YouTube YouTube is a video sharing website which allows users to upload and share videos . Created in February 2005 , YouTube is now owned and operated as a subsidiary of Google . The site hosts a wide variety of user - generated video content , including movie clips , TV clips , and music videos , as well as amateur content such as video blogging and short original videos . Most of the content on YouTube has been uploaded by individuals , although media companies including The Jim Henson Company , Sesame Workshop and The Muppets Studio have uploaded materials to the website . The Muppets . The Muppets Studio started posting a series of original web videos online in 2008 ( many exclusive to the site ) . The first sets of videos were posted on YouTube accounts created for individual characters , including Sam the Eagle , Gonzo , Beaker , the Swedish Chef , Statler and Waldorf , Fozzie Bear , Rizzo the Rat and Dr . Bunsen Honeydew . In 2009 , the videos were posted under a central Muppets Studio account on YouTube . Additional promotional videos have been posted to the channel as well . In 2015 , the Muppets partnered with a number of popular channels at YouTube Space LA . Sesame Street . Sesame Workshop maintains their own YouTube channel featuring various clips from " Sesame Street " . In July 2008 , Sesame Workshop launched their own YouTube channel under the user name SesameStreet ( which was registered in 2006 ) . As of 2010 , the channel features over 700 officially released videos clips , with new clips being added regularly . Many of the clips feature segments or excerpts from " Sesame Street " episodes , home videos and other related productions . Several exclusive YouTube videos have been released , it has been the home of the Put Down the Pacifier initiative , along with exclusive interactive " Ask Elmo " sessions . On September 24 , 2010 , an image of Elmo graced the official YouTube logo site - wide . On October 16 , 2011 , the channel was hacked , with all its videos replaced with pornography . Due to the incident , the channel ( and its videos ) were unavailable for several hours . In February 2013 , the channel started a campaign to become the first non - profit organization and the first US children ' s company to receive one - billion total video views on YouTube . The goal was reached on March 6 , 2013 ; to celebrate , the channel released the music video " Counting the " You " s in YouTube " starring the Count . In June 2013 , a new paid subscription channel debuted , featuring select episodes from " Sesame Street " ( seasons 35 to 38 ) , " The Electric Company " ( 2009 revival ) and " Plaza Sésamo " . Telly is apprehensive of the site ; learning that he ' s going to be on the site via " 5Facts " , he blurts out " you know the kind of stuff they have on YouTube ? Ahhhhhhhh ! " Sesame Workshop . In June 2012 , select episodes of " Sesame Street " ( from Season 40 to 42 ) were made available to purchase , as well as classic episodes . International . Sesame Workshop also hosts a channel for international versions of the show . " Plaza Sésamo " ' s ( while the account has been registered since September 2006 ) officially uploaded videos in July 2011 . A channel for " Sesamstrasse " debuted in January 2013 . YouTube ads . In September 2012 , Sesame Street released a series of YouTube ads that would play before various third - party sponsored videos on the site . The videos promoted the Sesame Street YouTube channel and featured Bert , Grover and Cookie Monster . The Jim Henson Company . The Jim Henson Company also has a channel that showcases special videos and clips from their various productions . Exclusive full - episode previews of " The Simian Undercover Detective Squad " and " Alt / Reality " were first posted to the company ' s YouTube channel . Video episodes of the Henson . com podcast have also been released on the channel . Henson briefly hosted a paid channel under the name Jim Henson Family TV , now defunct . See also . The Muppets have appeared in original segments ( scripted , improv , or interview , but not coverage of news events ) on the following YouTube channels :