‘Sesame Street’ Tattoos for the Show’s 50th Birthday

It was on a sunny day way back in November 10th, 1969 that children first met Big Bird, Bert and Ernie, Oscar the Grouch and all the rest of the inhabitants of Sesame Street. To say that this has left a lasting impression on the generations that would follow is probably a massive understatement. 

In 2019 it’s almost impossible to imagine growing up without watching “Sesame Street.” How did people learn to count without The Count? How did they learn to be curious without Big Bird? How did they learn how to scarf down an entire bakery worth of cookies without Cookie Monster? OK, maybe that’s not a lesson kids should have picked up on…

The point is that “Sesame Street” has become ingrained in our DNA as an integral part of growing up. When it first debuted people were a little unsure that it would be a success at all, let alone the global phenomenon that it became. The show found a brilliant way to reach kids by teaching them under the guise of entertainment. In other words, when a little kid is giggling about the antics of Bert and Ernie they aren’t just entertained, they are almost subliminally learning how to interact with their friends and family in a respectful manner. 

People often get tattoos of things that mean something important to them, so it shouldn’t be surprising that the show that taught whole generations how to be people would receive that honor. It helps that Jim Henson created so many vibrantly colored and visually interesting characters. Not to mention that many of us feel like we are actually living in a garbage can these days…. 

A lot of the tattoos you’re going to see in this gallery cleverly subvert the ideas taught in “Sesame Street.” It’s fun to imagine Bert as a gangster or Cookie Monster as a businessman. Hell, if anything it is showcasing one of the main lessons of the show, the importance of imagination.

As you scroll through this gallery of “Sesame Street” tattoos be sure to count them out as you go. One tattoo… mwahaha. 

Two tattoos… mwahahaha!

Three tattoos… mwahahahaha! 

Four…. you get the point.