When I was a kid growing up in the 1970s, Sesame Street was a good friend on the television. My parents knew it was safe to leave me in front of the TV for an hour. And when the Electric Company was on, it was a two-hour event. Now as a parent, I know the content has changed but the quality remains high, and I trust Sesame Street to educate and entertain this new generation just as well as it educated me.
The Sesame Street: 20 Years...and Still Counting documentary was produced in 1989, covering the first 20 years of its continuing run on PBS. The series has continued to have another 20 years of success since then, so I can hardly wait to see what the show looks like in another 20! The documentary, hosted by Bill Cosby, provides a look back at the beginnings of the series, from its humble start in 1969 to the worldwide acclaim and adoration it's seen since then.
Watching with my two daughters, the video looks out of date but offers a great historical perspective on the series' amazing legacy. Not only do you get some wonderful musical performances from Ray Charles and Plácido Domingo, but you get to hear from some of the actors who have called Sesame Street their home forever. What was more interesting to me was that Jim Henson appears to introduce the show, only a year before his untimely death. Neither of my girls knew him on sight, but when I mentioned the name they knew immediately who he was.
Seeing a much younger Luis (Emilio Delgado), Maria (Sonia Manzano), and Bob (Bob McGrath) really took me back to my childhood. It was quite obvious that the trio believed in the series from the beginning - not only as an integrated cast - but the first educational show to focus on using a curriculum to teach kids the alphabet, their numbers, language skills, shapes, colors, science, and much much more. Though the series went through occasional cast changes, such as when Mr. Hooper (Will Lee) passed away in 1983, that core trio has remained in place for more than 40 years now.
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Article comments
1 - Victor Lana
I am finding a similar thing happening to me. I watched Sesame Street with my daughter nine years ago, and now have come back to it with my son. The changes are there, but it still has an innocence (and that great instructional angle) that can't be beat.
Thanks for a great review about this DVD.
2 - Fitz
@Victor Lana - That's awesome. It truly is amazing that shows like Sesame Street can maintain such a high level of quality of education and continue to be updated for new generations. Now I'm hoping my own kids can share with their kids down the line... :)