On this day in 1969, the first episode of Sesame Street aired on public television. A little girl named Sally is new to the neighborhood, and she meets some of the residents, including an awkward, nervous Big Bird.
Forty-five years later, Sesame Street is going strong, with nearly a million viewers every episode, according to PBS.
These days, Alistair Cookie no longer smokes a pipe on Monsterpiece Theatre, and the theme song has a jazzier beat than it used to.
NPR’s TV Critic Eric Deggans tells Here & Now’s Sacha Pfeiffer about how Sesame Street has managed to stay relevant for almost half a century.
Guest
- Eric Deggans, TV critic for NPR. He tweets @Deggans.
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