Every Sesame Street Intro Ranked
At this point, you’d be hard-pressed to find someone who doesn’t know the Sesame Street theme song. It stands up there with SpongeBob, Friends, and The Office in the category of theme songs that people automatically recognize and ones that tell you everything you need to know about the show you’re about to watch. Unlike those three, however, it’s gone through quite a lot of changes. While the lyrics have stayed the same all throughout its run, the show has experimented with different music and different visuals every few years or so, and in this blog, I’m gonna be ranking them all.
Now, this list is limited to only intros for episodes, so specials like Elmopalooza won’t count for this list. I’m also excluding live performances of the song because if I didn’t we’d be here all day.
So let’s get right down to it! Here is Every Sesame Street Intro Ranked from Least Favorite to Favorite!
#10: Hawaii Episodes (1978)
Out of all the intros on this list, this is probably the only one I don’t really like that much. Don’t get me wrong, it’s not god-awful, it sets the mood, and it does feel like Hawaii music, but it doesn’t really have the same energy and catchiness that I feel this theme song should have, and to be honest, it was done a lot better by a different vacation episode arc that will appear later on this list.
#9: Seasons 1-23 (1969-1992)
Okay, now before you guys get angry, I just want to confirm that every intro starting with this one is in the Good category, this one is just the one I enjoy the least. The music is memorable and catchy, it’s great seeing the kids play and enjoy themselves, and it paints a good picture of what we can expect, but I feel like other intros down the line did so much more with their presentation than this one did. The original intro was a great starting point, but the following intros built on it in ways that I prefer. In closing, this is only a default placement.
Now, we’re talking! Not only is this version insanely infectious, but visually, this video gives a perfect representation of how these seasons were formatted and what content they had to offer. I adore how they use blocks in this sequence, because, intentionally or not, they are a fantastic visual aid to how Sesame Street was structured at the time. I also really like how they incorporate each segment that helped make up each episode within the blocks. Plus, this is the first intro to feature the one and only Super Grover! If I had to pick between the two versions that were made, I’d go with the season 33 version, just cause I like its melody more.
#7: Seasons 46-52 (2016-2022)
As an HBO-era enjoyer/defender, I find this intro to be quite underrated. Aside from the fact that it’s the first intro to actually take place on Sesame Street, it also does a fantastic job of introducing us to the changes that fell upon our beloved street. Mainly, most of the focus is on the four most popular characters and their new setups. It features a very good group shot, and while I don’t really like how they cut down the song to feature half of the lyrics, the new rearrangement is still a nice update.
#6: Seasons 38-39 (2007-2008)
Here’s one I hardly see anyone talk about. It’s such a shame this intro had such a short run because pretty much everything about it is great. The paper-like visuals, the selection of muppets it features, the incredibly earwormy hip-hop cover of the theme, it all just blends together so perfectly!
#5: Seasons 40-45 (2009-2015)
And here’s one that I remember watching a lot of while growing up in the 2010s. And while I the music of the previous list entry more, I have more appreciation for this one due to the visuals. 1, I like the idea of Sesame Street being a chalk drawing that a bunch of kids decided to make in their spare time. And 2, I love how this intro manages to incorporate more of the main cast that wasn’t present in its predecessor, like The Count, Telly, Baby Bear, Ovejita, and Murray.
#4: New Mexico Episodes (1975)
Now THIS is how you open a vacation episode! This intro hasn’t left my head since the moment I heard it. It has much more energy to it, and it gets us just as excited for the destination just as much as Big Bird and his friends are. If this song played every time the street gang left to go to some new place, I don’t think anyone would complain.
#3: Seasons 24-29 (1992-1998)
Man, to be a 90s Sesame Street kid must have been so cool. Aside from all the new characters, locations, and awesome merchandise, they also got this kicking rendition of the SS theme that puts a smile on my face whenever I listen to it. What I enjoy the most about it is how it features both kids playing and having fun, as well as showcasing some of the main muppets that we’ll see throughout the program.
#2: Season 53-present (2022-present)
I don’t know who’s currently in charge of music at Sesame Workshop, but whoever had the bright idea to give us this deserves a raise, ASAP. This intro did NOT have to go as hard as it did. The first time I heard while watching the first episode of season 53, I probably replayed it ten times, at least. But despite how much this intro slaps, there’s still one version that I like just a little bit more.
#1: Seasons 30-32 (1998-2001)
This was the first version of the Sesame Street theme song I ever heard, so I might just have a nostalgia bias, but this is the SS intro that feels the most right to me. Season 30 wanted to familiarize kids with the same kinds of tunes that their parents grew up knowing, and this intro succeeds in doing that tenfold. It takes everything the original intro did and improves on it tenfold. Big Bird is a larger presence than he was previously, the kids are doing all sorts of fun things, and the final scene with Big Bird gesturing for us to come with him is just icing on the cake. It may not be the most glamorous, but to me, this is THE intro for Sesame Street, and nothing tops it.
But no matter which intro you like the most, I think we can all be happy that this song is still such a huge pop-culture staple that so many people still know to this day. And here’s hoping it’ll last another 50+ years.
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