Broadcast on more than 300 Public Broadcasting Service (PBS) stations and in more than 140 countries around the world, this widely acclaimed children's television program celebrated its 30th anniversary in 1998. It has won more than 100 of the top awards in its field, including 71 Emmys, two Peabodys, eight Grammies, four Parent's Choice Awards, and the Action for Children's Television Special Achievement Award. Created by Joan Ganz Cooney for the Child-ren's Television Network to provide educational material to inner-city kids, Sesame Street has endured by remaining true to its initial goals while changing with the times. It survived the deaths of Will Lee, who played Mr. Hooper, one of its major characters, and of Jim Henson, its creative force, who made his Muppet characters like Kermit the Frog, Big Bird, and Cookie Monster some of the most familiar faces in American popular culture. Other characters have come and gone, and...