Gothamist
A non-profit newsroom, powered by WNYC.
Gothamist
Listen Live
Arts & Entertainment
Sesame Street Is 50 And The Empire State Building Will Go Green & Yellow
By
Jen Chung
Published Nov 8, 2019
Share
FacebookTwitterRedditEmail
Never miss a story
Email address
By submitting your information, you're agreeing to receive communications from New York Public Radio in accordance with our Terms .
Empire State Realty Trust
By
Jen Chung
Published Nov 8, 2019
Share
FacebookTwitterRedditEmail
We rely on your support to make local news available to all
Make your contribution now and help Gothamist thrive in 2026. Donate today
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
The most important television show in the world, Sesame Street, is celebrating its 50th anniversary on Sunday, November 10th, and naturally, New York City must acknowledge it. The Empire State Building will glow green and yellow on Sunday, and Big Bird and the original Big Bird puppeteer, Caroll Spinney, helped flipped the ceremonial switch on Friday.
New York City also declared November 8th "Carroll Spinney Day"! Spinney, now 85 years old, was also the puppeteer for Oscar the Grouch:
This comes six months after it was officially declared that Sesame Street is in Manhattan—West 63rd and Broadway, to be exact.
On Saturday, November 9th, HBO, the new home of Sesame Street (first-run episodes are on HBO and will be on HBO Max; repeats still air on PBS channels), will air a special, Sesame Street’s 50th Anniversary Celebration, hosted by Joseph Gordon-Levitt, with appearances from celebrities like Whoopi Goldberg, Patti LaBelle, Elvis Costello, Meghan Trainor, Sterling K. Brown, Norah Jones, Nile Rodgers, and Itzhak Perlman.
The gang also crashed The Late Late Show this week:
Sesame Street has also been sharing adorable, heartfelt memories of the show from stars, like Costello and Rodgers—my favorites are from Lucy Liu, Padma Lakshmi, and Chance the Rapper:
While there have been many celebrities to appear on Sesame Street, it seems that Bruce Springsteen is still their White Whale. But will The Boss ever be able to top Feist's "1-2-3-4" Sesame Street video that went crazy viral and has over 277 million views? She told the NY Times that she forgets the real lyrics to the song and sometimes sings about chickens.
Unless you have children, you may not have realized that Sesame Street updated the iconic pinball "12" animation with a claymation version. And the new songs on Sesame Street are still really good—"Why I Love The Letter Y" is a legit bop (I am 43 and sometimes I sing it whenever I see the letter Y somewhere)—and Lin-Manuel Miranda is now a contributor to the incredible music of the show!
Enjoy this highlights reel...
...and this, possibly the best musical performance:
Tagged
sesame street
Jen Chung
Jen Chung is a former WNYC and Gothamist editor.
Read more
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
MORE arts-entertainment
Inside the hidden chamber that controls Lincoln Center's magnificent fountain
Gothamist went behind the scenes to learn how the NYC landmark keeps its majestic waters flowing.
By
Sonia Rao
Published Oct 23, 2026
In the algorithm age, NYC college radio DJs are still broadcasting the funky stuff
We dropped by WNYU to see what the next generation of radio DJs is up to. The answer is "Br00tal Beats To Study/Relax To."
By
James Ramsay
Arts & Entertainment
In the algorithm age, NYC college radio DJs are still broadcasting the funky stuff
We dropped by WNYU to see what the next generation of radio DJs is up to. The answer is "Br00tal Beats To Study/Relax To."
By
James Ramsay
A Queens prop shop shutters, bunnies find a home uptown, and more openings and closings
By
Hannah Frishberg
A new film invites you to eavesdrop on one of the greatest conversations in NYC history
By
Sonia Rao
The Knicks are NBA champions. Now they have to start dressing the part.
By
Sonia Rao
Never miss a story
Catch up on the most important headlines with a roundup of essential NYC stories, delivered to your inbox daily.
Sign upEmail address
By submitting your information, you're agreeing to receive communications from New York Public Radio in accordance with our Terms .