Original idea identified social problem of poor children entering kindergarten without the learning skills of their middle-class counterparts, so to use television to better prepare them for school

Debuted in 1969; Mister Rogers year and a half before, and soon Schoolhouse Rock

Corporation for Public Broadcasting established in 1967

“Age of Enlightenment Jr” came together organically, shaped mostly by Northeast progressive intellectual elites “yet was received by the public in good faith rather than as an uppity culture-wars provocation”; also coalesced during a “fun, fertile, anything-goes” artistic period

1961 new FCC chairman Newton Minow coined TV as “vast wasteland” in speech at broadcasters convention

Nursery school barely existed in 1960s, and in 1970 only half of nation’s school districts offered kindergarten

In March 1968, Children’s Television Workshop established by Ford Foundation, Carnegie Corporation, and US Office of Education

Rowan & Martin’s Laugh-In provided model for fast-paced procession of gags, short films, songs, etc. 

CTW created Department of Utilization to create awareness in inner-city neighborhoods to watch the show

Gordan was a writer-produced dragooned into acting; Bob McGrath a singer, and Mr. Hooper a stage actor who was previously HUAC-blacklisted

With multicultural cast and guests, Sesame Street in its first season was “the blackest show on national television” with Soul Train a year away

Name of Sesame Street deemed least worst option from longlist; worried it was too sibilant and hard to pronounce for preschoolers

Mutual apprehension between Sesame Street and Mister Rogers but eventual détente 

Cast invited by Pat Nixon to be entertainment for 1970 White House Christmas party but bad experience with no food; next day at Jesse Jackson’s event much better