Lloyd Morrisettthe co-creator of the popular educational show for children Sesame street (originally, sesame street), who uses empathy and fluffy beings like Abby Cadabby, Elmo and Cookie Monster to entertain generations of children around the world, he died at the age of 93.
Morrisett’s death was announced on Tuesday by Sesame Labthe non-profit organization that made several television series. Cause of death not disclosed.
It’s a statement Sesame Lab he extolled Morrisett as a wise and thoughtful leader and most importantly, kind, who he was constantly thinking of new ways of educating.
Morrisett and Joan Ganz Cooney worked with developmental psychologist Gerald Lesser of Harvard University to build the unique approach of educational program that now reaches approximately 120 million children in the United States. Legendary puppeteer Jim Henson was contracted to provide the show’s cuddly plush creatures.
Sesame Street is broadcast in more than 150 countries and has received 193 Emmy Awards, 10 Grammys and in 2019 he received Kennedy Center Lifetime Achievement Medal.
The story of the program born at a party
Morrisett was born in Oklahoma City in 1929, initially studying to be a teacher, with a background in psychology. He became an experimental educator, looking for new ways to teach children from disadvantaged backgrounds. He is a graduate of Oberlin College and a BA in psychology from UCLA, and a PhD in experimental psychology from Yale University.
He served on the board of Oberlin for many years and served as chairman of the board from 1975 to 1981.
The idea of Sesame street was born at a party in 1966, where he met Cooney.
“I said, “Joan, do you think television can be used to educate children?”. His answer was “I don’t know, but I would like to talk about it”‘ he told the newspaper Keeper in 2004.
The first episode teaching the letters W, S, and E, as well as the numbers 2 and 3, aired in late 1969. It was a turbulent time in the United States, affected by the Vietnam War and a year after the war. assassination of Reverend Martin Luther King Jr.
Children’s programming at the time consisted of content such as Captain Kangaroo, break room and the cartoons that were violent from tom&jerry at the time Mr. Rogers Neighborhood was primarily teaching social skills to children.
The show was set on the street in an urban neighborhood and had a multicultural cast.. The diversity and inclusion They were a big part of the show since its inception. Monsters, humans and animals coexisted peacefully.
They became the first children’s show to have a character with Down syndrome. Over time she has also had puppets with HIV and in foster homes, invited children in wheelchairs and addressed issues such as parents in prison, the homeless, women’s rights, military families and even girls who sing about loving their hair.
I present Rosita, the first Latino and bilingual Muppet of the program, in 1991. Julia, a 4-year-old Muppet with autismarrived in 2017 and since then the program has offered support to children whose parents are struggling with addiction and recovery or to children suffering from the war in Syria.
TO helping children after the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks in New York, the show featured Elmo, traumatized by a store fire and reassured by letting him know the fire brigade was there to help.
The company said, following the news of Morrisett’s death, that it “left a huge and indelible legacy among generations of children around the world. sesame street it has just the most visible tribute to a lifetime of good work and lasting impact“.
POPE
Source: Clarin
