Happy Birthday, Sesame Street!
“Sesame Street” marks its 40th anniversary this year, and its something for kids, parents, and yes, marketers to celebrate.
The show was revolutionary in more ways than I can count (and being one of the first generation of kids to be taught and entertained by the show, I can’t help but count these down in a slightly fractured Transylvanian accent).
1. It’s hip and fun. Up until we started getting a glimpse of life on the Street, kids television wasn’t exactly a cool place to be. Sure, there were a lot of bright spots, but parents generally weren’t drawn into watching with their kids because they enjoyed the show. Big Bird and crew changed that, and paved the way for everything from “The Electric Company” to “Yo Gabba Gabba.”
2. It’s educational. Kids were being entertained by TV, but they weren’t exactly learning much. “Sesame Street” began unlocking the power of TV to sneakily teach kids their ABCs, 123s, why its nice to share and why trash is a thing to love.
3. It’s a powerful, powerful marketing machine. No, “Sesame Street” and PBS don’t go for the hard sell. But the show has sold millions of streets and avenues worth of books, stuffed animals, games, t-shirts and anything else you can put a Muppet’s mug on over the years. Just ask any retailer that got inundated by crazed parents during the heyday of “Tickle Me Elmo” —those friendly furry monsters are marketing icons. (Speaking of icons, we’ve all seen the awesome “Sesame Street” Google Doodles, right? Here’s a gallery of the whole collection.)
I’m going to leave you with one of my favorite clips from “Sesame Street.” And if you think it doesn’t have anything to do with marketing, consider this: Ernie has probably helped promote the rubber ducky industry more than anyone else made of either flesh or felt in history.
November 11th, 2009 at 11:01 am
This was my oldest son’s favorite video when he was little (he’s now 23.) I’ve probably watched it 100 times. I had no idea it was on YouTube. What a find. Viva la Sesame Street!