Sesame Street (fictional location) facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Sesame Street
Signpost of Sesame Street
Created by	Joan Ganz Cooney Lloyd Morrisett
Genre	Childrens education
Type	Street
Race(s)	Muppets Humans
Notable locations	Locations

Sesame Street is a famous fictional street located in Manhattan, a borough within New York City. It serves as the main setting for the popular American children's television series of the same name. The show often centers around 123 Sesame Street, a fictional brownstone building.

To celebrate Sesame Street's 50th anniversary on May 1, 2019, a real intersection in New York City was officially renamed Sesame Street. A permanent sign was placed at Broadway and West 63rd Street. Characters from the show joined the mayor of New York City, Bill de Blasio, for the unveiling. This location was chosen because it is near the Sesame Workshop, the organization that creates the show.

Exploring Sesame Street's Fictional Home

The fictional Sesame Street represents a typical neighborhood in New York City. The show's Art director, Victor DiNapoli, mentioned it is meant to be located on the Upper West Side. Sesame Street's co-creator, Joan Ganz Cooney, said in 1994 that she originally wanted to call the show 123 Avenue B. This name came from the Alphabet City area of the Lower East Side and East Village.

The side of Sesame Street opposite the main set is not usually shown. However, this other side has appeared in the two Sesame Street movies. The featured building and bridge in the background are a mix of different styles. They represent a broader variety of American cities, and the bridge looks like three different bridges of New York City.

Famous Places on Sesame Street

The Iconic 123 Sesame Street Brownstone

Sesame Street mainly revolves around a brownstone-style row house known as 123 Sesame Street. This building has three stories and a daylight basement, with three known apartments.

• The Robinson family, including Elmo's family, moved to the first floor in Season 46.
• The Rodriguez family lives on the second floor. Maria lived there alone until she married Luis and had Gabi. Buffy would also stay with them when she visited.
• Bert and Ernie live in the basement apartment.

The building is designed to look like typical New York neighborhood brownstones. It has been described as a "survivor of gentrification" by DiNapoli, meaning it has remained a classic part of the neighborhood.

Oscar the Grouch's Unique Home

Oscar the Grouch lives in his trash can, which sits in front of a fence made of salvaged doors. Gordon once joked that the trash can has three and a half bedrooms! Oscar's girlfriend, Grundgetta, is the most frequent visitor to his trash can.

In the episode Sesame Street Visits the Firehouse, Gordon mentioned that Oscar's trash can contains "Two elephants, a puppy, a rhino, a goat, and a worm." The inside of Oscar's trash can was first explored in the 1999 film The Adventures of Elmo in Grouchland. In that movie, Elmo impatiently enters the trash can to find his blanket. In Season 46, as part of a set redesign, the trash can was moved to a dumpster unit at the front of 123 Sesame Street. It is now part of a recycling center with a compost bin, and Oscar can appear at different locations throughout the street.

Big Bird's Cozy Nest

Big Bird on Sesame Street

Big Bird lives in his nest. One of the windows of Gordon and Susan's apartment overlooks the nest. Big Bird's Nest was redesigned after a hurricane hit Sesame Street. Big Bird's best friend, Mr. Snuffleupagus, is the most frequent visitor to his nest. In Season 46, the nest was moved to a tree.

The Arbor: A Green Space and Community Hub

The Arbor is a forecourt that serves as the entrance to a carriage house. It also functions as a playground and separates 123 Sesame Street from a tenement building. In the first season, the Arbor was a tiny location between the two buildings. In the late 1990s, the characters decided the neighborhood needed more green space. They built a community garden in a vacant lot behind the Arbor. This garden is where Stinky the Stinkweed lives.

At one time, the carriage house that serves as its backdrop housed a garage. Susan kept her Volkswagen there, and Hiroshi used the space as his art studio. At other points, Oscar the Grouch, who has also been shown as the owner of the garage, kept his special car called the Sloppy Jalopy there. The Sloppy Jalopy is the name of the car Oscar uses for his taxi service, which was first introduced in episode 1252. For a while, it was also the location of Gina's veterinary practice, and later Charlie's Auto Repair garage. During the Season 46 set redesign, it was converted into a community center. The community garden was extended behind 123 Sesame Street, connecting to Big Bird's nest area, and it became Abby Cadabby's home.

Hooper's Store: A Neighborhood Favorite

Hooper's Store serves as both a lunch counter and a general store. The apartments above the store have been home to Bob, David, and most recently, Charlie.

Mr. Harold Hooper opened Hooper's Store in 1951. David worked at the store from 1971 to 1983, becoming the owner of Hooper's Store after Mr. Hooper passed away in 1982.

In 1989, David moved away to live with his grandmother. He left the store in the hands of a retired firefighter named Mr. Handford. The store's current owner is Alan, who bought the store 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: A World of Books

The Sesame Street Library is a common point of interest on Sesame Street. A Lending Library was once located next to Hooper's Store. This spot has since housed the Fix-It Shop, the Mail-It Shop, the Laundromat, and a pet shop. Maria worked there, and Grover would occasionally help out. All the residents of Sesame Street would come to borrow books. Linda worked as a librarian for several years in a different library. This library was, at different times, located across the street from 123 as well as in another part of New York City. The library was later seen next to the Subway Station where the bike shop is now (in a 2007 episode), and as a pop-up library in The Arbor in an episode that aired in 2019.

The Fix-It Shop: Where Broken Things Get Fixed

The Fix-It Shop opened in Season 3 as the L & R Fix-It Shop. It was run by Luis and Rafael. Rafael departed at the end of the season, and Luis ran the business by himself until he hired Maria in 1976. Maria was later promoted to full-time partner in 1981, and in 1988, the two got married. The street's residents would bring their broken items to be fixed; toasters were the shop's specialty.

The Mail-It Shop: Sending Letters and Packages

In 2002, Maria and Luis converted the Fix-It Shop into the Mail-It Shop. They ran it with their daughter, Gabi. Residents of Sesame Street used the Mail-It Shop to send and receive letters and packages. Grover occasionally did delivery work for the Mail-It Shop. It was converted back into the Fix-It Shop in 2006.

The Sesame Street Laundromat

The Laundromat is the current business operating next to Hooper's Store. It moved there after the Fix-It Shop was removed in 2008. Since Season 39 of Sesame Street, the laundromat has been in this spot. The Laundromat was originally run by Leela and has since been seen in the care of Nina and Grover, among others.

Previously, in The Adventures of Elmo in Grouchland, a Laundromat was seen across from 123 Sesame Street.

The Sesame Street Subway Station

Sesame Street has its own Subway Station, which is a replica of the 72nd Street Subway entrance. It was originally seen in the "Around the Corner" part of Sesame Street. When "Around the Corner" was removed, it was transferred to the main Sesame Street set, next to the Fix-It Shop.

The Bicycle Shop: Wheels for Everyone

In Season 45, a Bicycle Shop appeared in the vacant storefront near the Subway Station. This spot was briefly used for a flower shop before. Luis opened the Bicycle Shop, where he sold and repaired bicycles and other bike-related items. He opened it after the Fix-It Shop closed, while Maria became the superintendent of 123 Sesame Street. Nina started working there part-time in Season 46 and took over management in the following season. In rare views of the other side of Sesame Street, the Bicycle Shop is next to a computer-generated image of Manhattan, showing a playground and the Triborough Bridge among the cityscape.

The Neighborhood Newsstand

In Season 46, a newsstand was added between the Subway Station and what is currently the Laundromat. The Two-Headed Monster runs it. There previously was a newsstand "Around the Corner" that Oscar ran. It was located between the Subway Station and the park. Oscar sold newspapers, regular newspapers, out-of-date newspapers, and magazines with dirt or fish inside them. Hooper's Store has also sometimes functioned as a Newsstand.

Other Fun Spots in the Neighborhood

Here are a few other places you might have seen on Sesame Street:

• Mr. MacIntosh's Fruit Cart - Mr. MacIntosh, played by Sesame Street's floor manager, had a fruit cart. He roamed the street selling a wide variety of fruits from about Season 3 to the late 1980s.
• Willy's Hot Dog Stand - Willy operated a rolling hot dog stand from the early 1970s to the late 1980s.

Exploring 'Around the Corner' (Past Expansion)

Around the Corner was an expansion of the set seen from Season 25 to Season 29.

Sonia Manzano, who played Maria, said that "By expanding the street and going around the corner, we will have other places to hang out beyond the stoop of 123 Sesame Street, and we will be able to explore family issues which we think are so important to kids today."

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 Mr. Snuffleupagus) commented that viewers had a hard time keeping up with all the new characters.

10 Sesame Street and Its Shops

• 10 Sesame Street - This was a two-story brick building that adjoined the Subway Station.
  • Finders Keepers: A Second-Hand Treasure Store - A second-hand store operated by Ruthie on the first floor of the building. It contained items that were previously owned by fairy tale and nursery rhyme characters. Even though her shop was removed from the show, Ruthie continued to appear, often in short segments, until Season 32.
  • Celina's Dance Studio: Where Everyone Can Dance - A dance studio owned by Celina that was on the second floor of 10 Sesame Street. The second floor also featured office space, but this was the only known business shown there. Elements of the building still feature on the set today.

456 Sesame Street: A Home for Many Characters

• 456 Sesame Street - This was a brownstone house, first mentioned in The Sesame Street Treasury. It was the home of Betty Lou and Herry Monster. It has also been the address of many characters, including Count von Count's castle, Mr. Snuffleupagus's cave, and the building that currently houses 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 also ran a daycare on the first floor.

Birdland: A Jazzy Spot

• Birdland - This was a jazz club owned by Hoots the Owl, who often introduced its acts. It was located below The Furry Arms Hotel, with the entrance in the alleyway between the hotel and 10 Sesame Street. Before 1993, only the exterior of the club could be seen on the show. Birdland is based on a real jazz club by the same name. It was inspired by famed musician Charlie Parker, whose nickname was "Bird" and who was a famous performer there.

The Furry Arms Hotel: A Muppet-Friendly Stay

• Furry Arms Hotel - This was a Muppet Hotel owned by Sherry Netherland. Her employees included Humphrey and Ingrid (who worked as the hotel managers), Benny Rabbit (who worked as a bellhop), Otis the Elephant (an earlier version of Horatio the Elephant who worked as an elevator operator), Ernestine the Telephone Operator, and Dinger (who worked as the call bell). It was located next to 456 Sesame Street. The Furry Arms Hotel was one of the few exterior street sets specifically built for puppets, not to fit both puppets and human cast members. Because of this, in Episode 3139, when Gordon and Susan chose to spend the night at the Furry Arms Hotel while their apartment was getting painted, they had to bend over to go through the revolving door and also had trouble getting their suitcase through that same door. The Furry Arms Hotel also housed an indoor swimming pool and a lounge. It continued to be seen in short segments until around Season 31.

The Park: A Place to Play

• The Park - The Park contained a playground and some trees (one of them was home to squirrels). In the video The Best of Elmo, the Park was shown to be located across from the Furry Arms Hotel. A park, which may or may not be the same one, was seen in later episodes.