Lloyd Morrisett was the co-creator of the Children’s Television Workshop (CTW) and the classic children’s TV show “Sesame Street.”
- Died: January 23, 2023 (Who else died on January 23?)
- Details of death: Died at the age of 93.
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Sesame Street
With a background in experimental psychology, Morrisett began working for the Carnegie Corporation in 1959, focusing on early childhood education. The first spark of the “Sesame Street” idea came in 1966, when he noticed how fascinated his young daughter was by television – and how easily she memorized commercial jingles, even at the young age of three. He wondered if her fascination could be put to good use – if TV could be used to educate young children and give them a good foundation of basics before beginning kindergarten. Soon after, at a dinner party with Joan Ganz Cooney, Morrisett asked what she thought about the idea, and she agreed they should explore it further. The pair spent two years researching the possibilities, establishing the CTW, and developing “Sesame Street,” which debuted in 1969. Among Morrisett’s invaluable contributions was securing funding from Carnegie, the Ford Foundation, and other sources. He remained the chair of the CTW’s board of trustees for decades, and he also had a hand in the creation of “The Electric Company.”
Notable quote
“[Creating ‘Sesame Street’] was a lot of fun to do. Everybody was committed, excited, we worked well together. The team worked well together. We were involved in something new, and it was really fun. I think it was fun as well as hard work for everybody” —from a 1999 oral history interview with Sharon Zane
Tributes to Lloyd Morrisett
Full obituary: Variety
