'SESAME STREET' Groundbreaking kids show begins 35th season on the air

The season launches with a prime-time special tonight.
By JUDITH S. GILLIES
WASHINGTON POST
It's been a long road for "Sesame Street," with millions of viewers along for the journey through the alphabet, numbers, Muppets, celebrities, serious moments and songs.
But when the show went on the air it barely had a title, recalled Joan Ganz Cooney, originator of the children's television series.
"We thought children would pronounce it 'see-same' and we sweated and sweated over that," she said. But once the show aired, "it seemed odd that we had worried so about it. Possibly any title will do if you have a smash hit."
Tonight at 7, "Sesame Street" launches its 35th season with a prime-time special on PBS. The hourlong "Sesame Street Presents: The Street We Live On" also will air as the opening show of the daytime season beginning Monday.
The special focuses on Elmo, the little red Muppet, who learns about his street. With the help of his friend Grover, Elmo sees "Street" highlights such as the wedding of Luis and Maria, the birth of their daughter Gabi, and Gordon and Susan's adoption of Miles, as well as other clips.
Appealing to parents
There are 26 new shows this season, said Lewis Bernstein, executive producer. "We've added some new things -- in a way going back to our beginnings -- by doing parodies of other programs that are fun for kids but, on a double level, fun for their parents."
Adults who watch with their children can reinforce the educational aspects and extend learning, he said. "That's why we have celebrities and do parodies."
This season will include "Dr. Feel" meeting "Dr. Phil" McGraw, in a bit that will focus on emotions; "Joe Hundred Guy," a take-off on "Joe Millionaire" that will show how to count by tens; and Julianne Moore in "Far From Seven," a counting spoof of her Oscar-nominated movie, "Far From Heaven."
At the beginning of the programs, celebrities such as Venus Williams, Harvey Fierstein, Kelsey Grammer, Doris Roberts, Wayne Brady and Cher will share their favorite "Sesame Street Moment."
Continuing segments
The 35th season will continue Global Grover segments, where the furry blue Muppet visits different places around the world and introduces short live-action films about children in other cultures.
And Oscar the Grouch will read stories to his pet worm, Slimey, about the adventures of "Trash Gordon," with Gordon dressed as a superhero.
"The way we stay fresh is that each year we kind of reinvent ourselves," said Bernstein. "We invite top educators and psychologists from the country to meet with writers and editors and ask them to address what are the most pressing needs for children, how the environment has changed, and how we can address those needs."
The program covers letters and numbers, of course, Bernstein said, but also looks at such issues as how to solve conflicts peacefully and understanding other viewpoints. Programs also are filled with stories, music and fun, he said. More than 4,000 episodes have been produced.
Beginnings
The show's start was "one of those things where the timing was exactly right, the people were exactly right," Cooney said. "We all knew we were involved in important work in 1968. It was the time that Martin Luther King and Robert F. Kennedy Jr. were assassinated. The civil rights movement was very much alive and the war on poverty had been declared by [President] Johnson. We felt very much a part of the national purpose as well as doing something wonderful for children."
Caroll Spinney, the puppeteer behind Big Bird and Oscar the Grouch, has been with "Sesame Street" since it began. It "has always adjusted to change. The alphabet and numbers haven't changed but the world has. I thought [the series] would last," he said, "but I couldn't have guessed 35 years."