Kids television 1960-now

PBS edition

By: Lexi Barrera

Sesame StreetAired: 1969-Present

Writers: Joey MazzarioProducers: Children’s Television Workshop

Carol-Lynn ParenteNetwork: PBS

Target Audience: Pre-Schoolers

Cast:Elmo

Cookie Monster Big Bird

Bert & Ernie Oscar the Grouch

And Friends+

At First...Plot

Sesame Street is a world full of live actors, puppets, and animation.Elmo and Friends learn new life skill, or academic lesson each episode.

How it was Initially Received

*When the show first aired it was critiqued for its progressive ideas. Public was wary of the controversial topics it covered, and multi-racial cast.

*It was the first childrens show to use scientific research to teach children. However, many felt the show did a poor job of educating children.

*In 1970 Mississippi tried to ban the show.

What was going on? In the world...

US in 1969:

-Watergate scandal

-US out of Vietnam

-Start of Gay Rights Movement

What made the Show Influential?

1.Covered/ acknowledged many controversial topics, including, death, HIV, AIDS, divorce, adoption, and race. 2.First children’s TV show to educate through entertainment.3.At a time when the country was extremely divided on the idea of race equality, Sesame Street created a world where all diversities were accepted and created equal.

On TV...

Sesame Street was one of the first Children’s TV shows, and the first to use scientific research to get the best academic results.

Who would be drawn the this show?Little Children, around preschool age

How did it Influence TV Beyond it’s Time?

-Many children’s televisions shows have used Sesame Street’s same model.

-Show produced many Spin off’s; movies, toys, and games.-Producers have created specialized programs and

characters for different countries to cater to the area’s needs Ex: Kami is a HIV+ muppet in South African show.

Arthur Aired: 1996-present

Writers: Joe Fallon, Peter Hersch, & Matt HovermanProducers: WGBH Bos, Marc Brown, Carol Greenwald, & Greg Bailey Network: PBS

Target Audience: 6-9 year olds

CastArthur

D. W. & Baby KateBrainMuffyBuster

Francine

Book Author: Marc Brown

Plot

The show followed the adventures of Arthur and friends in and around a suburb town. The show Dealt with, and focused on, the struggles of an elementary school child.

How it was Initially Received

When the show first aired it received a very positive response. Some critics claimed that it was a better show then both Barney and Sesame Street.

At First...

What was going on?In the world...

What made the show influential?The show was targeted towards older children, elementary school age, where other shows were mostly focused on preschoolers.The show also focused on common social issues, and how to deal with those situations, instead of providing educational benefits

On TV…Many of the Shows focused on educational value, and sparking the curiosity of children, while Arthur catered to the issues of older children.

How did it influence TV beyond it’s time?Arthur dealt with social issues such as, bullying, homework and schoolwork, trouble with siblings, and learning disabilities such as dyslexia and ADHD

Who would want to watch this show?The show is still currently on the air and attracts children with ages ranging from 7-10

-The Blizzard of 1996-Summer olympics in Atlanta-18 Black churches burned to the ground

Curious GeorgeAired: 2006-Present

Writers: Raye Lankford & Ken Scarborough Producers: Ron Howard & Brian GrazerNetwork: PBS

Target Audience: Pre-Schoolers

Cast:Curious George

The Man in the Yellow HatBill

Mr. Pisgetti & Gnocchi Professor Wiseman

Book Authors: H. A. and Margret Ray

Publisher: Houghton Mifflin

At First...

Plot

The show followed the life of George the monkey and his owner, the Man in the Yellow

Hat. The setting took place in and around New York City where their apartment was and their

vacation home in a rural country town.

How it was Initially Received

-People liked how the show was very similar to the books and how the animation stayed the

same.-People also thought it was cleverly done;

although George does not speak, toddlers and preschoolers are able to understand his actions

and emotions.

What was going on?In the world…Twitter is launchedPluto no longer a planetIssues with NK and Iran

On TV…Lots of Children’s shows, most

focused on education.

What made this show influential?Each cartoon segment is

followed by a live education

segment which teaches kids

something about science,

math, or engineering.

The segment usually involves

preschoolers who doing a

science experiment that

explains the topic in the

cartoon segment.

How did it influence TV beyond its time?Education is highly valued and continues to play a large role in children’s television.

Who would be drawn the this show today?Children ages 3-6 (Preschoolers)

Overall how have purpose of all three shows evolved?

Arthur, Sesame Street, and Curious George have

become more progressive, and address current

issues.

For example,Sesame Street just announced

the addition of new puppet that has

autism, Julia.

All three shows help fill the need of educational

children’s television. Over the past 50 years the

focus in children’s television has shifted from

entertainment value to educational value.

Bibliography

"2006 A Year in Review." CNN. Cable News Network, 2007. Web. 09 Nov. 2015.

"A is for 'Arthur,' and kids love him // Aardvark is ahead of Barney, on TV as well as in alphabet."Austin American-Statesman [TX] 30 Mar. 1997: 5. U.S. History in Context. Web. 9 Nov. 2015.

Alison Macor. "Curious George." St. James Encyclopedia of Popular Culture. Detroit: Gale, 2015. U.S. History in Context. Web. 8 Nov. 2015.

Clarke, Eileen. "Curious George | EW.com." Entertainment Weekly's EW.com. Entertainment Weekly, 7 Sept. 2006. Web. 15 Nov. 2015.

""Curious George" (2006) - Episode Cast." IMDb. IMDb.com, 4 Sept. 2006. Web. 09 Nov. 2015.

Darragh, Thomas S. "Sesame Street (TV, 1969)." Pop Culture Universe: Icons, Idols, Ideas.ABC-CLIO, 2015. Web. 6 Nov. 2015.

"Our Approach In Action - Sesame Workshop." Sesame Workshop. Sesame Workshop, n.d. Web. 09 Nov. 2015.

Scott, Sharon M. "Elmo." Pop Culture Universe: Icons, Idols, Ideas. ABC-CLIO, 2015. Web. 8 Nov. 2015.

Studios, Marc Brown. "What a Wonderful Kind of Day." Marc Brown Studios. Marc Brown Studios, 2015. Web. 10 Nov. 2015.

"The 1960s at a Glance." About.com Education. About.com, n.d. Web. 09 Nov. 2015.

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