C is for....

Cookie, of course. We all know the song.

If you haven't been bombarded with Sesame Street stuff enough recently, here is just one more tribute to the program that most of us grew up loving. Sesame Street turns 40 next week and the tributes have been popping up everywhere. Google's most recent doodles have included Big Bird, Cookie Monster, and today's Ernie and Bert. I've seen news articles everywhere about the impact of the show on my generation and beyond. Even the BBC got in on the act today and did an article and a video about the series.

I grew up with Sesame Street and Mr. Rogers and loved both of the shows as a child. My mother would teach us time based on the shows. When we asked how long something was she would tell us "one Sesame Street" which was an hour or "one Mr. Rogers" which was a half an hour. It was not a perfect system but we quickly figured out about how long things were from that. We didn't watch a ton of TV as kids but we never missed Sesame Street. And time wasn't the only thing we learned from the great show. I learned how to count and spell and add from the show. And I learned without realizing it. The beauty of the show is that it made it so much fun to learn. From the puppets to the animated segments or the live-action films, we were subtly taught basic skills.

I haven't really watched the show in many years so I don't know if or how things have changed. I know that some of the new popular characters like Elmo have gained quite a following. But back in my day (wow I sound old saying that) Big Bird and Snuffleupagus were celebrities for my generation. I'm glad that this educational program has received all the acclaim that it has. The geniuses who invented it molded a generation who had grown up with television as a medium. We learned and we loved it. And for that I'm incredibly grateful. It may not have been edgy but it was the best hour on television.

For added fun check out Matthew Stadlen's 5 Minutes With Sesame Street. I'm a huge fan of the whole 5 Minutes With... series but this one was extra fun.