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Oscar the Grouch’s trash can

National Museum of American History

Object Details

Jim Henson Company
Description (Brief)
This trash can is home to Oscar the Grouch from Sesame Street. This particular trash can has a lid that is connected to the back of the trash can with a hinge. There is a wire connected to the lid that the puppeteer could use to open the trash can lid when performing. There is also a large opening cut in to the back of the trash can which allowed the performer to control the Oscar puppet while it was in the trash can.
Sesame Street (1969-present) is the longest-running children’s television series in American history, and one of the most influential and impactful programs in the history of the medium. First developed by producer Joan Ganz Cooney to use all the entertaining tools of commercial television to teach preschool aged children, the series was also a notable effort to use public television to reach minority and low-income communities who otherwise lacked educational opportunities. The series combines live action sequences set in a Harlem-like neighborhood of urban brownstones and small businesses with animated segments, catchy modern music, popular culture parodies, and integrates Jim Henson’s Muppets, a memorable mélange of entertaining scenes that have made Sesame Street a favorite of children and parents alike. Sesame Street is a production of Sesame Workshop (known before 2000 as the Children’s Television Workshop) and premiered on the National Educational Television (NET) network in 1969 before that early educational broadcaster transitioned to the Public Broadcasting Service (PBS) in 1970. Since 2016, Sesame Street has aired new episodes on HBO although reruns still air on PBS.
Location
Currently not on view
Credit Line
Gift of Children's Television Workshop
1979
before 1979
ID Number
1979.0952.03
catalog number
1979.0952.03
accession number
1979.0952
Object Name
Trash Can
Physical Description
steel (overall material)
wood (overall material)
paint (overall material)
woven tape (overall material)
Measurements
overall: 25 in x 21 1/2 in; 63.5 cm x 54.61 cm
overall: 25 1/2 in x 19 in; 64.77 cm x 48.26 cm
See more items in
Culture and the Arts: Entertainment
Popular Entertainment
Jim Henson
National Museum of American History
general subject association
Television
Subject
Sesame Street
Children's television programs
Television broadcasts
Children's television programs
Record ID
nmah_1322569
Metadata Usage (text)
CC0
GUID (Link to Original Record)
https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/ng49ca746ac-4ab7-704b-e053-15f76fa0b4fa

Related Content

  • 1979: A Year in the Collections

  • The Puppets and Muppets of Jim Henson

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IIIF provides researchers rich metadata and media viewing options for comparison of works across cultural heritage collections. Visit the IIIF page to learn more.
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