“Sesame Street” isn’t just for children. Today 49 percent of viewers are adults who watch along with their children, reported the Associated Press. Things have changed on the street of the famed television show since its first episode aired on Nov. 10, 1969.While nearly half of all “Sesame Street: viewers are over the age 18, it competes with 84 other kids’ shows on TV and countless more online. “Sesame Street” is ranked 20th with 850,000 viewers per TV episode, according to Sesame Workshop, the nonprofit organization behind the show. The “Sesame Street” YouTube channel has a million subscribers and 1.5 billion views. Today, many of the sketches have celebrity guests or pop culture references that a child may not get but an adult would. “I’ve never watched ‘Sesame Street’ as an adult,” said Kenzie Winchell, a Laie Elementary School teacher, “but I think it is great that ‘Sesame Street’ makes co-viewing easier for parents with shows that have celebrities that adults can enjoy.”This year on Nov. 10 “Sesame Street” celebrated its 45 anniversary, reports AP. While viewers still see Big Bird, Oscar the Grouch and Elmo on the show, says AP, “Cookie Monster now exercises self-control and sometimes eats fruits and vegetables. Millions of kids watch the show on phones and computers instead of TV. And there's less time spent on the street with human characters. They're just not energetic enough for today's viewers.”Ian Sager, on NBC’s “Today” show website, shares he began watching “Sesame Street” with his sometimes cranky 2-year-old son, Liam. “I’d seek it out for a mental break. As it turns out, yes, ‘Sesame Street’ is enjoyable when you have adult responsibilities – maybe even more enjoyable than it was when I was a kid.” Some of his most enjoyable clips from the “Sesame Street” YouTube channel include:Ricky Gervais sings a lullaby to put Elmo to bed. “When Ricky rocks out, Liam bops along, but it’s the comedian subtle jokes about celebrity, with knowing winks to the camera, that get me every time,” says Sager. Reminiscing on the late comedian Robin Williams, Sager says Williams teaches a valuable lesson about conflict in the YouTube clip “Robin Williams: Conflict.” Sager says, “The video has all the hallmarks of a classic Robin Williams bit: the creativity, the gesticulating… he just happens to be talking to a furry, two-headed monster.”Another Sager favorite and BYUH student Jansen Tesoro’s favorite is a clip of Jimmy Fallon, the Roots, and “Sesame Street” characters singing the “Sesame Street” theme song. “I loved ‘Sesame Street’ as a kid and I still know the theme song. I also love Jimmy Fallon so I totally love this video,” said Tesoro, a senior in elementary education from Nevada.A couple of years ago, Elvis Costello and Elmo sang “Monster Went and Ate My Red Two” to the tune of Costello’s popular song “Red Shoes,” says Sager. In the song, Costello wants to count to 10 but can’t because a monster ate the number 2.Another favorite celebrity who performed on “Sesame Street,” says Sager, is Usher. In the video clip, Usher dances with Elmo and friends while singing a fun and creative version of the ABCs song. “I will definitely watch ‘Sesame Street’ when I have kids, if they have cool celebrities like Usher on the show,” said BYUH student Dei Kei Waddell, a freshman in general education studies from Virginia.
Writer: Jessica Tautfest ~ Multimedia Journalist
