Sesame Street just became a lot easier to find. YouTube and Sesame Workshop announced today that the platform is now the largest digital home for the show, dumping a massive “treasure trove” of full episodes and classic clips online for families.
The move brings over 100 full episodes to the main YouTube app and YouTube Kids for the first time. This isn’t just the new stuff either; they are reaching deep into the archives to pull out the moments that actually shaped television.
If you grew up watching the show, the “Classics” channel is going to be a trip down memory lane. They’ve uploaded the 1969 series premiere, the legendary episode where Snuffy is finally revealed to the adults, and the crossover where Mr. Rogers visits the neighbourhood.
They are also including the incredibly heavy “Goodbye Mr. Hooper” episode. It’s a bold move to put these historical milestones behind a free “play” button rather than keeping them locked in a paid streaming vault.
YouTube says more than half of Sesame Street fans are watching on big-screen TVs in the living room, so they’ve adjusted the format. Instead of just short clips, they’ve built “long-form compilations” that run for one to two hours. These are themed around things like STEM, the alphabet, and friendship, basically acting as a digital resource for parents who want something educational.
For those on phones, there’s a new library of Shorts featuring the Muppets. The goal here, according to YouTube’s Katie Kurtz, is to give families a single “safe” spot for everything Sesame.
Usually, when a brand has a library this iconic, they hide it behind a subscription. By making this the “largest digital library” of the show, YouTube is positioning itself as the primary school for toddlers.
I took a look at the new Classics channel this morning, and seeing the grainy 1969 footage next to the high-def 2026 content is a reminder of how long this show has been the gold standard for kids’ TV. It’s a smart move by Sesame Workshop to meet kids where they actually are: on YouTube. If you have toddlers and young children, this will keep them occupied for hours.
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