How Kermit's It's Not Easy Being Green song came to be

On November 10, 1969, “Sesame Street,” a pioneering TV show that would teach generations of young children the alphabet and how to count, makes its broadcast debut. “Sesame Street,” with its memorable theme song (“Can you tell me how to get/How to get to Sesame Street”), went on to become the most widely viewed children’s program in the world. It has aired in more than 120 countries.

The show was the brainchild of Joan Ganz Cooney, a former documentary producer for public television. 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. “Sesame Street” was set in a fictional New York neighborhood and included ethnically diverse characters and positive social messages.

Taking a cue from “Rowan and Martin’s Laugh-In,” a popular 1960s variety show, “Sesame Street” was built around short, often funny segments featuring puppets, animation and live actors. This format was hugely successful, although over the years some critics have blamed the show and its use of brief segments for shrinking children’s attention spans.

From the show’s inception, one of its most-loved aspects has been a family of puppets known as Muppets. Joan Ganz Cooney hired puppeteer Jim Henson (1936-1990) to create a cast of characters that became Sesame Street institutions, including Bert and Ernie, Cookie Monster, Oscar the Grouch, Grover and Big Bird.

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.

Since its inception, over 80 million Americans have watched “Sesame Street.”

[The-Eric-Cartman]

It’s not that easy hearing this guy speak when only my right-side speaker works

[harlankrissoff]

Fill in the blanks... it's not easy being... and it fits so may differet circumstances.

[bradleycotton]

🎶It’s not easy bein’ green. Havin’ to spend each day the color of leaves.

When I think it could be nicer bein’ red or yellow or gold or something much more colorful like that.

It’s not easy bein’ green. Seems you blend in with so many other ordinary things.

And people tend to pass you over ‘cause you’re not standin’ out like sparkles on the water or stars in the sky.

But green’s the color of spring. And green can be cool and friendly-like!

And green can be big like an ocean or important like a mountain or tall like a tree!

When green is all there is to be, it can make you wonder why.

But why wonder? Why wonder? I’m green. And it’ll do fine.

Cause it’s beautiful! And I think it’s what I want to be.🎶

🐸💚

[Elizabeth-xosn]

Wow, what an American classic. The tune and words ❤.