Whose childhood didn’t involve countless hours spent in front of their TV mesmerized by the kind-hearted and informative ways of Sesame Street? Along with other beloved kids’ television programs like Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood and Barney & Friends, anyone who grew up without the influence of Sesame Street is most likely lying.
Street Gang: How We Got to Sesame Street takes a look at the history of the show, directed by Marilyn Agrelo based on the book written by Michael Davis.
Agrelo’s direction is straightforward, explaining the original incarnation of the idea for the show, which was headed up by Joan Ganz Cooney and developed at the Children’s Television Workshop from an $8 million dollar budget partially funded by the US Department of Education. Cooney’s vision was to utilize the connection that children seemed to have with advertisements and jingles on TV and utilize the medium to further the education, especially towards city children who were considerably behind in education.
We see the early days of the program and the combined powers of Jim Henson and Franz Oz, who brought unforgettable iconic figures like Big Bird and Oscar The Grouch to life, mixing the puppets with humans to bring this world to life in a way that resonated with children across the country.
While fascinating to learn how the iconic children’s program was built from the ground up, the most interesting part of Street Gang is to see the behind the scenes footage about how it was brought to life and the way the lines were blurred such when the show had the tough task of figuring out how to explain to children the death of the shows’ Mr. Hooper and how the show could prove to teach not only in the education department but breaching broader headier subjects in life.
Agrelo’s direction isn’t flashy or innovative, but it provides plenty of great interviews thanks to well-engaging interviews with fascinating subjects and the digging up of some lovely archival footage. It’s the sort of documentary that will be a heartwarming blast from the past for those who grew up with the show, but also an engaging experience for those who have never experienced the show before.
While it has a lot of ground to cover and maybe briefly glimpses over a few topics that could’ve earned a documentary of their own, Street Gang succeeds in many ways but most importantly gives us a bit of good-natured warmth during a time where we need it more than ever.
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