Summary
Overview
Tish Rabe, acclaimed children's author with over 200 books and 11+ million copies sold, shares her remarkable journey from aspiring opera singer to Sesame Street production assistant to becoming a bestselling author in the Dr. Seuss universe. She discusses her creative process, the art of writing in rhyme, working with Jim Henson's Muppets, and her mission to get books into the hands of children who need them most. At 74, she started her own publishing company and continues championing literacy and kindness through her work.
From Opera Dreams to Sesame Street
Tish's career began with a pivot from her original plan to become an opera singer. After studying opera and jazz in college, she came to New York to audition for singing roles. Through a serendipitous connection with her high school music teacher who became assistant music director at Sesame Street, she landed a job as music production assistant in season two. Her constant singing around the office eventually led to performing with the Muppets, starting with the iconic "I Love Trash" with Oscar the Grouch.
- Studied opera with a minor in jazz, torn between singing and writing throughout high school
- Got job at Sesame Street season two through high school music teacher connection, initially as music production assistant
- After a year of singing constantly at work, was finally asked to sing on Sesame Street with the Muppets
- First big break was singing "I Love Trash" with Oscar the Grouch
" I had two things I loved. I love to sing and I love to write. So all through high school, I was, are you going to be a singer or a writer, a writer or a singer? "
The Creative Crucible of Early Sesame Street
Working at Sesame Street in its earliest days provided Tish with an unparalleled creative education. The show's innovative approach combined educational research with groundbreaking entertainment, featuring a diverse cast and characters that network executives worried might fail. Jim Henson and the team pioneered double-level humor that engaged both children and parents, while the show's mission focused on leveling the educational playing field for all children entering kindergarten.
- Sesame Street team was very worried the show would bomb with its unconventional characters - a six-foot yellow bird, cookie-eating monster, grouch in trash can, and multi-racial cast
- Joan Gans Cooney gave creative team complete freedom: 'whatever you guys want to do, you know, go ahead'
- Show was one of first to use educational research, with thick notebooks detailing what to teach kids each season
- Writers would look at Abbott and Costello and Marx Brothers movies for inspiration, always writing endings first
" They were very worried that this show was going to bomb. You know, a six-foot yellow bird, a monster that only eats cookies, a grouch in a trash can, a multi-racial cast. How do we think this is going to go in 1969? "
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