About the project

September 18, 2014 – January 31, 2015

A collaboration of Sesame Workshop and The New York Public Library for the Performing Arts at Lincoln Center, this multimedia exhibition celebrates Sesame Street‘s 45th anniversary and gives fans of all ages a closer look at the show’s legacy, artistry, and beloved characters. The exhibition features more than 250 items, including more than 20 Muppets.

For adult visitors, blueprints and set designs show how New York City inspired the show’s iconic set, while original sketches of characters such as Elmo show how Muppets are designed, built, and brought to life. The center section of the exhibition is dedicated to the many creative talents that contribute to Sesame Street – composers, animators, writers, actors, directors, producers, puppeteers, and designers – and details how the show establishes a curriculum and ensures that each segment is educational. Animation cels, storyboards, and claymation models demonstrate the process of producing the animated segments that have been a staple of the show since it debuted. Visitors also learn how Sesame Street‘s mission to reach and teach goes far beyond the television through outreach efforts and international co-productions. The exhibition gives visitors a chance to learn about Sesame Street‘s past, present, and future, and understand the show’s creative process.

Young Sesame Street fans will enjoy the show as well, with artifacts and materials positioned at lower heights. Entering the gallery, visitors are greeted by a reproduction of the 123 Sesame Street stoop, where they can push a button to “bother Oscar” and have him pop out of his trash can to say hello. Several chalk murals by Sesame Workshop’s Creative Director of Character Design Louis Henry Mitchell are throughout the exhibition, including one in a special location just for children to find. A large frame accommodates 16 different types of Muppet fur, felt, and hair that visitors can touch. Around the corner, a furry photo booth allows visitors to take a picture with the Honkers. The back of the gallery features an interactive area for children, featuring Sesame Street books, a large chalk wall to draw your own Muppet on, and Sesame Street apps. This area also hosts story telling each week during the run of the exhibition. Several interactive iPad stations are also placed throughout the gallery, such as a selection of alphabet and number video clips. Overhead Super Grover flies among clouds, giving Library patrons on the 2nd floor a great view.

Graphic and Exhibition Designer