Watch Classic Sesame Street Episodes for Free on YouTube

I am part of the very first generation that grew up with Sesame Street, when the show felt less like television and more like a familiar walk through the neighborhood. Seeing the same cast of characters was comforting in a way that is hard to explain if you were not there at the beginning. As a kid, I was never particularly drawn to Big Bird. I gravitated toward Oscar the Grouch instead. Looking back, that probably says more about me than I realized at the time. Somewhere along the way, I suspect I borrowed a little of Oscar’s worldview and carried it with me into adulthood.

Today, revisiting Sesame Street is easier than ever. The show has quietly opened up its vault on YouTube, releasing more than 140 full classic episodes for free. On the Sesame Street Classics channel, you can start at the very beginning with the original 1969 broadcast and work your way through some of the most iconic moments in television history. These include the episode where Big Bird finally learns that Snuffy is real, Mr. Rogers’ unforgettable visit, Maria and Luis getting engaged, and the gentle, groundbreaking way the show addressed the death of Mr. Hooper. Beyond the Classics channel, Sesame Street’s main YouTube page also hosts 129 complete episodes, making it one of the most accessible archives of children’s television ever assembled.

Sesame Street matters because it fundamentally changed what children’s television could be. When it premiered in 1969, it was built on research and designed to prepare preschoolers for school, with a particular focus on children from disadvantaged backgrounds. Studies consistently showed that kids who watched Sesame Street developed stronger cognitive skills, improved literacy, and better school readiness. Long-term research even found that children with access to the show were significantly more likely to be in the correct grade for their age later on.

The vision behind the show was radical for its time. It used the fast-paced, engaging techniques of television commercials to teach letters, numbers, and social skills, all while presenting a diverse, urban neighborhood that felt real. For many children, Sesame Street was the first place they saw people who looked like them on television. Inclusivity, kindness, and emotional growth were not side lessons. They were central to the curriculum.

What often gets overlooked is just how sophisticated the show was, especially musically. Sesame Street treated children as intelligent viewers who deserved quality art. The music blended jazz, pop, rock, and bossa nova into a sound that felt effortless and joyful. Joe Raposo, the show’s first music director, shaped its identity by writing the theme song and more than 2,000 others, including “Bein’ Green,” “C Is for Cookie,” and “Sing.” Jeff Moss followed with classics like “Rubber Duckie,” “I Love Trash,” and “People in Your Neighborhood.” Christopher Cerf brought rock and roll sensibilities and sharp parody to the mix, while jazz legend Toots Thielemans played the iconic harmonica on the theme song. Even Nile Rodgers got his first real paying gig as a musician with the Sesame Street touring band, alongside guitarist Carlos Alomar and music coordinator Danny Epstein.

The performers and artists were just as essential. Jim Henson’s Muppets gave the show its soul, with characters like Grover, Ernie, Bert, and Oscar balancing humor with genuine emotional intelligence. Caroll Spinney brought both Big Bird and Oscar to life, while Frank Oz’s work as Bert and Cookie Monster became foundational. Early animators like Tee Collins and The Hubleys contributed experimental, often psychedelic shorts that made the show feel visually adventurous.

Then there were the guest stars, who treated the show with real respect. Stevie Wonder’s explosive performance of “Superstition,” Johnny Cash singing “Nasty Dan” with Oscar, Ray Charles turning the alphabet into a groove, Little Richard performing “Rubber Duckie,” and appearances by B.B. King, Lena Horne, Dizzy Gillespie, Paul Simon, and José Feliciano all reinforced the idea that children deserved the very best.

That philosophy carried Sesame Street far beyond North America. What began as a distinctly American show became a global phenomenon by adapting rather than exporting its formula. Instead of simple dubbing, Sesame Workshop created localized co-productions with unique characters, languages, and cultural contexts. Plaza Sésamo launched in Mexico in 1972, followed by Vila Sésamo in Brazil. Germany’s Sesamstrasse arrived in 1973, the Netherlands’ Sesamstraat in 1976, and Iftah Ya Simsim debuted in Kuwait in 1979 as the first Arabic version. In South Africa, Takalani Sesame introduced Kami, the first HIV-positive Muppet, to help address the AIDS crisis. Each version reflected its own community, sometimes with inventive twists like a Grouch who lived in a broken car instead of a trash can.

Sesame Street at its peak was being broadcast in more than 120 countries, with dozens of independent international versions. Despite early skepticism from some broadcasters, it went on to win more than 150 Emmys and 11 Grammys. By 2019, an estimated 190 million children were watching over 160 versions of the show in 70 languages.

In Canada, Sesame Street did more than teach the alphabet. It quietly reshaped ideas of educational television and cultural content, proving that learning could be joyful, musical, and emotionally honest. More than 50 years later, the show still resonates because it never talked down to its audience. It made learning irresistible by wrapping it in warmth, humor, and great music. And for those of us who grew up walking that familiar street, it still feels a little like home.