Sesame Street (fictional location) facts for kids

Signpost of the Sesame Street.

Sesame Street is a make-believe street in Manhattan, a part of New York City. This street is the main setting for the famous American children's television series called Sesame Street. The show mostly happens around a building known as 123 Sesame Street, which looks like a typical New York City brownstone house.

Where is Sesame Street?

The fictional Sesame Street is designed to look like a real neighborhood in New York City. People don't quite agree on which specific neighborhood it's supposed to be. For example, the show's art director, Victor DiNapoli, said it's meant to be in the Upper West Side. But Joan Ganz Cooney, one of the show's creators, once said she wanted to name the show 123 Avenue B. This name comes from the Alphabet City area, which is part of the Lower East Side and East Village.

Usually, you only see one side of Sesame Street on the show. However, in the two Sesame Street movies, you can sometimes see the other side of the street.

Famous Places on Sesame Street

123 Sesame Street

The main building on Sesame Street is a row house called 123 Sesame Street. It's a three-story building with a daylight basement, meaning it has three apartments we know about.

• The Robinson family used to live on the first floor. Later, Elmo and his family moved there in Season 46.
• The Rodriguez family lives on the second floor. Maria lived there alone at first. Then she married Luis and they had their daughter, Gabi. Buffy would stay with them when she visited.
• Bert and Ernie live in the basement apartment.

This building was made to look like a common brownstone in a New York neighborhood. The art director, Victor DiNapoli, even called it a "survivor of gentrification" because it kept its old charm.

Oscar the Grouch’s Trash Can

Oscar the Grouch’s Trash Can is where Oscar lives. It sits in front of a fence made from old doors. This trash can is much deeper than it looks! In the very first episode, Gordon said the Trash Can had three and a half bedrooms. This amazing trash can holds many different Grouch items and even luxuries. Oscar's girlfriend, Grundgetta, visits his Trash Can often.

In one episode, Gordon joked that "Two elephants, a puppy, a rhino, a goat, and a worm" lived in Oscar’s Trash Can. The inside of Oscar's Trash Can was first shown in the 1999 movie The Adventures of Elmo in Grouchland. In that movie, Elmo goes inside to find his blanket. In Season 46, the Trash Can was moved to a new spot. It's now part of a recycling center with a compost bin. Oscar can also pop up in different places all over the street!

Big Bird’s Nest

Behind the old doors, you'll find Big Bird’s Nest, which is where Big Bird lives. One of the windows from Gordon and Susan's apartment looks right out onto the nest. Big Bird’s Nest was later rebuilt after a hurricane hit Sesame Street. Big Bird's best friend, Mr. Snuffleupagus, visits his nest more than anyone else. In Season 46, the construction doors were removed. Now, Big Bird's nest is in a tree, out in the open.

The Arbor

To the left of 123 Sesame Street is an open area called the Arbor. It's like a small playground and separates 123 from another building. The street curves to the left past the Arbor. In the first season, the Arbor was a tiny space between two buildings, and the street didn't curve. In the late 1990s, the characters decided they needed more green space. So, they built a community garden in an empty lot behind the Arbor. This garden is where Stinky the Stinkweed lives.

The building behind the Arbor used to be a garage. Susan kept her car there, and sometimes Oscar (who was also shown as the garage owner) kept his "Sloppy Jalopy" there. Hiroshi also used the space as his art studio. For a while, it was Gina's animal doctor office, and later Charlie's Auto Repair garage. In Season 46, during a set redesign, it became a community center. The community garden was also made bigger, connecting to Big Bird’s nest area. It also became Abby Cadabby’s home.

Hooper's Store

Hooper's Store is just around the bend in the road. It's a place where you can get a quick meal and buy general items. Above the store were the apartments of Bob, David, and now, Charlie.

Mr. Harold Hooper opened Hooper's Store in 1951. David worked at the store from 1971 to 1983. He became the owner after Mr. Hooper passed away.

In 1989, David moved away to live with his grandmother. He left the store to a retired firefighter named Mr. Handford. The current owner of Hooper's Store is Alan, who bought it from Mr. Handford in 1998.

Owners of Hooper's Store

• Mr. Hooper (1951-1982)
• David (1982-1989)
• Mr. Handford (1989-1998)
• Alan (1998-present)

Employees of Hooper's Store

• Tom (1970-1972)
• David (1972-1982)
• Piri (1984-1986)
• Gina (1987-1995)
• Carlo (1995-1998)
• Gabi (2004)
• Miles (2006)
• Chris (2007-present)

The Sesame Street Library

The Sesame Street Library is a popular spot on Sesame Street. A Lending Library used to be next to Hooper's Store. This spot later became the Fix-It Shop, the Mail-It Shop, and the Laundromat. Before that, it was a pet shop. Maria worked there, and Grover sometimes helped out. Everyone on Sesame Street would come to borrow books. Linda worked as a librarian for many years in a different library. This library was sometimes across from 123 Sesame Street or in another part of New York City. The library was also seen next to the Subway Station (where the bike shop is now) in a 2007 episode. A pop-up library even appeared in the arbor in a 2019 episode.

The Fix-It Shop

The Fix-It Shop opened in Season 3 as the L & R Fix-It Shop. It was run by Luis and Rafael. Rafael left at the end of that season, and Luis ran the business alone until he hired Maria in 1976. Maria became a full partner in 1981, and they got married in 1988. Residents of Sesame Street would bring their broken items to be fixed. Toasters were their special skill!

Mail-It Shop

In 2002, Maria and Luis changed the Fix-It Shop into the Mail-It Shop. They ran it with their daughter, Gabi. People on Sesame Street used the Mail-It Shop to send and get letters and packages. Grover sometimes delivered for the Mail-It Shop. It was changed back into the Fix-It Shop in 2006.

Laundromat

The Laundromat is the business currently next to Hooper's Store. It opened after the Fix-It Shop was removed in 2008. This is where the people of Sesame Street do their laundry. The Laundromat was first run by Leela. Since then, Nina and Grover, among others, have taken care of it.

Before this, in The Adventures of Elmo in Grouchland, a Laundromat was seen across from 123 Sesame Street. That spot has also been a library and a thrift shop. There used to be a laundry room in the basement of 123 Sesame Street for residents to use.

Subway Station

Sesame Street has its own Subway Station. It looks like the real 72nd Street Subway entrance in New York City. It was first seen in the "Around the Corner" part of Sesame Street. When "Around the Corner" was removed, the Subway Station was moved to the main Sesame Street set, next to the Fix-It Shop.

Bicycle Shop

In Season 45, a Bicycle Shop opened in the empty storefront near the Subway Station. This spot was briefly a flower shop. Luis opened the bike shop, selling and repairing bicycles and other bike items. He opened it because the Fix-It Shop closed, and Maria became the superintendent of 123 Sesame Street. Now, Nina runs the shop. She started working there part-time in Season 46 and took over management the next season. When you get a rare view of the other side of Sesame Street, the Bicycle Shop is next to a computer-generated picture of Manhattan. It shows a playground and the Triborough Bridge among the city buildings.

Newsstand

In Season 46, a newsstand was added between the Subway Station and the Laundromat. The Two-Headed Monster runs it. There used to be a newsstand "Around the Corner" run by Oscar. It was between the Subway Station and the park. It sold Grouch newspapers, newspapers and magazines with dirt or fish inside, and old newspapers. Hooper's Store has also sometimes acted as a newsstand, with one lying in front of the building.

Other Places in the Neighborhood

Other places you might find on Sesame Street include:

• Mr. MacIntosh's Fruit Cart - Mr. MacIntosh, played by Sesame Street’s floor manager, had a fruit cart. He sold many different fruits from around Season 3 to the late 1980s.
• Willy's Hot Dog Stand - This was a rolling hot dog stand that Willy operated from the early 1970s to the late 1980s.

Around the Corner

Around the Corner was an extra part of the Sesame Street set. It was seen from Season 25 (1993–1994) to Season 29 (1997–1998).

Sonia Manzano, who played Maria, said that by making the street bigger and adding "Around the Corner," they would have more places to hang out besides the front steps of 123 Sesame Street. This would let them explore family topics that were important to kids.

The "Around the Corner" parts were removed by Season 29, though they did appear in The Adventures of Elmo in Grouchland. Caroll Spinney (who played Big Bird and Oscar) and Martin P. Robinson (who played Telly Monster and Snuffy) said that kids had a hard time remembering all the new characters.

Some of the places "Around the Corner" included:

• 10 Sesame Street - A two-story brick building next to the Subway Station.
  • Finders Keepers - A second-hand store run by Ruthie on the first floor. It had items that once belonged to fairy tale and nursery rhyme characters. Even after her shop was removed, Ruthie still appeared on the show until Season 32.
  • Celina's Dance Studio - A dance studio owned by Celina on the second floor of 10 Sesame Street. The second floor also had office space, but this was the only business shown there. Parts of this building are still in the set today.

• 456 Sesame Street - A brownstone house. It was first mentioned as the home of Betty Lou and Herry Monster. It has also been the address for many buildings, including Count von Count’s castle, Mr. Snuffleupagus’s cave, and the building that now holds Hooper’s Store and the Laundromat. It was home to Angela, Jamal, and their baby daughter Kayla. Angela ran a Daycare Center in her apartment. After she left, Gina moved in and ran a daycare on the first floor.

• Birdland - A jazz club owned by Hoots the Owl. He often introduced the performers. It was located below The Furry Arms Hotel, with its entrance in the alleyway between the hotel and 10 Sesame Street. The club had been seen on the show before 1993, but this was the first time its outside was shown. Birdland is based on a real jazz club named after the famous musician Charlie Parker, whose nickname was "Bird."

• Furry Arms Hotel - A Muppet Hotel owned by Sherry Netherland. Its employees included Humphrey and Ingrid (the hotel managers), Benny the Rabbit (a bellhop), Otis the Elephant (an elevator operator), Ernestine (a Telephone Operator), and a Dinger (who worked as the call bell). It was next to 456 Sesame Street. The Furry Arms Hotel was one of the few outdoor sets built for puppets, not for both puppets and humans. So, in Episode 3139, when Gordon and Susan stayed there, they had to bend over to go through the revolving door and had trouble with their suitcase! The Furry Arms Hotel also had an indoor swimming pool and a lounge. It continued to be seen in parts of the show until around Season 31.

• The Park - The park has a playground and some trees, where squirrels live. In the video The Best of Elmo, the Park was shown across from the Furry Arms Hotel. A park that might be the same one has appeared in later episodes across the street.

• Sesame Street (location) on Muppet Wiki, a Wikia wiki