Sesame Street creator Lloyd Morrisett, who also co-founded Sesame Workshop, has passed away aged 93.
An Instagram account for Sesame Workshop shared the sad news on Tuesday (January 24) but did not reveal a cause of death.
A statement read: “Sesame Workshop mourns the passing of our esteemed and beloved co-founder Lloyd N. Morrisett, PhD, who died at the age of 93.
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“A Lifetime Honorary Trustee, Lloyd leaves an outsized and indelible legacy among generations of children the world over, with Sesame Street only the most visible tribute to a lifetime of good work and lasting impact.
“A wise, thoughtful, and above all kind leader of the Workshop for decades, Lloyd was fascinated by the power of technology and constantly thinking about new ways it could be used to educate.
Joan Ganz Cooney, his co-founder and close friend, added: “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.”
(Image: RON SACHS/POOL/EPA-EFE/REX)
Sesame Street began airing in November 1969.
The idea started in December 1965, when Lloyd noticed how engaged his 3-year-old daughter Sarah was with the family TV set … causing him to wonder if the medium could be used to educate kids.
He posed the question to Cooney at a dinner party a few months later and they ultimately found the answer with “Sesame Street.”
(Image: AFP/Getty Images)
Prompted in part by the Civil Rights Movement and the war on poverty, the duo set out to create a TV series that would give disadvantaged children a chance to prepare for school.
Thus, they created “Sesame Street” in 1969.
Lloyd continued to serve as chairman of the workshop board until 2000 where he remained a board member until he died.
Additionally, Morrisett also served as president of The John and Mary R. Markle Foundation from 1969 to 1998, during which time he launched the foundation’s program in communications and information technology.
Prior to 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.
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