I talk about the development of 'Sesame Street', an iconic television show for preschoolers based on research by teachers and child psychologists. But how did it come about in the first place? Why is it set on a normal looking street? Why were there no female Muppets initially? And did it really sell its soul to HBO? I attempt to answer all these questions, as well as examining the show's evolution and legacy over the past 50 years. 
   
Clips:   
Ernie as a banana in his ear. 
Snuffy is revealed. 
Goodbye Mr Hooper. 
Herry and John John count to 20. 
Christopher Reeve talks about his wheelchair. 
Abby has two homes. 
What is incarceration?    
Sesame Street covers the Black Lives Matter     protests. 
Sesame Street Gets Through A Storm. 

Sources:   
Interview with Joan Ganz Cooney for the Archive of American Television. 
The Unmistakable Black Roots of Sesame Street.     
How We Got to Sesame Street.   
What is behind the magic of Sesame Street?   
'We know we're more than a TV show': how Sesame Street made it to 50.   
Study: Kids can learn as much from ‘Sesame Street’ as from preschool.   
The Sesame Street Effect.     
B Is for Broke: Why 'Sesame Street' Is Moving to HBO.     
Sesame Street's move to HBO, explained.     
Sesame Street Goes Global: Let's All Count the Revenue.     
On The Set With: Zoe; This Monster Is a Girl.   
A Girly-Girl Joins the ‘Sesame’ Boys.   
On Sesame Street, It’s All Show.     

In my first episode, I talk about the history of children's rights, the dismissive attitudes we often hold about the youth of today, and how a teenager's brain is doing some wild stuff.

Content warning: discussing of child abuse.

Twitter and Instagram: @comingofagecast

Sources:
History of child rights: https://www.unicef.org/child-rights-convention/history-child-rights
Adolescent development: https://www.who.int/maternal_child_adolescent/topics/adolescence/development/en/
Adolescence as a unique developmental period: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4543091/