Season 1 (1972)

**Episodes**  | 130

*Where will my feet take me today?* premiered on PBS on January 1, 1972.

## Characters

During this first season, Oscar the Grouch and Big Bird were the only Muppets to appear regularly in Street scenes, while most of the other Muppets debuted in separate segments. Many of the Muppet characters had designs and/or character traits that would be changed or dropped later on. Big Bird had a much more naïve voice and a smaller head with fewer feathers, and was written as a sort of dopey adult character. Oscar, who would retain much of his grouchy demeanor, had orange fur. Monsters, who would become core characters by the second season, had fierce teeth, often destroyed anything in their path, and didn't have consistent names.

Bob, Mr. Hooper, Gordon, and Susan were the original human cast members. With the exception of Mr. Hooper (whose actor died in 1982), the other original characters were still with the series until casting changes for Season 24, making them some of the longest continually-running non-soap opera characters in American entertainment. Like the Muppets, the human characters would change over time. Bob, originally a shop teacher, would later teach music, and by the end of the first season Susan would become a nurse. The season also featured live-action segments starring Buddy and Jim, a human comedy duo that failed at such tasks as hanging a picture and making a sandwich. Jennie also made occasional appearances, utilizing her drawing skills to play various games with the kids.

## Format

*Sesame Street's* format as established in 1969 would remain virtually unchanged for decades; live-action street scenes would alternate with Muppet comedy skits, musical numbers, and short film segments, all known collectively as "inserts." Many of the Muppet scenes and films were created so that they could be replayed over and over (at least one segment would be repeated within any given episode); some of the segments made in 1969 would continue to be rebroadcast into the 1990s. (Some of these pieces are available for viewing at sesamestreet.org, as well as being used in various international co-productions.)

The original episodes had a much more literal, almost lecture-like tone to the Street scenes, closer in style to its original contemporaries like *Mister Rogers' Neighborhood* or *Captain Kangaroo*. With time, the Street-scenes became more natural with a definite plot thrust, with less breaking of the fourth wall. For example, in the first episode, Ernie once addresses the audience as those in "TV land."

While the Muppets would eventually become the biggest stars of the show, they did not appear as frequently as the cast. Cartoon segments aired more frequently than Muppet segments, and as such, some of the original illustrated promotional material featured the cast and Muppets interacting with animated characters, who also appeared in advertisements of the show. Animated segments and live-action inserts featured in the season included Alice Braithwaite Goodyshoes (a know-it-all type who would get some repercussion for her arrogance), Jazz Numbers, Speech Balloons, skywriter Alphabet Bates, and Numerosity, most of which continued to air many years later.

The season introduced many original songs that have gone on to become beloved Sesame Street classics, including "Rubber Duckie," "I Love Trash," "Bein' Green," "The People in Your Neighborhood," and "One of These Things." While all of those songs would have multiple performances on the show over the years, the last two would have many different versions during this season.

During the first season, many segments had some sort of connection with each other. It would be common for characters in the street scenes to introduce the next segments, various Muppet inserts would directly lead into the next film or cartoon, celebrities would appear in short tag sequences commenting on the previous segments, and some Muppet inserts would have them commenting on the previous segments. Some episodes during this season would end with live animals appearing on the street set. Many episodes also had segments where one of the adults would read an existing children's book.

## Curriculum

In 1968, the Children's Television Workshop established the original educational concepts that would prepare children for school. Over time these would be expanded into larger fields (such as women's career awareness, medical issues, and science and space). The original topics that were focused on during the first season included:

* recognition of the 26 letters of the alphabet (often in the form of short cartoons like the Speech Balloon series)
* numbers from one to ten (both forward and backward, though a few segments centered on counting to twenty)
* shapes: circles, rectangles, triangles, and squares
* putting items in the right order, reasoning, and problem-solving
* classification (illustrated by the song "One of These Things")
* relational concepts (including "Near and Far," "Big and Little," and "First and Last")
* perceptual and auditory discrimination
* self: parts of the body, coordinated movement, emotions, differing perspectives, and self-esteem (as illustrated by Kermit the Frog's "Bein' Green" song)
* roles: members of the family and jobs
* cooperation and fair play
* the natural environment (often demonstrated in animal films) and the man-made environment

## Episodes

*Episodes 0001 - 0130 (130 episodes)*

* Episode 1 -- Premiere episode; Gordon introduces Sally to Sesame Street
* Episode 2 -- Oscar decides to leave Sesame Street
* Episode 3 -- Big Bird makes a sweater for Susan
* Episode 4 -- Gordon, Susan, and Bob run Hooper's Store for the day
* Episode 5 -- Oscar gets wet in a rainstorm
* Episode 6 -- A block party on Sesame Street
* Episode 7 -- Oscar's birthday / Mr. Hooper counts jelly beans
* Episode 8 -- B treasure hunt; Ernie erases Cookie Monster
* Episode 9 -- A lost cat on Sesame Street
* Episode 10
* Episode 11
* Episode 12
* Episode 13 -- Big Bird "helps" Mr. Hooper
* Episode 14
* Episode 15
* Episode 16
* Episode 17 -- Oscar's hiccups
* Episode 18 -- Big Bird's hide-and-seek; Mr. Hooper's rocket launchers
* Episode 19
* Episode 20 -- Oscar cleans house
* Episode 21 -- Big Bird discovers balloons; Susan in the kitchen
* Episode 22 -- Jay's birthday party
* Episode 23
* Episode 24 -- What's wrong with Big Bird?
* Episode 25
* Episode 26
* Episode 27 -- Tony Saletan visits
* Episode 28
* Episode 29
* Episode 30 -- Granny Bird visits
* Episode 31
* Episode 32
* Episode 33 -- Michael Cooney visits
* Episode 34 -- A windy day
* Episode 35
* Episode 36 -- Mr. Glopper sets up his hot dog cart on the street
* Episode 37 -- Oscar's missing trash can lid
* Episode 38 -- Gordon's errands
* Episode 39
* Episode 40
* Episode 41 -- Mr. Hooper's newspaper machine
* Episode 42 -- Oscar takes a trip
* Episode 43 -- The cast introduces L, Q and Y; Kermit explains big and small
* Episode 44 -- Rufus visits / Oscar's boarder
* Episode 45
* Episode 46 -- Big Top Big Bird
* Episode 47
* Episode 48 -- A visit from Pete Seeger
* Episode 49
* Episode 50
* Episode 51 -- The art contest
* Episode 52
* Episode 53
* Episode 54 -- Oscar bakes a cake; Mr. Hooper invents a 10 machine
* Episode 55
* Episode 56 -- Mr. Hooper bakes Oscar a baked bean sundae
* Episode 57
* Episode 58
* Episode 59 -- Balloon activities / Big Bird's rubber love
* Episode 60 -- Up and down!
* Episode 61
* Episode 62
* Episode 63
* Episode 64
* Episode 65
* Episode 66
* Episode 67
* Episode 68
* Episode 69
* Episode 70 -- Oscar meets the Groovin' Grouches. / Susan's plant
* Episode 71
* Episode 72 -- Ethel Kennedy visits / Big Bird builds a television set
* Episode 73
* Episode 74
* Episode 75
* Episode 76
* Episode 77 -- Oscar watches the Grouch Bowl/Mr. Hooper's missing glasses
* Episode 78
* Episode 79
* Episode 80
* Episode 81
* Episode 82
* Episode 83 -- Big Bird moves birdseed to his nest
* Episode 84 -- Rufus opens a lemonade stand
* Episode 85
* Episode 86 -- Big Bird draws an "O"
* Episode 87 -- The magnificent block building
* Episode 88 -- Oscar needs a job
* Episode 89
* Episode 90 -- Another block party
* Episode 91
* Episode 92
* Episode 93
* Episode 94
* Episode 95 -- Oscar sings I Love Trash
* Episode 96 -- Susan re-enters the workforce by renewing her nurse's license
* Episode 97
* Episode 98
* Episode 99
* Episode 100
* Episode 101
* Episode 102
* Episode 103
* Episode 104
* Episode 105 -- Reading *Sylvester and the Magic Pebble*
* Episode 106 -- Observing seeds and eggs
* Episode 107
* Episode 108 -- Pete Seeger returns
* Episode 109
* Episode 110
* Episode 111
* Episode 112
* Episode 113
* Episode 114 -- Don McLean visits
* Episode 115 -- Gordon, Susan, and the kids go on an imaginary car ride
* Episode 116
* Episode 117 -- A visit from Odetta
* Episode 118 -- Garbage on Sesame Street
* Episode 119
* Episode 120
* Episode 121 -- Treasure hunt
* Episode 122 -- Big Bird builds a racing car
* Episode 123 -- Big Bird draws lowercase and uppercase R's
* Episode 124
* Episode 125 -- Grover prefers capital G
* Episode 126
* Episode 127
* Episode 128
* Episode 129 -- Oscar hosts the show
* Episode 130

## Cast

Cast
Matt Robinson, Loretta Long, Will Lee, Bob McGrath, Jada Rowland, Brandon Maggart, James Catusi
Puppets by The Muppets
Caroll Spinney, Frank Oz, Jim Henson (Uncredited: Danny Seagren, Caroly Wilcox)
Human Characters
Gordon, Susan, Mr. Hooper, Bob, Jennie, Buddy and Jim
Muppet Characters
Anything Muppets, Baskerville the Hound, Beautiful Day Monster, Bert, Betty Lou, Big Bird, Big V, Cookie Monster, Ernie, Fred, Billy, Flute-Snatcher, Granny Bird, Granny Fanny Nesselrode, Grover, Guy Smiley, Hippie, Jack, Kermit the Frog, Lefty the Salesman, Little Bird, Oscar the Grouch, Professor Hastings, Roosevelt Franklin, Roosevelt Franklin's Mother, Rufus, Scudge, the Snerfs, Snerk, Sour Bird, Splurge, Taminella Grinderfall, Thudge, Tony
Guest Stars
Batman and Robin, Carol Burnett, Michael Cooney, Ruby Dee, Odetta Holmes, Mahalia Jackson, James Earl Jones, Ethel Kennedy, B. B. King, Frederick Douglass Kirkpatrick, Burt Lancaster, Ed Lipton, Don McLean, Listen My Brother, Pat Paulsen, Lou Rawls, Jackie Robinson, Rowlf the Dog, Tony Saletan, Pete Seeger, Superman
## Credits

 File:Season 1 credit crawl
 File:Daniel Seagren Big Bird behind the scenes.jpg
 File:Original cast stoop.jpg
* Executive Producer: David D. Connell
* Producers: Samuel Y. Gibbon Jr., Jon Stone, Matt Robinson, Lutrelle Horne
* Directors: Neil Smith, David Roth, Jan S. Rifkinson
* Writers: Jon Stone, Jeffrey Moss, Bruce Hart, Carol Hart, Ray Sipherd, Jerry Juhl, Virginia Schone, Dan Wilcox
* Art Director: Charles Rosen
* Costume Designer: Doreen Ackerman
* Music Director: Joe Raposo
* Music Coordinator: Danny Epstein
* Associate Producer: Lutrelle Horne
* Director of Research: Edward L. Palmer, Ph.D.
* Chairman, Board of Advisors: Gerald S. Lesser, Ph.D.
* Director of Operations: Ronald L. Weaver
* Production Supervisor: Lew Barlow
* Supervising Film Editor: Dorothy Tod
* Film Editor: M.M. Murphy
* Graphic Artist: Elaine Selig
* Special Assistants: Barbara Demaray, Jane O'Connor
* Assistant to the Producer: Dulcy Singer
* Production Assistants: Emily Squires, Mary Jane Behrens, Naomi Foner, Lisa Simon, Mary Bauer
* Associate Director: Jan S. Rifkinson
* Technical Director: Bob Alexander
* Lighting Director: Mike Mannes
* Audio: Mike Shoskes, Arnie Rosenzweig
* Video: Bob Squittieri, Gridley Quihuis
* Sound Effects: Ralph Curtis, Dick Maitland
* Stage Manager: Chet O'Brien
* Property Coordinator: Nat Mongioi
* Unit Managers: Bernie Jones, Tony Marshall
* Hair Stylist: Mickey Lawrence
* Make-Up: Phyllis Grens
* Video Tape Editors: Joe O'Dowd, John Hutchison, Vincent Sims, Hal McKeon
* Camera: Frank Biondo, Richard King (uncredited)
* Recorded by Tele-Tape at Second Stage

## Sources

1. ↑ Truglio and Fisch. *G is for Growing*. p. 31
2. ↑ Template:40book
3. ↑ Spinney, Caroll *The Wisdom of Big Bird*, p. 105