Future:Media:Change

YouTube – Sesame Street: Google Bugle.

You probably noticed a pair of long bird legs if you used GoogleGoogle today. They belong to Big Bird. The special “Google Doodle“celebrates 40 years of the Children’s Television Workshop providing early education through Sesame Street. Google will offer new doodles for the next few days according to the Google blog. The official 40th Anniversary date is Nov. 10th.

Big Bird Google Doodle celebrates 40 years of Sesame Street

Though I’ve been part of several efforts to have a nonprofit organization or campaign featured on Google, these almost always prove unsuccesful (though there is a always a brief period where everyone is convinced, “We’ll get the homepage of Google!”). Though Google has offered ribbons for World Aids Day on Dec. 1st and for cancer awareness, I’m hard-pressed to think of a single nonprofit organization — as Children’s Television Workshop is — to have their own doodle. A few searches (yes, on Google) offered no evidence otherwise. Thus, it seems the Workshop, via Sesame Streeet, is the first nonprofit to have their very own doodle.

Sesame Street is an “A” for “Awesome,” choice for this honor. They are truly global. The Next Web points out that several doodles have been created for different countries where a localized version of Sesame Street has an impact. Sorry, UK; you get Wallace and Gromit’s 20th birthday instead.

First Doodle is for Belgium and Netherlands while the second is in Israel

Beyond simply going local, I found the team at Sesame Street determined to have a bold impact when I worked briefly with them during my days at the UN. Watch The World According to Sesame StreetThe World According to Sesame Street reviews to learn more about the shows important work across the globe. One of their noblest risks was creating Kami, an HIV-positive muppet on the South African version of the show.

The programme, aimed at very young children, wants to show that those living with HIV are no different to others and should be treated as such.
via BBC

Let’s hope Google opens up to more doodles supporting worthy causes and organizations. However, the kids are not waiting. You can see some great (many cause-related) doodles created by schoolchildren. This one is from a 6 year old in Brooklyn who says:

My doodles is about ending breast cancer. I wish for the world to be healthy and free of breast cancer. My grandma survived breast cancer and I wish that all girls around the world can end breast cancer forever by raising money and living healthy to make it go away.

Happy Birthday, Big Bird and the gang. Bert and Ernie, ignore those Maine voters. You can come out now.