Sunny days. A street where the air is sweet. And the most quietly radical children's television programme ever made.
Sesame Street first aired on 10 November 1969 and set out to do something that had never been attempted on that scale before: use the techniques of television advertising — repetition, music, humour, short sharp segments — to teach pre-school children letters, numbers and, crucially, how to treat one another. It worked beyond anyone's expectations. Over fifty years, more than four thousand episodes and broadcasts in over a hundred and fifty countries, Sesame Street has educated and delighted more children than any other programme in television history. That is not hyperbole. That is simply what happened.
Big Bird, who is six years old and eight feet two inches tall and approaches the world with an earnestness that has never once become irritating. Oscar the Grouch, who lives in a bin and has made a complete lifestyle of it. Bert and Ernie, whose friendship is one of television's great long-running comedies. The Cookie Monster, whose relationship with self-regulation is something many adults will find entirely relatable. Elmo, who arrived later and promptly became one of the most recognised characters on earth. And Kermit the Frog, before he went on to other things, reporting the news from Sesame Street with the weary professionalism of someone who has seen everything twice.
Our Sesame Street collection brings together officially licensed figures, apparel, accessories, homeware and gifts celebrating the residents of the most famous street in television — from Funko Pops and plush toys to mugs, prints and keepsakes for fans of every age. For children meeting these characters for the first time, and for adults who grew up here and feel a warmth at the sight of them that requires no explanation.
Can you tell us how to get there? You already know the way.
