Television to viewers of all ages in the 1960s was a budding medium, and children by 1961 proved to be a loyal—and later profitable—target audience for networks. But debates appeared questioning whether or not children’s television negatively influenced its young viewers. “Sesame Street” debuted in 1969 and quickly became the most successful children’s program in television history. Its production continues today.
The thesis, in its entirety, found that “Sesame Street” happened “in the right place at the right time.” It found that the show was an exception to a plethora of the low-quality, violent, and commercial children’s programming that print media characterized before its debut; was overwhelmingly supported after its debut by print media, political figures and public audiences; was overwhelmingly framed positively by authors of articles who pinned traditional educators fearing television may replace their roles against “Sesame Street” creators in a public debate over the show’s merits; and was changed over the past three decades in response to vocal opinions about the characters’ representations of gender, race, and class.