street'' music produced, and its songwriters had received 11 [[Grammy Award|Grammys]].<ref name="wallace"/><ref name="guthrie"/> In late 2018, the SW announced a multi-year agreement with [[Warner Music Group]] to re-launch Sesame Street Records in the U.S. and Canada. For the first time in 20 years, "an extensive catalog of ''Sesame Street'' recordings" was made available to the public in a variety of formats, including CD and vinyl compilations, digital streaming, and downloads.<ref>{{cite web |title=Warner Music Group Sesame Workshop Team up to Relaunch Sesame Street Records |url=https://www.musicbusinessworldwide.com/warner-music-group-and-sesame-workshop-team-up-to-relaunch-sesame-street-records/ |publisher=Music Business Worldwide |access-date=18 July 2019 |date=27 November 2018}}</ref>

''Sesame Street'' used animations and short films commissioned from outside studios,<ref name="gikow-236"/> interspersed throughout each episode, to help teach their viewers basic concepts like numbers and letters.<ref>Morrow, p. 89</ref> Jim Henson was one of the many producers to create short films for the show.<ref name="gikow-236">Gikow, p. 236</ref> Shortly after ''Sesame Street'' debuted in the United States, the CTW was approached independently by producers from several countries to produce versions of the show at home. These versions came to be called "co-productions."<ref>Cole et al. in Fisch & Truglio, p. 148</ref> By 2001 there were over 120 million viewers of all international versions of ''Sesame Street'',<ref>Cole et al. in Fisch & Truglio, p. 147</ref> and in 2006, there were twenty co-productions around the world.<ref>{{Cite video | people = Knowlton, Linda Goldstein and Linda Hawkins Costigan (producers) | date = 2006 | title = The World According to Sesame Street | medium = documentary | publisher = Participant Productions}}</ref> By its 50th anniversary in 2019, 190 million children viewed over 160 versions of ''Sesame Street'' in 70 languages.<ref name="wallace"/><ref name="leaving">{{cite web |last1=Bradley |first1=Diana |title=Leaving the neighborhood: 'Sesame Street' muppets to travel across America next year |url=https://www.prweek.com/article/1489073/leaving-neighborhood-sesame-street-muppets-travel-across-america-next-year |website=PR Weekly |access-date=July 9, 2019 |date=July 27, 2018}}</ref> In 2005, Doreen Carvajal of ''[[The New York Times]]'' reported that income from the co-productions and international licensing accounted for $96 million. ''Sesame Street the Musical'' opened at [[Theatre Row Building|Theatre Row]] off Broadway on September 8, 2022.<ref name="musical2">{{cite web |title=Sesame Street the Musical |url=https://sesamestreetmusical.com/ |access-date=November 24, 2022 |website=sesamestreetmusical.com}}</ref><ref name="musical-22">{{cite web |date=November 18, 2022 |title=SESAME STREET MUSICAL - Rumours of a West End transfer |url=https://www.londonboxoffice.co.uk/news/post/sesame-street-london |access-date=November 24, 2022 |website=London Box Office}}</ref>

In 2015, [[HBO]] acquired the production rights to the show, which included an agreement of exclusive rights for nine months at which point the episodes were to be given away free of charge to other networks (e.g. [[PBS]]). In December 2024, HBO announced it would part ways with ''Sesame Street''.<ref>CNBC Market Hall segment, archived at<nowiki/>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BJGPLD-xcfI</ref>