Even the adults who work on Sesame Street pinch themselves when Big Bird walks by

The Sesame Street Muppets have been a staple of American childhoods for the past 40 years. Big Bird, Elmo, Cookie Monster, and the rest of the gang are among the most-beloved characters of television ever, and luckily, that isn’t lost on the people who work on the show. We spoke with producers Benjamin Lehmann, Justin Simonich, Ian Chernichaw, and senior director of content at the Sesame Workshop Autumn Zitani, about the joys of being on set with these characters.