Picture of Author's husband, holding a Sesame Street favorite!

For 40 years Sesame Street, hidden in the heart of Astoria Queens has been secretly bringing a taste of New York  into homes across the country. Even though the program has never outwardly claimed to take place in New York… The city savvy kids always knew that the answer to “How do you get to Sesame Street?” was simple- The N train (… or the E with a transfer to the R or the G… see? simple.)

To us, it seemed so obvious! The parks, the street signs they all screamed NYC.. and really, where else can a kid have the time of their life playing in a fire hydrant-sprinkler like the one shown in the 1980′s title sequence? Which, just for the record- makes Zoe, Rosita, and Prarie Dawn? …All NY Metropolistas.

Just like many historic areas of  The Big Apple,  there are parts of Big Bird’s hometown that have remained the same.  Mr. Hoopers store is still selling everything from birdseed to sandwiches, Oscar is still rooming in a trashcan with Slimy  and occasionally, the street will be visited by celebrities (who are rumored to usually be more excited to meet Big Bird than vice-versa) but as much as the street has stayed the same, it has also has a history of change that has built the neighborhood we all know and love today.

Some changes were small, like The Count’s signature laugh after counting each number, (ONE… “Mwahh-ha-ha-ha”‘) being cut due to feedback  that it may have been frightening  young viewers. And others were bigger, and more serious- like in 1982, when Will Lee- who played Mr. Hooper, passed away from a heart attack and the show dealt with his loss by explaining the natural circle of life in the episode “A Farewell to Mr. Hooper.”  Then there was the marriage of Maria and Luis, and the day Gordon and Susan adopted Miles… do you remember those episodes? I do.

I also remember the day that Snuffy became visable to the rest of the neighborhood (yes, its true- it was invisable for quite sometime).

But perhaps the most over looked changes goes back to the first season, when Grover was brown… and Oscar was - orange! This is baffling to me. How could Grover have ever been Brown? It’s kind of like seeing your grandparents wedding photo and realizing at one time they weren’t grey! Or looking at a baby photo of your preschooler, and wondering where the time has gone?

It seems like just yesterday the 4yr old me was planning my wedding to Bob (yes, Sesame Street- Bob). And although in time that plan also changed, there was something special about the day that my (real life) husband and I we were able to pass on Bert and Ernie dolls to our son and seeing the same excitement in our little boys eyes, that once lit up the eyes of his father’s 25 years ago. Today, Sesame Street is one of the longest running programs in television history, and with its earlier viewers now in their baby booming prime, the show has become not only a piece of American culture, but a childhood tradition passed on through generations.

Happy Birthday Sesame Street— wishing you 40 more years of making of childhood memories.