Sesame Street is a street located in Manhattan, a borough in New York City. The street serves as the location for the American children's television series of the same name, which is centered on 123 Sesame Street, a fictional brownstone building.
In honor of Sesame Street 50th anniversary on May 1, 2019, the intersection between Broadway and West 63rd Street was officially renamed Sesame Street, and an actual sign was placed permanently at the intersection. Characters from the show joined the mayor of New York City, Bill de Blasio, for the unveiling. The location of the permanent sign and designated intersection were chosen because they are near the Sesame Workshop.
Fictional location
The fictional Sesame Street represents an unspecified neighborhood in New York City. Art director Victor DiNapoli has said it is supposed to be located on the Upper West Side. Sesame Street's co-creator, Joan Ganz Cooney, said in 1994 that she originally wanted to call the show 123 Avenue B after the Alphabet City area of the Lower East Side and East Village. The bridge represents three bridges of New York City.
Notable fiction locations
123 Sesame Street
Sesame Street primarily revolves around a brownstone-type row house called 123 Sesame Street. The house is a three-story building with a daylight basement, totaling three known apartments.
Oscar's trash can
Oscar the Grouch's trash can is his home, and sits in front of a fence made of salvaged doors. Gordon states that the trash can has three and a half bedrooms. Oscar's girlfriend Grundgetta is the most frequent visitor to his trash can.
In the episode Sesame Street Visits the Firehouse, Gordon mentions that Oscar's trash can has "Two elephants, a puppy, a rhino, a goat, and a worm." The interior of Oscar's trash can was first explored in the 1999 film The Adventures of Elmo in Grouchland when Elmo impatiently enters the trash can in search of his blanket. In Season 46, as part of a set redesign, the trash can is moved to a dumpster unit of the front of 123 Sesame Street. It is now part of a recycling center with a compost bin and Oscar can appear at different locations throughout the street.
Big Bird's nest
thumb|Big Bird on Sesame Street
Big Bird lives in his nest. One of the windows of Gordon and Susan's apartment overlooks the nest. Big Bird's Nest was redesigned following a hurricane that hit Sesame Street. Big Bird's best friend Mr. Snuffleupagus is the most frequent visitor to his nest. In Season 46, the nest was moved to a tree.
The Arbor
The Arbor is a forecourt that serves as the entrance to a carriage house; it is also a playground, and separates 123 from a tenement. In the first season, the Arbor was a tiny location between the two buildings. In the late 1990s, the characters decided that the neighborhood needed more green space and built a community garden in a vacant lot behind the Arbor.
The Around the Corner parts were dropped by season 29, though they did appear in The Adventures of Elmo in Grouchland. Caroll Spinney and Martin P. Robinson further commented that viewers had a hard time keeping up with all the new characters.
Among the known locations of Around the Corner include:
- 10 Sesame Street - A two-story brick building that adjoins the Subway Station.
- Finders Keepers - A second-hand store operated by Ruthie on the first floor of the building. It contains items that were previously owned by fairy tales and nursery rhyme characters. Despite her shop being removed from the show, Ruthie continued to appear, often in inserts, up until Season 32.
- Celina's Dance Studio - A dance studio owned by Celina that is on the second floor of 10 Sesame Street. The second floor also featured office space, but this was the only known business shown to be located there. Elements of the building still feature on the set today.
- 456 Sesame Street - A brownstone house, which was first referenced in The Sesame Street Treasury. It was the home of Betty Lou (as revealed in Volume 5) and Herry Monster (as revealed in Volume 9). It has also been the address of many characters including Count von Count's castle, Mr. Snuffleupagus's cave, and the building that currently houses Hooper's Store and the Laundromat. It was home to Angela, Jamal, and their baby daughter Kayla. Angela ran a Daycare Center in her apartment. After she left, Gina moved in and ran a daycare on the first floor.
- Birdland - A jazz club owned by Hoots the Owl who often introduced its acts. It was located below The Furry Arms Hotel with the entrance located in the alleyway between the hotel and 10 Sesame Street. Before 1993, only the exterior of the club could be seen on the show. Birdland is based on a real jazz club by the same name. It was inspired by famed musician Charlie Parker, whose nickname was "Bird" and who served as the headliner for the club.
- Furry Arms Hotel - A Muppet Hotel owned by Sherry Netherland with both her employees Humphrey and Ingrid (who work as the hotel managers), Benny Rabbit (who works as a bellhop), Otis the Elephant (an earlier version of Horatio the Elephant who works as an elevator operator), Ernestine the Telephone Operator, and Dinger (who works as the call bell). It is located next to 456 Sesame Street. The Furry Arms Hotel was one of the few exterior street sets specifically built to puppet scale rather than to accommodate both puppets and human cast members (although human guests occasionally appeared inside). As a result, in Episode 3139 when Gordon and Susan chose to spend the night at the Furry Arms Hotel while their apartment was getting painted, they had to bend over when they went through the revolving door and also had trouble getting their suitcase through that same door. The Furry Arms Hotel also houses an indoor swimming pool and a lounge. It continued to be seen in inserts up to around Season 31.
- The Park - The Park contains a playground and some trees (one of them is the home of the Squirrels). In the video The Best of Elmo, the Park was shown to be located across from the Furry Arms Hotel. A park that may or may not be the same as the one located across the street was seen in later episodes.