PBS’ ‘Pioneers of THIRTEEN’ recalls launching ‘Sesame Street’ in 1969 wasn’t as easy as ABC

Documentary kicks off the 1st of 4 specials celebrating the 50th anniversary of Ch. 13

The creators of “Sesame Street” were advised early on that the program would never work. Thankfully, they didn’t listen.


That’s one of the fun historical facts viewers can learn by watching “Pioneers of THIRTEEN, The ’60s - Experimental Days,” airing Monday at 8 p.m. on WNET, Ch. 13.

It’s the first of four specials, each highlighting a different era, to mark the 50th anniversary of Thirteen, the flagship station of PBS.

A large part of Monday’s one-hour special focuses on the birth of “Sesame Street” in 1969.

“When we look back, it seems like such a sure thing, but in fact there are all kinds of people who are telling [creator Joan Ganz Cooney] this is a bad idea,” says Neal Shapiro, president and CEO of WNET. “They had educational advisers and they told her, ‘Never ever merge fantasy with reality. It will be confusing to kids.’ And she said, ‘Ignore those experts, get me Muppets on the street!’”

Even James Earl Jones, who counted for kids on the show and recited the alphabet, had his doubts about the show, now in its 42nd year.

“There’s an interview with James Earl Jones, who was the first guy who did the letters, and he said, ‘You know I did this thing, but I never thought it was going to work,’” Shapiro shares. “‘I thought those monsters were going to scare kids.’ He said, ‘I was exactly wrong. It’s one of the most popular things on the show.’”

“The ’60s” special also features a performance piece with John Lennon and Yoko Ono, interviews with a young Bill Cosby and Muhammad Ali, and a stage play starring Dustin Hoffman, a year before his breakthrough role in “The Graduate.”

Each quarter through next fall, Thirteen will air three more episodes, “The ’70s - Bold and Fearless,” “The ’80s - Trusted Voice,” and “The ’90s and Beyond - Changing Landscape