Behind the scenes at the iconic Sesame Street set | 60 Minutes Australia

What happens when you put a cookie-eating monster, a large garbage-loving bird, and a green frog in a room? Well, you end up with the best children's television show ever. Sesame Street has entertained millions and millions of preschoolers for 50 years. a notable milestone made even more impressive because while kids are having fun watching the mischievous, fast-talking Muppets, they're also learning, but it's not just about the alphabet and one, two, three. Sesame Street has never been afraid to tackle controversial topics like racial divorce. and death and the good news is that it's not going to stop anytime soon, okay, okay, let's do this hard-hitting 60 minute interview, all ready for many of us, it was the theme song of our childhood, generations of children from all over the world grew up with Sesame.

Street and it is here, in a studio in the back blocks of New York that the 50th season is being filmed. Stepping onto this

iconic

set is not only a trip back in time, but it is also full of behind-the-

scenes

revelations, one of The cameramen who filmed the show's first episode in 1969 are still in the tools, when action is called, the puppeteers skate across the studio floor on wheeled stools, using monitors to keep track of their Muppets as the scene unfolds. over their heads and, speaking of the Muppets, the gang is hanging here. We walked out to that famous entrance just as you'd expect, it's almost overwhelming to be part of your neighborhood, but there's nothing ordinary about today's filming schedule.

A new character named Charlie is making his debut. The eight-year-old girl whose real name is Violet. The first child cast member to join the show in 13 years Are you the luckiest girl in the world? It's a possibility, isn't it? there's a chance? I mean, you come here to work with adorable monsters. I always do it and still do it. It's not like no one judges. They just like you for you. I can't believe they've been friends for 50 years. How does mathematics work? We can solve it. I mean, Elmo, you don't even look at the fact that Sesame Street for a day. remains as popular with children today as it was 50 years ago, no one more than its co-founder, Lloyd Morrison, we had much greater success than we ever imagined when we started the experiment, we didn't know we would have a In the second season we didn't know if We couldn't teach anything, what few realize is that the program began as a bold experiment when Lloyd, an early education researcher, teamed up with television producer Joan Ganz Cooney one night when we were having dinner at Joe's apartment, we talked naturally.

I switched to the television over the course of the night and at one point I said Joan, do you think television could be used to teach young children? And she said, Well, I don't know, but I'd like to talk about it. That was what started it, that was the dinner that changed children's television forever, yes, from the beginning, Sesame Street broke all the rules by offering education disguised as entertainment, it pushed the boundaries with an interracial cast, a move that even made The show was initially banned in Mississippi, but then The decision was strategic because for the first time children saw themselves on television as they had never done before.

The dirty urban setting was no mistake either. Lloyd one on the show targeted preschoolers from low-income families who were falling behind in their ABCs and one-two-three then there were the Muppets, hilarious and charming, they were the brainchild of the equally eccentric Jim Henson. The puppeteer would achieve worldwide fame, but in the early days of Sesame Street he was also considered an experiment we didn't know about. what it was, we didn't know anything about the Muppets getting a person who had a good track record, who was highly respected and seen as a creative individual, what a complete fight decision it was, in fact, it was an Oscar 50 years and You're still grumpy yeah, you don't want to change I don't want to be happy no, I think this is a great album.

I'm on another 50 and you're really helping by coming here fifty years later. Jim Henson's legacy lives on in the Creature Shop in New York, it is here, within this factory of secrets, where new characters are born, our fat blue character, who is one of our favorite shapes and who better to show us the art of the magic of the Muppets than 30-year veteran Jason Weber. you chose the body, how do you build a muppet? Usually you'll start with the nose and the eyes, those are the things you know, the eyes are the way to the soul of course, and we have this drawer that's full of all kinds of sizes. colors and attitudes dozens of different options there are all kinds of options why some of the eyes have eyelashes and others don't that's how you say the gender of a puppet really the females have eyelashes and the males just a straight line I just discovered how to sex a muffin I see you learn something every time.

I always thought you looked at his arm. As impressive as the final product is, we want to give the puppeteers as much to work with as possible. just fluff and feathers without the talented puppeteers working their magic on set, it's up to us to make the character really live, really work and breathe, I mean literally breathe Marty Robinson pulls the strings for some of the most lovable Muppets in Sesame Street for 38 years. A veteran puppeteer has been bringing to life the TV monster Snuffleupagus and Slimey the Worm When I put on a puppet, something funny happens.

Hello, my name is Parker, do you have a name? Ah, I realized that there is no one working with you from below. or behind, so you must be one of those, call them humans, they were surprised who pulls the strings, but here's the trick, no, right now I'm doing, you know, it's a basic puppet technique, you know, I lip sync, you know , he's focusing on you, he's not looking at you, that's not real, you know it's an illusion, but if I'm doing my job well enough and I make the illusion strong enough for Parker to be here, you know, you're a small living, breathing creature.

It's worthy of your attention, so you're emotionally invested in it and once you're personally and emotionally invested in Parker's life, well, you want him to succeed even though you know he's just an object that an audience of children doesn't care about. is only responsible. The success of Sesame Street is very important to adults, as they have always loved tuning in to the show's many pop culture references and celebrity cameos that keep parents entertained, but as frivolous as some of the content may seem, everything is based on rigorous research. Sesame Workshop in which the non-profit creator in the show's writers works closely with psychologists and child educators to address issues affecting vulnerable children in 160 countries over the years.

Life lessons about race just by touching someone about HIV. Divorce. It has a great impact. It may not do what you expect, like a high five. Can you order it? I believe the program now aims to serve the whole child and go beyond reading, writing and arithmetic to become smarter, stronger and kinder. it's about being a better human being Executive producer Brown Johnson says one of the most memorable moments in Sesame Street history was an episode that talked about death, don't you remember we told you about that when the actor who played the merchant Mr. Hooper passed away unexpectedly.

He presented a sad but important teaching opportunity to explain death to the children who experienced the death of Mr. Hooper's death on the show was so moving that it covered a really difficult topic from a very childish point of view. Big Bird, when people die they never come back, no, it was a fascinating way to treat the death of a cast member to make it a First, yes, I agree, but it is very correct to take reality and make it part of narrative, and perhaps that's part of the reason why Sesame Street has racked up half a century on the air as the longest-running children's show on television; stay the same, Sigurd, is that we had a show that worked for a lot of people, legions of kids who watched it and enjoyed it and still use it for their kids, so I think that's the success in you.

In all the quietest moments you must be incredibly proud. I'm proud that I think we still have a future, but pride goes before a fall, you know, why do you think you guys have stayed friends for so long? What makes it work? all different and so we learn and grow from each other, you know what I mean, that's true, yeah, like we're glad you're here, you're talking about Australia, like my love, you like Australia, huh, why Why don't you pack your bags and leave? There he sees you to meet a guy, Trump, I think we won't touch that one.

Hi, I'm Liam Bartlett, thanks for watching, so stay tuned for the latest from 60 Minutes Australia. Make sure to subscribe to our channel. You can also download 9 now. app for full episodes and other exclusive 60 minute content