Forgotten Author of the Week - Jon Stone

Jon Stone was an Emmy-winning writer, director, and producer known for his involvement and creation of Sesame Street, which he worked on until his death in 1997. Stone received a master's degree from Yale in Drama, and got a job immediately afterward working for CBS. He started his career working on Captain Kangaroo before moving to Sesame Street. Stone was the show's principal director until 1996. Working with Jim Henson, he helped to create many of the Muppet characters, including Big Bird and Cookie Monster. He was responsible for the show's format and setting. Stone even contribute occasional announcer voices and served similar duties on Muppet Films. In his obituary his long time director friend Joan Ganz Conney said, "Stone was probably the most brilliant writer of children's television material in America."

His most popular (and my favorite) book is The Monster at the End of this Book. He also wrote The Sesame Street Storybook, Would You Like to Play Hide & Seek in This Book With Lovable, Furry Old Grover?, Christmas Eve on Sesame Street, The Songs of Sesame Street in Poems and Pictures, and many more. So the next time you are watching some classic Sesame Street, you now know who one of the men was behind the show.