Cooney received mail from parents who said their learning-disabled children were learning their ABC's--and the parents were proud.

The early curriculum also included the numbers 1 through 10, along with social skills and problem solving.

Multiculturalism was also a theme almost from the start. Chall says its inclusion was linked to the concern for lower income children.

"I always used to call it [cultural diversity] the "hidden curriculum," says Loretta Long, one of the original cast members who plays Susan on the show.

The inclusion of such socially relevant themes as race and gender issues in a sense make the fantasy-based show quite realistic.

"Even though we hang out with eight-foot yellow birds we are more reality based than other shows," Long says.

Sunny Days

After the initial planning phases were completed, there were weekly meetings to design the animation and live "bits" along the lines of a children's vaudeville show, White says.

But, the show needed a home base. "I said the home base should be a city street," he remembers.

The name "Sesame Street" was suggested in part because it "has a hocus-pocusy sound. Children like hocus pocus. But it has an adult meaning as well," he adds.

Dual appeal was theme throughout the planning process, according to White.

"The show appeals to adults as well as children and draws parents to watch with their kids," he says.

All the planning resulted in five one-hour segments.

But these did not test well, and Lesser says the group "went back to the drawing board."

After they made revisions to the setup, the team went on to make a full year of one-hour shows, with each show composed of six serious "bits" and one muppet insert.