The birth of Big Bird

Malcolm Gladwell has an interesting chapter in his book "The Tipping Point" about Blue's Clues and Sesame Street and how both shows succeeded in developing "sticky" programming...material kids could remember, comprehend, and would come back for more of. It's ostensibly a marketing book, some would call it more a study of social interaction and influence, but it has some interesting insights in that particular chapter about what appeals to children. Here's an excerpt.