What's Next for Sesame Street Published at We're History

"Media coverage that has incorporated historical context into this story has focused primarily on the late 1960s, the period when Sesame Street was created. Yet that historical moment was an anomaly, a blip of public funding for children’s educational programming set against nearly two centuries of private development of educational and entertainment products for American children. For most of that long period, parents have been the primary purchasers of these products, and that role has given them substantial influence over the content consumed by young readers and viewers."