Suspenders worn by Mr. Hooper (Will Lee) on Sesame Street
date: label: Date made
content: 1979
label: date made
content: before 1979
notes: label: Description (Brief)
content: This pair of red and blue striped elastic suspenders is part of a costume worn by Mr. Hooper (portrayed by Will Lee) in early seasons of Sesame Street. Lee was one of the first human cast members of Sesame Street and portrayed the elderly Jewish shopkeeper Mr. Hooper from 1969 until his death in 1982. Mr. Hooper was the owner of his eponymous store, a bodega-like combination convenience store, lunch counter, and newsstand. When Lee died, Sesame Street’s producers decided to address his absence on the show, and in episode 1839, which aired on Thanksgiving Day, 1983, Hooper’s friend Big Bird memorably learns and comes to terms with his death. That episode earned critical acclaim for its frank and thoughtful discussion of death and grief for a young audience.
label: Description (Brief)
content: Sesame Street (1969-present) is the longest-running children’s television series in American history, and one of the most influential and impactful programs in the history of the medium. First developed by producer Joan Ganz Cooney to use all the entertaining tools of commercial television to teach preschool aged children, the series was also a notable effort to use public television to reach minority and low-income communities who otherwise lacked educational opportunities. The series combines live action sequences set in a Harlem-like neighborhood of urban brownstones and small businesses with animated segments, catchy modern music, popular culture parodies, and integrates Jim Henson’s Muppets, a memorable mélange of entertaining scenes that have made Sesame Street a favorite of children and parents alike. Sesame Street is a production of Sesame Workshop (known before 2000 as the Children’s Television Workshop) and premiered on the National Educational Television (NET) network in 1969 before that early educational broadcaster transitioned to the Public Broadcasting Service (PBS) in 1970. Since 2016, Sesame Street has aired new episodes on HBO although reruns still air on PBS.
topic: label: related object association proper name
content: Sesame Street
label: general subject association
content: Costume
label: general subject association
content: Television
label: Subject
content: Children's television programs
setName: label: See more items in
content: Culture and the Arts: Entertainment
label: See more items in
content: Popular Entertainment
creditLine: label: Credit Line
content: Gift of Children's Television Workshop
dataSource: label: Data Source
content: National Museum of American History
identifier: label: ID Number
content: 1979.0952.08
label: accession number
content: 1979.0952
label: catalog number
content: 1979.0952.08
objectType: label: Object Name
content: Suspenders
label: Object Name
content: suspenders
physicalDescription: label: Physical Description
content: elastic (overall material)