"Street Gang" Kicks Off Sesame's 40th Anniversary

Sesame Street is about to celebrate its 40th anniversary and, as previously reported, a fascinating new book has been released to explore the exciting history of the landmark series. "Street Gang: The Complete History of Sesame Street" by Michael Davis, hit store shelves last week. Davis spent more than five years gathering and writing the story of Sesame Street, conducting more than 200 in-depth interviews with some of the series' key players.

This 384-page hardcover book traces the amazing story of five decades of social and cultural change and the miraculous creative efforts, passion, and commitment of the writers, producers, directors, animators, and puppeteers who created one of the most influential programs in the history of television. The book includes lots of untold stories about the creation, rise and enduring success of the beloved series.

No fan will want to miss out on this book, so be sure to pick up your copy of "Street Gang: The Complete History of Sesame Street" right now! You can pick up the complete unabridged audio book, narrated by Sesame Street legend Caroll Spinney, on CD as well. Both items are available at bookstores nationwide.

You can order the book and the audio book online; but for even more information on this exciting piece of Sesame history, be sure to visit the book's official website – StreetGangBook.com. The site includes exciting reviews, book previews, rare photos, book club questions, and so much more. You can even request a free personally autographed bookplate sticker from the author to put in your book, turning you book into a personally signed copy!

I've been told that a paperback edition of the book is planned for release next fall. This second edition will feature an additional chapter covering the latest season of the series, the development of Abby Cadabby, the casting of Roscoe Orman as the show's third Gordon, and much more. An exclusive except from this forthcoming chapter can be read on the official "Street Gang" website – which, again, is located at StreetGangBook.com.

However "Street Gang" is just the first of many anniversary items, as Sesame Workshop is planning several other exciting items to celebrate the 40 year history of "Sesame Street". A special panel discussion, "Sesame Street at 40: A Night of Celebration with the Legendary Cast", will be held on January 30th at William Paterson University in Wayne, N.J. Hosted by Michael Davis, the event will feature an unprecedented live Q&A with Frank Oz, Kevin Clash, Caroll Spinney, Sonia Manzano, Bob McGrath, Marty Robinson, Fran Brill, David Rudman and Tony Geiss.

Another celebratory book, "Sesame Street: A Celebration of Forty Years of Life on the Street" by Louise Gikow, is planned for release by Black Dog & Leventhal publishers in the fall. This giant hardcover book will include hundreds of rare photographs from the Sesame Workshop archives giving an historical look both in front of and behind the cameras; plus excerpts from scripts, original character sketches and show notes, character profiles, behind the scenes insights, and much more.

And finally, Sesame Workshop and Genius Products are planning to release a special 2-disc "Sesame Street: 40th Anniversary" DVD set to commemorate 40 years of "Sesame Street". This special DVD compilation is planned for release in November and will include loads of classic content from past 40 years.

I will be sure to keep you updated on these and other upcoming anniversary items, along with the premiere of the show's landmark 40th season, as soon as more information becomes available.