Sesame Street Co Producer Lloyd Morrisett Dies At 93

One of the most influential figures in children’s television, Lloyd Morrisett, died this week. The beloved and iconic Sesame Street co-creator passed away at the age of 93 on Monday, leaving behind a legacy that children and parents alike will cherish for generations to come. It was his role as co-founder of the Children’s Television Workshop, later renamed Sesame Workshop, that Morrisett will be most remembered for.

Morrisett continued to serve as chairman of the Sesame Workshop board until 2000 and remained a board member until his passing. He was also a Lifetime Honorary Trustee of the organization and leaves behind an outsized and indelible legacy among generations of children worldwide.

Morrisett was a man of many talents and achievements. He received his Bachelor’s degree from Oberlin College and later went on to do graduate work in psychology at the University of California, Los Angeles. He earned his Ph.D. in Experimental Psychology from Yale University. His academic pursuits were not limited to the classroom, as he later served as a trustee of Oberlin College and was even named the board chairman from 1975 to 1981.

But Morrisett’s contributions to society did not stop there. He also served as president of The John and Mary R. Markle Foundation from 1969 to 1998, when he launched the foundation’s communications and information technology program. Before joining the Markle Foundation, he served as vice president of the Carnegie Corporation of New York and the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching.

Sesame Street was Created to Help Children Learn

     Sesame Workshop  

Morrisett’s impact on children’s television and education will not be forgotten. Along with his close friend and fellow Sesame Street creator Joan Ganz Cooney, Morrisett set out to create a TV series that would give disadvantaged children a chance to prepare for school. The year was 1968, and the Civil Rights Movement and the war on poverty were in full swing.

Morrisett had the idea to use television to teach preschoolers basic skills, such as letters and numbers. And thus, Sesame Street was born in 1969. Ganz Cooney states,

“Without Lloyd Morrisett, there would be no Sesame Street. It was he who first came up with the notion of using television to teach preschoolers basic skills, such as letters and numbers. He was a trusted partner and loyal friend to me for over fifty years, and he will be sorely missed.”