It wasn't supposed to be a revolution. Honestly, in 1969, most people just thought of it as an "experiment" in using TV to teach kids their ABCs. But when the first episode of Sesame Street aired on November 10, the original Sesame Street cast did something no other show had dared to do. They didn't live in a shiny, plastic dream world. They lived on a gritty, slightly cluttered street in a neighborhood that looked suspiciously like the Upper West Side or Harlem.
They were real.
Joan Ganz Cooney and the team at the Children's Television Workshop (now Sesame Workshop) didn't just hire actors; they hired people who felt like neighbors. This wasn't Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood, where everything was polite and soft-spoken. This was a place where people argued, laughed loudly, and ate cookies with reckless abandon. If you grew up watching the early seasons, you remember a version of the show that felt a little more dangerous—and a lot more human—than the polished, Elmo-centric world of today.
The Humans Who Built the Block
When we talk about the original Sesame Street cast, we usually start with the four human pillars: Matt Robinson (Gordon), Loretta Long (Susan), Will Lee (Mr. Hooper), and Bob McGrath (Bob).
Matt Robinson was the first Gordon. He wasn't just an actor; he was a producer and a writer who fought for the show’s cultural authenticity. Robinson’s Gordon was firm. He was a teacher. He had this incredible gravity that made kids listen. But Robinson eventually felt that being "the guy on the street" was limiting, and he moved on to focus on writing, eventually being replaced by Hal Miller and then, most famously, Roscoe Orman in 1974.
Then there was Loretta Long as Susan. She was a real-life schoolteacher before she got the gig. That mattered. You can see it in the way she interacts with the kids on those old film clips—she isn't "performing" for them. She’s talking to them.
And we have to talk about Bob McGrath. Bob was the "music man." He stayed with the show for nearly five decades. When he passed away in 2022, it felt like a member of the family had died. He brought this Midwestern sincerity that balanced out the urban grit. He was the guy who sang "The People in Your Neighborhood," a song that basically defined the show's entire mission statement.
Then there’s Mr. Hooper. Will Lee.
Will Lee was a veteran actor who had been blacklisted during the McCarthy era. He brought a soulful, sometimes cranky, but deeply loving energy to the corner store. When Will Lee died in 1982, the show did something unthinkable: they told the truth. They didn't say Mr. Hooper moved away. They didn't recast him. They explained death to millions of children using Big Bird as the surrogate for our grief. It remains, arguably, the most important moment in children’s television history.
The Muppets Weren't Just Puppets
It's easy to forget that the Muppets were originally intended to be kept separate from the human cast. The "researchers" (yes, they had actual scientists studying the show's impact) thought kids would be confused if a 8-foot-2-inch yellow bird talked to a real human man.
They were wrong.
The kids hated the segments that were just humans talking. They wanted the chaos. Jim Henson, Frank Oz, and Caroll Spinney provided that chaos.
Caroll Spinney was the heart of the original Sesame Street cast because he inhabited the two most extreme ends of the childhood psyche. He was Big Bird—the eternal six-year-old, curious and vulnerable. And he was Oscar the Grouch—the part of us that just wants to be left alone in a trash can. Spinney played both roles from 1969 until his retirement in 2018. Think about that. One man's hands and voice shaped the emotional development of three generations.
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Big Bird wasn't always the sweet kid we know now, either. In the very first episodes, he was a bit of a "village idiot" character. He was goofy and lacked the emotional depth that Spinney eventually breathed into him.
The Dynamic of Bert and Ernie
You can't discuss the early days without the chemistry between Jim Henson (Ernie) and Frank Oz (Bert). Their relationship was built on a very specific kind of vaudeville comedy. Ernie was the instigator, the one who couldn't sleep, the one who played the drums at 3:00 AM. Bert was the long-suffering straight man who just wanted to collect his paperclips and oatmeal boxes in peace.
This wasn't just "funny voices." It was a masterclass in character-driven improv. They were the original odd couple.
The Politics of the Street
Sesame Street was a political act.
By putting a diverse, integrated cast on screen in 1969, the creators were making a massive statement. In fact, a state commission in Mississippi actually voted to ban the show in 1970 because they weren't ready for "highly integrated" programming. It didn't last—parents protested—but it shows you exactly what the original Sesame Street cast was up against.
The neighborhood was intentional. It was designed to look like a place where low-income kids lived. There were trash cans. There were cracked sidewalks. There was a stoop. This was "inner-city" before that became a buzzword.
Why the Cast Changed
People often ask why the show feels different now. Why did the humans fade into the background?
The answer is simple: marketing and attention spans.
As the show became a global phenomenon, the Muppets became the stars. Elmo’s rise in the late 90s fundamentally shifted the balance. The show went from being an ensemble piece about a neighborhood to a show about a specific set of characters. The original cast members like Bob, Luis (Emilio Delgado), and Maria (Sonia Manzano) eventually saw their roles reduced.
In 2016, a major controversy erupted when it was announced that Bob McGrath, Emilio Delgado, and Roscoe Orman were being let go as the show moved to HBO. The backlash was fierce. It felt like the "neighborhood" was being gentrified. Sesame Workshop eventually walked it back, keeping them on as "ambassadors," but the damage was done. The street had changed.
Missing Faces and Forgotten Names
While we remember the big names, the original Sesame Street cast included people who are often lost to history.
- Northern Calloway (David): He was a brilliant, charismatic actor who took over the store after Mr. Hooper died. His story is tragic, marked by mental health struggles that eventually led to his departure from the show and his early death.
- Charlotte Rae (Molly the Mail Carrier): Before she was Mrs. Garrett on The Facts of Life, she was the neighborhood’s first mail carrier.
- Raul Julia (Rafael): Yes, the legendary Raul Julia was a regular in the early 70s, helping run a fix-it shop with Luis.
These actors weren't just playing roles; they were representing people who hadn't been seen on TV before. When Sonia Manzano joined as Maria in 1971, she wasn't just an actress. She was a Latina woman in a lead role on a major television show, something that was almost non-existent at the time.
The Legacy of the First Season
If you go back and watch Episode 0001 today, it feels slow. There are long stretches of just... talking. There are weird psychedelic animations about the number 2. But the magic is there.
The magic was the belief that kids are smart.
The original cast didn't talk down to their audience. They didn't use "baby talk." They treated the four-year-olds at home like people. If Gordon was frustrated, he showed it. If Susan was tired, she looked tired. This authenticity is why the show survived while hundreds of other "educational" programs failed.
How to Explore the Original Era
If you're feeling nostalgic or want to show your kids what the "real" street looked like, you don't have to rely on fuzzy memories.
- Search the "Old School" DVD Sets: Sesame Workshop released "Sesame Street: Old School" volumes that contain the first several seasons. These include warnings that some segments "may not suit the needs of today's preschool child"—mostly because the kids are shown running around the city unsupervised or because of the grit. It’s a fascinating time capsule.
- The American Library of Television Archives: They have extensive interviews with Joan Ganz Cooney and the original actors.
- YouTube’s Official Sesame Street Channel: They’ve been uploading "Classic Sesame Street" clips lately. Look for the "Classic" playlist to see the 1969-1974 era specifically.
The original Sesame Street cast did something that hadn't been done before: they created a world where everyone was welcome, even the grouches. They taught us that you could be different, you could live in a city, and you could be family with the people on your block.
Actionable Steps for Fans and Parents
If you want to preserve this legacy or introduce it to a new generation, start here:
- Watch the 1983 "Goodbye Mr. Hooper" episode with your kids if you need to discuss loss. It remains the gold standard for how to handle tough topics with honesty and grace.
- Support the Sesame Workshop. They are a non-profit. Buying the classic merch or donating helps keep their archival work going.
- Look for the "Street Gang" Documentary. Released a few years ago, it’s the definitive look at the show's origins, the casting of the humans, and the madness of the early production days. It features rare footage of the original Sesame Street cast that you won't find anywhere else.
- Read "Street Gang" by Michael Davis. If you want the deep, unvarnished history of the show's creation—including the friction between the creators—this book is the bible of Sesame Street history.
The neighborhood has changed, sure. It’s brighter, louder, and a bit more corporate. But the foundation laid by Matt, Loretta, Bob, Will, and the Muppets is still there, buried under the new paint. They didn't just teach us letters and numbers; they taught us how to be neighbors.