November 10, 2019, marks the 50th Anniversary of Sesame Street, an educational children’s program. I remember watching this show when I was a kid. This show marked many generations. It taught children essential values of life, such as love, friendship, compassion, etc. Many kids learned these values through a song and dance. It has had incredible guests over the years, like Julie Andrews Michelle Obama, Maya Angelou, Alec Baldwin, Matt Damon, etc. Sesame Street kept with the times, including the introduction of a muppet on the Autism Spectrum to demonstrate to children how some people view things from a different perspective.
The classic themes of Sesame Street are Can You Tell Me How to Get to Sesame Street? (Opening) and, more recently, Smarter, Stronger, Kinder (2016–present). They are classics and memorable, even 50 years later.
Sesame Street went beyond television into cinema and pop culture in general. Over time, the program made parodies of classic songs such as Queen’s Bohemian Rhapsody and Kool and The Gang’s Jungle Boogie as well as newer songs. A recent example is a children’s tune Baby Shark that parodies to Cookie Shark. There were also parodies of movies/tv-shows, including When Harry Met Sally and Game of Thrones.
I remember watching Sesame Street with curiosity and fascination. The music was catchy and entertaining. My favourite characters were Cookie Monster (because I love cookies!) and Elmo for his cheerful spirit. I learned the value of Friendship and my ABCs. Bert and Ernie were an example of the importance of friendship. I played with a “Tickle Me Elmo” that brought me joy and laughter. When he laughed, it sounded musical. I enjoyed Sesame Street very much, and I hope future generations will appreciate the significance of this educational program.
