Sesame Street is an American educational children's television series for preschoolers and is a pioneer of the contemporary educational television standard, combining both education and entertainment. Sesame Street is well known for its Muppet characters created by Jim Henson. As of 2007, 4,160 episodes of the show have been produced in 38 seasons. Sesame Street is one of the longest-running U.S. television shows in history.Sesame Street is produced in the United States by the non-profit organization Sesame Workshop, formerly known as the Children's Television Workshop (CTW), founded by Joan Ganz Cooney and Ralph Rogers. It premiered on November 10, 1969, on the National Educational Television network, and the following year it was moved to NET's replacement, the Public Broadcasting Service.As a result of its positive influence, Sesame Street is one of the most highly regarded educational shows for children in the world. No other television series has matched its level of international recognition and success. The original series has been televised in 120 countries, and more than 30 international versions have been produced, not including dubbed versions. The series has received 109 Emmy Awards, more than any other television series. An estimated 77 million Americans have watched the series as children; millions more have watched around the world, as have their parents.