Journey With Purpose

Sesame Street Refresh with David Gallo

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How do you redesign one of the most beloved streets in television history—without losing its soul? 

Scenic designer David Gallo takes us behind the scenes of his work refreshing Sesame Street, balancing history with modern storytelling. From relocating Oscar the Grouch to uncovering forgotten set details, Gallo shares how he approached updating an iconic space while preserving its magic. Plus, hidden Easter eggs, unexpected storytelling opportunities, and what Stephen Colbert had to say about it all.

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    • Show notes & links
    • David Gallo Design
  • Stephen Colbert’s Hot Takes: Sesame Street
  • Read: Street Gang: The Complete History of Sesame Street by Michael Davis
  • Watch: Street Gang: How We Got To Sesame Street
  • Around the Corner in Season 25
    • 456 Sesame Street, a brownstone that houses the Day Care Center, operated by Angela.
  • The Furry Arms Hotel, a Muppet hotel owned by Sherry Netherland, with her employees Humphrey, Ingrid, Benny Rabbit, Otis the Elephant Elevator Operator, and a Dinger.
  • The Birdland jazz club, which featured live music hosted by Hoots the Owl.
  • 10 Sesame Street, a two-story building. The lower floor is occupied by Finders Keepers, a thrift shop full of objects from fairy tales and nursery rhymes, owned by Ruthie. The top floor contains a dance studio owned by dance teacher Celina.
  • A Subway Station.
  • The Park, which has a jungle gym and a pond. The Squirrelles live in a tree there.
  • A newsstand, run by Oscar.
  • Clock Tower.
  • An Electronics Store (seen only in Sesame Street Stays Up Late as a part of the 456 building)

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    Episode Takeaways
    1. The set was refreshed in 2015 for the 46th season.
  • The refresh aimed to modernize the set while preserving its legacy, balancing new elements with historical details rather than replacing everything entirely.
  • One of the major goals was to make the set more competitive with animated children’s programming by improving visual appeal and adding vibrant colors while maintaining a realistic, lived-in feel.
  • The refresh introduced a stronger sense of place by clarifying where key characters lived, such as relocating Elmo to the 123 apartment building and giving Cookie Monster a home above Hooper’s Store.
  • Gallo incorporated urban planning principles into the redesign, adding elements like a community garden and repurposing an underutilized building into a community center to reflect how real neighborhoods evolve.
  • The updates allowed for more dynamic storytelling, giving writers new locations and opportunities for character interactions, which they began fully utilizing in later seasons.
  • Audience reaction was mixed at first, with some resistance to change, particularly regarding the relocation of Oscar the Grouch, though the overall response was positive.
  • The refresh included small but meaningful details, such as a faded public telephone sticker alongside a new free WiFi sign outside Hooper’s Store, to illustrate the passage of time.
  • Hidden references and personal touches were woven into the set design, including Easter eggs related to the band Phish and a fictional book named after Gallo’s partner.
    • Guest Bio

    David Gallo is an award-winning scenic designer and visual storyteller whose work has appeared in dozens of cities around the world. He has designed over 30 Broadway plays and musicals and is the recipient of the esteemed Tony Award and two Emmy Awards. He also designs media, video, and projections and directs and visually writes shows.

    “Sesame Street stayed largely mired in 1968, which was great. But it didn’t reflect modern world to its audience. It was my function as the designer of the refresh to come in and add 35 years worth of history to a neighborhood, that would have evolved in a very particular way.”
    -David Gallo

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