Sesame Workshop history

After testing Sesame Street in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and at several New York day-care centers, CTW broadcast the show nationally on November 10, 1969.

The CTW was not incorporated until 1970 because its creators wanted to see if the series was a success before they hired lawyers and accountants.

During the second season of Sesame Street, to capitalize on the momentum the Workshop was enjoying and the attention it received from the press, the Workshop created its second series, The Electric Company, in 1971.

In 1972, the Markle Foundation donated $72,000 to Harvard to form the Center for Research in Children's Television, which served as a research agency for the CTW. Harvard produced about 20 major research studies about Sesame Street and its effect on young children.

Lesser reported in Children and Television: Lessons from Sesame Street, his 1974 book about the beginnings of Sesame Street and the Children's Television Workshop, that about 8–10% of the Workshop's initial budget was spent on research.

According to writer Cary O'Dell, the show "lacked a clear direction and never found a large audience". In 1977, the Workshop broadcast an adult drama called Best of Families, which was set in New York City around the turn of the 20th century.

In 1984, CTW had total revenues of $54 million.

In 1990, Cooney stepped down as president and chief executive officer of CTW, and was replaced by David Van Buren Britt.

Under Britt, CTW added a new show in 1992, Ghostwriter, designed to help older kids develop writing skills.

In 1996, CTW earned $20 million in licensing fees.

Lesser also served as the first chairman of the Workshop's advisory board, a position he held until his retirement in 1997.

In 1998, a CTW executive told Playthings, "Our research shows that to many parents the Sesame Street brand name is like a seal of approval."

In 1999, CTW teamed with Nickelodeon to launch a new twenty-four-hour children's television network, Noggin.

The CTW changed its name to Sesame Workshop in June 2000, to better represent its non-television activities and interactive media.

In 2002, as the show began its thirty-third season, Sesame Workshop decided to focus on an even younger audience, primarily two-year-olds.

Starting in 2006, the Workshop expanded its programs by creating a series of PBS specials and DVDs largely concerning how military deployment affects the families of soldiers.

After seven years as a partner, the Workshop divested its stake in Sprout to NBCUniversal in December 2012.

In 2014, H. Melvin Ming retired and was succeeded by former HIT Entertainment and Nickelodeon executive Jeffery D. Dunn.

Julia’s 2017 television debut was greeted with hundreds of media stories and millions of social media impressions, but the biggest marker of our success was the overwhelming response from the autism community and beyond.

The organization employed about 400 people, including "several highly skilled puppeteers". Royalties and distribution fees, which accounted for $52.9 million in 2018, made up the Workshop's biggest revenue source.

November 10, 2019 marked the 50th Anniversary of Sesame Street.