17. Mr. Hooper was one of the first four humans to appear on the show and ran Hooper’s Store, with Will Lee appearing as the purveyor of goods until his death in 1982. Rather than recast the role, the producers decided to use the real-life tragedy to educate children on death in an episode that aired on Thanksgiving Day 1983.
“We felt we ought to deal with it head-on,” Dulcy Singer, the program’s executive producer, explained at the time. “If we left it unsaid, kids would notice. Our instincts told us to be honest and straightforward.”
18. In 2002, the show’s 33rd season, producers changed its structure dramatically, becoming more narrative, explaining it was due to their demographic skewing even younger to kids ages 2 to 4.
“We basically deconstructed the show,” co-executive producer Arlene Sherman told The San Francisco Gate at the time. “It’s not a magazine format anymore. It’s more like the ‘Sesame’ hour. Children will be able to navigate through it easier.” The changes also included increasing Cookie Monster and Count von Count’s roles and a new Spanish World of the Day segment.