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Sesame Street celebrates its 40th birthday this year and all of its most beloved characters have been enjoying the party. The development of Sesame Street has been a long journey full of foam letters, number songs and most importantly laughter. Along the way we have been introduced to some of the best loved characters in television including Big Bird, Elmo, Oscar the Grouch (who resides in a trash can) and Bert and Ernie, the show’s notorious buddies who, thanks to Ernie, often get up to no good.

These characters have always been the main source of attraction and their personalities, gimmicks and songs have been Sesame Street’s lifeline since it began. It is these characters that give the show its charm and become best friends to children worldwide who can recite the character's songs and catchphrases. It is widely known that Big Bird can always be relied on for advice and that you can count on Elmo, Oscar and the rest of the gang to make you laugh. But how much do we really know about the genius behind these characters? It's about time we were introduced to the puppeteers responsible for teaching thousands of children their A-Z's.

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