Is there any particular reason for that? Or was it random? Is it even known?
Sesame Street is produced by the Sesame Workshop, but it appears that the Sesame Workshop is named after the show.
CMC fnord!
Thanks!
I was looking under “sesame street”, but all I could find was coloring pages etc… Didn’t think to search “sesame workshop”.
Thanks again!
Puzzler
I cheated!
Looked up “sesame street” on Wikipedia, that led me to their page on Sesame Workshop, which had a link to Sesame Workshop, then just searched around the Sesame Workshop site.
CMC fnord!
Always fun to give my citefu a little workout!
I’d say they were looking for something totally inoccuous with alliteration and a bit of a sing-song rhythm.
To elaborate on the cite given by crowmanyclouds, it is a reference to the tale of Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves, from the Arabian Nights tales.
The thieves had a magical cavern where they stored their treasures. To gain entrance, one had to stand outside the hidden cave entrance and say “Open, Sesame”, which caused to magcial doors to open and allow entry.
I support the “Open, Sesame” view. I seriously doubt it has anything to do with sesame seed buns which were a part of the McDonald’s jingle in the days when Sesame Street was first gaining traction.
Has anybody ever seen a sesame bush or whatever it is that sesame seeds become if planted? Or a caraway bush?
Off-topic, but…
I found it interesting that, in Mexico, the show is called “Plaza Sesamo”, even though the word for “sesame” is “ajonjoli”. It seems they went for a perhaps better-sounding name rather than a strict translation. I don’t know what the standard phrase for “Open sesame!” (as in Ali Baba) is in Spanish.
Your wish is my command.
Open sesame!
Open caraway?
CMC fnord!
In Spanish, at least in Latin America, sésamo and ajonjolí are interchangeable.
Speaking of Ali Baba, here he was explaining to the little ones in the Spanish “Plaza Sesamo” how to say and write “abierto” (Open):
And yes, he does say “Abrete Sésamo” (Open Sesame!) like I do remember the original tale was translated.
Thanks for those links. Now I can no longer ask those specific off-the-wall questions. My ignorance has been knocked to its knees again.
Well since your down there,
In the name of My Most Royal Majesty, I knight thee. Arise, Earl of Cloves!
CMC fnord!
Eh, what’s up, Doc? 
Ain’t that good for toothaches and such? Or is that some sort of hoof?
fnord! back atcha.
Sir Loin of Beef!
Sir Ossis of liver!
Sir Face Tension
Sir Charge
Sir Cum Ference
Sir Pent
:smack: Gawd I wish I could find this on YouTube. But I remember seeing a bit dating back to circa 1968. It was a board meeting of television executives (all muppets, of course, but in suite and tie) trying to come up with a name for the new show. One of the execs says “This is a show for kids who don’t know their alphabet, can’t read or write, and don’t know their numbers yet? I have the perfect name for it: HEY, STUPID!”
I guess you have to see it to appreciate it, but it was hillarious.
Well, at least I found an article about it.
*
Stone used the Muppets in a comical film to promote the then-unnamed show in which the Muppets suggested what to call it. One Muppet proposed calling it simply “Hey, Stupid!”*
Not the video, but a complete script with screenshots of that promotional pitch reel to PBS is in Muppet Wiki:
Interesting that you should mention caraway! When I was in my early 20s I was a cast member in a show called “Caraway Street”. It was basically a Christian version of Sesame Street. The scripts and blueprints were all purchased from the company that came up with it. The blueprints showed how to build the set, and there were instructions for making puppets (though the actual puppet design was pretty open-ended). I played three human characters: myself, a crazy disc jockey named “TJ the DJ”, and an elderly man named Mr. Garcia, who ran the little grocery store. Additionally, I operated two puppets. There were four cast members in all, and each actor did the same thing: three human characters and two puppets. We did the performances every Sunday morning for the kids aged 5 to 12, I think. The scripts actually called for two separate casts, which alternated each week. It was a lot of fun 
The production company changed it’s name to reflect the show. It used to be Children’s Television Workshop. (CTW)
From :
Originally founded by Joan Ganz Cooney and Lloyd Morriset to produce Sesame Street, the company, currently run by President and CEO Gary E. Knell, has since produced many other shows and a variety of multimedia content. The CTW name was changed to Sesame Workshop in 2000 to reflect the company’s reach into new media and capitalize on the worldwide recognition provided by the Sesame Street name. Around the same time this happened, the Corporation for Public Broadcasting logo also changed.
Also:
http://www.museum.tv/archives/etv/C/htmlC/childrenste/childrenste.htm
has way more info on CTW’s history. (And seconds that CTW produced Sesame)