Photo Credit: Kara’s Party Ideas
New York Times blogger and statistician Nate Silver had a lot riding on Tuesday’s election. The young mathe-magician spent years developing a complex statistical model that analyzed countless polls to predict the outcome of the Presidential race. In the end, Silver determined that a sizable victory for President Barack Obama was almost inevitable. Many were skeptical of his methods, but it turned out he was right….down to the state…all 50 of them.
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That said, it’s safe to say that not even Nate Silver’s model took into account the importance of a large, feathered muppet to the 2012 Presidential Election. I’m speaking, of course, about everyone’s favorite neighbor on Sesame Street: Big Bird.
Yes, Big Bird. The Jim Henson creation became a major player in the race for the White House after Mitt Romney name-checked him during a debate (in reference to the former governor’s desire to cut funding to PBS). The threat to cut public funding to Sesame Street drew ire from large swathes of the internet community, resulting in memes galore.
Sesame Street celebrates its 43rd birthday tomorrow, a huge milestone for a show that’s been a touchstone in the lives of millions of children since its premiere. Beloved characters like Elmo, Cookie Monster (a pivotal influence in my own life), and Grover have become fluffy friends to entire generations of young viewers. (Nate Silver himself might have developed his love of numbers as a child from Count von Count.) With Obama back in office, it appears that Americans will continue to fund the fun over at Sesame Street for the time being, perhaps even past 2019, when the show will celebrate its 50th anniversary(!).
You can read more about the characters of Sesame Street and the people behind the show (such as celebrated voice actor/puppeteer Frank Oz) through our Famous People search feature. Interested to find the real-life Sesame Street nearest you? You won’t find it in Manhattan. According to Spokeo’s Reverse Address Search data, there are 57 American cities that possess a Sesame Street of their own, with Tempe, AZ in the lead (183 addresses!). Click to see the address nearest you! Who knows – you may run into Oscar the Grouch while you’re there.