Sesame Street at 40 : A Night of Celebration with the Legendary Cast Sesame Street at 40 : A Night of Celebration with the Legendary Cast was an event held on January 30 , 2009 in the Shea Center for the Performing Arts at William Paterson University in Wayne , New Jersey ; the event was the final installment in William Paterson University ' s Distinguished Lecturer Series for 2008 - 2009 . The occasion was moderated by Michael Davis , author of " Street Gang : The Complete History of Sesame Street " and consisted of a panel - style discussion with members of the creative team behind Sesame Street . As originally billed , the panel was to have nine members , including David Rudman . At the actual event , however , Rudman was absent , and the panel comprised the remaining eight members , seated on stage in two rows of four - - Front Row ( from stage right to stage left ) : Frank Oz , Caroll Spinney , Sonia Manzano , and Kevin Clash ; Back Row : Tony Geiss , Bob McGrath , Fran Brill , and Marty Robinson . Spinney , Clash , Brill , and Robinson brought the Muppet characters Oscar the Grouch , Elmo , Zoe , and Telly Monster , respectively . The seating arrangements allowed Oscar and Manzano ' s character Maria to engage in their trademark teasing of one another ; however , on this occasion their tone was notably affectionate , with a subtext of unrequited love on the part of Oscar . At the beginning of the discussion , Davis was seated about five yards stage right of the panelists , although he spent most of the evening on his feet posing questions and otherwise engaging the panel members . Davis asked questions to specific panelists , who then answered , with frequent interjection of anecdotes and amplifications by other panel members . At the end of the discussion , the panelists took questions from the audience . Interesting revelations from this Q & A session included the following : Frank Oz dismisses the notion that Cookie Monster ' s penchant for cookies encourages children to eat unhealthily , and Marty Robinson disclosed that one wall in the Green Room of the Sesame Street studio is adorned with defunct Sesame Street Muppets , and is called " The Dead Muppets Wall " by cast members . In addition to a celebration of " Sesame Street " ’ s 40th Anniversary , the event also served as a memorial tribute to Richard Hunt . Several members of Hunt ' s family , including his mother Jane , were in attendance that night . During the discussion , Davis showed two video clips of classic Sesame Street sketches featuring Hunt characters Forgetful Jones and Don Music . The panelists also waived their speakers ' fee , choosing to have it donated to the Sesame Workshop , in Hunt ' s name . Immediately after the event , Davis and Manzano signed copies of their new books . A reception with the panelists followed at nearby Hobart Manor , also on the Paterson campus and an easy walk from the Shea Center . However , this reception was open only to invited guests and Season Ticket holders of Paterson ' s Distinguished Lecturer Series . At the reception , the panelists proved willing to sign autographs , and Caroll Spinney expressed disagreement with the disclaimer offered in the DVD sets and that the early Sesame Street episodes " may not suit the needs of today ' s preschool child . "