Working from home is pretty nice, right? There’s no commute time. You don’t have to worry about packing up everything you’ll need for the day and carrying it around. You can work in your pajamas if you want, settling into the home office you’ve set up with just the right chair adjustment and the perfect scented candle to fit your mood.
But then, inevitably, there are those days when your boss asks you to come to work in-person. You have to get up earlier, make yourself presentable to wider society, and work in a space that isn’t completely your own. In fact, candles are banned because they’re a fire hazard. Having to go into the office is Drag City.
Except when it isn’t! ToughPigs staff, who do most of our writing from the comfort of our own homes, recently got the call from one of the big bosses (Joe Hennes) to come to New York and do some on-site work. And far from being a bother, some of us were willing to travel several hours and across several states in order to heed his call. It’s not every day that even ToughPigs writers get an invitation to visit Sesame Street.
On the same day that Sesame Workshop announced the new distribution deal with Netflix half of the staff weren’t sitting at a computer to write the news piece because we were gathering at Kaufman Astoria Studios for a tour of the Sesame Street set and a chance to observe the filming of an episode for Season 56. Seven of us (and one staff writer’s kid!) entered with quiet smiles to hear voices in the same room that previously only came from our speakers. We witnessed, in real time, the performance of puppets that previously we’d seen more of on screen. We ordered (still yet to be delivered) milkshakes from Hooper’s store. We climbed into Oscar’s trash can. And we danced in the community garden.
What this trip meant to all of us, what we were feeling at the time and how we’ve processed it since is different for each staff member who attended. Some of us had been there before and others of us were experiencing it for the first time. We could never write just one article from one perspective that could sum up our feelings, so here some of us are, sharing just a small taste of what it meant to visit the set of one of the three major franchises we spend so much of our time reporting on from afar.
Shane: Let’s see… we got to meet some real live Muppets, and not really even the marquee names, which somehow made it even more special. And I got to check off “get a photo in Oscar’s real, actual trash can” from my bucket list. So I’m pretty much free to leave the planet now.
But two of my biggest takeaways from our field trip – One: the set is much more cramped than it looks on TV. They’ve been in a smaller studio for almost the last two decades, and it shows. The whole of it almost looks like it could fit entirely in the old Around the Corner area.
And takeaway number two is that everybody there is super nice! What a shock, right? When I think back to that day, I think I’ll mainly remember all the performers and others we interacted with just making sure we had a great experience for the short time we could be there. Whenever they had the downtime, they made sure we got facetime with some Muppets, ensured the Muppets’ eyelines were right for our photos, and a crew member quickly let us get photos in Oscar’s can while they were prepping that part of the set for the next shot.
It helped very much that we had a young child in our group. They certainly wanted to make sure we had a good time, but they definitely wanted to make sure it was extra-special memorable for the younger-types. For so much of our visit, Drake’s daughter was getting to talk to Muppets, and Martin Robinson was showing her how some of them work and even the rollies they use. And an especially adorable moment was when Prairie Dawn came to greet us, but they were about to start a take, so she quietly “sat” beside Drake’s kid so they could watch them film together.
Oh, that’s another takeaway. Stephanie D’Abruzzo is so danged funny as Prairie Dawn; she’s got a full, perfectly-realized idea of this character. I wish she had more to do!
Looking back, I’ll certainly remember getting to be in Hooper’s Store or meeting Hoots the Owl, but the vibe the performers had in accommodating our group is probably what I’ll remember most. Oh, and would you believe the Hooper’s payphone doesn’t actually work?? I’ll never see those dimes again!
Katilyn: There are some truly stellar Sesame Street fans on the ToughPigs staff. They can name deep roster characters, quote sketches and scenes from every era of the show and pinpoint the moments when Sesame has made format changes. My Sesame knowledge pales in comparison to them, but that doesn’t mean I was any slower to accept the invitation to visit the set. My appreciation for Sesame is more an admiration of the teamwork shown by everyone involved in creating and continuing this quality children’s show. The writers and educators as much as the performers on and below the screen have earned my respect with just how committed they are to coming together to educate and spread joy and kindness, sometimes for decades of their lives. This was my chance to see all of them in action.
This excitement to meet any of the people involved meant that no matter what the agenda on set for the day was, I would experience something that I found special. Of course, there’s no such thing as disappointment on the set of Sesame Street because the people are what make every experience wonderful. And, I like to think, they thought we were special too. It’s not every day that the fans who walk onto the set are some of the most knowledgeable and appreciative fans in the world about the specific work that they do. While many people would eagerly request to meet Cookie or be ecstatic to hear Elmo’s giggle, we were floored to frown with Mr. Johnson and over the moon when Hoots sauntered over. I was lucky enough to even hold Slimey in my hand. We knew the puppeteers by name and shook their hands warmly whether they’d been on the show for half a decade or four and half decades. And when we were ushered off set all too soon, they were genuinely sad to see us go, asking if we could stay just a little bit longer. If only we could play the whole day away.
I am a person who likes to be fully present in the moment. And I did my absolute best to practice this on that Monday morning. Noting the textures and details on the products in Hooper’s store, hearing the familiar timbre of character voices, and soaking in the joy in the room from my fellow ToughPigs left me bubbling with contentment. While all of this was more than enough to give me warm fuzzy feelings for a week and still counting, I know there were ways I could have made it even better. Because I hadn’t prepared for any experience in particular, it means that I am only now thinking of questions I could have asked Christopher Hayes and Bradley Freeman Jr. Now I am wishing I’d taken just a few more pictures and inspected the props just a little bit closer. But I made sure to say thank you to as many people as I could for infusing joy into the show in whatever aspect they handle. And despite my focus on the people, I can’t deny that I bounced up and down like a preschooler when I got to see Oscar the Grouch.
That is the magic of Sesame Street.
J.D.: I went into the experience trying not to have any expectations. The only thing I allowed myself to hope for was the chance to see one of the performers improvise some material with a Muppet that wouldn’t make it into the show. Nevertheless, the morning was full of surprises that threw me for a loop in the best possible way.
As we stepped into the soundstage, it was hard to believe we were on the set. I don’t mean that the way a fan typically would – it was not simply surreal, but oddly unreal. The voices we heard from the Muppets on the other side of the room (before the set was totally visible) sounded like recordings. As we stepped further into the room, more and more of the Sesame Street set became visible until we could see Hooper’s Store, at which point it was clear that the voices were not a recording – Grover and Elmo always just sound slightly muffled, at least when they’re on the soundstage and their performers are on the floor.
The sight of the set itself was part of the general unreality. It is very tightly packed into the studio space, so what looks like a neighborhood on camera would actually, it seemed to me, fit into a school gymnasium – perhaps even leaving one side of the gym available enough for a basketball game. This made the production all that much more impressive to watch since the set still offered several different locations depending on where they shot it from, and there was a significant section of the set that I didn’t see because I didn’t go behind 123. Most places that were just outside the shot became space for production needs (storing props and such) or the space where they put visitors like us.
The color palette of the set is highly naturalistic – much less colorful than I expected – but with the lighting’s orangey hue (clearly meant to imitate the effect of sunlight at the golden hour) it had an ethereal vibrance. In the quiet as they were shooting, there was a powerful tranquility to the place, and an aura of gentleness in the room that I have never encountered elsewhere. It was not exciting. It was not thrilling. It was serene.
The dream continued as characters appeared to talk with us. And not only the characters you’d expect to see on set – characters you’d have dreams about seeing on set that we, logically, shouldn’t have actually gotten to see. Hoots the Owl joined us in Hooper’s Store saying, “So this must be the Pig sty.” Prairie Dawn called us “Strong Pigs”, and we watched her have a conversation with Abby Cadabby. We saw one classic character, who shall remain nameless, only in pieces, never all put together. I’m not sure whether or not we’re allowed to say who it was, so I guess you’ll have to figure it out when the episode premieres.
Even more meaningful than the photo opportunities with the puppets was the kindness and generosity of the performers. They really didn’t have to give us the time that they did, but those who were available kindly came over to play when they weren’t shooting. We won’t forget how these performers took the time to introduce themselves and/or grab some puppets and give us truly magical memories.
And, yes, my wish for blooper material came true. Elmo was at work pretty much the whole time, so we got to see him react when the rehearsal didn’t go quite as planned. We even heard him utter a genuine “Hubba-Wha” in a moment of surprise, which was all I needed. I could have sat there watching the puppeteers work all day, especially with how their work and their play run together so fluidly. I thought the magic of this experience would be the street itself, and that was certainly a factor, but the real magic was… is it too cliché to say it was the people? I mean, I guess it was really the experience of watching these people (many of whom I have seen or met before in different contexts) in the context of a Muppet production, coming together to put on a show. Something about that just feels like home.
Becca: I met Prairie Dawn. My favorite Muppet of all time, the Muppet I turned to for comfort during my transition…I met Prairie Dawn. She took a photo with me. She knows my name. She’s heard of my podcast.
I’ve been to the Sesame set two times prior, but nothing has ever been as magical as getting to meet my number one favorite Muppet.
But that’s the thing, right? I’m a grown woman. I know Prairie Dawn isn’t real. She’s a pink sock in a wig and a dress. But when you see one of the Muppets performed live in person, when Prairie Dawn tells you she’s excited to hear your next podcast, suddenly magic exists. I’m far from the first person to say this, but it’s truly all I can think about.
It’s hard to explain, but I guess I can say this: we met Tango. As many of you know, I’ve been lukewarm about her since her debut on the show. And yet, when I got to pet her, as she excitedly cuddled against me, she became my favorite Muppet. For thirty seconds, Tango was the best Muppet I knew, and I almost started crying.
By the time we left, I was lukewarm on Tango once again. She’s not my cup of tea! But I can’t forget that moment, when I truly, genuinely, completely believed there was a puppy right there in front of me. Somehow, both things are true.
Magic is real, and it lives on Sesame Street.
Drake: I’m the one who brought the kid on the adult outing. But in my defense, it was to Sesame Street.
People tend to say sets are smaller than you imagine from seeing them on TV. I felt the opposite, maybe because it felt like stepping into more than five decades at once. Big Bird roller skated these streets. Mr. Hooper sold cigar boxes AND soap dishes in this store. Maria and Luis held hands here and fixed toasters. So, so many toasters. And, also, Tango was running around in front of us. The set is obviously the redesigned one, but I felt like if I just walked around the corner, I would find a tire swing and Bob singing.
Someone suggested that I might cry when I walked on the set. But everywhere I turned, something made me smile. Slimey’s shelf in Mr. Hooper’s store. The classic lamppost. The characters gathered on the stoop. It’s like going to a museum and seeing a favorite work of art that you know really well and realizing, but this is the real thing! There are the brush strokes. The artist’s hand touched this. I’ve seen countless Elmos on shirts and stuffies and toys, but this is the real deal dancing in front of me and giving several takes. Everything is brighter and more colorful on Sesame Street. Time disappears so it seems like just moments have passed before they lead you out. And everything seems possible.
My daughter, 7, had brought along two sock puppets that are very special to her, an elephant and a puppy that Martin Robinson made and we bought through a fundraiser. “There’s the guy who made my puppets!” she said, putting them on and making a beeline for Martin Robinson, who seemed genuinely surprised to see them as he inspected the dog’s teeth and asked about their names. He let my daughter know he wasn’t in the scenes they were filming if she had any questions. For my chatty, curious child, that was all the permission she needed.
Next thing, she’s asking about the rollies and Martin Robinson is teaching her how to use them as they roll around. She asked about the season Slimey went to the moon and how Slimey works, and suddenly Martin Robinson has Slimey crawling on my daughter, showing the wires and the little mouth. He explains how he gets in the recycling can next to Oscar’s trash can to puppeteer Slimey and then tells her she should get in Oscar’s can. When she pops out, Oscar is soon there, to our absolute delight (don’t tell the Grouch how happy this made us).
And Slimey and Oscar weren’t the only ones playing with us. Tango wiggled her way around the group. Two of my daughter’s favorites that she named right before we went in, but I doubted would ever be there, came over to greet us – Mr. Johnson and Hoots the Owl. Prairie Dawn, wonderfully sarcastic, watched the filming with us. Then my daughter, who used to love to wear “Abby ponytails” got a hug from the fairy herself and asked where Abby kept all the teeth. (I’m not a tooth fairy – that’s my cousin, Abby explained.)
I was impressed that in their breaks from filming, the puppeteers came over to puppeteer more with us. It was kind. It was joyous. It made me feel better about the world that spaces like this can still exist, where adults are patient with children’s questions and go out of their way to welcome visitors and make us smile.
“I wish we could live on Sesame Street,” my daughter said as she rearranged her dream career list to put puppeteer at the top.
Me too, kiddo.
And we can’t end this article without one final, gigantic thank you. For this and all of the other innumerable things that you do to make this website and the world more wonderful and Muppety, thank you, Joe Hennes! You certainly gave your staff one heck of a sunny day.
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by Katilyn Miller, Shane Keating, Becca Petunia, JD Hansel, and Drake Lucas, with additional material by Matthew Soberman
