On this day in 1969, the National Educational Television network premiered a show from the Children’s Television Workshop, with songs, animation, Carol Burnett, and Muppets. Thirty-eight years later, Sesame Street has become the longest running American children’s program, having helped educate generations of children worldwide.
The effect of the show is so powerful and widespread, this song made it up to #16 on the Billboard charts in 1970:
Seventy-one years ago today, James Maury Henson was born in Greenville, Mississippi. Over his fifty-three years, Jim Henson left a legacy that touched almost every child in two generations through his creations, from Kermit to Yoda to the Fraggles to Bear and the Big Blue House.
The sheer amount of output from Henson is staggering, winning multiple Emmys, BAFTA awards, a Peabody Award or two, and a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame for both him and Kermit the Frog. Heck, if you’re like most people, all you have to do is think of his voice saying "Mahna Mahna" and you’ll instantly respond "Doo Doooo, Di Doo Doo". (And now that tune is going to be stuck in your head for the rest of the day. Sorry. But at least you’ll be smiling.)
He was even nominated for an Academy Award for something that had nothing to do with puppetry, a short film that he wrote, directed, and starred in called Time Piece, released four years before Sesame Street hit the airwaves.
We invite you to take a look at it here, odds are you’ve never seen this side of Jim Henson before.
Comics Links
The Washington Post Express interviews Percy Carey, who recently told his life story in the graphic novel Sentences. Carey, best known as an underground rapper, also appeared on Sesame Street as a seven-year-old.
Comic Book Resources interrogates Jonathan Hickman, writer/colorist of the upcoming A Red Mass for Mars.
Tom Spurgeon of Comics Reporter defends the humble comics shop.
Sequential Tart interviews Jesse Hamm, artist of Good As Lily.
Turning to the subjeect of For Better or For Worse: Lynn Johnston opens up a new front in her propaganda war to prove that Liz and Anthony are destined to be together. In other news, we have always been at war with Eastasia.
The Baltimore Sun visited the Baltimore Comic-Con.
Artist Jesse Hamm tells Comics Should Be Good about eight things he wants to see more of in comics.
Comics Reviews
Richard of Forbidden Planet International reviews The Plain Janes by Cecil Castelucci and Jim Rugg.
Dana of Comics Fodder reviews this week’s Marvels.
Warren Peace Sings the Blues reviews the first issue of Andi Watson’s new comic, Glister.
Occasional Superheroine is puzzled by the new Infinity, Inc. series.
The LA Times reviews Osamu Tezuka’s Apollo’s Song (and a Robert Silverberg short story collection from Subterranean – ha ha, SF readers! You can’t just skip over the comics links blithely, can you? It’s all good stuff, so sit back and check it all out.)
Living Between Wednesdays gets to last week’s comics just ahead of this week’s comics.
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