‘Sesame Street’ co-creator Lloyd Morrisett dies at 93

WASHINGTON. Sesame Street co-creator Lloyd Morrisett has died at the age of 93, Sesame Workshop reported on Monday.

“Lloyd leaves a huge and indelible legacy among generations of children around the world, and Sesame Street is just the most visible tribute to a lifetime of good work and lasting impact,” Sesame Seminar. said on Twitter. No cause of death was reported.

Morrisett, an experimental psychologist who was vice president of the Carnegie Endowment for the Advancement of Teaching, created Sesame Street with television producer Joan Gantz Cooney.

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On November 10, 1969, the first episode of the landmark educational show aired, featuring Jim Henson’s now beloved puppets. The show was an instant hit and is now one of the longest running shows in American history. Nearly half of all preschool children in the US watch the show, according to Britannica.

In 2019, Sesame Street became the first TV show to be honored by the Kennedy Center. In an interview with CBS News at the time, Morrisette said the idea came from a dinner party: “I asked her, ‘Joan, do you think television can be used to educate young children?’ This is the beginning”.

“Without Lloyd Morrisette, there would be no Sesame Street,” Cooney said, according to Sesame Workshop. “He was the one who first came up with the idea of ​​using television to teach basic skills like letters and numbers to preschoolers… He has been my trusted partner and true friend for over fifty years and I will miss him greatly. “

Sesame Workshop says that Morrissette served as chairman of the board of trustees for 30 years before becoming a lifetime honorary trustee.

“A wise, thoughtful and, above all, kind leader of the Workshop for decades, Lloyd was fascinated by the power of technology and constantly thought of new ways to use it for learning,” Sesame Workshop said in a statement.