FILE - Honoree Lloyd Morrisett appears with muppet characters at the 42nd Annual Kennedy Center Honors at The Kennedy Center, Sunday, Dec. 8, 2019, in Washington. Morrisett, the co-creator of the beloved children's education TV series Sesame Street, which uses empathy and fuzzy monsters like Abby Cadabby, Elmo and Cookie Monster to charm and teach generations around the world, has died. He was 93.
Morrisett and Joan Ganz Cooney worked with Harvard University developmental psychologist Gerald Lesser to build the show’s unique approach to teaching that now reaches 120 million children. Legendary puppeteer Jim Henson supplied the critters.received the Kennedy Center Honor for lifetime artistic achievement,Born in 1929 in Oklahoma City, Morrisett initially trained to be a teacher with a background in psychology.
Children’s programming at the time was made up of shows like “Captain Kangaroo,” “Romper Room” and the often violent cartoon skirmishes between “Tom & Jerry.”"Mr. Rogers’ Neighborhood” was mostly teaching social skills. The show was set on an urban street with a multicultural cast. Diversity and inclusion were baked into the show. Monsters, humans and animals all lived together peacefully.