One Savvy Mom ™ | NYC Area Mom Blog: Recognizing Amazing Women: Joan Ganz Cooney - The Co-Creator of Sesame Street

Recognizing Amazing Women: Joan Ganz Cooney - The Co-Creator of Sesame Street


Chances are, you grew up watching the lovable characters of Sesame Street dance and sing across their way across your television screen - all while imparting valuable educational and moral lessons. I know I did. Another safe bet is that you also introduced this friendly and familiar group from the "Street", to your own children. I will be forever grateful for the lessons that we (my children and myself) have learned from Sesame Street. 

Makers.com, an initiative by PBS and  AOL, is recognizing  the first woman who was essential in launching the overall concept of educational television for children: Joan Ganz Cooney – the co-creator of “Sesame Street.”

More than 40 years ago, Joan changed the way children watched TV and has become a trailblazer in her own right after realizing that children learn best when fantasy is mixed with reality. As you undoubtedly know, “Sesame Street” has grown to become a show that reaches young children across most demographic groups with 90% of preschoolers watching the show before the age of six.

To celebrate Joan’s accomplishments, AOL’s MAKERS.com has released a video of her journey to the “Street.” 






More About Makers.com and the Women who Make America Initiative
MAKERS.com is a dynamic digital platform showcasing thousands of compelling stories - both known and unknown - from trailblazing women of today and tomorrow. This historic video initiative was founded by Dyllan McGee and developed by AOL and PBS. Executive Producers are Dyllan McGee, Betsy West, and Peter Kunhardt.

MAKERS: Women Who Make America is an ongoing initiative that aims to be the largest and most dynamic collection of women's stories ever assembled. Selections of MAKERS are made twice a year by our filmmaking team using guidelines set by a board of advisors.This process ensures that the make-up of the library of stories includes women from all walks of life with diverse experiences and perspectives.

Women in the 'Groundbreakers' category were chosen by the production team based on criteria defined by a team of advisors and include women who are firsts in their fields, visionary role models or frontline activists who sparked, and some who opposed, change for women.