So, today is the 40th birthday of the ultimate in children's television programming, Sesame Street! It's funny to think of Sesame Street as only a few years older than me. The show has always had a sort of eternal quality to me. It's been around all my life, and I can't imagine being a mother some day down the road without it.There are so many segments of the show that are lodged in my memory. I can't count to 12 without hearing the pinball music. When we were in New York, every time we went past a row of brownstones I couldn't help but think of Sesame Street. SS exposed me to music and cultural icons of the 70s and early 80s that I wouldn't know of otherwise. I learned how to find my way home when I'm lost.
Because of Sesame Street, I learned my first Spanish and French words (yeah, French... SS trivia for my friends south of the border. SS broadcast on Canadian channels always added French elements. Today there isn't Sesame Street on Canadian tv... there's Sesame Park, with a different cast of muppet characters. Sesame Street is still available on American channels available through cable service.) I also learned about death... I remember the day that Big Bird learned about Mr. Hooper's death. I remember crying right along with the only bird that never ever scared me.
When I was little, I was super envious of a cousin who had this:
Oh how I wanted the Sesame Street play set! Mr. Hooper's store, the alley, the brownstone where Bert and Ernie lived. This was the ultimate Sesame Street toy pre-Elmo.
Happy Birthday Sesame Street! Happy Birthday!
