As Sesame Street begins its 45th season, The New York Public Library for the Performing Arts and Sesame Workshop invite fans of all ages to take a closer look at the show’s legacy, artistry, and beloved characters at the new free multimedia exhibition Somebody Come and Play: 45 Years of Sesame Street Helping Kids Grow Smarter, Stronger, and Kinder. The exhibition will be on display in Sept. 18-Jan. 31, 2015.
When Sesame Street debuted in 1969, its combination of research and entertainment revolutionized children’s television. Today, Sesame Street is a pop culture icon and still teaching literacy and numeracy, emotional and physical well-being, and respect and understanding to children around the world. As Sesame Street begins its 45th season, The New York Public Library for the Performing Arts and Sesame Workshop invite fans of all ages to take a closer look at the show’s legacy, artistry, and beloved characters at the new free multimedia exhibition Somebody Come and Play: 45 Years of Sesame Street Helping Kids Grow Smarter, Stronger, and Kinder. The exhibition will be on display in The Library for the Performing Arts’ Donald and Mary Oenslager Gallery from Sept. 18 through Jan. 31, 2015.
Somebody Come and Play features more than 250 items, including more than 20 Muppets, on display from the Library and Sesame Workshop’s collections. Blueprints and set designs show how New York City inspired the show’s iconic set, while original sketches (many on display for the first time) of characters such as Elmo show how Muppets are designed, built, and brought to life. The center section of the exhibition is dedicated to the many creative talents that contribute to Sesame Street—composers, animators, writers, actors, directors, producers, puppeteers, and designers—and details how the show establishes a curriculum and ensures that each segment is educational. Animation cels, storyboards, and claymation models demonstrate the process of producing the animated segments that have been a staple of the show since it debuted. Visitors will also learn how Sesame Street‘s mission to reach and teach goes far beyond the television through outreach efforts and international co-productions. The exhibition gives visitors a chance to learn about Sesame Street‘s past, present, and future, and understand the show’s creative process.
Young Sesame Street fans will enjoy artifacts and materials positioned at lower heights, as well as an interactive area for children within the exhibition, featuring Sesame Street books, apps, and activities. The Library for the Performing Arts will also open early on select Wednesdays throughout the duration of the exhibition for special children’s storytelling events led by retired NYPL children’s librarians. Additionally, select NYPL branches will offer a variety of read-aloud, crafting, and film screening programs utilizing Sesame Street‘s “Every Day is a Reading and Writing Day” literacy curriculum.
“One of the many reasons why Sesame Street is so special is that it showed the world that the performing arts and television itself could be powerful educational tools,” said Jacqueline Z. Davis, Barbara G. and Lawrence A. Fleischman executive director of The New York Public Library for the Performing Arts. “Furthermore, the show helped to educate generations of children, and, for many, it serves as their first exposure to the performing arts. The New York Public Library for the Performing Arts is delighted to celebrate this groundbreaking TV show, and the talented performers, writers, artists, and musicians that have worked on it over the last 45 years.”
Features and highlights of Somebody Come and Play include:
- More than 20 furry friends on display, including Elmo, Oscar, Bert, Ernie, Snuffy, Super Grover, Zoe, The Count, and Hoots the Owl
- Muppets from Sesame Tree, Northern Ireland’s Sesame Street co-production
- Replicas of the Sesame Street lamppost and 123 Sesame Street brownstone stoop
- Iconic props and costumes used on the show, including Ernie’s rubber duckie, Bert and Ernie’s pajamas, Grover’s bellhop uniform, and Alistair Cookie’s dressing gown
- Special area for children to enjoy Sesame Street books, apps, and activities
- Photo booth where visitors can pose next to Honkers
- Original sketches of Elmo on display for the first time, as well as style guides, on-set photography, and blueprints showing the craft and artistry required for making and performing the Muppets
- Maurice Sendak’s original Children’s Television Workshop logo designs, and samples of Sendak’s other work on the show
- Animation cels from “The Alligator King” and other animated segments
- Videos showing celebrity appearances and musical parodies over the years
- Video of the making of a parody segment that will air during Sesame Street‘s new 45th season
- Lead sheets and orchestrations for classic songs such as “C is for Cookie” and “I Love Trash”
- Drafts and edited scripts, and art director storyboards tracing segments from conception through filming
In addition to the display, The Library for the Performing Arts at Lincoln Center will offer public programs for children and adults in conjunction with Somebody Come and Play: 45 Years of Sesame Street Helping Kids Grow Smarter, Stronger, and Kinder. Visit nypl.org/sesamestreet for more details.
