History Trivia / SesameStreet

** Big Bird's camp counselor was [[BreakingBad Gustavo Fring]].

* WorkingTitle: CTW took so long to come up with the title ''Sesame Street'' that the original pitch reel includes scenes of Muppet writers struggling to come up with a name. Rejects mentioned include ''The 2 and 2 are 5 Show'', ''The 2 and 2 '''ain't''' 5 Show'', ''The Little Kiddy Show'', ''[[TotallyRadical The Nitty-Gritty Little Kiddy Show]]'', ''[[LongTitle The Itty-Bitty, Nitty-Gritty Little Kiddy Show]]'', ''[[UpToEleven The Itty-Bitty, Farm and City, Witty Ditty, Nitty-Gritty, Dog and Kitty, Pretty Little Kiddy Show]]'', and ''[[ViewersAreMorons Hey, Stupid!]]''[[note]]Jim Henson only suggested that last one as a joke.[[/note]]

* LongRunnerCastTurnover: During the ninties, a number of magnates passed away or began to appear less. Season 37 saw the start of another ongoing turnover.

* ActingForTwo[=/=]TalkingToHimself: Caroll Spinney as Big Bird and Oscar.

** This troper also felt that the ban was a sign that parents felt that the sketch wasn't "dumbed down" enough and it required them to watch the show with their kids, taking time away from that "monumental football game" or that "hard to come by LifetimeMovieOfTheWeek".

* [[MissingEpisode Missing Sketch]]: Regarding massive criticism, Music/KatyPerry's "Hot and Cold" segment with Elmo has never been aired on television, due to claims that Perry's dress was too risque for a preschool to kindergartner-aged educational TV show. While the dress did show some cleavage and looked ill-fitting on Perry, most viewers who saw the original sketch on YouTube declared that the ban is yet another sign of parents overreacting to sexuality on TV, yet turning a blind eye to violence, gore, and NightmareFuel.

* [[MissingEpisode Missing Sketch]]: Regarding massive criticism, Music/KatyPerry's "Hot and Cold" segment with Elmo has never been aired on television, due to claims that Perry's dress was too risque for a preschool to kindergartner-aged educational TV show.

* [[MissingEpisode Missing Sketch]]: Regarding massive criticism, Music/KatyPerry's "Hot and Cold" segment with Elmo has never been aired on television. [[note]]You could watch that on Website/YouTube at your own peril.[[/note]] [[spoiler:However, if it does air, then the show would be [[ContentWarnings re-rated TV-Y7]].]]
* MissingEpisode: The late 1970s episode where Margaret Hamilton [[http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/7/77/Sesame_Street_Margaret_Hamilton_Oscar_The_Grouch_1976.jpg reprised]] her role as [[Film/TheWizardOfOz The Wicked Witch of the West]] is currently lost. The one time it aired, numerous parents sent hate mail saying it was too frightening for their children, and at least one Wiccan mother complained that the episode represented negative stereotypes of witches. The episode "Snuffy's Parents Get a Divorce" never aired as the test audiences didn't seem to get the concept well. Only one [[http://images1.wikia.nocookie.net/__cb20110403205922/muppet/images/1/11/SnuffyParentsGetaDivorce.jpg known picture]] exists of it.

* WorkingTitle: CTW took so long to come up with the title ''Sesame Street'' that the original pitch reel includes scenes of Muppet writers struggling to come up with a name. Rejects mentioned include ''The 2 and 2 are 5 Show'', ''The 2 and 2 '''ain't''' 5 Show'', ''The Little Kiddy Show'', ''[[TotallyRadical The Itty-Bitty, Nitty-Gritty Little Kiddy Show]]'', ''[[LongTitle The Itty-Bitty, Farm and City, Witty Ditty, Nitty-Gritty, Dog and Kitty, Pretty Little Kiddy Show]]'', and ''[[ViewersAreMorons Hey, Stupid!]]''[[note]]Jim Henson only suggested that last one as a joke.[[/note]]

* WorkingTitle: CTW took so long to come up with the title ''Sesame Street'' that the original pitch reel includes scenes of Muppet writers struggling to come up with a name. Rejects mentioned include ''The 2 and 2 are 5 Show'', ''The 2 and 2 '''ain't''' 5 Show'', ''The Little Kiddy Show'', ''The Itty-Bitty, Nitty-Gritty Little Kiddy Show'', ''The Itty-Bitty, Farm and City, Witty Ditty, Nitty-Gritty, Dog and Kitty, Pretty Little Kiddy Show'', and ''Hey, Stupid!''[[note]]Jim Henson only suggested that last one as a joke.[[/note]]

* {{Defictionalization}}: Outside Philadelphia, there's a theme park in Sesame Place. It includes a perfect, life-size replica of the set of the show, and the characters come out to greet guests constantly. Yes, you can take photos.

* HeyItsThatGuy: Bob's Uncle Wally from 1984-1992 was played by [[SantaClausConquersTheMartians Dropo]].
* [[MissingEpisode Missing Sketch]]: Regarding massive criticism, Katy Perry's "Hot and Cold" segment has never been aired on television. [[note]]You could watch that on Website/YouTube at your own peril.[[/note]] [[spoiler:However, if it does, then the show would be [[ContentWarnings re-rated TV-Y7]].]]
* MissingEpisode: The late 70s episode where Margaret Hamilton [[http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/7/77/Sesame_Street_Margaret_Hamilton_Oscar_The_Grouch_1976.jpg reprised]] her role as [[Film/TheWizardOfOz The Wicked Witch Of The West]] is currently lost. The one time it aired numerous parents sent hate mail saying it was too frightening for their children, and at least one Wiccan mother complained that the episode represented negative stereotypes of witches. The episode "Snuffy's Parents Get a Divorce" never aired as the test audiences didn't seem to get the concept well. Only one [[http://images1.wikia.nocookie.net/__cb20110403205922/muppet/images/1/11/SnuffyParentsGetaDivorce.jpg known picture]] exists of it.

* NoExportForYou: British viewers only saw the show intermittently and courtesy of {{ITV}} and later ChannelFour, because TheBBC had declared it was "too authoritarian" to show on British TV. The series itself is no longer shown in Britain at all, although ''ElmosWorld'' and ''Bert And Ernie'' are (as part of ChannelFive's [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3HCpVyKtQvg ''Milkshake!'' strand]]).

* ThrowItIn: A small-scale version of Zoe was originally built for her role as "Mousey the Hatter Helper" in the direct-to-video ''Abby in Wonderland'' movie, but the puppeteers liked it so much that, starting in the upcoming Season 40, they're making this Zoe the ''de facto'' Zoe. Sesame Workshop, of course, tested this smaller Zoe by having kids visit the set, and they didn't seem to notice.

* WhatCouldHaveBeen: Caroll Spinney was very close to being aboard the Challenger as Big Bird. But the expenses of sending him and the puppet suit into space however were enough to keep him off the Shuttle and its explosive fate.

** At one time there was an [[http://blogs.wsj.com/speakeasy/2010/09/23/katy-perry-kicked-off-sesame-street/ episode]] that was supposed to air on September 27, 2010, in which Music/KatyPerry performs a version of "Hot n Cold" with Elmo. However, because the song wasn't a bit kid-friendly enough, and because of the outcry of MediaWatchdog groups over her ImpossiblyLowNeckline and AbsoluteCleavage, Sesame Workshop had to pull the episode a few days before it was to air. You can still watch the video [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YHROHJlU_Ng here]].

* WorkingTitle: CTW took so long to come up with the title ''Sesame Street'', that the original pitch reel includes scenes of Muppet writers struggling to come up with a name. Rejects mentioned include ''The 2 and 2 are 5 Show'', ''The 2 and 2 '''ain't''' 5 Show'', ''The Little Kiddy Show'', ''The Itty-Bitty, Nitty-Gritty Little Kiddy Show'', ''The Itty-Bitty, Farm and City, Witty Ditty, Nitty-Gritty, Dog and Kitty, Pretty Little Kiddy Show'', and ''Hey, Stupid!''[[note]]Jim Henson only suggested that last one as a joke.[[/note]]

* WorkingTitle: CTW took so long to come up with the title ''Sesame Street'', that the original pitch reel includes scenes of Muppet writers struggling to comeuppance with a name. Rejects mentioned include ''The 2 and 2 are 5 Show'', ''The 2 and 2 '''ain't''' 5 Show'', ''The Little Kiddy Show'', ''The Itty-Bitty, Nitty-Gritty Little Kiddy Show'', ''The Itty-Bitty, Farm and City, Witty Ditty, Nitty-Gritty, Dog and Kitty, Pretty Little Kiddy Show'', and ''Hey, Stupid!''[[note]]Jim Henson only suggested that last one as a joke.[[/note]]

* MissingEpisode: The late 70s episode where MargaretHamilton [[http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/7/77/Sesame_Street_Margaret_Hamilton_Oscar_The_Grouch_1976.jpg reprised]] her role as [[Film/TheWizardOfOz The Wicked Witch Of The West]] is currently lost. The one time it aired numerous parents sent hate mail saying it was too frightening for their children, and at least one Wiccan mother complained that the episode represented negative stereotypes of witches. The episode "Snuffy's Parents Get a Divorce" never aired as the test audiences didn't seem to get the concept well. Only one [[http://images1.wikia.nocookie.net/__cb20110403205922/muppet/images/1/11/SnuffyParentsGetaDivorce.jpg known picture]] exists of it.

** Snuffy's parents were meant to get divorced but test audiences had a negative reaction to the episode. It's never been aired.

* MissingEpisode: The late 70s episode where Margaret Hamilton reprised her role as [[Film/TheWizardOfOz The Wicked Witch Of The West]] is currently lost. The one time it aired numerous parents sent hate mail saying it was too frightening for their children, and at least one Wiccan mother complained that the episode represented negative stereotypes of witches. The episode "Snuffy's Parents Get a Divorce" never aired as the test audiences didn't seem to get the concept well. Only one [[http://images1.wikia.nocookie.net/__cb20110403205922/muppet/images/1/11/SnuffyParentsGetaDivorce.jpg known picture]] exists of it.

** Here's a clip of that show - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9NjFbz6vGU8

* EnforcedMethodActing: '''Subverted''' in "Goodbye Mister Hooper". The cast did fine in rehearsal, but when the cameras rolled, they barely hung on, and Loretta Long (who played Susan) flubbed a line. Director Jon Stone wanted to try again, but it was too much for the cast. The footage that the crew kept was the scene that we saw ... and it showed, quite candidly, that even adults cry and genuinely feel deeply saddened when a person they were close to has died, and that children aren't the only ones who become emotional.

** At one time there was an [[http://blogs.wsj.com/speakeasy/2010/09/23/katy-perry-kicked-off-sesame-street/ episode]] that was supposed to air on September 27, 2010, in which Music/KatyPerry performs a version of "Hot n Cold" with Elmo. However, because the song wasn't a bit kid-friendly enough, and because of the outcry of MediaWatchdogs over her ImpossiblyLowNeckline and AbsoluteCleavage, Sesame Workshop had to pull the episode a few days before it was to air. You can still watch the video [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YHROHJlU_Ng here]].

** At one time there was an [[http://blogs.wsj.com/speakeasy/2010/09/23/katy-perry-kicked-off-sesame-street/ episode]] that was supposed to air on September 27, 2010, in which Music/KatyPerry performs a version of "Hot n Cold" with Elmo. However, because the song wasn't a bit kid-friendly enough, and because of the outcry of media watchdogs over her ImpossiblyLowNeckline and AbsoluteCleavage, Sesame Workshop had to pull the episode a few days before it was to air. You can still watch the video [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YHROHJlU_Ng here]].

** The pilot episodes had the Muppets kept separate from the humans and the street, but since the kids payed more attention to the Muppets in test screenings, they were wisely integrated.

* WhatCouldHaveBeen: Caroll Spinney was very close to being aboard the Challenger as Big Bird. But the expenses of sending him and the puppet suit into space however were enough to keep him off the Shuttle and its explosive fate.

* ActingForTwo[=/=]TalkingToHimself: Caroll Spinney as Big Bird and Oscar.