THE STREET: Did you grow up with Sesame Street? The wonderful and life-changing show debuted Nov. 10, 1969, the brainchild of Joan Ganz Cooney, a former documentary producer for public television, according to History.com.

“Cooney’s goal was to create programming for preschoolers that was both entertaining and educational. She also wanted to use TV as a way to help underprivileged 3- to 5- year-olds prepare for kindergarten.”

She hired Jim Henson to create a cast of characters, which have been worldwide institutions on their own — Bert and Ernie, Cookie Monster, Oscar the Grouch, Grover and Big Bird to mention a few.

“The subjects tackled by Sesame Street have evolved with the times. In 2002, the South African version of the program, “Takalani Sesame,” introduced a 5-year-old Muppet character named Kami who is HIV-positive, in order to help children living with the stigma of a disease that has reached epidemic proportions. In 2006, a new Muppet, Abby Cadabby, made her debut and was positioned as the show’s first female star character, in an effort to encourage diversity and provide a strong role model for girls. In May 2019, a muppet character whose mother is battling addiction was introduced, acquainting kids with the opioid crisis.”

Did you know Oscar the Grouch was originally orange?

“This was due, in part, to some of the limitations of early colorized television,” according to Sesame Workshop. “When Oscar appeared green in the first episode of Season 2, he offered a silly – if not smelly – explanation for the change: He had been on vacation at the Swamp Mushy Muddy, where he got so covered in slime that he turned a permanent new hue!”

Since its inception, more than 80 million Americans have watched Sesame Street.