Street Gang

The Complete History of Sesame Street

By: Michael Davis

Narrated by: Caroll Spinney

When the first episode aired on Nov. 10, 1969, Sesame Street revolutionized the way education was presented to children on television. It has since become the longest-running children's show in history, and today reaches 8 million pre-schoolers on 350 PBS stations and airs in 120 countries.

Street Gang is the compelling and often comical story of the creation and history of this media masterpiece and pop culture landmark, told with the cooperation of one of the show's co-founders, Joan Ganz Cooney. Sesame Street was born as the result of a discussion at a dinner party at Conney's home about poor children's programming and hit the air as a big bang of creative fushion from Jim Henson and company, quickly rocketing to success.

This audio is narrated by Caroll Spinney, the voice of Big Bird and Oscar the Grouch. Spinney is the winner of four Emmy Awards and two Grammys, and has received both a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame and the Library of Congress's Living Legend award for his work on Sesame Street. In 2006, Spinney was honored with the National Academy of Telelvsion Arts and Sciences' Lifetime Achievement Award.

©2009 Michael Davis (P)2009 Listen & Live Audio, Inc.

Interesting Story - TERRIBLE NARRATOR

Would you be willing to try another one of Caroll Spinney’s performances?

NO! I cannot fathom how this narrator got a job reading books aloud. He speaks like a man with a nose-full of mucous, and still manages to be monotonously nasal. He also fairly routinely mispronounces words, putting accent on the wrong syllable, adding syllables to some words ("summarily") and somehow deleting syllables from others ("spectacularly"). I got to the first airing and reactions of Sesame Street, and just couldn't take any more of him. If he is the only option in Audio, I'll go buy the paper book or E-book.

Pure Entertainment A Its Best

What a remarkable story full of innovation and determination behind the scenes of Sesame Street.

Fascinating look behind the scenes

Brief biographies of many of the people involved in creating Sesame Street. Mostly broad strokes describing people not many interactions on the set. Most interesting in its historical look at what was available for kids prior to Sesame Street and how they went about trying to do something different. Carol Spinney was a sentimental choice of narrator, but it’s not his strength.

what you missed from sesame street

Even a children's show would have a backstory and politics behind it. Truly engaging and eye-opening.

great insight into a complicated machine

the story of sesame street and it's uncertain beginnings is a heartfelt tale that entertains while it educates... just as intended