Sesame Street turns 55 this year in Australia and we’ve seen our furry friends on ABC’s News Breakfast, at the Paris Olympics, doing a digital collab with InStyle in Sydney, Elmo even went viral. You seem to be every-where. Why, after five decades, does Sesame Street still resonate with today’s audience?
Sesame Street is definitely there for the moments that captivate the world, whether it’s interviewing athletes at the Olympics or connecting with fans about mental health on social media. As a multigenerational brand, we want to reach children, families, and fans wherever they are with the content and characters they love. Our producers, writers, and researchers collaborate on stories that capture children’s imaginations. The celebrity guests bring in the adults in their lives. And, of course, we can’t forget the power of the Muppets. They have such a unique ability to spark deep, often immediate, personal connections.
Whether you’re watching your favourite Sesame Street content on the ABC, Netflix, Stan, or YouTube, you’re sure to laugh and learn.
We take the love of the brand and extend it into products and experiences. We study the consumer landscape, what matters to them, what challenges they might be going through-and we consider how the products we envision will engage and delight our core fan, and multigenerational audience.
What are some of your recent licensing successes?
One brand that celebrated with us and helped amplify a recent pop culture moment was Aussie retailer and Pyjama King Peter Alexander, who joined the Olympic fun, creating a new line of sporty Sesame Street pyjama and leisurewear inspired by vintage athletic looks from the 90s.
Building on the highly successful launches of adult fan products from the last year, we introduced new kidult product collaborations with pop-culture creators specialising in collectibles, costumes, and comics. For example, Funko released a new Pop! Sesame Street collection that rolled out globally. Super7 debuted a third wave of Sesame Street ReAction figures, introducing new characters to the line. We also launched a new set of Sesame Street comic books with Oni Press.
For the kid fans, Just Play has introduced a range of products including Elmo Slide, distributed in Australia by Headstart. This 14-inch Elmo plush sings, sways, flaps his arms, and glides from side to side to the super-catchy “Elmo Slide” song. It’s so much fun, that kids-and grownups—won’t be able to sit still when Elmo prompts them to dance with him. We also released Chicken Dance Elmo, who dances and sings to the perennial favourite party song.
Whether you’re young or young-at-heart, our products and collaborations are deepening the Sesame Street connection and are really a shout out to our fans.
You’ve also found success in live experiences. Can you tell us more about that?
Sesame Workshop has always been committed to creating joytul and unique experiences, pioneering location-based entertainment with our first Sesame Place theme park over 40 years ago. Today, fans can enjoy Sesame Street theme parks, educational play centres and live shows and experiences around the world.
Last November, American Dream Mall in New Jersey opened Sesame Street Learn & Play. Children explore the rainforest as they step into Elmo’s World, role-play a shopping experience in Hooper’s Store, discover nature at Abby Cadabby’s magical garden, and laugh with Bert and Ernie. Guests can capture memories in front of the iconic 123 Stoop and Oscar’s trash can. Big Bird will entertain visitors with stories at his nest, while Elmo and Abby will make appearances to add to the excitement. We’ll continue expanding Sesame Street Educational Play Centres around the globe, featuring favourite faces and places from Sesame Street.
In Australia, touring circus show Elmo’s Circus Dream is making the rounds again this year. This one-of-a-kind experience brings the magic of the circus to life for audiences of all ages. In this show, Elmo dreams of joining the circus and embarks on a whimsical adventure filled with unbelievable stunts, acrobatics, and vibrant costumes. In the US, fans are also enjoying Sesame Street through Round Room Live’s all-new Sesame Street Live! Say Hello touring show which has families singing and dancing. Sesame Street Market, our experiential retail offering in Japan, combines a café, merchandise, and workshops. The Market has welcomed over 20,000 people each month since its 2023 launch, and we just opened a second location in December.
Sesame Street’s momentum is nonstop. What can we expect in the future?
Because our curriculum and focus evolve to meet children’s changing needs, every year is an experimental season at Sesame Street. We’re working on a new show format that will give us the opportunity to deliver more comedy, more playability, and a deeper dive into character worlds – because we know that’s what’s most engaging for today’s children.
Fans loved our recent YouTube collaborations with Ms. Rachel, Baby Shark, and Blippi, and they can expect to see a few more fun surprises. We also have a couple of big anniversaries coming up. In 2026, we’ll be celebrating the 30th anniversary of the iconic feature plush “Tickle Me Elmo.” Not to be outdone, “Monster at the End of This Book” will be turning 55.
If you loved seeing the Muppets at the Women’s World Cup in Australia or the Paris Olympics, get ready to see them at more newsworthy events around the globe. We love getting the characters out into the real world, interacting with children, families, and fans to celebrate the cultural moments of our time.
Gabriela Arenas — SVP Global Licensing at Sesame Workshop
