Sesame Street: Why ‘engaging' kids TV shows are more vital than ever

West Australian

11 hours ago

On Monday the 55th season of Sesame Street will hit Aussie TV screens.
According to Sesame Workshop, the global non-profit organisation behind the award-winning series, the latest season will focus on emotional wellbeing, 'helping children learn accessible strategies to comprehend and cope with big feelings through fun, light-hearted, relatable, and engaging stories.'
Clinical child psychologist and founder of WA start-up Tedology, Dr Louise Mansell, thinks this emphasis is more vital than ever.
'Shows like Sesame Street are so important for children,' Dr Mansell said.
'But I'm particularly struck by how important they are for Australia, because there are a limited number of shows that support emotional development for children.
'We've got Bluey now, but Sesame Street does it in a much more direct way — they will openly talk about emotions and cover topics that might otherwise be difficult to talk about.'
You could argue this kind of quiet reassurance is more important than ever — especially for our little ones. But earlier this year Sesame Street's future seemed uncertain after its broadcast partner, HBO, did not renew its deal with the show.
Netflix came to the rescue, ensuring the 50-plus year-old series will continue to be available not only to American children via the publicly-funded PBS Network, but also internationally via its enormous streaming service — episodes will continue to air on ABC in Australia.
'ABC and Sesame Workshop enjoy a longstanding partnership spanning 50 years and we look forward to continuing our collaboration,' a spokesperson for the network told The Sunday Times.
'Whether it's taking a volcano breath when angry, learning to give yourself a hug when frustrated, or wiggling it out when disappointed, we're empowering children with the strategies to help build resiliency and the foundational skills for emotional well-being,' he said.
Helping children to navigate all this are the show's stable of much-loved characters. This season will see Elmo learn how to do 'volcano breaths' after he feels angry; puppet Abby learns what it means to be kind to yourself to overcome frustration, and Cookie Monster admits to feeling nervous about going to a new cooking school, enlisting his friends to help him prepare.
'That 'don't worry be happy' kind of motto is in so many shows, but you won't find that in Sesame Street,' Dr Mansell said.
'As a child psychologist, you are often trying to help children who don't believe that some emotions are OK...
'If they can see Big Bird have them, and Elmo is often saying how he feels, it just normalises the whole process and makes them realise that emotions happen on a daily basis in response to something else, and that's OK.'
Helping the puppets to get the message across this season are special guests including actress and singer Renee Rapp, actor Michael B. Jordan, pop star SZA, and Queer Eye's Jonathan Van Ness.
'We are in this society that is really focused on children becoming addicted to screens,' Dr Mansell said.
'What they are really becoming addicted to is the dopamine and the high arousal they get from shows and screen time. It's quick, it's fast, and I hear that when I listen to my boys watching YouTube.
'Sesame Street doesn't do that: it's slow, it's calming, and there is predictability about it; you always know what is going to happen on the show at the beginning and end.
'That's so important for children, and for adults.'